Microsoft isn’t eager to spill all the details about Xbox One before E3 next month, but they’re already hinting at 4K Ultra HD gaming capabilities. Forbes’ Matt Hickey recently interviewed Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. When asked if the Xbox One will be compatible with Ultra HDTV’s, Mehdi said, “The video and interface portions, absolutely. Games developed for 1080p will run at 1080p, obviously.” Later adding, “There’s no hardware restriction there at all.” With that said, it is theoretically possible to support 4K gaming if the developer so chooses.

The battle between Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4 is heating up, despite the fact that neither has announced a release date nor a price. Sony has already stated that the PlayStation 4 will support 4K movies, but no support for 4K gaming. Gripes are already being made about the apparently lack of backward compatibility with older games on the two next-gen consoles. Others criticize the possibility of 4K gaming since current HDMI standards only support 4K at 30 fps (frames per second). This is fine for movies, which usually run at 24 fps, but games generally require at least 60 fps.

We can only speculate about the details until E3 rolls around next month, but it sounds like Microsoft has some 4K magic up their sleeves.

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SAN DIEGO, May 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – In support of its new 4K Ultra HD TVs shipping this week, Sony Electronics today launched an integrated marketing campaign celebrating the stunning color and picture resolution of 4K.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130520/LA16858)

The campaign features Garth Davis , who most recently co-directed Jane Campion ’s critically acclaimed miniseries Top of the Lake. After seeing Sony’s amazing 4K picture quality on a Sony 4K Ultra HD TV at the Sundance Film Festival, Davis was inspired to make a 4K film to allow viewers to see deeper into his imagination. Working alongside Academy Award winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda, ASC, the commercial spot encompassing Davis’ vision was shot on the Sony F65 and F55 professional 4K cameras. Native 4K footage from the shoot will be showcased at retail next month where it can be enjoyed in its finest detail on Sony 4K TVs.

“The Sony 4K Ultra HD TV really is a new way of looking at things, a new visual language. There is so much detail, it’s almost like you can walk into the picture,” said Davis. “One of the things unique to the TV is color. And the story we’ve been creating for this project is about celebrating color in lots of ways. With Sony 4K we are working at the highest end of technology and creativity.”

“It is so nice to have a larger color gamut to work with in 4K,” added Miranda. “You can extract more information and show what you may not have seen before on a TV. Working with Sony 4K truly opens up the possibilities.”

A broadcast spot starts airing this week nationally (view it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhcvCZtNW9s), accompanied by digital, print and radio ads, mobile media and experiential events as well as retail point-of-purchase and interactive displays. Sony will also spread the word about the new 4K Ultra HD TVs through social networks, email, direct mail, and free standing inserts.

“The campaign calls out the enhanced quality of anything one would watch on a Sony 4K TV with a picture that is four times clearer than full HD,” said Patrick Bewley , vice president of Brand Experience & Visual Design at Sony Electronics. “It’s the highest resolution, most immersive experience Sony has ever created, and in order to experience it, you must see it in person to believe it.”

Consumers can see and experience the new Sony 4K Ultra HD TVs at a Sony Store or Magnolia Home Theater at Best Buy.

The focus on 4K is the first piece of a year-long campaign that showcases emerging and established collaborators who have been inspired by Sony technology to create unique and unforgettable stories and Sony brand experiences. All aspects of this campaign were developed with the support of Sony Electronics’ advertising agency 180 Los Angeles.

About Sony’s XBR 4K Ultra HD TV Series

Joining the 84-inch XBR-84X900 in market since November 2012, the new XBR-55X900A (55-inch class – 54.6″ diag.) and XBR-65X900A (65-inch class-64.5″ diag.) models include the following features:

• Images become lifelike with a resolution of four-times that of Full HD TV (3840 x 2160 pixels)
• All content is viewed at the highest resolution possible with upscaling to near 4K with Sony’s proprietary 4K X-Reality PRO picture engine
• All colors, including difficult blues, greens and reds, are delivered naturally and accurately through Triluminos display quantum dot technology
• An immersive picture draws in viewers with blacker blacks and excellent contrast produced with dynamic edge-lit, LED backlighting
• Amazing sound from the integrated 65 Watt, front-facing, magnetic fluid speaker system complements the stunning picture
• A cinematic experience is brought to life through Full HD 3D capabilities with passive glasses
• Entertainment choices are endless with Wi-Fi connectivity, including access to the full Sony Entertainment Network suite of services

SOURCE Sony Electronics

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8K Data Requirements

In 2003, Japanese public broadcaster NHK demonstrated the first example of the 8K video format (also known as “Super Hi-Vision”). Since then, broadcast engineers have showcased several advancements in 8K transmission, but they’ve constantly battled to overcome the tremendous gigabit bandwidth obstacles for transporting the 33.2 megapixel 8K Ultra HD video format.

