China to speed up UHD screen construction

China is ratcheting up efforts to accelerate the construction of 4K and 8K ultra-high-definition large screens, with a focus on enriching application scenarios of UHD and bolstering their integration and innovative development with various industries, according to a new guideline unveiled by central authorities.

The guideline, jointly released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and other departments, will inject new growth impetus into China's UHD video industry, experts said.

More efforts should be made to foster the development of new technologies, new businesses and new models, speed up the upgrading and application of video and audio equipment, and promote the maturity of technical standard systems and industrial chains, said the guideline.

Dong Min, deputy secretary-general of the China Video Industry Association, said the upcoming Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and the deployment of superfast 5G technology will make the transmission of 8K content possible and bolster sales of 8K televisions and 8K-related content production.

UHD is a term that includes two video resolutions－4K and 8K－with 8K resolution an image or display with a width of approximately 8,000 pixels, currently the highest UHD resolution in digital television and digital cinematography.

The total scale of China's UHD video industry is expected to exceed 4 trillion yuan ($627.6 billion) by 2022, according to an action plan issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Radio and Television Administration and China Media Group.

The plan said a sound industrial system for 4K video will be established and breakthroughs will be made in R&D of products and the industrialization of 8K technology by 2022, with a cluster of internationally competitive companies in the field to be fostered.

In addition, the NRTA said on Tuesday that local authorities should increase capital input and financial subsidies for cable TV, 5G-powered radio and television and specific internet audiovisual programs in rural areas.

"UHD video technology, along with 5G and AI, is an important direction in the new generation of information technology," said Xiao Yaqing, minister of industry and information technology, who spoke during the 2021 World UHD Video Industrial Development Conference in May.

Xiao said that accelerating the development of the UHD video industry will directly promote the upgrading of broadcasting equipment, terminal products, displays and chips, and boost the digitization of the industry and content production.

Moreover, the country's 8K UHD TV industry is set to witness explosive growth as a batch of home appliance manufacturers have ramped up efforts to tap into the segment.

For instance, Shenzhen Skyworth-RGB Electronics Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Chinese television maker Skyworth Group, said the company is committed to providing a complete range of 8K products, including video cameras, monitors and cloud operating systems, and accelerating its progress in the 8K UHD industrial chain.

"The deep integration of UHD videos, 5G, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and other new-generation information technologies brings about a large number of new scenarios, applications and models, which have become an important driving force for commercial use of 5G," said Zhang Li, head of the China Center for Information Industry Development.