Ultra high resolution television (UHDV) prototype

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  • The Edge
    Digital Video Expert
    Digital Video Expert
    • Jan 2003
    • 610

    Ultra high resolution television (UHDV) prototype

    I just read this.....

    Japanese engineers have been testing out a prototype of ultra high definition video (UHDV) which has 16 times greater image resolution than today’s best standard HDTV. UHDV uses 4,000 horizontal scanning lines, which is 4 times that of HDTV and over 6 times that of regular TV PAL broadcasts.

    As no existing equipment could handle such as resolution, they had to make a custom built camera, storage and projection system using arrays of existing components in order test a prototype. To even store just 18 minutes of UHDV footage, they had used 16 HDTV recorders (likely a 4 x 4 array) with a capacity of 3.5 terabytes 3 minutes of footage was recorded from the custom made camera mounted to a vehicle and then driven about the streets.

    The footage was later projected on a 4 x 7 metre screen for public demonstration and the public were astonished. As the visual effect of the footage travelling down a road was so realistic, some viewers even experienced nausea as a side effect of seeing ultra realistic motion, but not physically feeling the motion. It's like the opposite of seasickness where you can feel movement, but cannot see it while in an enclosed section.

    A prototype digital video system

    producing images of such high quality that the human eye struggles to distinguish them from reality has been developed by Japanese engineers.

    The system, called ultra high definition video (UHDV), achieves image resolution 16 times greater than even the most advanced video broadcasting technologies now available.

    Its developers at the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) said the system could be used to provide an ultra realistic 'immersive' viewing experience when, for example, showing sporting events.

    UHDV displays images with 4,000 horizontal scanning lines, compared to the 1,000 offered by the current state-of- the-art high definition television (HDTV) technology and just 625 for standard TV broadcasts. When horizontal and vertical scanning are both taken into account a UHDV picture contains 16 times the number of pixels ? individual image components - of HDTV.

    NHK, which unveiled details of UHDV for the first time at broadcast technology conference IBC in Amsterdam, said its engineers had to custom-design a video camera, data- storage device and projection system, as no standard broadcasting equipment could cope with their extreme demands.

    The camera was built by aligning four 2.5in charge coupled device (CCD) image-capture panels. The projector system uses four liquid crystal-on-silicon panels, two of which process green light while the other two each handle red and blue. These must be aligned to an accuracy of within 0.5 of a pixel - there are 33 million pixels on display - to achieve ultra high definition results.

    Recording the massive amounts of data needed to produce UHDV definition also posed a problem for NHK. Its engineers were originally only able to make 34 seconds' worth of recording. They have now built a disc recorder system made up of 16 HDTV recorder units with a capacity of about 3.5 terabytes, allowing them to shoot 18 minutes of UHDV footage.

    NHK researcher Dr. Kohji Mitani said the project team had shot a three-minute demonstration video by attaching the camera to the front of a vehicle and driving it around the streets.

    The footage was then shown to members of the public on a 4x7m wide-angle screen provoking, according to Mitani, gasps of astonishment. Some viewers even experienced nausea because of the ultra realistic visual effect of speed without the usual physical sensation of movement.

    Mitani said the system was still at a basic stage of development, but he claimed it had proved that image qualities so realistic that they approximated to actually being at the recorded event were possible.

    NHK will now attempt to reduce the size of the camera and look at the possibility of developing transmission systems that could broadcast UHDV footage.

    Dr. Nicolas Lodge of UK broadcast technology specialist Pro-Vision Communications, who chaired the IBC session at which UHDV was presented, said the NHK work was 'amazing stuff. They are on the way to creating an experience that mimics actually being there. It is an exciting area of research'.
    With all the advancement in optical disc developments, there has to be something to make use of these ultra high capacity discs before they can become a commercial success. At the moment, HDTV is only starting to come into American homes and many other continents don't even sell HDTV sets in most stores let alone have any HDTV broadcasting. I remember when HDTV was considered the maximum optical resolution an eye can perceive, but going by this UHDV prototype, it looks like HDTV may not be quite that superior.

    Source: E4engineering.com


    Maybe on blu-ray discs. I would love to see this in action.

    Edge
    "…I know the industry is formally opposed to that kind of thing [bootlegging] but I'm not. I don't have a problem with it at all." -- Paul McGuiness"
  • Easier Way?
    Gold Member
    Gold Member
    • Jan 2003
    • 108

    #2
    Any imminent hdtv plans for Europe? The Yanks and Nips seem miles ahead.

    Comment

    • GeneralLeoFF
      Super Member
      Super Member
      • Sep 2003
      • 245

      #3
      the way the quality for UDTV is described it makes me think of the sickaning quality you get froma daytime soap opera. Those Soaups use such high quality film and fluid movment (even for NTSC) that there sikaning to watch. I cant stand when video looks that perfict

      Comment

      • Easier Way?
        Gold Member
        Gold Member
        • Jan 2003
        • 108

        #4
        What about HD soaps with 3d glasses. Whu don't imax theatres show Neighbours or Alley M?

        Comment

        • gd_nimrod
          Moderator
          • Nov 2002
          • 1128

          #5
          3 terabytes!!! Damn...i need to buy a new HD soon, and i thought i was special with my 200gb...
          Did you know you can SEARCH the forum? Fixes common problems too:
          http://forum.digital-digest.com/search.php

          Also search on the whole Digital-Digest website:
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