Issue #72 | September 20, 2022

8K Industry Faces Challenge with New EU Regulatory Ruling

March 2023 could spell trouble for the emerging 8K industry, with power limits on 8K TVs set so low virtually no devices will be sellable in the EU. European consumers could have less choice than anywhere else in the world. Our piece here is also a call to action to reach out to the EU regulators if you think this regulation will impact your business.

Quick Take IBC 2022 Videos - Part 1

NHK is showing multi-layer coding technologies. The idea is to create a single-bit stream with three different layers, all VVC based. In their demo, there are three layers; HD at 1 Mbps, 4K at 9 Mbps, and 8K at 25 Mbps. To view the 8K image, you combine the three layers, so 35 Mbps. This allows a single file for broadcast or OTT applications to serve many different platforms simultaneously.

ATEME highlighted how they could support encoding using multiple codecs, including VVC. Although their demo featured only 4K content, bit rates were low (12 to 16 Mbps). They hope to demonstrate live 8K encoding with VVC for the next NAB. They also described the benefits of film grain synthesis to offer a dramatic bit rate saving with AV1.

Astrodesign showed how live 8K signals could be easily distributed in a production environment using JPEG-XS. Their demo featured their 8K camera routing an 8K/60p signal compressed at 20:1 with JPEG-XS and formatted for IP transport over fiber at 2 Gbps. They showed an image with and without the JPEG-XS implemented with no visual difference.

Spin Digital was showing the state-of-the-art for live VVC encoding. Their workflow allows for creating a 4K/60p or an 8K/30p signal in real-time, along with MPEG-H immersive audio. With next-generation Intel hardware, they should reach 8K/60p live encoding, which is already possible with HEVC at 50 Mbps.

MainConcept showed cloud-based encoding using VVC. Using one AWS instance with an AMD Epyc processor, they could simultaneously live encode 4K/60p, 1080/60p and 720/30p content. These streams run at 8, 4 and 1 Mbps. Live 8K is not yet supported but can be done offline.

IntoPix highlighted the use of its JPEG-XS FIP profile which includes error consealment and better coding efficiency. They showed a send/receive demo of 4K/60p 444 HDR content over a 60Ghz wireless link with very low latency (or 8K/30p HDR at 1.6 Gbps over CAT5). The next demo used the TICO-XS High profile to transmit 8K/30p 444 over CAT5 at 1 Gbps. Another demo featured TICO-RAW on the Nikon Z9 that can output 8K/60p live to the display - similar to what we saw at NAB.

IntoPix highlighted the ecosystem development of their TICO-XS codec by showing a number of partner products and use cases. Dayang has an 8K encoder they used for the Beijing Olympics, Village Island can encode two 8K channels, and Appear used JPEG-XS for a live sports application.

Realtek RTD1319D STB Processor Supports 4K H.266 and AV1 video Decoding

It is good to start to see chipsets being announced to support 4K/60p VVC decoding (in addition to HEVC and AV1), but there is no support for 8K despite having an HDMI 2.1 interface. Perhaps a more powerful version is in the works to support 8K? READ More.

Fujifilm Announces X-H2 with 8K/30p ProRes 422 Video Capture

We previously reported a rumour that this camera would support 8K/30p, and it is now confirmed that it can capture that resolution in 10-bit 4:2:2 Apple ProRes video format. It is the first APS-C camera to be able to do this. Further, connecting an Atomos Ninja V+ or Blackmagic Video assist external monitor/recorder via the HDMI port can capture 12-bit RAW video. The camera costs $2,000 or $2,500 with an XF16–80mm f/4 R OIS WR lens. The review highlights that it can create 160 MP still images using pixel shifting! There's an article here and a YouTube video here.

Samsung QN900B 8K QLED TV review: Incredible image, at a price

Why TV Screens Are Going Extra Large

Geniatech DB982 – An 8K TV motherboard with Amlogic T982 CPU, ATSC 3.0 TV tuner

Samsung QE75QN900B Review (ignore anti-8K hype, give the 75QN900B a chance)