Spin Digital of Germany has released a new version of its Spin Player software that can playback 4K and 8K content with support for:

• 8K distribution: File and live playback of 8Kp60 4:2:0 10-bit HDR videos encoded in HEVC or VVC at distribution bitrates up to 80 Mbps.
• 8K contribution: File and live playback 8Kp60 4:2:2 10-bit streams encoded in HEVC at broadcast contribution bitrates up to 250 Mbps.
• High-fidelity 8K: Visually-lossless playback of 8Kp60 HEVC content in master-file quality with 4:4:4 12-bit format at very high bitrates from up to 600 Mbps.
• 8K with High Frame Rate (HFR): HEVC, VVC, and uncompressed playback of 8K 10-bit HDR content with HFR up to 120 fps to drive high-quality applications to the next level of visual experience.

Spin Player is able to perform real-time 8Kp60 HDR playback on a compact PC with an Intel Core i9-13900K CPU, used for 8K VVC decoding, and an Intel ARC A770 GPU used for video rendering and  connected to the 8K TV using an HDMI 2.1 interface. The VVC player running on an Intel NUC 13 Extreme Platform was shown in action at the NAB 2023 Exhibition.

For more information look here.

Wohler Technologies has introduced vMON, a new line of 4K and 8K video monitors that includes SDI and HDMI inputs. The monitors use native UltraHD (3840 x 2160) panels, but can accept 8K signals for monitor purposes. The monitors are available in 17.3", 27" and 32" sizes.

We posted the news about the widely rumored launch of the Nikon Z8 mirrorless hybrid camera, which brings many of the features and much of the performance of the flagship Z9 to a lower price point. We spotted this detailed article about the camera which supports 8K60p using 4:2:0 H.265 or 8K30P with 4:2:2 H265. It can record up to 125 Minutes of UHD 8K (7680 x 4320) at 29.97p (4:2:2 10-Bit). It also supports 10 bit ProRes 4:2:2 HQ (but only up to 4K) and 12-Bit RAW internal recording. It uses a 45.7 MP Sony sensor.

Techradar and others reported that Apple is releasing its Final Cut Pro app for recent high end iPads. The app will allow editing of 8K ProRes video if you have an iPad Pro with the most recent M2 chip from Apple. The app will be available on a monthly ($4.99) or annual ($49) subscription from May 23rd. The company is also releasing its Logic Pro audio app. Competitor, davinci Resolve is already available on the iPad along with iPad-led apps such as Lumafusion.

There has been widespread confusion online about the resolution of B&O's new and very expensive 97" TV. Although it has been widely reported as having an 8K OLED panel, it is in fact just 4K. The smaller 88" version does have an 8K panel, but LG Display, which makes most of the large OLEDs for TV, does not make an 8K version of the 97" panel.

The China Daily reported that the Chinese government is considering a new set of measures to develop the support for high quality video in the country, according to Zhao Zhiguo, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. He made the remarks at the World Ultra-high-definition Video Industrial conference 2023 in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

The report clarifies that the government wishes to boost UltraHD and 8K technology and distribution. Another report lists the value of the UltraHD industry in China at $431 billion by the end of 2022 and highlighted the eight broadcast 4K channels and two 8K channels. China has also developed and industrialized key products including 8K cameras, 8K monitors and 8K image sensors.

(Image credit - China Daily)

Interdigital released a white paper, authored by market research consultancy Futuresource, that looked at the the state of play in the developments of video codecs. It highlights that the internet is now a 'video first' technology and the critical nature of codecs in allowing that. It also looks at each of the major video codecs and summarizes their performance and licensing aspects.

The white paper also looks ahead to future codec technologies that can use synthetic media and the use of AI. The white paper is free to download (with registration) here.

Circana (formerly IRI and the NPD group) published a report that points out that the age of installed TVs in the US is gradually increasing with the average age now being 5.2 years. The average TV is replaced in the US is 6.6 years old. TVs were replaced during the pandemic as buyers stayed at home. The researchers believe that this increasing age of sets will mean an uptick in the sale of TVs to 'the normal replacement cycle' will return and that will help the market to recover.

YouTube reviewer Dustin Abott looks at the Fujifilm X-H2 which can capture 4:2:2 Prores 8K at 30fps with 10 bits of color or 8K RAW with an external recorder. The camera is based on the APS-C specification and offers very good value, he believes.

He also has a 'deep dive' review here.

THine Electronics of Japan has released its latest high speed drivers for 4K and 8K TVs. THine specializes in developing the interface systems between the timing controller inside a flat panel such as an LCD and the row and column drivers in the panel itself. The interfaces are a key component of cost and can at times limit the performance of the panels if the interfaces are not up-to-date.

