8K Lab

In June 2019 Sharp opened the 8K Lab Creative Studio (8K Lab) in the Tokyo Building in Shibaura, Tokyo.

The 8K Lab provides cutting edge 8K related research and development technologies based on Sharp’s 8K+ 5G Ecosystem strategy, and serves as a hub for working with partner businesses toward the creation of fresh value, leading the world in the commercialization and implementation of such technologies.

The 8K Lab includes facilities like an 8K filming zone, 8K video IP transfer area and 8K post-production and editing area.

Providing partners with cloud based 8K video processing

The 8K Lab offers 8K video experiences and processing functions via cloud APIs (image analysis (tracking), upgrading video from 4K to 8K, etc.)

8K Video Streaming via 5G
- Aizu (Japan) -

Streaming of 8K video from a 26-meter castle tower to a festival on the ground via 5G

In February 2019, Sharp partnered with NTT Docomo, Inc. and the city of Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, for a proof-of-concept trial of live 8K video streaming over 5G networks during the Aizu Decorated Candle Festival. High-definition 8K video was shot using a Sharp 8K camcorder from the 26-meter-high tower of Tsuruga Castle and live-streamed to a Sharp 8K video monitor on the ground, showing a view of the castle’s main keep lit by thousands of candles as seen from above.

8K Video Streaming via 5G
- Basketball Game -

Multi-angle live streaming of 8K video of international basketball game with 5G

In August 2019, Sharp teamed up with Softbank Corp. in a successful effort to carry out multi-angle live-streaming of high-definition 8K video and simultaneously recorded 7.1ch audio of an international basketball game between Germany and Tunisia held in Saitama Super Arena. Data was streamed via 5G to Softbank’s 5G x IoT Studio Odaiba Lab in Tokyo, using the International Telecommunication Union’s recommended MPEG-DASH streaming technique. In addition to achieving the synchronization of audio and video data, which is essential for multi-angle live-streaming, this experiment also opened the door to 8K streaming solutions for users at lower costs, thanks to the ability to watch on a computer with a generic browser without any need for a dedicated streaming device.

8K Video Streaming via 5G
- Bullet Train -

8K video streamed to train traveling at 283km/h for the first time ever

In September 2019, Sharp worked with NTT Docomo, Inc. and Central Japan Railway Company to stream high-definition 8K video to a high-speed Shinkansen train using 5G. The experiment was carried out in Shizuoka Prefecture on board a prototype train in Central Japan Railway Company’s N700S series. Prerecorded high-definition 8K video footage was transmitted from three 5G base stations installed next to the railroad using a 28GHz wireless 5G network to the train as it traveled at 283km/h. A Sharp 8K LCD TV inside the train received the video through a 5G mobile terminal, marking the world’s first ever successful transmission of wireless 5G signal from a stationary base station on the ground to a train moving at over 200km/h.

Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train

8K + 5G technology:
Proof-of-concept trials

Transmitting 5G signal to the Tokaido Shinkansen from a 5G base station

8K Video Streaming via 5G with Drone
- Remote Racehorse Observation -

8K video streamed from drone via 5G in remote horse observation experiment in world first

In November 2019, in an initiative designed to support racehorse training, Sharp partnered with Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, KDDI Corporation, Tokyo University’s Nakao Research Lab, horse training facility Hidaka Race Horse Cooperative Upbringing Center, and the town of Niikappu, Hokkaido Prefecture. The team live streamed footage of the horses both during training and while in their stables so that they could be observed remotely, in the world’s first successful live streaming of ultra-high-definition 8K video taken from a drone. Such technology will not only allow breeders to leverage remote diagnosis and health checks to optimize how they train horses for racing, but also help promote tourism by providing ultra realistic drone footage for showing at tourist facilities.

Racehorses running along the training course

8K + 5G technology:
Proof-of-concept trials

8K video streaming via 5G with drone