Issue #79 | November 08, 2022

USB4 to Double Output - USB-C & Thunderbolt 5 to Support Dual 8K Monitors

The USB Implementors' Forum announced that they had doubled the effective speed of USB4 interfaces to 80Gbps using existing cables. However, new transmitters and receivers will be needed. There will also be a new active cable specification to support 80Gbps over longer lengths. USB Type-C will allow up to 120Gbps across three 40Gbps lanes. This development will take away a significant roadblock for further improvements to 8K display development by enabling multiple and high frame rate displays. Bob Raikes's explainer is here.

IP 8K Signal Routing from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

China Media Group (CMG) used the SMPTE 2022 conference in Hollywood to give a paper on the complex IP network used for 8K broadcasts to consumers in China. The report will be available from SMPTE soon for those wishing to see the full details. Here, we present a summary of the key elements.

Updated 8K Association Overview Deck Available

Want to know more about what the 8K Association has done over the last year, as well as our current activities and plans? Download the latest overview document HERE.

RED Still Championing High Resolution

Digital cinema camera maker RED has been pushing the boundaries of higher resolution for seventeen years, first with 4K and then with 8K. In a great new 11-minute film, cinematographer Mark Toia extols the virtues of 8K capture and the features RED has integrated into their cameras. Ben Schwarz's review is here.

Underwater Cinematography – 8K and Beyond

The most challenging aspect of filming underwater is the optics. It is the ultimate factor limiting image quality when filming below the waves. Much of the underwater content that is claimed to be 4K or 8K is limited to high-definition quality or less by its optics, even though it may be recorded on an 8K-capable camera. Fortunately, 8K-capable underwater solutions are now available - solutions used in Avatar: The Way of Water. Read our article by guest author Pawel Achtel ACS.

8K Industry Faces Challenge with New EU Regulatory Ruling

March 2023 could still spell trouble for the emerging 8K industry, with power limits on 8K TVs set so low that virtually no devices will be sellable in the EU. European consumers could have fewer choices than anywhere else in the world. Our piece here is also a call to action to reach out to the EU regulators if you think this regulation will impact your business.

Is 8K Ready for Primetime?



"In a world in which over-the-air bandwidth is scarce and the subject of intense competition for access, it is turning out to be difficult to create a business case that justifies replacing 11 channels with one to service only 1.26% of the market," notes the article, which is why it is likely to be awhile for broadcasters to embrace 8K delivery. But he also notes that 8K has a lot of value in production, which is where the 8K Association should focus its efforts.

Intel's Arc a770 GPU beats the RTX 4090 in video playback

Intel's claim that its new Arc graphics cards and GPUs have been highly optimised for fast video performance, especially for the AV1 codec, if the results by the CapFrameX test software are accurate. The tests seem to show that the Arc A770 is very close to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 in 4K and faster in 8K. However, the Nvidia board costs around 4X the price of the Intel board (and, of course, is much faster in other aspects).

Early Black Friday Save up to $3,000 8K Samsung TVs

Forget 8K, Nvidia's RTX 4090 can run games at 13K

AV Stumpfl presents new PIXERA Media server

Samsung Building Ultrawide 8K Monitor