ITU defines 4K and 8K UHDTV

The ITU has defined the parameter values for two formats of ultra high definition TV (UHDTV). These are the 4K and 8K UHDTV formats. They are constructed as multiples of the 1080p1920 format in ITU-R Rec. 709.

According to a statement by the European Broadcasting Union, the new formats take advantage of future displays’ greater colour range, have the option of ‘constant luminance’ encoding, and allow up to 120 pictures/second. Discussions to broadcast these systems currently centre on the largely unused 22GHz satellite broadcast band, but terrestrial broadcasting may eventually be possible, the EBU said.

Lieven Vermaele, EBU director of technology and development commented: “Facilitating these superb pictures hasn’t been made possible overnight – this represents over ten years of technical discussion and experiment. It has been a long journey – but we are delighted to have arrived at this point and pleased that the EBU has been able to make a contribution to broadcasting history.”