THine's V-by-one interface was upgraded to V-by-One HS to support 8K and now has been upgraded to V-by-One HS Plus to reduce the number of lanes used by half.

The DVB, which develops international technical standards for broadcast and streamed media, has approved a new specification that covers the use of the VVC and AVS3 codecs in DVB delivery systems including terrestrial, satellite, cable, IPTV and DVB-DASH. The new specification will be formally standardized by ETSI. This development is an expected, but necessary, step in the evolution of video delivery methods that can support 8K with optimized codecs.

DVB also published new 'blue books' setting out the commercial requirements for the next generation of codecs. DVB issues commercial requirements before using those to select and develop the technical solutions to meet those requirements.

Colorfront, a developer of dailies/transcoding and streaming for motion pictures, OTT, broadcast and commercials, announced at NAB that it has developed products for 'live streaming' of 8K using 'just hotel broadband'.

“We are thrilled to now have the ability to play out 8K camera RAW files to our 8K HDR cinema screens directly from our Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) in AWS,”

said Jonathon Lee, Head of Media Engineering & Innovation at Amazon Studios.

“This has created a new paradigm for us, and helps close the loop with our global pure cloud production environment. We can
now post our shows anywhere in the world in full fidelity.”

Blackmagic Design has announced a new camera that has a 12K Super35 image sensor. It includes an optical low pass filter (OLPF) that is intended to reduces artifacts such as moiré and aliasing, while preserving the color and critical image detail. It will also be available without the OLPF. As the sensor has 80megapixels it can support cropped or re-framed UltraHD or DCI 8K or in-sensor scaled 8K RAW at up to 120fps with 14 stops of dynamic range. It has an interchangeable lens mount and supports large PL cinema lenses, EF or F mount photographic lenses, and even B4 broadcast lenses. The firm said that the camera is now certified for Netflix production. Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K OLPF is available immediately worldwide for $6,385.

The Verge (and pretty well every other video-related website) reported on the new DJI Inspire 3 8K drone-based full-frame camera. The unit is intended for professional applications and supports up to DCI 8K at 8192 x 4320 (and up to 8192 x 5456 in still mode) at up to 75fps. Content is captured in MOV or CinemaDNG format as well as ProResRAW and H.264 (there are charges for a RAW recording license). There is a list of supported formats here. Live video can be streamed for monitoring up to 1080p/60fps and 4K/30fps.

There are samples captured from the camera here in up to 8K.

The drone costs $16,499

Before NAB, RED Digital Cinema launched its RED Connect Module which streams RAW 3D files from the V-RAPTOR and V-RAPTOR XL cameras in resolutions up to 8K with 120fps. The company describes the capability as enabling '8K live cinematic streaming' and the module connects to the camera via the CFexpress media slot. The module offers Genlock and timecode synchronization of multiple cameras using PTP (SMPTE ST 2059-2) and up to 10 Gbps connection via a single-mode LC connector. In particular, the firm highlighted the opportunity to provide 8K for immersive video. The module costs $14,995.

DIY Photography reported that Sony's component business has added two (44.72 MP and 61.17MP) full frame 8K sensors to its product list. The 44MP version is reported to have high-speed 8K capabilities with up to 61.25 fps in 12 bit mode available to readout. The sensors are not yet announced in any cameras. Although the higher resolution version has nearly twice the pixels needed for 8K, some high quality film makers like to capture in higher resolution and the downsample to get smoother images and some noise reduction. Sony said that the sensors should appear in DSCs and consumer camcorders.

Canon published a YouTube video explaining its new firmware on its Cinema EOS cameras. New features include the option to support 2X magnification in the 8K mode for more accurate focusing. The EOS R5C also is now approved for Netflix use. There are also changes to improve or eliminate flicker from LED walls in virtual production applications.

In an interview on YouTube, and reported on our sister site 'Discover 8K' image quality expert Florian Friedrich explained that depending on the film stock and chemistry, the grain of some film stock can be smaller than the pixels of 8K. 8K can therefore maintain the look of film-based material more accurately. There are also particular issues that can arise when processing film content as the structure of the image is not arranged in a grid pattern, as it is on the display where it will be shown. Having more resolution helps in minimizing distortions and artifacts from the grid structures of digital displays.

IMAX bought  SSIMWAVE, the company that specializes in measuring and analyzing video quality and this year the two companies are working together with their demonstrations at NAB 2023.

