China, in the roulette of new technologies, bets everything on 8K: Why?

• China has gone one step further in the 8K race this year: it has broadcast the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on its public television.
• The Asian giant currently has several 4K channels and one 8K channel, and its representatives will travel to Seville in a few weeks to explain its progress and the reasons for its commitment to 8K.
• Seville hosts the 10th edition of the 4K HDR Summit, to be held at the Nissan Cartuja Auditorium from November 11 to 14 in hybrid format, coinciding with the 21st edition of the Seville European Film Festival.

In China the lucky number is eight. For them, 8 means wealth, fortune and happiness. Perhaps that is why, in the roulette of New Technologies, the Chinese have bet heavily on 8K. And they want to explain it to the rest of the world in a few days in Seville, where the 10th edition of the most important global event on Ultra High Definition will be held from November 11 to 14: the 4K HDR Summit.

But it’s not just the Chinese. Many other countries, production companies and film and television studios have almost tiptoed around 4K (for the Chinese the number 4 is synonymous with bad luck and death) and are already working in 8K to produce their series, movies, soap operas, documentaries and video games.

Some participants in the 4K HDR Summit in Seville, such as the NHK of Japan, the North American Space Agency (NASA), the French platform The Explores, the production company India Travel XP, the Mexican multinational Televisa/Univision, the 8K Association... will also present in Seville their experiences in 8K, especially in the production of audiovisual content. But, undoubtedly, the industry leaders in 8K are the Chinese.

China will participate for the first time in the 4K HDR Summit with the two most important UHD associations in the Asian giant: the UHD World Association (UWA), represented by Liqiang Zhao, Global Content Partnership at HUAWEI; and the Sichuan UHD Video Alliance (SUVA), represented by Cao Ju, senior project & media planner of the association.

In 2024, coinciding with the Olympic Games in Paris, China has taken a further step in the race for the implementation of the 8K format with the broadcasting of the Olympic event, from beginning to end, through its public television. Already at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics it enabled an exclusive channel (CCTV-8K) for the broadcasting of the Games, although the broadcasting took place mostly through large screens in public places, unlike this year, at the Paris 2024 Olympics, the transmission has reached homes equipped with 8K televisions, which for the Chinese have become a fashion and luxury item.

“In 8K, also content is king.”

While the audiovisual industry is focused on the implementation and maturation of UHD-4K technology, China is positioning itself as a world leader in the adoption and development of 8K, mainly in the creation of content and building the network infrastructure necessary to sustain this new era in visual quality.

“Content is king and the industry needs that content,” proclaims Olivier Chiabodo, CEO of Franco-Swiss travel production company The Explorers, whose company “has been working in China since 2019 and much more intensively after the COVID crisis, especially with UWA, the Ultra High Definition World Association.”

In the Asian giant “there are several 4K channels and there is already an 8K channel from China Media Group” that is set to lead the way for the new generation. “In addition, there is a far-reaching promotion program, with a thousand 8K screens in a hundred different cities in China,” says Olivier Chiabodo, who notes that the work being carried out in China for the development of this innovative video format is exceptional.

Despite advances, 8K faces significant challenges such as lack of mass content, high device costs and the necessary infrastructure.

UHD World Association (UWA)

Liqiang Zhao, Global Content Partnership at HUAWEI and representative of the UHD World Association (UWA), an international association dedicated to promoting the development, adoption and standardization of technologies related to Ultra High Definition video, which includes both 4K and 8K resolutions, will attend the 4K HDR Summit from the Asian giant. The association seeks to create a global ecosystem that enables the media and entertainment industries to take full advantage of the capabilities of UHD video, as well as other emerging technologies linked to the enhancement of the audiovisual experience.

The UHD World Association is a key player in the global growth and adoption of Ultra High Definition (UHD) technology. Its focus on standardization, consumer education, technology development and promotion of UHD content drives the industry towards a future where images and video at 4K and 8K resolutions are the norm, providing a much more immersive and detailed viewing experience for users worldwide.

Sichuan UHD Video Alliance (SUVA)

Cao Ju, senior project & media planner of the Sichuan UHD Video Alliance, will also travel to Seville to participate in the 4K HDR Summit, putting in value the work being developed from this industrial alliance established in one of the largest provinces of China and aims to promote and develop the UHD video industry in the region. Currently, SUVA is leading the 4K/8K Ultra High Definition video and audio platform project with ChinaDRM (U-PD) with a reach of around 100 cities and a thousand screens.

The Sichuan UHD Video Alliance, which will participate for the first time in this summit, is made up of various companies, research institutions, universities and government organizations that collaborate to drive growth and innovation in 4K and 8K video technology, as well as its production and transmission ecosystem.

Similarly, the creation of the Sichuan UHD Video Alliance is aligned with the Chinese government’s initiatives to make the country a global leader in UHD technologies, as part of its strategy for the development of Industry 4.0 and the digital economy; while one of the main objectives of the alliance is to encourage research and development (R&D) in advanced technologies, such as 5G transmission, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI), all of these technologies linked to the development and consumption of UHD video.

The X edition of the 4K HDR Summit, “Where technology and content have time to talk,” will turn the city of Seville in the annual epicenter of the international audiovisual industry. It will be from November 11 to 14 during two face-to-face days (Monday 11 and Tuesday 12) at the Nissan Cartuja Auditorium and two virtual days (13 and 14) when this summit will be held, which will also coincide with the 21st edition of the European Film Festival of Seville in 2024.

Representatives, companies and speakers from more than 15 countries, including China, Japan, India, the United States, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Mexico, Brazil, Portugal, Andorra and Spain, among others, will participate in the UHD-HDR World Summit.

The conferences of the 4K HDR Summit 2024 can be followed on Medina Media Events’ ‘The Observatory’ and will be available 24/365. On this platform, attendees can also schedule video meetings with other participants and speakers, in addition to exclusive virtual demonstrations.

The tenth edition of the 4K HDR Summit is organized by Medina Media Events and has the support of the Digital Agency of Andalusia (ADA), Dolby, MOME, Vicomtech, Canal Sur Radio and Television, EVS, Synamedia, Fraunhofer IIS, Axion, Mediakind, Ateme, AJA, Hispasat, Quantum, Cellnex, Eutelsat, Rohde & Schwarz, Canon, Sapec, AEQ and UHD Spain, among others.