Ikegami has completed its work on the first 8K OB production vehicle, complete with 22.2 channel surround sound. The 8K OB vehicle was delivered to NHK in September.
In March 2015, Ikegami introduced its SHK-810 fourth-generation 8K television camera, developed in co-operation with Japan’s NHK, and only a tenth the size and weight of its first 8K camera. Ikegami has experience in producing mobile television production trucks, having produced more than 800 OB vehicles.
In Japan, the road map for 8K broadcasting announced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications specifies that trial broadcast transmissions will be conducted in 2016. Regular 8K broadcast services are planned to begin in 2018.
Many elements of 8K TV production infrastructure are much larger in size, power consumption and number of cables than their HDTV equivalent, creating a specific set of challenges when designing and producing an 8K OB truck.
Ikegami has promised that its new vehicle delivers high quality and high reliability in a compact size. The vehicle’s specifications allow operation not only in Japan but worldwide so it can be operated for global sporting events such as the Olympic Games. It can be expanded to accommodate additional equipment as and when required.