During NAB, executives from both organizations will give talks and in particular we spotted that the company is giving a talk on 8K codecs. The details are:

Next Generation Video Codecs for 8K, featuring SSIMWAVE CEO Abdul Rehman, on Monday, April 17 (2:40 - 3:20 PM) in the Connect Inspiration Theater, W3421A.

Other talks are:

• The promise of HDR for studios and realities of advanced HDR workflows for streamers, featuring SSIMWAVE CEO Dr. Abdul Rehman and VP Visual Solutions Lab at Samsung Research America Bill Mandel on Monday, April 17 (11:20 AM – 12:00 PM) in the Capitalize Inspiration Theater.
• Packaging and Distribution Strategies for Subscriber Engagement, featuring SSIMWAVE Chief Revenue Officer John Zelenka, on Monday, April 17 (11:30-12:30PM) in the West Hall Meeting Rooms, W219-W221.
• One-To-One Conversations with IMAX and SSIMWAVE executives, unveiling of the Stream Smart™ product that ensures the proper balance between streaming costs and subscriber satisfaction, and demonstrations of IMAX Enhanced at the IMAX/SSIMWAVE booth W1567.

Nvidia is working with video technology developer Beamr to bring GPU acceleration to Beamr's video bitrate optimizers. The use of GPU power is said to lead to a 10X faster processing speed and works on AVC, HEVC and AV1 content up to 8K HDR quality. The project has taken two years to come to fruitiion. Beamr also sadi that it plans to offer its technology on a cloud-based 'Software-as-a-Service SaaS' exploiting Nvidia GPUs.

Panasonic has issued a press release confirming that a long awaited new global shutter 8K camera sensor is now available. The sensor uses a new organic sensing technology that is said to provide better colour by reducing the crosstalk between pixels and having higher sensitivity for lower noise operation. There is no news yet on cameras that might use the sensor.

The press release is titled "Panasonic Develops Organic Photoconductive Film (OPF) CMOS Image Sensor Technology That Achieves Excellent Color Reproducibility under Any Light Source Irradiation"

As NHK pointed out recently, editing 8K is really not a tough challenge any more and 9to5Mac confirmed that a the latest Mac Mini with an M2 Pro chip makes the experience very smooth even editing in Prores.

Increasingly, with the development of faster GPUs and more sophisticated graphics, gamers are looking to head towards 8K. However, there can be challenges getting high resolution and high frame rate data to the display with low latency, minimum bandwidth and visually lossless quality. IntoPIX went to the GDC (Gamers Development Conference) to show its latest low complexity compression scheme which is intended to meet these objectives. At the event, the firm showed its TicoXS FIP compression that is suitable for wireless displays including head mounted displays. The codec is optimized for up to 240Hz and up to 8K resolution.

Atomos has won an innovation award by the Lucie Foundation for its 8K Atomos Sapphire 8K Global Shutter Sensor. The Lucie Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports photographers and the technology they use.

The full frame sensor's use of a global shutter at up to 8K DCI with 60fps means that fast moving content such as sports footage is not distorted by the rolling shutter phenomenon. Atomos is offering the sensor to other camera makers after five years of development.

Two years ago, Radio Televisión Española (RTVE) made the first broadcast of 8K TV using the terrestrial DVB-T2 broadcast technology. Now they want to go further with a project to develop live broadcasts in 8K using the lessons learned. Live content is always more challenging in management and encoding and RTVE is pushing the boundaries with HDR, WCG, HFR and next-generation Audio. The project will use servers from Cisco.

A black and white movie, "Pi" made 25 years ago, for just $60,000 has been remastered for display on IMAX screens. It was made with 16mm reversal stock. To show it previously, it was re-captured in 35mm negative format and then printed. That meant that all versions of the original had been through several processing steps. Going digital meant being able to go back to the original and then being able to "polish the film like never before.” The use of 8K masters meant that grain was very big, but that was fine with the creators. The audio was also remastered into the latest Dolby Atmos format for more immersion.

In the early days of HD scanning, interference with film grain could be a real issue, but with 8K, there is enough difference to mean accurate capture of the grain of the original.

VeriSilion, a designer of circuits for chips, has released its latest VC9000D design for VVC decoding. VVC is a next generation codec that can reduce the bitrate needed to transmit high resolution 8K video at the expense of more complexity in the process than earlier generations. The level of decoding supported depends on the semiconductor process that is used to make the chips with 8K30fps in 12nm nodes and up to 8K120fps in multi-core mode or with the most advanced process nodes.

We've reached out to VeriSilicon to find out more.

Atomos has won an innovation award for its 8K Atomos Sapphire 8K Global Shutter Sensor. The full frame sensor's use of a global shutter at up to 8K DCI with 60fps means that fast moving content such as sports footage is not distorted by the rolling shutter phenomenon.

