o p i n i o n 8K resolution? It’s all in the detail Peter Knight considers the impact of the 8K resolution revolution — will it affect the way that we project digital cinema any time soon?
W
alking around IBC last September
The resolution revolution?
you couldn’t fail to notice the vast array
In the non-cinema entertainment space, 8K projectors are
of televisions on display all capable of
already available, with Digital Projection unveiling one in 2019.
showing 8K resolution, some at 120fps. I
Museums, attractions, event and projection mapping are all
could walk out of a Curry’s electrical store
making use of the higher resolution. So with all of this 8K
today with a brand new 55in Samsung 8K television for less
activity happening in other professional environments, let
than £2,500, For a few more thousands, a selection of 80in+
alone in the home, where does this leave cinema? Should the
models is available. All come with HDR or HDR10+ options on
projectors in cinemas ramp up to 8K or even 16K to compete?
top, and several feature Dolby Atmos too. That may not be super-cheap, but the technology is readily available.
Whenever I raise the topic at different technology firms in our sector, the response has been unequivocal — there isn’t the
The Consumer Technology Association forecast that US
content. Despite having 4K projectors, not many movies are
sales of 8K UHD TVs would reach 175,000 units in 2019. Though
released with a 4K DCP. That said, I certainly have heard some
IHS Markit downwardly adjusted its own estimates for 2019 8K
suggesting that 8K is not an impossibility in cinema’s future.
television sales from 430,000 to 167,000 units, it still represents
In the realms of on-demand and streaming services, there
a growth in sales. The variety of 8K models available and being
4K content is being widely consumed, much of which now
reviewed is fast-approaching the number of 4K ones. Some
also has HDR available with it. But even higher resolution with
contend 8K will be a mainstream consumer product by 2023.
higher dynamic ranges and faster frame rates all means larger
Content is king — and this has been part of the challenge
file sizes. Larger file sizes mean a greater requirement for
of 4K, with relatively few cinema features released in 4K,
storage space, more processing and more network capacity,
despite the availability of 4K projectors for over a decade.
much like squeezing an eight lane-highway into a small
YouTube has supported the upload of 8K videos since 2015,
country road. The jump to 8K is 16 times that of standard HD.
with Vimeo adding 8K support in November 2017. As we went
So in a world of hard-pressed bandwidth, cinema may well
to press, it had 8,000 videos tagged with 8K.
have a role to play as venues capable of handling robustly the
While content is still scarce, it is appearing gradually. At the
demands of 8K technology. One final thought — the optimal
end of 2019 the rugby world cup was broadcast in Japan in 8K,
viewing distance for that 55in 8K TV set at Currys? Just under
and this year’s Olympics Games will be available in 8K. And
2ft. I don’t know about you, but I sit a bit further back. As a rule,
just recently we also saw an announcement of a new 8K
bigger screens deliver better resolution more comfortably.
certification scheme for televisions from the 8K Association designed to create a standardised feature set for 8K displays. 8 2
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What is the conclusion? 8K is reaching our world — it may be worth considering where and why it sits in our cinemas. www.cinematech.today
17/02/2020 10:40
