As if KFC for Christmas dinner isn't reason enough to move to Japan, how about TV shows in Ultra High Definition? Well there's not long to wait, as broadcasts in the format will start in Japan next year -- that's two years ahead of schedule, proving it's not just the trains that run on time over there.
Reuters reports the Japanese government will launch the world-first service in July 2014, which is just in time for the World Cup final in Brazil. Which sounds like pretty nice timing to me.
Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun is the one bringing news of the government's plans.
Ultra High Definition -- previously known as 4K -- has four times the resolution of HD. So expect some pretty stonking visuals. The likes of Sony, Panasonic et al were in attendance at CES, showing off their 4K sets, and some are on sale in the UK now. Though you'll need quite a trust fund to afford one. And like all emerging technologies, there's a dearth of content to watch on it at the moment. So you could end up with a very expensive dust-gatherer.
The format isn't just for tellies. Panasonic has lifted the lid on a 20-inch Windows 8 tablet that's Ultra High Definition. It'll be a tool for creative professionals like photographers and artists, and blew our socks off at CES.
And if you think that's impressive, Japanese companies are already developing 8K TVs, with -- you guessed it -- eight times as many pixels as High Definition. The Ministry of Internal Affairs plans to launch test broadcasts using this format in 2016, which is again two years ahead of schedule. I know technology moves quickly, but this is ridiculous. Buy a 4K telly in 2014, and it'll be out of date in two years.
[Source: CNET]