Issue #89 | February 1, 2023

Note that from now on, the frequency of this newsletter will change from weekly to monthly.

The 8K Association has a New Executive Director

In an effort specifically designed to build upon its founding mission, the 8K Association announced that it has retained Mike Fidler, the highly regarded consumer entertainment veteran, as its new executive director.

Fidler will be responsible for furthering the adoption and implementation of 8K and its entire ecosystem – including the growing number and variety of compatible products – in a strategic manner, while conveying the 8K message effectively to all industry stake holders, including content creators, delivery platforms and the production community. Read full announcement here.

The outgoing Executive Director, Chris Chinnock, has decided to step back at this time into semi-retirement. Over the last four years, he has been instrumental in establishing the 8K Association and providing leadership in our educational, promotional and technical efforts, including launching our 8K certification and logo program. Bill Mandel, 8K Association board president, said, "Please join me in welcoming Mike Fidler to our Association and thanking Chris for his efforts!" 

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Here’s what industry experts are saying about Mike Fidler’s appointment as the new Executive Director of the 8K Association: 

Congratulations...you have been the godfather and passionate advocate for so many new product launches” - Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association.

That is big news” - Jim Pearse, President, ProSource.

Mike is a great guy!” - Richard Glikes, President & COO, Azione Unlimited

Glad to hear that Mike’s been made head of the association. He’s a good guy” - Eric Taub, Contributing Tech Writer, The NY Times.

Fidler returns to a familiar role driving an advanced new home entertainment technology as it slowly gains momentum in the consumer marketplace” - Greg Tarr, Managing Editor, HDGuru.

Spin Digital Adopts Zixi for 4K/8K Immersive Video



8KA member Spin Digital offers some of the highest-performance encoding/decoding solutions, including 8K VVC playback and 8K live HEVC. Zixi offers some of the most robust IP-based distribution options. Their integration offers end users a reliable way to deliver 8K and higher-resolution media or VR content. The OTTVerse article is here.

Like Flat Panels, 8K Projectors are hard to make, too!

Recently, we looked at some of the challenges to making 8K OLED TVs and why there are so few models only available in premium segments of the market. 8K projectors from JVC and Delta/Digital Projection exist, but there are also challenges in reducing the cost to make them more widely available. Read Bob's article here to learn more.

Value Electronics Chooses JVC 8K Projector in Shoot-out

Create a great offer by adding words like "free," "personalized," "complementary," or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only seven remaining"! Bob Raikes' article is here.

Why a Software-defined Cloud-based Architecture is Necessary for 8K Deployments

Guest author Eric Bolten, VP of Business Development, Zixi, makes the case that despite a slow start, 8K's time will come, ushered in by Coud-based software-defined video tools. His thoughtful article's case rests on 8K's non-disruptive nature. It's a natural evolution, and it will come.

Production Workflow with multi-camera 8K

The combination of low-cost, portable 8K mirrorless cameras, ordinary PCs, and editing/grading software makes 8K capture and finishing available to a much wider audience of content creators. Bob Raikes' article covering NHK's Takeshi Shibasaki's recent Malaga presentation is here.

Energy efficiency problem: EU slows down OLEDs, 8K, and micro-LED displays

As we reported from CES, the plans of TV manufactures regarding 8K TVs and the new EU energy regulations remain murky. This article (In German, but easily translated by Google) provides a comprehensive summary of the background that led to this situation. It also details some of the measurements and trends that were analyzed and presented to the commission by various organizations in the hope that a review would be forthcoming. It wasn't, and the regulations are now set to take effect in March.

New Apple M2-based models support 8K display, including via HDMI



Last week, Apple announced new Mac Mini and Mini Pro models and two new MacBook Pro models. They have improved support for 8K. The MacBook Pro with the M2 Pro chip can support an 8K display at 60Hz, while the M2 Max can support three 6K displays over Thunderbolt and an 8K display over HDMI. The Mac Mini with the M2 Pro chip, which has no integrated display, can support an 8K display over HDMI. Apple's announcement is here.

HOW TO... What is 8K resolution (and when would you use it)?

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RED V-Raptor uploads 8K RAW directly to Adobe Frame.io

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