4K TV? Japan aims for 8K broadcasts by 2016

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Japanese broadcaster NHK has said it plans to test 8K transmissions in 2016, with a full release by 2020 in time for the Olympics

While most of us would be happy to see some 4K TV broadcasts, Japanese public broadcaster NHK is pressing on with its plans to deliver 8K TV content.

NHK has confirmed that it is on track to be testing 8K TV transmissions in 2016, and plans "a full [8K] broadcasting service by 2020, the year of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics".

NHK will showcase the technology's current state at the NAB broadcasting technology show in Las Vegas in April.

On show will be a 350-inch cinema-style screen with 22.2-channel surround sound. It will also be showing off 8K cameras and its 8K 'Cube' camera, which weighs just 2kgs.

Ultra HD is finally starting to gain some ground, with 2014 set to be a big year for the screen technology.

While it's still relatively expensive to buy a 4K TV, some budget options were shown off at CES 2014 and the 2014 TV ranges from the big-name brands promise to bring UHD TVs dowm to more affordable prices and realistic sizes.

4K content remains another problem, however. On-demand providers such as Netflix and Amazon have announced they will be filming and streaming content in 4K in 2014, and Sony has announced it will be filming the World Cup final in 4K.

But while the BBC, BT Sport and Sky have all said that 4K TV is on their radar, there are no conrete timeframe for 4K broadcast content in the UK.

MORE: Ultra HD 4K TV: news, reviews and everything you need to know

by Max Langridge

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Max Langridge

Max is a staff writer for What Hi-Fi?'s sister site, TechRadar, in Australia. But being the wonderful English guy he is, he helps out with content across a number of Future sites, including What Hi-Fi?. It wouldn't be his first exposure to the world of all things hi-fi and home cinema, as his first role in technology journalism was with What Hi-Fi? in the UK. Clearly he pined to return after making the move to Australia and the team have welcomed him back with arms wide open.