IBC Content Everywhere and NHK bring 8K television to the Middle East

Super Hi-Vision to be demonstrated and discussed at launch event in Dubai in January 2015

LONDON — IBC Content Everywhere MENA 2015 — Visitors to January’s IBC Content Everywhere MENA will be able to feast their eyes on Super Hi-Vision, the latest video technology from Japanese national broadcaster NHK, which features 16-times the resolution of currently available HD TV. The technology is set to be demonstrated in the Middle East for the very first time.

For those who prefer to measure their resolution in cinematic terms, at 8K, or 7680 x 4320 pixels, the format offers double the resolution of 4K theatre releases like The Dark Knight Rises or Skyfall. It also runs at 120 frames per second – twice the frame rate of HD – resulting in a seamless picture with astonishing depth and reality quite unlike anything seen before.

Since 2006, NHK has showcased the technology at the annual IBC show in Amsterdam, where observers have been stunned to note that, from a Super Hi-Vision camera planted high on the rooftops of the city, they were able to make out specks of dust on the spokes of the bikes parked by the canal below.

NHK is now bringing its Super Hi-Vision demonstration to the Middle East as part of IBC Content Everywhere MENA. It will be demonstrating a host of eye-popping footage including live footage it shot at the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil, demonstrations of the technology’s use in museum or educational spaces, and specially-shot footage designed to wow viewers by taking the technology to its very limits.

IBC has, for 40 years, been a key go to point for all things production and broadcast-related, and is best known for its annual industry gathering in Amsterdam. All year round however, it keeps busy at the forefront of developing technologies. IBC Content Everywhere is the latest strand to the format, embracing the developing spheres of mobile media, cloud technology, apps and social media. IBC Content Everywhere debuted at IBC’s Amsterdam show in September 2014.

IBC Content Everywhere MENA marks the first global expansion for the new brand, aimed at the rapidly growing Middle East and North Africa market, and future events are also planned for Latin America and Europe again in 2015.

The Super Hi-Vision Theatre will be at the heart of IBC Content Everywhere MENA, and IBC CEO Michael Crimp comments: “The display of Super Hi-Vision complements today’s connected environment with a vision of the future where massive, high resolution screens will be a part of the media landscape.”

Exhibitors at the inaugural IBC Content Everywhere MENA event range from creative broadcast suppliers like Quantel to IT giants like Cisco Systems; content distribution networks like Akamai to telecom service providers like Etisalat. Conference speakers include senior executives from broadcasters including Discovery Networks, BeIN and Sky News Arabia; and vendors and service providers such as Microsoft, Ericsson and YouTube.

IBC Content Everywhere MENA will be held in the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, 20 – 22 January 2015.