Japanese broadcaster, NHK, was able to successfully transmit a compressed Ultra HD signal (7,680px x 4,320px) over two regular UHF channels, a new technological feat. NHK said that the transmission occurred over a distance of 4.2km (~2.6 miles) from the roof of their Science and Technology Research Laboratory in Tokyo to a remote location. The transmission used multiple channels, a method that NHK refers to as MIMO — similar to IEEE 802.11n, LTE, and HSPA+. LDPC coding was also used for error correction. In February the company announced that it had engineered an 8K sensor that can shoot at 120fps. In April, it showed off a 145-inch Ultra HD 8K display produced in collaboration with Panasonic. NHK’s Science and Research laboratories will be showing the technology at work between May 24th and 27th.

DirectTV has started preparing their infrastructure for Ultra HD broadcasts, according to reports.

Philip Goswitz, senior vice president of space and communications and technology development for DirecTV,  at the Satellite 2012 event in Washington, said “4,000 and 8,000-line services are great for the satellite industry, and will ensure that satellite broadcasting continues to distinguish itself for image quality of service. We see this as a key strategic advantage for us.”

He continued, “At DirecTV we see a couple of things happening. First, our subscribers are migrating away from Ku-band, and upgrading themselves to Ka-band and its HDTV services. In four or five years, our Ku-band [transmissions] could end. We are also developing the so-called Reverse Band for DBS services, and these are on our Road Map for future international services. 4000-line is exciting to us because of its image quality, and the potential for glasses-free 3D.”

DirecTV may migrate from Ku-band to Ka-band satellites. Ka-band satellites offer higher bandwidth than Ku-band satellites, but reportedly are more susceptible to so-called “rain fade,” or a degradation of performance during rainy conditions.

On May 19th 2011, Sharp unveiled its 85-inch Ultra HDTV prototype, which sports a 33 MegaPixel (7,680 x 4,320) screen at 103 pixels-per-inch. This screen is over 16 times sharper than traditional 1920×1080 HDTV’s.

Sharp’s new Ultra HDTV utilizes UV²A technology – Ultraviolet induced multi-domain Vertical Alignment, which precisely manipulates the alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the LCD panel.

• NHK is continuing to develop the Super Hi-Vision broadcast format; however, it is not expected to reach the market until 2020, when NHK starts trial broadcasts.
• There is some speculation that an Ultra HDTV demonstration will occur during the 2012 Olympic Games.
• There is no information on how much this Sharp prototype costs.
• This Sharp Ultra HDTV prototype is going to demo at NHK’s Science & Technology Research Laboratories in Tokyo from May 26th to 29th, 2011.