[Inter BEE 2014] PFU shows QoolTornado QG70 uncompressed video transmission device, giving live demo of 8K60P live transfer

PFU exhibited at Inter BEE 2014 at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba from Wednesday, November 19th through Friday, the 21st. Using its QoolTornado QG70, an uncompressed video transmission device (see photo), it gave a live demonstration of uncompressed 8K60P transfer and uncompressed bi-directional 4K30P IP transfer. Also shown was a reference version of a JPEG2000 encoding process for 900 Mbps transfer of 4K60P.

For the live demo of uncompressed 8K60P transfer, an 8K camera was installed in Convention Hall A, the same site of NHK Media Technologies' 30th Anniversary Commemorative Exhibit. Uncompressed 8K60P footage was sent from that camera as a live IP stream. The 8K video signal was synchronized across four QG70 units to create a multicast between the NHK Media Technologies and PFU booths. The PFU booth was also the site of a WDM transfer (wavelength division multiplexing) transmission over a single-core fiber-optic cable. Using the four QG70 units at each booth, the footage was displayed on an 8K monitor. PFU used a converter from Astrodesign to display the footage on a multi-screen (four) array sized at 2,540 mm wide and 1,442 mm tall.

The 4K30P demo was targeted with use at events in mind, and it was done in collaboration with Strawberry Media Arts. A camera at the Strawberry booth sent uncompressed footage via the QG70 to the PFU booth, where it then went from another QG70 at that booth to a 32'' 4K monitor. Footage recorded onto a 4K recorder at the PFU booth was also simultaneously played back, using the same two QG70 units to send the feed to the Strawberry booth and display on a 28'' 4K monitor. The footage was shown in both 24p and 30p.

Looking to the next generation of transmissions technologies, PFU showed a reference version of JPEG2000 encoding for 4K60P footage, conducting a demo of this video being transmitted at 900Mbps. The idea is to transmit 4K video at lower bandwidths; JPEG2000 was being used with an eye to future multi-device support.

The QoolTornado QG70 uses a high-speed IP network to perform real-time IP transmission of uncompressed 4K video. This enables sharing of hi-fi video between broadcast stations, remote studios, and filmers on the field. The LCD panel on the front of the unit features a preview button that, when pressed, allows selection and preview of footage to be sent and received. This method successfully streamlines the interface.

The unit is already being used in pilot broadcasts of 4K. It was used in February 2014 by NICT (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology) to broadcast uncompressed 8K footage over a 100 Gbps ethernet connection, broadcasting footage of the Sapporo Snow Festival between Osaka (Umeda) and Tokyo (Otemachi).

The QG70 has garnered attention as a 4K/8K transmission solution for its ability to perfectly synchronize large, hi-fi footage over multiple units, achieving an effect equivalent to pushing the feed through a single device. Another big draw is that, because the data is sent uncompressed, there is no delay from encoding.

PFU:
Headquarters: Yokohama i-Mark Place, 4-4-5 Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama
URL: http://www.pfu.fujitsu.com/qooltornado/
Video & broadcast equipment section/Hall 4/Booth 4306