4k – the technical details

Picture resolution and viewing distance Ultra High Definition (UHD) is 3840x2160 pixels UHD and 4k are often used interchangeably 4k (digital cinema definition) is 4096x2160 pixels

If I want to see all this extra detail do I need to move my sofa? No but you’re going to want a bigger screen.

8’

25” Standard Definition Perfect place. You are 7x the screen height away. So you can see all the detail but you can’t see the dots.

50” High Definition 8’ Perfect place. You are about 3.5x the screen height away. So you can see all the detail but you can’t see the dots.

8’ But do I need to move my sofa for 4k?

That works. You are about 2x the screen height away. So you can see the detail but you can’t see the dots. 84” 4k UHD 8’

Picture improvements Picture specifications for HD (Rec. 709) is based on CRT TVs Opportunity to improve picture parameters Larger color space (Rec 2020, XYZ) Greater dynamic range More details in the highlights, darker shadows Brighter screens for better color display 12 bits vs. 8 bit for Blu-ray and broadcast TV Higher frame rates 48 fps or 60 fps for high frame rate movies 100 fps or 120 fps sports broadcast

Acquiring 4k content – features and episodic Camera TypeMaximum ResolutionCommentsIn use?4k? 35mm FilmScanned at 4kMost features and all episodic that are shot on film Yes 65mm FilmScanned at 6k“Lawrence of Arabia”NoYes 35mm CCD Digital Cinema Cameras 1920x1080Sony F35, Genesis (2005)No Arri Alexa2880x1620 or 2880×2160 depending on format CMOS RAW or ProResYesNo Red Epic“5k”CMOS RAWYes Sony F554096x2160CMOS RAW or XAVCYes Sony F65Normally 4096x2160, 8192x2160 possible CMOS RAWYes Producing 4k requires an end-to-end 4k workflow including a 4k projector or display

Not all 4k is created equal Sony F red pixels 4096 green pixels 2048 blue pixels Red Epic 1280 red pixels 2560 green pixels 1280 blue pixels Arri Alexa 720 red pixels 1440 green pixels 720 blue pixels Bayer pattern and CMOS RAW UHD TV Panel 3840 red pixels 3840 green pixels 3840 blue pixels

Delivering 4k to the consumer Compressed files are bigger than HD but not 4 times larger 4k adds high frequency detail, affect on encoding depends on content Files for SNE service are 2-3 times size of HD files 4k delivery becomes (more) practical with HEVC (H.265) codec Perhaps 35-40% more efficient Expect to see hardware decoders in 2014 Sony Pictures is requiring significantly better content protection than for HD Movielabs’ Enhanced Content Protection Specifications HDCP 2.2 protecting the HDMI link to the TV Sony TVs have HDCP 2.2, other 4k TVs do not HDCP 1.4 security is compromised

Availability of 4k in the consumer market Sony shipped server loaded 11 4k movies with the 84” 4k TV in late 2012 Sony 4k Video Unlimited service launched 1 st September Preload and download 4k movies and TV shows We expect Netflix to offer a 4k streaming service next year using HEVC Will need a lot of bandwidth to the consumer Sky and Sky Deutschland are experimenting with shooting sports in 4k “Mastered in 4k” Blu-ray discs were shot and finished in 4k and then downscaled to HD HD benefits from over sampling If there is to be a 4k Blu-ray, it will likely be 2015