True Stereo 3D to require 330MP to 3.3GP resolutions

Currently the electronics industry is pushing to adopt 4K ultra-HD but Japan Broadcasting Corp (NHK) already foresees the need for much bigger resolutions. NHK claims 8K (7320 x 4320) resolution is the maximum needed for 2D images, as well as 22.2-chanel audio, because this is the highest resolution that the human eye can process. Any further developments will be in 3D, NHK says Super Hi-Vision will require about 33 million pixels, while true stereo-3D will take 10 to 100 times as many as that.

“One of the main reasons we carried out research into 8K TV is due to the characteristics of human perception. Our conclusion is that 8K will be the final two-dimensional television format. The resolution involved is the highest that the human eye can process. Any further developments will be in 3D,” said Kimio Hamasaki, a senior research engineer at NHK science & technology research laboratories in Japan, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

NHK began developing 8K technology also known as Super Hi-Vision (SHV) in 1995. The 8K format has resolution of 7680*4320 pixels – four times the resolution of 4K and 16 times that of current HD – as well as 22.2-channel audio. The equipment for 8K was designed in partnership with Japanese leading manufacturers of electronics, including Fujitsu, JVC, Panasonic and Sharp. The annual R&D budget of NHK is around $77 million, yet it is unclear how much the company has spent on 8K/SHV development. Having spent well-over a billion of dollars on R&D since 1995, NHK has developed plethora of technologies not only for 8K/SHV, but also for other applications.

Full details at X-bit Labs.