To put things in perspective, the upcoming 4K Ultra HD format (3840 × 2160) is 4 times the resolution of Full HD (1920×1080), while the 8K Ultra HD format (7,680 × 4,320) is 16 times the resolution of Full HD. Earlier this year, Sharp showcased their 8K TV prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show, without disclosing too much information about the source of their 8K content.

Currently, 5 minutes of uncompressed 8K Ultra HD content requires approximately 1 terabyte of storage, meaning that your standard 90 minute 8K Hollywood movie would require something in the realm of 18 terabytes — so unless you’re operating a tier 4 data center in your home, this might not seem too practical.

8K HEVC Encoder

NHK and Mitsubishi have announced a solution to compress 8K data into a more manageable beast by developing the world’s first 8K HEVC encoder. Formally known as H.265, HEVC is the new compression standard recently approved by the ITU, and the successor to today’s widely used H.264 (AVC) standard. It is capable of encoding the same quality video at half the bitrate of H.264, making it about twice as efficient as today’s standards. HEVC encoding for 4K video is already in the works.

NHK and Mitsubishi have managed to tackle the 8K bandwidth hurdle by dividing the 8K image into seventeen 7,680 x 256 pixel strips and then using parallel processing to share data between the adjacent strips, allowing for real-time high efficiency video encoding of 8K data — all squeezed into a modest metal box.

Research and development of the 8K encoders will continue, and the companies have extended an invitation to view the 8K HEVC encoders between May 30th and June 2nd at the NHK Science and Technical Research Laboratories in Tokyo.

Below are some of the 8K encoder specifications provided by NHK.

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The Blu-ray “Mastered in 4K” collection will set a new standard for Blu-ray HD picture and sound, creating the ultimate 1080p home entertainment experience. Created from the highest quality 4K source materials with new expanded color*, consumers can enjoy a brilliant picture with exquisite detail using their existing Blu-ray player or PlayStation®3. The Blu-ray “Mastered in 4K” collection is optimized so that 4K Ultra HD TV owners can take full advantage of the new 4K upscaling technology, delivering an outstanding near-4K experience. “Mastered in 4K” Blu-rays also work with all 1080p HDTVs for spectacular high definition picture and sound.

The post The Other Guys (Mastered in 4K) appeared first on Ultra HDTV.

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired

Intel 4K box might be the answer to Ultra HD delivery

Intel announced Wednesday that its new Haswell processors would support 4K resolution. If those chips end up in Intel’s forthcoming set-top box, we could finally see the 4K box to connect 4K content with all those new Ultra HDTV’s. Intel has been keen to get an all-in-one set-top box to consumers, in an attempt to enter the TV market.

Display manufacturers are pushing Ultra HDTV’s hard this year, with several already for sale today — including the Seiki’s $1,300 Ultra HDTV, and Sony’s $5,000 4K TV. Sony is releasing a $700 4K media player this Summer, but it is expected to only work with Sony 4K TV’s, and appears limited in its initial movie launch lineup. Intel is in a great position to bring a universal 4K set-top box to the remaining non-Sony market.

Erik Huggers, Intel’s VP of Media, told the group at ‘Dive Into Media’ that the box also will support streaming apps like Netflix and Amazon, who are both busy working on 4K delivery. Netflix chief product officer, Neil Hunt, told the Verge that streaming will be the best way to get 4K video and it should appear with in a year or two.

The Intel device would provide 4K video using HDMI and an existing broadband connection. Using the newly ratified HEVC codec, 4K streaming data drops from 50Mbps to 10Mbps, a number that most ISP’s can deal with — or at least try to.

4K TV is coming to your living room at an unstoppable pace, and Intel has the hardware to make it happen.

The post Intel’s Media Box May Bring 4K to the Masses appeared first on Ultra HDTV.

LG has published their Ultra HDTV commercial on YouTube, check it out and let us know what you think in the comments below!

ULTRA HD*, the future of high-definition TV resolution, destined for your living room. The new level of ULTRA HD (3840 X 2160) picture quality makes Full HD (1920 X 1080) look like standard definition. Boasting a pixel resolution 4X higher than Full HD, its detail is so vivid and crisp, even when viewed from close distances. From its magnificent screen comes superb picture quality, some say even better than the cinema. With picture quality this clear, you’ll feel like you’re living, not watching, your favorite shows. Prepare yourself for the ultimate home entertainment experience with the LG 84-inch class (83.9” diagonal) Ultra High Definition TV.

The post LG’s Ultra HDTV Commercial appeared first on Ultra HDTV.

The Blu-ray “Mastered in 4K” collection will set a new standard for Blu-ray HD picture and sound, creating the ultimate 1080p home entertainment experience. Created from the highest quality 4K source materials with new expanded color*, consumers can enjoy a brilliant picture with exquisite detail using their existing Blu-ray player or PlayStation®3. The Blu-ray “Mastered in 4K” collection is optimized so that 4K Ultra HD TV owners can take full advantage of the new 4K upscaling technology, delivering an outstanding near-4K experience. “Mastered in 4K” Blu-rays also work with all 1080p HDTVs for spectacular high definition picture and sound.

