China starts to roll out epic 8K TV technology on the back of 5G
HD TV was a huge step up (most of what we still watch on our TVs is HD – high definition). 4K provided us with almost ‘cinematic’ experiences of detail and quality (most modern cinemas use a 5K format… there are variations). Now the Chinese, using the latest 5G technology, are talking of broadcasting an 8K picture quality experience.
China has successfully realised 8K ultra-high-definition content transmission through 5G networks for the first time, according to China Daily. The 8K UHD signals were transmitted from the headquarters of China Media Group in Beijing to display terminals at the venue of the Mobile World Congress 2019 in Shanghai last Wednesday. The test was carried out by CMG together with China Mobile, China Unicom, Huawei Technologies, China Ultra-high-definition Industry Alliance and Sumavision Technology Group.
The quality of the TV signals and low latency of the transmission, which ran at 320Mb per second, were highly spoken of by spectators at the CMG showcase booth set at the MWC 2019 venue.
China has officially rolled out commercial 5G licenses to the nation’s three major telecom carriers — China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom — as well as the State-owned China Broadcasting Network Corp earlier this month.
Jiang Wenbo, a senior executive of CMG, said that the successful test proves that 5G networks, which has the advantage of low-latency, high-bandwidth and high-reliability communications, offer excellent technological support to the extensive application of UHD TV (Ultra High Definition).
Televisions are famously low-margin products to sell, and the average consumer’s TV upgrade cycle is a lot longer than it is for laptops and smartphones. Clearly, it is still very early for both 5G and 8K, as 5G networks are currently only available in a limited number of locations and native 8K content will be a rarity for some time.
Meanwhile in Japan, broadcasters have been experimenting with 8K TV for some time, WhatHiFi.com reported. Back in 2015 the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation, NHK, ran a series of successful 8K trials and went on to launch the world’s first 8K television channel. Since December 2018, it has broadcast 8K TV shows on a daily basis, 12 hours a day.
Japan is also aiming to deliver 8K broadcasts in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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