The consumer electronics industry "heavily promoted 4K Ultra HD TVs last month at CES," but the IOC's broadcast division "has 'no plans for 4K TV broadcasting'" during the '16 Rio Games, according to Pennington & Giardina of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Olympic Broadcast Services CEO Yiannis Exarchos said, "There is no demand from our rights holders for 4K. We have to take our cue from broadcasters." The IOC’s OBS unit, which "has a history of using the Olympic Games as a launchpad for new viewing experiences, is instead investigating virtual reality technologies with an eye toward trials" at the '16 Games. Exarchos: "The technology is maturing quickly. There is real interest in virtual experiences to mobile phones. One VR application we are exploring is around viewing aspects of the Games after the event." Pennington & Giardina wrote this "could be viewed as good news for Hollywood, as all of the major studios are already experimenting with VR." While 4K Ultra HD TVs (four times HD resolution) "are now available from all major set-makers, it’s not on the agenda of OBS, which instead is working with Japanese broadcaster NHK to produce 8K (16 times HD resolution) content, though not for broadcast coverage, of the Rio Games." Exarchos: "In my opinion 8K is much more of a game-changer than 4K. You can really see a huge difference in experience whereas the gap between HD and 4K is far less." NHK and the Japanese government "have decided to transition Japan’s broadcast system to 8K, with a target for completion" being the '20 Tokyo Games. NHK "has already tested 8K production at events" including the '14 Sochi Games and FIFA World Cup, and it "aims to start some test broadcasting during the Rio Games" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 2/18).
