8K vs 18K | Sydney cinematographer pushing technology at home and Hollywood

Pawel Achtel does not movie with any strange digicam.

The Sydney-based cinematographer has invented his personal; one thing smaller than an IMAX digicam that packs a fair higher punch.

“The camera films in over 18K,” Achtel advised 9news.com.au. 

“It’s not designed to replace a standard cinema camera, it’s there to replace an array of 10 of them… specifically for giant screens, immersive cinema and visual effects.”

Achtel calls his creation the 9×7 Digital Cinema Camera.

Its small measurement – and the power to make use of it underwater – caught the attention of James Cameron in the course of the creation of the field workplace blockbuster Avatar 2.

Achtel has since used it to movie every thing from nature documentaries to VFX plates for the upcoming Equaliser 3.

Shots that piqued Samsung’s curiosity because it was pressure-testing its line-up of 8K TVs for 2024.

“They actually needed some footage from my camera because existing 8K cameras didn’t quite discern that detail with sufficient contrast for people to be able to see,” Achtel mentioned.

“(My camera) has a specialised sensor technology and records in an order of magnitude more data than a regular cinema camera… more so than 15x70mm film which used to be a benchmark.”

“And you can actually see that detail with contrast that pops up on the screen.”

Samsung, like Sony and LG, has launched a variety of 8K or 4K fashions for 2024.

And like virtually every thing in shopper know-how, this 12 months’s huge promoting level is AI.

For a very long time, the know-how in TVs has outstripped the standard of the content material we have been watching. Unless you have got a ridiculous web connection, it is virtually unimaginable to seek out top of the range 8K content material to obtain or stream.

But due to a brand new processor, Samsung’s Simon Howe says they’re getting nearer to closing that hole for good.

“We can use AI to upscale the resolution of whatever content you’re watching to get it as close to 8K as possible,” defined the corporate’s Australian director of Audio Visual.

“It’s able to analyse the picture that’s on the screen, whether it be textures, grass, etc and be able to optimise and enhance that quality all of the way up to 8K using AI and the processor we built in this year.”

The processor can also be designed to reinforce sound and gaming, with all three AI enhancements being leveraged in Samsung’s flagship TV for 2024.

Starting at $7530 AUD, Samsung’s Neo QLED 8K Smart TV (QN900D) options one of the best of its AI enhancements and boasts a 240Hz refresh fee (versus 120Hz on the cheaper QN800D).

The largest model of the QN900D measures 85-inches and prices $13,900

And but, Samsung’s most costly TV in 2024 is a 4K mannequin.

The firm is providing three, 98-inch screens in Australia this 12 months at its “most affordable” worth level but.

The least expensive, at $6755 AUD, is Samsung’s 98″ Crystal UHD 4K Smart TV.

On the other end of the scale, Samung’s Neo QLED 4K Smart TV (QN90D) will set you back $15,172 AUD.

“We’re seeing such an enormous shift within the 85″+ segment of the market,” mentioned Howe.

“And 98” is certainly a measurement that Australians are adopting at a a lot quicker fee.”

Cinematographer Pawel Achtel reviews his footage on one of Samung’s 85″ shows.

“I bought it in the shop, I wasn’t given one,” he jokes throughout our interview. 

“It’s still a fraction of what the camera can do but it gives me a pretty good indication of quality assessment; any faults and vibration.”

“It is a very good screen – it can be calibrated to give colours close to my reference monitor and that allows me to review the footage in maximum sharpness.”

Even Achtel, whose personal footage does not want any assist from AI, says the know-how can be important in giving individuals a real cinema expertise at house. 

“Previously we’d have to go to IMAX for that experience.

“It’s generative AI which suggests it places within the element that is not there initially.

“If you try to sharpen an image that doesn’t have that detail it looks artificial – in film circles, we call it the cookie cutter effect – where it’s sharpened but it’s got artificial edges and it looks ugly to most cinematographers.

“AI can do higher than that. AI could make the element look pure, for the element to really be there within the first place.

“Here you can get a large screen, get very close to it and all of our peripheral vision is taken.

“So as a cinematographer I’m very excited and I’m pursuing a few movies that can undoubtedly profit from that know-how.”

See the full list of Samsung’s 2024 TV line-up and its Australian pricing:

Neo QLED 8K Smart TV (QN900D):

Neo QLED 8K Smart TV (QN800D):

Neo QLED 4K Smart TV (QN90D)

The Samsung 98-inch TV range is available in Crystal UHD, Neo QLED and QLED.

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