Astro Design highlights in an article and interview with Sports Video Group News that it has been working on 8K for more than a decade with NHK and others. 8K video systems can deliver a real change in sports entertainment video with new formats and capture techniques. In the past 3G SDI was used as an interface with many cables, but this is now down to four cables. The move to IP video is supported by new 8K gateways and JPEG-XS encoding and decoding.

Codec developer MainConcept is running a webinar on 9th March to look at key trends in digital video technology in 2023. Panellists will include Mike Chioditti from Endeavor Streaming and our own Executive Director, Mike Fidler.

You can book here to see the session live or via on-demand.

TechRadar had a look at Nvidia's latest GeForce RTX 4090 (which it describes as an 'absolute beast') and used it with the firm's DLSS 3 upscaling technology to play games at 8K with 60fps support. The game played was Atomic Heart and the reviewer described the graphics as 'incredible'. The GPU was effectively limited by the LG 55" TV which was limited to 60Hz operation.

A reviewer at TechRadar tested Samsung's QN900C flagship 8K TV and found that the upscaled 4K gave a better level of picture detail than native 8K content ("bursting with detail") and with "a three-dimensional quality".

8KA Comment

The quality and look of content depends not only on the number of pixels, but also on the quality of those pixels. Compression can squeeze the quality out of 8K content so good and less compressed 4K could look better when up-scaled. The result is also a testament to the quality of Samsung's upscaling technology, as the reviewer pointed out.

Blackmagic Design has updated its Ultimatte real time hardware chroma keyer to support 8K using 12G-SDI. The company will launch the Ultimatte 12 8K at the forthcoming NAB show. This means the firm has devices for HDMI with consumer cameras, HD, 4K and 8K.

Astro Design highlights in a discussion with Sports Video Group (SVG) News that it has been working on 8K for more than a decade. 8K video systems can deliver a real change in sports entertainment video. In the past 3G SDI was used as an interface with many cables, but this is now down to four cables. The move to IP video is supported by new 8K gateways and JPEG-XS encoding and decoding. Astro Design also highlights how it can capture an entire field of play and then extract a lower resolution segment of the image and emulate a camera operator. 8K can capture all the action which allows replays and reviews of all the action.

MainConcept is hosting a webinar on 9th March with the title "Hot Digital Video Topics in 2023: Coffee & Codecs Episode 4. The panel for the webinar will include 8K Association Executive Director, Mike Fidler. You can register for the event here.

The firm said:

2022 saw advancements in digital video technologies including 8K, codecs like VVC, and advanced audio via xHE-AAC and MPEG-H. Sports content from golf and bullriding to American football to the FIFA World Cup (and so much more) has continued to feed the hunger of sports fans while legalization of sports betting in the US continues to grow.   

Streaming video on demand (SVOD) platforms and free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) are now engaging viewers at scale and opening even more avenues for revenue generation. In all of this, audiences increasingly want enhanced video and audio quality and curated experiences. 

Join experts from MainConcept, the 8K Association and Endeavor Streaming as they discuss what they saw happen in 2022 and make new predictions for 2023. In this episode, we will explore: 

• What new trends in video technology will emerge in 2023
• How these trends will impact the future of sports and entertainment
• What lies ahead for the streaming world in 2023
• What business models will succeed in 2023 and which are on the way out

As we have been reporting for several months, the EU has removed special exemptions for 8K TVs that were threatening the possibility of shipping 8K sets in the region. In December, we highlighted one way of getting around the regulations, by changing the 'out of box settings'. Now Forbes and others have highlighted that Samsung will have a new 'Eco' mode that has very low luminance and will allow the sets to meet the regulations and continue shipping. Although there has been some concern expressed that consumers may end up with a worse picture than they might, we expect retailers to be aware of the potential issue and inform customers appropriately.

"The Explorers, Artemis Ascending" has been nominated for a prestigious 2023 Innovation Award by the Producers Guild of America (PGA). The title used the MeetMo.io streaming technology to support 8K. It was also recently used to capture 8K live and stream it to VR headsets during the Super Bowl LVII. Watch for more on that topic from the 8K Association.

A new attraction will come to Las Vegas in the Fall of 2023 when the MSG Sphere at the Venetian goes live with a series of concerts by Irish rock band U2. The Sphere will use a 16K LED display and 170,000 beamforming speakers to create an immersive experience. As well as using LEDs on the inside, the outside of the Sphere will be covered with LEDs and covers 55,700 m². The tiles are from Montreal-based Saco and the building will be the largest spherical structure in the world.

