Rhaomi
05-11-2006, 21:57
I was reading up on HDTVs when I stumbled across something... impressive.
NHK, the Japanese public broadcasting network, has proposed a new high-definition standard. They've dubbed it Super Hi-Vision (also called Ultra High Definition Video, or UHDV), and it is mind-blowing.
Just take a look at these statistics:
* An 18-minute test reel of UHDV footage consumes 3.5 terabytes of data. For perspective, the entire US Library of Congress takes up about 20 terabytes.
* It has a resolution of 7680 x 4320 pixels, which is four times as wide and four times as high as today's HDTVs.
* The total pixel count is over 32 million. HDTV achieves a paltry 2 million, and normal TV only 200,000.
* Has a refresh rate of 60 frames/sec, double that of conventional video.
* Standard screen size: 450 inches (diagonal)
* 100° field of view, as opposed to HDTV's 30° field.
* 24-speaker sound system (10 at ear level, 9 above, 3 below, and 2 for low frequencies).
Despite these unbelievable numbers, the standard is not being received very well -- although not for reasons of cost or technical infeasability. NHK has actually built a working prototype that meets the above specifications. The only problem, remarkably, is that it is too real. Test audiences complained of motion sickness and disorientation after viewing the hyper-realistic video. Some wonder whether the extreme clarity might make the blemishes of actors more visible, and even suggest purposely turning down the resolution for aesthetic reasons.
In spite of this, NHK hopes to implement the system in the coming years, albeit on a smaller scale. UHDV may work well for museums and large-scale entertainment (can you imagine an IMAX version?), but it seems that people are not ready to have it in their homes.
So, what do you think? Would you ever consider buying a UHDV set if it ever came on the market at a reasonable price?
Links:
Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_High_Definition_Video)
Scale comparison of video standards (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/57/UHDV.svg/800px-UHDV.svg.png)
New York Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/03/technology/circuits/03next.html?ex=1401595200&en=935183cee9a4bd49&ei=5007)
NHK, the Japanese public broadcasting network, has proposed a new high-definition standard. They've dubbed it Super Hi-Vision (also called Ultra High Definition Video, or UHDV), and it is mind-blowing.
Just take a look at these statistics:
* An 18-minute test reel of UHDV footage consumes 3.5 terabytes of data. For perspective, the entire US Library of Congress takes up about 20 terabytes.
* It has a resolution of 7680 x 4320 pixels, which is four times as wide and four times as high as today's HDTVs.
* The total pixel count is over 32 million. HDTV achieves a paltry 2 million, and normal TV only 200,000.
* Has a refresh rate of 60 frames/sec, double that of conventional video.
* Standard screen size: 450 inches (diagonal)
* 100° field of view, as opposed to HDTV's 30° field.
* 24-speaker sound system (10 at ear level, 9 above, 3 below, and 2 for low frequencies).
Despite these unbelievable numbers, the standard is not being received very well -- although not for reasons of cost or technical infeasability. NHK has actually built a working prototype that meets the above specifications. The only problem, remarkably, is that it is too real. Test audiences complained of motion sickness and disorientation after viewing the hyper-realistic video. Some wonder whether the extreme clarity might make the blemishes of actors more visible, and even suggest purposely turning down the resolution for aesthetic reasons.
In spite of this, NHK hopes to implement the system in the coming years, albeit on a smaller scale. UHDV may work well for museums and large-scale entertainment (can you imagine an IMAX version?), but it seems that people are not ready to have it in their homes.
So, what do you think? Would you ever consider buying a UHDV set if it ever came on the market at a reasonable price?
Links:
Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_High_Definition_Video)
Scale comparison of video standards (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/57/UHDV.svg/800px-UHDV.svg.png)
New York Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/03/technology/circuits/03next.html?ex=1401595200&en=935183cee9a4bd49&ei=5007)