NHK, a major Japanese broadcaster, plans to have a full 8K TV broadcasting service in place by 2020. That’s when the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics take place. On the other hand, the consumer market hasn’t even fully embraced 4K yet. 4K TVs aren’t something one would commonly find in most homes, and even broadcasters are yet to switch to 4K broadcasting full time. Despite all that, NHK says that it will have a 8K TV broadcasting testing service in place by 2016.
To start things off NHK will broadcast footage recorded with its very own 8K Cube camera, the footage will be displayed on a 350-inch screen with 22.2 channel surround sound. 8K broadcasts will come with an eye watering 7,680×4,320 pixel resolution, double of what 4K UHD offers.
Despite the fact that 4K TV manufacturers are increasingly bringing costs down and trying to get the market onboard, it may very well take until 2020 for 8K to have some minute share in the market.
So far there’s limited content available in 4K. Netflix has plans to start 4K streaming of its original shows like House of Cards. Other major broadcasters are currently working to get the 4K broadcasting systems in place, so it may take a while for them to even think about jumping up to 8K.