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Fans of science in space now can experience fast-moving footage in even higher definition as NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) deliver the first 8K ultra high definition (UHD) video of astronauts living, working and conducting research from the International Space Station. The same engineers who sent high-definition (HD) cameras, 3D cameras, and a camera capable of recording 4K footage to the space station now have delivered a new camera capable of recording images with four times the resolution than previously offered.
The Helium 8K camera by RED, a digital cinema company, is capable of shooting at resolutions ranging from conventional HDTV up to 8K, specifically 8192 x 4320 pixels. By comparison, the average HD consumer television displays up to 1920 x 1080 pixels of resolution, and digital cinemas typically project in resolutions of 2K to 4K.
"This new footage showcases the story of human spaceflight in more vivid detail than ever before," said Dylan Mathis, communications manager for the International Space Station Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "The world of camera technology continues to progress, and seeing our planet in high fidelity is always welcome. We're excited to see what imagery comes down in the future."
takyon: Turksat recently tested 8K resolution satellite broadcasts:
Turksat has tested satellite broadcasts in 8K Ultra-HD, demonstrating the ability to transmit content with 16 times the resolution of HD. The practice broadcast showed scenes from Istanbul, Turkey, using the Türksat 4B satellite at 50 degrees East. Turksat said testing 8K at a time when such broadcasts are uncommon will give Turkish companies a leg up when competing globally in the future. Two Turkish companies, satellite broadcast hardware provider Kızıl Elektronik and TV manufacturer Vestel, partnered with Turksat on the test, along with Japanese chipmaker Socionext.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Monday November 05 2018, @08:26PM (1 child)
I really don't think that these folk are interested in asthetics, so much as, seeing any details that might be missed as a lesser resolution. I'm trying to find some spy satellite photos to compare higher resolution to lower.
Try this out - https://corona.cast.uark.edu/atlas#zoom=6¢er=4412774,3150894 [uark.edu]
Pick any spot that interests you, and see how it looks. You may use the tools on the site as you wish, you can zoom in and out, to any scale you like. I'm looking at the Suez Canal, Port Said, and Great Bitter Lake. Detail pretty much sucks.
Now, go to Google Earth, and check out the Suez Canal - or whichever area you chose to explore. Keep in mind that when the Corona program was in operation, the spooks were using the best of the best, cutting edge photographic technology. Top secret stuff, that civilians weren't even supposed to know about. Google Earth, today, uses publicly available equipment - there really isn't a lot that is secret about it.
Another ship, a container ship, I can see separate containers. Can't see them nearly well enough to identify an individual container, but the stacked containers aren't just a huge blob, either.
With Google Earth, I can zoom in on a ship, so that I can identify the helicopter landing pad, the life boats, the bridge, cranes - well, I'll stop there. I can see the bollards and the bullnose, but I couldn't identify them as such, if I didn't already know what they are. Not enough detail to pick out scuppers or lifelines. But, the detail is amazing. And, you couldn't do that with Cold War era photography.
Although Google Earth is far more asthetically pleasing than Corona, that wasn't the goal. The goal was to see details that cannot be seen with Corona.
Same here.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday November 05 2018, @08:49PM
I have to walk my post back, at least a little. I'm looking at an image from the Corona archive that has just about as much detail as I described with Google Earth. Bridge, crane, smokestack, a bunch of equipment on deck that I can't identify - it could be a compressed gas tanker, but I can't quite tell. The image is only slightly less clear than Google Earth. Another ship in the canal has a helo pad. That pad is slightly less distinctive than on Google Earth.
These archives take a little patience - the images load so very slowly. Google Earth loads much faster. In the end though, Google does a superior job with modern tech that wasn't available back then.