May 17, 2009 Demand for hi-res applications such as monitoring, remote health and digital cinema is ensuring we are forever moving towards higher definition moving imagery and JVC zoomed the future a lot closer this week in announcing the world’s first 4K2K 60p video camera and the world’s first full-coverage, high-resolution Super Hi-Vision (SHV) D-ILA projector. Both offer remarkable resolution and their size belies the remarkable technology inside, with the 4K2K camera weighing just 3 kilograms yet capable of 60 progressive frame live signal output and 8.29 megapixel (3,840 x 2,160) images - approximately four times the resolution of full HD (1,920 x 1,080). The SHV D-ILA projector can render video in a resolution of 33 megapixels (7,680 x 4,320 pixels) with 10,000 lumens of brightness and a staggering 5,500:1 contrast ratio. The camera will go on sale this year and advance orders are now being taken.
Although the use of HD (1,920 x 1,080 ) continues to spread among households worldwide, research and development into new television broadcasting standards that go beyond HD is growing, and significant efforts are being made to satisfy growing demand for even higher definition imaging solutions for applications such as digital cinema and presentations to monitoring/control and health care.
The 4K2K camera’s compact head was made possible by building the processing function into a separate unit. Providing a live signal output function would normally mean making the camera head much larger to accommodate the necessary equipment. By delegating the processing function to a separate unit, JVC succeeded in reducing the camera’s weight to a mere 3kg. The JVC-developed high-speed wireless data transmission format sends RAW data at a speed of about 10Gbps to the processing device which can be up to 100 metres (328ft) from the camera. For more challenging and creative video shoots, optical fiber can be used to connect the camera to the processing device. The 4K2K camera incorporates a single 1.25-inch CMOS image sensor, supports 12bit signal processing, is compatible with external video synchronization and can work with multiple synched cameras.
The 4K2K camera’s value proposition will be enhanced in future through integration with JVC’s 4K2K DLA-SH4K projector.
In 1996, JVC embarked on the development of Ultra High Definition image systems as the successor to High-Vision Definition. The company developed the first 7.86-megapixel (3,840 X 2,048 pixels) 4K2K D-ILA device in fall 2000 and began supplying projectors containing this device for research applications in March 2001. In June 2007, JVC developed a 1.27-inch 4K2K D-ILA device having a 6.8μm pixel pitch and resolution of 4,096 x 2,400 pixels, and in February 2008 it began marketing a newly commercialized professional D-ILA projector - the DLA-SH4K - incorporating that device.
Super Hi-Vision D-ILA Projector
The Super Hi-Vision (SHV) format is an experimental digital video format currently under development by Japan’s sole public broadcaster NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation).
Each Super Hi-Vision image is approximately 33 megapixels (7,680 x 4,320 pixels) and supports 60 frame/second sequential scanning and 22.2 multichannel sound. Image format complies with the ITU-R BT.1769 and SMPTE 2036 international standards.
The new projector generates a high light output of 10,000 lumens - or one-and-a-half times greater than two conventional DLA-SH4K models - and provides sufficient brightness for displays as wide as 400 to 600 inches, each pixel approximately 1 sq. mm in size.
Conventional models are equipped with two 2,000-watt lamps to generate 7,000 lumens of brightness, but the Super Hi-Vision D-ILA Projector uses a single 3,000-watt lamp capable of 10,000 lumens, reducing power consumption by 50% and lamp cost by 60%.
The JVC Super Hi-Vision D-ILA Projector unit employs a triple D-ILA display device system, making it possible to render video in a resolution of 35 megapixels. The projector also uses an adaptive pixel correlation technique which enables it to display images one-and-a-half times brighter and with three times greater contrast ratio than conventional D-ILA projectors.
Whereas large-scale projectors typically have contrast ratios ranging between 1,000 and 2,000:1, the new D-ILA projector features a 5,500:1 contrast ratio to render super high-resolution images.
The projector is fully compatible with the Super Hi-Vision standard (7,680 x 4,320) being promoted by NHK. Conventional Super Hi-Vision projectors render images with 4,000 TV lines using an 8.29-megapixel (3,840 x 2,160) single display device and leveraging adaptive pixel correlation technique to adjust the RGB green component; this means that the red and blue components are not fully covered. The new projector, however, uses a 35-megapixel (8,192 x 4,320) D-ILA single display panel that provides full coverage of each RGB component to 4,000 TV lines.
Super Hi-Vision requires about 40 times more data than a standard high-definition image, so connecting a Super Hi-Vision unit to a conventional transmission system - HD-SDI, for example - requires at least 64 coaxial cables. JVC’s new projector uses 36bit HDMI deep color specification to deliver data as a standardized image interface at a rate of 76 gigabits per second over just 16 coaxial cables - or one-fourth the previous amount - while offering greater flexibility of layout. Each RGB color also benefits from 12bit graduation expression.
As an alternative to HDMI signals that have a maximum transmission length of about 5m, the new projector’s optical interface delivers Super Hi-Vision signals over a longer distance. Developed in house by JVC, the optical transmission device employs four optical fibers to achieve high-stability, low-cost transmission.
The on-off switch is the only button on the projector unit, all other functions being controlled through a networked PC; this design promotes ease of maintenance and high operational flexibility given that projectors are generally installed in hard-to-reach locations.
