This year’s Rio 2016 Olympic Games will be broadcast in 8K for the first time ever, with the sporting event being recorded in an eye-watering 7680×4320 resolution. Considering that current Ultra HD/4K screens boast a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160, suffice to say that’s a lot more pixels.
The 8K TV broadcast will take place in Japan, with the country’s public broadcaster NHK setting up two special 8K viewing theaters in Tokyo and Osaka. With no 8K TV consumer models available in the region, these limited screenings will be the only opportunity to watch Rio 2016 in the resolution.
NHK is using this opportunity to test out the resolution in a satellite broadcast, with the company staging tests over the next five days that will eventually lead into the Rio 2016 Olympic Games opening ceremony. The company will then provide live viewings and replays of the Summer Games over the course of the event, testing out a new 8K codec system that lowers the data rate of the transmission so that the satellite can successfully handle the resolution of the video feed.
Though we’re still a long way off from 8K TVs becoming a common standard, it is predicted that terrestrial and cable transmissions of 8K broadcasts will be completely viable by the year 2020, just in time for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. NHK have been a pioneer in developing new television technology over the years – they began testing 720p HD as early as the 80s – so it seems they’re already well on their way to leading the charge when it comes to 8K.
