Brilliant programme.
Re: HD & 4K formats. HD was invented by NHK (Japanese equivalent of the BBC) over 40 years ago but getting it to a broadcast system took nearly 30 years. There’s a lot of kit to upgrade from cameras, cables, editing systems all the way to the TV in your living room.
NHK also invented 4K and 8K. To adopt either of these would require the whole set of equipment to be upgraded again. Japan is considering just going straight to 8K to avoid this double upgrade. There’s no point in going past 8K as the definition is beyond what the human eye is capable of resolving.
It was only really with the widespread adoption of flat screen TV technology in the home that HD became a viable broadcast format. Going to 4K and 8K is more a matter of tweeking this technology than getting people to adopt a new one. It is very much chicken and egg: why broadcast 4K if only a few people can properly view it? But why buy a 4K TV if there’s nothing broadcast? Once the manufacturers have got the yield up to sufficient levels they’ll drop those models which are HD only and 4K will become the new norm.
Sorry – tech head on!