NHK in partnership with Sony Imaging Products & Solutions will return again for the second consecutive year presenting its 8K Theater (Grimes Studio - 500 E 5th St. Austin, TX 78701) at SXSW 2019, Austin, TX.
From March 11 - 13, 2019, NHK will showcase the world premiere of the 8K live concert footage captured along Sting and Shaggy's critically acclaimed 2018 world tour, 44/876, featuring songs off their Grammy Award-winning album of the same name, as well as their collective greatest hits. This will be accompanied by other 8K contents from Japanese musicians: Sakanaction and Superfly. The SXSW installation will bring the world's highest quality in experiencing images and sound through its 8K x 22.2 multi-channel sound.
The 8K Theater will be installed in Austin during SXSW at Grimes Studio (500 E 5th St. Austin, TX 78701) and feature a giant 440-inch LED screen (31.8ft wide by 17.7ft tall) that incorporates Sony's Crystal LED Display System, a visual system that utilizes ultrafine LEDs, measuring about the thickness of a human hair (0.003 mm²). The 8K Theater will provide an experience unlike any other TV broadcast through 8K visuals, images with 16-times more pixels than current HD technology, and a truly immersive 22.2 multi-channel sound system. This brings the powerful 8K experience on a screen 4-times larger than the one used in the 2018 SXSW installation. The 8K Theater will provide super high-fidelity visuals on a 440-inch screen with 3D sound from a 24-speaker system.
NHK's footage will be delivered by the Sony's Crystal LED Display System. This goes beyond conventional display technologies by delivering over a million-to-one contrast, precise color reproduction, a 99 percent black surface area using 0.003 mm² ultrafine LED, and a 180-degree viewing angle. The technology is currently used in professional applications including broadcast studios and corporate showrooms around the world. Its modular nature enables the Crystal LED display to accommodate any size or aspect ratio for immersive viewing experiences at the show.