The post The Karate Kid (Mastered in 4K Ultra HD) appeared first on Ultra HDTV.

The Blu-ray “Mastered in 4K” collection will set a new standard for Blu-ray HD picture and sound, creating the ultimate 1080p home entertainment experience. Created from the highest quality 4K source materials with new expanded color*, consumers can enjoy a brilliant picture with exquisite detail using their existing Blu-ray player or PlayStation®3. The Blu-ray “Mastered in 4K” collection is optimized so that 4K Ultra HD TV owners can take full advantage of the new 4K upscaling technology, delivering an outstanding near-4K experience. “Mastered in 4K” Blu-rays also work with all 1080p HDTVs for spectacular high definition picture and sound.

The post Battle Los Angeles (Mastered in 4K Ultra HD) appeared first on Ultra HDTV.

Sony 4K TV

“These new models will be arriving in homes just before the summer and are sure to bring the enhanced viewing experience of 4K TV to a whole new audience,” said Mike Lucas, senior vice president, Sony Electronics Home Division.

Both the 55- and 65-inch 4K TV’s will be released on May 19th, and they are available for pre-order today. The 4K TV’s are currently available for demonstration at 6 Sony Store locations: Century City, Calif.; Costa Mesa, Calif.; Houston; Las Vegas; New York and Palo Alto, Calif.

The Sony 4K TV’s feature all the bells and whistles that you’d expect from Sony including 4K upscaling, enhanced color spectrum, built-in WiFi, smartphone connectivity, dynamic backlighting, 65-Watt speakers, anti-blur movement, 3D-capability, Simulview gaming, and enhanced video calling.

Sony “Mastered in 4K” (1080p) Blu-ray Titles

To compliment the release of their 4K TV’s, Sony will also be releasing several “Mastered in 4K” Blu-ray titles. These 1080p resolution Blu-ray discs are optimized for 4K upscaling on Sony 4K TV’s. The discs are backward compatible with today’s HDTV’s and Blu-ray players, including the PlayStation 3.

As a bonus, Sony will include three “Mastered in 4K” titles with the purchase of either of their 4K TV’s:  Angels and Demons, Spider-Man, and Ghostbusters.

“Mastered in 4K” titles currently available for pre-order include Angels and Demons, The Other Guys, Taxi Driver, The Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Ghostbusters, Glory, Battle: Los Angeles, and Karate Kid (2010). Sony plans to release several more titles throughout the year.

While not exactly true 4K, they are the closest thing to true 4K until Sony releases their 4K media player this summer.

Sony 4K Media Player

Sony also announced its 4K Media Player, the FMP-X1 for $699 — available this summer. The player will come pre-loaded with 10 feature films and video shorts in true 4K format (which differs from Sony’s 1080p “Mastered in 4K” Blu-ray discs). These true 4K titles include Bad Teacher, Battle: Los Angeles, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Karate Kid (2010), Salt, Taxi Driver, That’s My Boy, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Other Guys and Total Recall (2012).

In the fall, users of the same 4K Media Player will be able to access a fee-based 4K distribution service.

Lucas added, “As for content, these new sets enhance all of the video people are watching today, and this summer our 4K media player,  followed in fall by the video distribution service will demonstrate how Sony continues to lead in bringing the 4K entertainment experience to viewers.”

Sony 4K TV Answers

Sony has answered a few frequently asked questions, we’ve posted them below:

What is the difference between 1080p and 4K?

Will my regular cable programming, Blu-ray Discs, DVDs, and streaming entertainment appear different on my 4K Ultra HD TV?

How close to the TV must I sit to appreciate 4K?

What can I currently watch in true 4K? In near-4K?

When will more 4K content be available?

What device options do I have to enjoy 4K? Do I need a 4K Blu-ray Disc player and 4K receiver to enjoy my 4K Ultra HD TV?

What other 4K products and services does Sony manufacture?

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The Blu-ray “Mastered in 4K” collection will set a new standard for Blu-ray HD picture and sound, creating the ultimate 1080p home entertainment experience. Created from the highest quality 4K source materials with new expanded color*, consumers can enjoy a brilliant picture with exquisite detail using their existing Blu-ray player or PlayStation®3. The Blu-ray “Mastered in 4K” collection is optimized so that 4K Ultra HD TV owners can take full advantage of the new 4K upscaling technology, delivering an outstanding near-4K experience. “Mastered in 4K” Blu-rays also work with all 1080p HDTVs for spectacular high definition picture and sound.

The post Glory (Mastered in 4K Ultra HD) appeared first on Ultra HDTV.