Fox Sports broadcast the Super Bowl LVII in UltraHD/4K but it was mainly captured and produced in FullHD 1080P. Fox created the UltraHD output by upscaling. Overall, there were 94 cameras (44 for in-game coverage, 18 for pre-game and 16 robotic as well as two SkyCams and 13 pylon cameras). The capture was in 1080p60, but several 4K cameras were use on the goal and end lines to deliver extra clarity. An 8K 120fps camera captured the highest level of detail at the reverse 50 yard line. Sound was delivered in 5.1 surround format.

Circle Optics has a new 360° camera, the Hydra II with 'zero parallax distortion' and requiring no post-stitching. The camera uses Sony image sensors and is aimed at studios that want to shoot 360° video but don't want to get involved with complex stitching. The camera provides 60fps images with 12 bit color and global shutters to minimize rolling shutter issues.

The camera is available for rental at $12,000 per week and the firm is working on smaller devices that could be used in drones.

During lockdown, the production of video of F1 racing moved to a centralised system based in the UK rather than using a complete on-site production facility. As Autosport reports, this presented a challenge as all the content from up to 100 camera and 250 audio feeds has to be transported reliably in real time from the race to the production center. This avoids the need to ship the production center around the world, helping F1 move towards its green goals by reducing the shipping weight by 70 tons -34% of the previous shipping weight. F1 technology partner, Tata Communications has already seen the benefits of UltraHD in providing more detail and is looking at how to implement 8K in the future.

Apple has confirmed to Macworld that its M2 series chips Max processors have the dual ProRes encode and decode engines that were in the original M1 Max chips, after the website specification originally listed just one. The Pro versions of the M2 have single engines.

Last week, Apple announced new Mac Mini and Mini Pro models and two new MacBook Pro models. They have improved support for 8K. The MacBook Pro with the M2 Pro chip can support an 8K display at 60Hz, while the M2 Max can support three 6K displays over Thunderbolt and an 8K display over HDMI. The Mac Mini with the M2 Pro chip, which has no integrated display, can support an 8K display over HDMI. Apple's announcement is here.

As we reported from CES, the plans of TV manufacturers regarding 8K TVs and the new EU energy regulations remain murky. This article (In German, but easily translated by Google) provides a comprehensive summary of the background that led to this situation. It also details some of the measurements and trends that were analyzed and presented to the commission by various organizations in the hope that a review would be forthcoming. It wasn't, and the regulations are now set to take effect in March.

One of the content development efforts highlighted by Samsung at CES 2023 was a game called "Lies of P", which will be authored natively in 8K. Now, the game developer, Neoviz, and AMD have released a short clip that can play in 8K on your 8K TV if you use the new AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics card in a PC.

Chris Chinnock of the 8K Association spoke to IBC365 and summarized the state of play in 8K at the end of 2022. Although the set market is still small for 8K, the trend to bigger sizes will require more resolution over time. Better codecs will help adoption, but this will mainly come via OTT delivered by broadband or 5G. There are also specialist uses in sports, for VR, and for cultural artifacts (as NHK recently highlighted). He also summarizes the actions that the 8KA is taking on capture guidelines and display certification. The IBC365 article (need a free account) is here.

Megapixel VR's Helios video wall processor is designed to support LED walls of 8K and beyond, as we reported HERE. The update announced HERE now supports high-fidelity IP streams using the SMPTE ST 2110 standard for broadcast and mission-critical applications at 8K or higher resolutions.

At CES, VESA is demonstrating an AMD Card running DisplayPort 2.1 with a Samsung 8K wide 57" Neo G9 display. There is also multi-stream transport from Synaptics with up to 4 x 4K 144Hz or dual 8K/10K 60Hz displays using DSC. VESA promises that more certified products for DP2.1 will be released in the coming months. VESA's Press Release is here.

The days when drones equipped with cameras were an expensive novelty seems like yesterday. Now, specialized film-making drones have become accessible to the consumer. You can get an 8K-capable drone for just a hundred bucks. You get a foldable drone with laser obstacle avoidance, a brushless motor, and a 1200 M remote distance at that price. The XiaomiToday product pitch is here.

In pre-CES news, LG Europe announced new 2023 TV models. According to this FlatPanelsHD article, the 8K Z3 line should get a 30-40% brightness boost to 1350 nits in Vivid mode (window not specified). However, some sizes in the G3 (4K) line will add the microlens array technology, debuted at SID last year, to get a 70% brightness boost (2100 nits in Vivid mode and 235 nits full screen). FlatpanelsHD has more here.