Tech & Science
Ida Torres on May 16 2013
Japan's public broadcaster NHK will be unveiling its next-generation 8K
Super Hi-Vision (SHV) format on May 16 and 17 by screening the first short film shot in the ultra-HD format at the Cannes International Film Festival. Director Toshio Lee will show his 27 minute comedy "Beauties À La Carte" on a 220-inch screen so viewers can better appreciate the 8K super HD format, with a 22.2 channel audio system, also developed by
NHK.
Navigation systems that include a TV feature are quite popular in Japan. Usually an add-on that goes on the backseat for usual North American or European cars, Japanese car parts retailers have been selling devices with this feature since 1997 despite the obvious dangers. A lot of Japanese
drivers enjoy the feature, but accident counts – while they don't immediately cause concern – are rising and putting a dilemma in the hands of police officers who have to watch out for instances caused by this uniquely Japanese car feature.
Ever wished that you could actually smell that picture of coffee you keep staring at on your computer screen? A team of inventors from the
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology is one step closer to helping you achieve that dream. They have invented a "smelling screen" that makes a specific smell exude from the monitor display.
For some people, technology moves at a speed faster than most can catch up with. Nowhere is this truer than probably in Japan where the government and TV manufacturers are planning to launch the world's first Ultra High Definition
television broadcast by next year.
Taking advantage of the popularity of Japanese
pop culture, several TV stations and advertising agencies have formed a plan to establish a stronger presence in Southeast Asian nations. Dubbed "Japan Channel", the project will establish local TV stations that will broadcast Japanese drama,
anime, music, and news in those countries.
NHK, Japan's national television broadcaster, has revealed plans to begin transmissions in 2016 using the new Super Hi-Vision format, which features a resolution 16 times higher than the current HDTV standards. Having been in development in part by NHK for the last few years, the 7,680 pixels by 4,320 pixels resolution was given its first trial broadcast during last summer's London Olympics.
Tech & Science
Cherrie Lou Billones on Dec 17 2012
Japan’s national broadcasting organization, NHK, is currently developing the ‘
Super Hi-Vision’ TV format, which is expected to produces extremely vivid pictures of some 33 million pixels per frame—about 16 times higher than the current HDTV standard—and with better and clearer sound quality.
KDDI Corp., Japan's second largest cellular service provider, announced on Wednesday that its Japan Cablenet Ltd. television subsidiary would begin offering a "smart TV" service that combines the best of regular program offerings and advantages from the internet. The new service is scheduled to launch in early December, and the only thing customers will need is a new set-top box from KDDI to connect to their TVs; there will be no need to buy a new
television set.
Business
Adam Westlake on Oct 24 2012
Japan's second-largest cellular service provider,
KDDI, has teamed up with
Sumitomo Corp. to purchase the remaining shares of Jupiter Telecommunications Co., the country's biggest cable-TV company, for a price of 216 billion yen (approx. $2.7 billion). The two companies have agreed to jointly own the cable-TV provider, also known as JCOM, and the purchase will increase the percentage of shares already owned by KDDI and Sumitomo.
Japan is known for some really innovative game shows and entertainment programs on television. Funnily, some local fares were a damp squib in Japan but found immense success when presented on an international platform. Sensing that the economy is stagnating and the government isn’t doing much about it, broadcasters in Japan have come together to promote their formats internationally in an attempt to rake in some money.
