8K was definitely present at NAB 2016, but with the exception of the Japanese broadcast community, it was more of a curiosity than anything else.
NHK was in the Futures Park again with a large 8K theater and 8K SDR vs. HDR in a split screen shot demo. Content was captured on the Hitachi/NHK 8K camera and was shown on 85” Sharp 8K displays.
The HDR content was captured using the HLG format at 60 fps. It was displayed at the same frame rate on a display that achieved 77% of the Rec. 2020 color gamut with a contrast of 200,000:1. No other details on the solution were provided. Overall, the system gamma (capture to display, sometimes called the overall operational transfer function, or OOTF) was maintained at 1.2. This is the recommendation that is now in front of the ITU for standardization. (see video https://vimeo.com/164610738)
Hitachi was showing its 8K camera developed in partnership with NHK. This is the fourth generation now and it is in production. It also supports HLG HDR capabilities in the camera. The HDR output can be scaled to 4K or even 2K for workflows with that resolution.
New derivative versions of this camera with 4K and 2K imagers are also planned for September and are in beta testing now. These will support both HLG and PQ OETFs in-camera.
The company does not see any current interest in a 2K workflow – only 4K and 8K at this time.
Ikegami was showing an 8K camera they developed a year ago but also a new 8K monitor. This is a 55” model with a reported 2020 color gamut but SDR capability.
Astro Design was showing 8K cameras in addition to a 55” 8K monitor. New for the show was a solid state recorder for 8K content.
– CC
