Sony Tests Micro-Sized Ads to Promote 4K During Wimbledon

Sony is turning to this year’s Wimbledon Championship to launch a unique, first-ever ad campaign that uses “microtising” (a hybrid of microscopic and advertising), intended to promote the capabilities of 4K. Tennis player Anne Keothavong will be sporting micro-sized advertisements on her fingernails, the hem of her skirt, her shoelaces and various sporting equipment. Sony will be capturing Wimbledon action with its F55 35mm 4K camera and an NEX-FS700. Continue reading Sony Tests Micro-Sized Ads to Promote 4K During Wimbledon

ESPN to Shut Down 3D Sports Channel by End of This Year

ESPN is planning to shut down its ESPN 3D channel at year’s end. “Due to limited viewer adoption of 3D services to the home, ESPN is discontinuing ESPN 3D,” explained the company in a statement. “We are committing our 3D resources to other products and services that will better serve fans and affiliates. Nobody knows more about sports in 3D than ESPN, and we will be ready to provide the service to fans if or when 3D does take off.” Continue reading ESPN to Shut Down 3D Sports Channel by End of This Year

Cine Gear Expo: Industry Vets Discuss 4K for Cinema and TV

Columbia Pictures’ “After Earth” was screened via a Sony 4K digital cinema projector this weekend during the Cine Gear Expo in Los Angeles. After attendees filled the 500-plus-seat Paramount Theatre on Friday, a second screening was added on Saturday. “After Earth” was among the first feature films produced using Sony’s 4K F65 camera. Sony, Canon and Red are among the major camera makers now able to support 4K. Continue reading Cine Gear Expo: Industry Vets Discuss 4K for Cinema and TV

Sony Pictures Turns to eyeIO Video Compression for 4K Player

Eye IO, LLC (eyeIO) announced on Friday that its Ultra HD compression encoding technology has been licensed by Sony Pictures to help the studio offer content on Sony 4K Ultra HD TVs in the home. Owners of Sony 4K TVs will be able to access a number of movies via Sony’s 4K media player, which will launch this summer. The eyeIO technology processes, compresses and encodes 4K source files into a format that requires less bandwidth. Continue reading Sony Pictures Turns to eyeIO Video Compression for 4K Player

Sony Launches 4K Bravia TVs, Other Brands Expected Soon

Since the debut of Ultra HD 4K TVs at CES in January, Sony has become the first to offer 4K televisions to consumers with its new line of screens available through its Bravia brand. The first 4K Bravia sets are 55- and 65-inch models priced in the $7,000 range, while an 84-inch unit costs as much as $25,000. As an incentive, Sony is including a set of 10 4K mastered Blu-ray movies, and plans to launch a digital download service with more content. Continue reading Sony Launches 4K Bravia TVs, Other Brands Expected Soon

Best Buy Now Selling Sony 4K Televisions in its U.S. Stores

In an effort to boost lagging television sales, Best Buy announced that 700 of its U.S. stores will start selling Sony 4K Ultra HDTVs this week. The home theater departments of Best Buy and Magnolia stores will prominently display the 4K sets and offer demonstrations that tout the benefits of the new format over current 1080p offerings. The demos are expected to emphasize up-scaling capabilities to help attract consumers. Continue reading Best Buy Now Selling Sony 4K Televisions in its U.S. Stores

SES Demos First Ultra HD Transmission in HEVC Standard

Satellite operator SES announced that in partnership with Harmonic and Broadcom it has created the first Ultra HD transmission in the new HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) standard live from an ASTRA satellite. The end-to-end demo was presented at SES Industry Days in Luxembourg. The company claims the new standard features up to 50 percent improvement in encoding efficiency, as compared to MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) broadcasts. Continue reading SES Demos First Ultra HD Transmission in HEVC Standard

