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Japan to start 4K TV broadcast in July 2014: report

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Panasonic chief Kazuhiro Tsuga introduces the company's new 4K OLED 56'' television during the Panasonic opening day keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas January 8, 2013. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

Panasonic chief Kazuhiro Tsuga introduces the company's new 4K OLED 56'' television during the Panasonic opening day keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas January 8, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Rick Wilking

TOKYO | Sun Jan 27, 2013 12:56am EST

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese government is set to launch the world's first 4K TV broadcast in July 2014, roughly two years ahead of schedule, to help stir demand for ultra high-definition televisions, the Asahi newspaper reported on Sunday without citing sources.

The service will begin from communications satellites, followed by satellite broadcasting and ground digital broadcasting, the report said.

The 4K TVs, which boast four times the resolution of current high-definition TVs, are now on sale by Japanese makers including Sony Corp (6758.T), Panasonic (6752.T) and Sharp Corp (6753.T). Other manufacturers include South Korea's LG Electronics (066570.KS).

Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications had aimed to kick-start the 4K TV service in 2016. That has been brought forward to July 2014, when the final match of the 2014 football World Cup is set to take place in Brazil, the Asahi report said.

In Japan, the development of super high-definition 8K TVs is in progress, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications plans to launch the test 8K TV broadcast in 2016, two years ahead of schedule, it said.

(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Paul Tait)
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Comments (3)
Bagehot wrote:
Geofferey Morrison at CNET had it right when he said there’s a lot more to image resolution:
contrast, color and the compression that happens at the transmission end of U.S. TV. (http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33199_7-57540238-221/three-tv-improvements-more-worthwhile-than-ultra-hd-4k/) Add to this the fact that the resolution difference between 2K and 4k is only
visible in a home setting with a screen more that 6 ft. wide. The priority for 4K distribution is movie theaters, where a 4K image at 60 fps is essentially the upper bound of human perception of line,depth and movement. For home entertainment, the shows can easily come down to 2K at 30 fps will few customers missing anything on their screen. The fact that the Japanese government has to shove this thing through before most people even have access to 4K sets should tell you something.

Jan 27, 2013 9:52am EST  --  Report as abuse
tatman wrote:
if only the actual programming on most of these channels in the USA would be worth watching in 4K. do we REALLY need to see every pore on a kardashian’s nose? i mean, c’mon. most programming broadcast and consumed by the masses is sheer crap. as soon as my satellite contract is up (directv — the worst customer service and treatment i’ve ever received in my life) i’m going to be canceling cable, and going to 100% online streaming at a 2/3 reduction in cost. i just purchased a 47″ LG 3D HDTV this month — i’m not about to even consider a 4K TV for the next 4+ years. me thinks japan is desperate to prop up it’s ailing economy by ramming image resolution most users cannot/will not be able to take advantage of without investing thousands in TV/equipment upgrades. shades of blu-ray, anyone?

Jan 27, 2013 12:10pm EST  --  Report as abuse
Bunker555 wrote:
Please add Toshiba to your list.

Jan 27, 2013 1:00pm EST  --  Report as abuse
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