CEATEC Japan 2018: 8K Video Processing, AI-Powered Staff and More

CEATEC Japan 2018, widely considered Japan’s equivalent to the Consumer Electronics Show in the US, has just wrapped up and I was lucky enough to attend the expo to see some of the latest developments in technology across a wide range of industries.

Trying to shed the image of being solely a consumer electronics show, CEATEC Japan 2018 had a strong focus on the Internet of Things (IoT), with companies such as TDK, Bandai Namco and Tesla showing a off their latest and greatest tech including as AI-powered robots, “smart” board games and more.

Popular convenience store chain Lawson even showed off their futuristic vision for Japanese convenience stores which included an AI-powered digital shop assistant who can suggest products you might like, gyoza-making robots, 3D digital signage and a checkout-free store powered by RFID tags.

Fellow home theatre lovers weren’t left out either, with Socionext showing off their new HV5 video processing chips supporting the HDMI 2.1 standard. These new chips pave the way for 8K video in future TVs, offering a significant improvement in detail compared to current 4K content.

In one demo, Socionext’s SC1H05AC series chipset combined 4 4K HDMI 2.0 signals into a single 8K video output. A second demo showed the SC1H05AT1 8K TV Video Processing Chip which supports Advanced BS 8K Broadcasting, which is scheduled to start in Japan later this year.

That said, lack of content will be the biggest challenge driving adoption of 8K TV sets. Whilst Japan’s upcoming 8K broadcasts are a step in the right direction and will drive 8K display sales for some leading up to the 2020 Olympics, a lack of other 8K content such as movies and TV shows will delay wider adoption – the same issue we’ve seen with 4K.

Michael

Michael is a technology expert with over 15 years of experience in IT, Home Theatre and Automation. Feel free to send Michael a message here.

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