So here’s the deal. After having gotten the 42 inch TV (about which I am still very euphoric about), I am now compiling information how to finally get into the joy of High-Def, such as watching TV in that quality, DVDs and/or movies. NTL, our provider, currently does not carry High-Def signals, which makes the picture sort of pixelated, a bit like constant JPEG-artifacts if you will. So I am probably ending up with this upscaler which conveniently has a DVI-out port. And DVI to HDMI cables do exist, so there’s the remedy for TV in High-Def. For the rest, we will get ourselves a Mac Mini which is also equipped with a DVI port. So another one of those magical DVI to HDMI cables. And since we have a universal truth TV with 42 inch, it incidentally happens to have two HDMI ports. Joy.
But what does all of this have to do with the subject line of this entry? Okay. HD is the widely assumed successor of the standard TV format. No surprise there. However, In Japan, a company called NHK are already working on the successor of HD, which has been called UHD. Ultra High Definition. The technology is supposedly so incredible, that the images and sound have a depth that is so realistic, that it is the same as actually being there.
But that also needs some serious horsepower. We are looking at images of a whopping 7680×4320 pixels. That translates to 32 Megapixels, which surpasses the maximum of current available digital cameras. Other than that, transmitting the video requires a 21 Gigabit bandwidth.
To put that into perspective: 18 minutes of UHD in the maximum format requires 750 DVDs. Boom!!
A comparison between the max of HDTV, standard cinemas, and Ultra High Definition
Add to that UHDV’s beefed-up refresh rate of 60 frames per second (twice that of conventional video), projected onto a 450-inch diagonal screen with more than 20 channels of audio, and you’ve got an impressive home theater on your hands.
Quite right that is. 42 is not enough…
This is the actual diagram of the speaker setup for such a UHD cinema or theater. The guys in Japan are currently trying to squeeze all the information so that it fits on smaller screens.
It is predicted that this technology may see the light of day for standard consumers in the year 2025. So still quite a way to go. But good to know that we eventually will really see TV or movies that is so realistic that you will actually think you are there. Still remember those moments when you were young and you wanted to enter the TV to get there? In 2025, this is reality.
Until then, I think HDTV will have to do.
Just Like High Definition, only with higher definition
Wikipedia: Ultra High Definition Video
NHK – the creators of UHD Video
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