NAB 2013: Compelling New Camera and Projection Systems

A number of interesting camera and related 4K technologies were on display at last week’s NAB show in Las Vegas including Blackmagic’s new $995 Pocket Cinema Camera, the Production Camera 4K from Blackmagic, Phantom’s Flex4K Digital Cinema camera, two new 4K projectors from Christie capable of 60 frames-per-second, and a proof of concept trifocal camera system from Germany’s Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute. Continue reading NAB 2013: Compelling New Camera and Projection Systems

NAB 2013: NHK Demos Super Hi-Vision 8K Technology

At NAB in Las Vegas, Japanese broadcaster NHK demonstrated its real-time, over-the-air transmission and reception of 8K for the first time outside of Japan. 8K technology is considered Ultra High-Definition — touting resolution 16 times that of HDTV. The U.S. and U.K. are currently exploring the possibilities of 4K technology, which seems more realistically applicable within the market at this point. Continue reading NAB 2013: NHK Demos Super Hi-Vision 8K Technology

NAB 2013: TV Industry Moves Toward 4K Ultra HD Format

While 4K Ultra High Definition TV has yet to make it into the living room, the industry is moving forward with new cameras, evolving standards and early television production. Sony Pictures Television, for example, is producing select pilots with digital cinema cameras, while 3Net is forging ahead with its Total D strategy that includes producing versions of programs in both 2D and 3D at multiple resolutions. Initial tests for broadcasting sports in 4K are just around the corner. Continue reading NAB 2013: TV Industry Moves Toward 4K Ultra HD Format

Sony 4K Initiative: Studio Remasters Content for Ultra HDTVs

Sony is ramping up its efforts to provide 4K content by remastering select productions in the new format and restoring classic movies in 4K. As part of the initiative, Sony Pictures Television will remaster all five seasons of “Breaking Bad” in 4K. We can also expect to see 4K versions of “Groundhog Day,” “Ghostbusters,” “Glory,” “Funny Girl” and “On The Waterfront.” Continue reading Sony 4K Initiative: Studio Remasters Content for Ultra HDTVs

Could Success of 4K TV Be in the Hands of Console Gamers?

The adoption of 4K TV technology could be in the hands of console gamers, if the history of HDTV is any indication. In 2005, when few households owned HDTVs, due largely to a lack of available HD content, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 helped transform the industry. “They gave people a reason to buy an HDTV and that gave content producers reason to invest in the formats it supported,” suggests Wired UK. Continue reading Could Success of 4K TV Be in the Hands of Console Gamers?

Future of Television: Debate Looks at Both Sides of 4K Tech

Is 4K the future of television or is it just another CES pipe dream? A three-part debate is taking place on ZDNet between proponent Steven Vaughan-Nichols, who suggests the future of broadcasting involves 4K, and opponent Jason Perlow, who believes the technology will be gone before it really gets started. As of Wednesday morning, 39 percent of voting readers support Vaughan-Nichols, while 61 percent back Perlow. Continue reading Future of Television: Debate Looks at Both Sides of 4K Tech

Japan To Launch 4K TV Service Two Years Ahead of Schedule

According to reports coming from Japan’s Asahi newspaper, “the Japanese government is set to launch the world’s first 4K TV broadcast in July 2014, roughly two years ahead of schedule, to help stir demand for ultra high-definition televisions,” reports Reuters. The service will begin from communications satellites and then from satellite broadcasts and ground digital broadcasts to follow. Continue reading Japan To Launch 4K TV Service Two Years Ahead of Schedule

CES 2013: ETC Provides Show Recap, 4K Leading Trend (VIDEO)

ETCentric correspondents Carolyn Giardina and George Gerba discuss the major trends on display at this year’s CES in Las Vegas. During the 5-minute video recap, Carolyn and George review this year’s breakout star — 4K — by discussing displays, content, cameras and upscaling technologies. They also address areas such as tablets, smartphones, second screen apps, and glasses-free 3D. Continue reading CES 2013: ETC Provides Show Recap, 4K Leading Trend (VIDEO)