When thousands of screens are deployed in hundreds of cities, watch ultra-clear images bloom across the country!

Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Central Propaganda Department, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the State Administration of Radio and Television, China Central Radio and Television and other six departments jointly issued the "Notice on the Launch of the "Hundred Cities and Thousands of Screens" Ultra-High Definition Video Promotion Activity" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"), which will be held from October 2021 to June 2023. As the activity gradually advances, more ultra-high-definition large screens will be erected in major city landmarks across the country, and many high-quality ultra-high-definition 4K/8K video content will be displayed on large screens, and a visual feast is about to come.

Public large screens are a window to popularize ultra-high-definition video

Ultra-high-definition video is a new round of major technological innovation following the digitization and high-definition of video, which can bring viewers a new immersive experience. Accelerating the development of the ultra-high-definition video industry is of great significance to meeting people's growing needs for a better life, driving the intelligent transformation of industries centered on video, and promoting the overall strength of my country's information industry and cultural industry.

On May 9 this year, the "Hundred Cities, Thousand Screens" 8K UHD video promotion activity was officially launched at the 2021 World UHD Video Industry Development Conference. As early as February 2019, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Administration of Radio and Television, and China Central Radio and Television jointly issued the "UHD Video Industry Development Action Plan (2019-2022)", planning that by 2022, the number of UHD video users in my country will reach 200 million, and the overall scale of the UHD video industry will exceed 4 trillion yuan.

It is understood that this "Hundred Cities, Thousands of Screens" ultra-high-definition video promotion activity, with the theme of "Lighting up the colorful ultra-clear vision in hundreds of cities and thousands of screens", supports cities with conditions to set up ultra-high-definition public screens, and through the display of high-quality ultra-high-definition 4K/8K content such as the core socialist values, party building, the Beijing Winter Olympics, cultural tourism, etc., promotes the national spirit, presents Chinese culture, and enhances the penetration of the ultra-high-definition video industry.

Wen Xiaojun, director of the Institute of Electronic Information of CCID Research Institute, introduced the two backgrounds of the "Hundred Cities, Thousand Screens" activity to the reporter of China Electronics News. The first is the accelerated landing of 8K technology verification and application. According to the overall technical route of "4K first, taking 8K into consideration" in the "Ultra-High Definition Video Industry Development Action Plan (2019-2022)", a batch of domestically produced 8K cameras, monitors, encoders, 5G broadcast vehicles and other equipment have been verified to be mature; China Central Radio and Television Station has opened an 8K ultra-high-definition test channel (for a period of one and a half months), and broadcast the 2021 Spring Festival Gala in 8K, and is accelerating the launch of the official 8K channel.

Secondly, major events provide a rare opportunity for the development of the ultra-high-definition video industry. The main application scenarios of ultra-high-definition video are "4K into the home, 8K into public places", and large screens in public places can better show the picture quality advantages of 8K video. By setting up public 8K large screens in multiple cities, showing major events such as the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party, the Beijing Winter Olympics and other excellent 8K content, we will promote the popularization of 8K terminals, enrich the supply of 8K content, drive the coordinated development of all links in the ultra-high-definition video industry chain, and create a good industry development environment.

Wen Xiaojun said that by carrying out the "Hundred Cities and Thousand Screens" campaign, firstly, it is possible to popularize the public's awareness of ultra-high-definition video, drive the iteration of the entire audio and video industry chain to 8K through content display, release the domestic demand vitality of the night economy and Internet celebrity economy, and prosper the consumer market; secondly, it is possible to enrich the supply of 8K content, create a landmark commercial application model for ultra-high-definition video, form an operating model and replicate and promote it; thirdly, it is possible to promote the application and iteration of independent standards such as HDR high dynamic range and AVS video encoding, form an end-to-end technical standard system, and create a commanding height for industrial competition.

Accelerating the development of the ultra-high-definition video industry requires joint efforts from all parties

According to the "Notice", the "Hundred Cities, Thousand Screens" ultra-high-definition video promotion campaign will follow the principles of government guidance, market operation, multi-party linkage, and accelerated development, give full play to the leading role of ultra-high-definition video companies and industry organizations, explore and form replicable and popularizable new business forms and models, enrich application scenarios, deeply promote the comprehensive upgrade of information consumption, cultivate new development momentum, improve the industrial chain, create a good industrial ecological environment, and accelerate the integrated innovative development of ultra-high-definition video in multiple fields.

今年6月份，在工信部和安徽省人民政府主办的2021世界显示产业大会上，《“百城千屏”首批公共大屏接入候选名录》公布，包含了来自北京、上海、广州、深圳、惠州、成都、重庆、杭州、无锡、宁波、贵州、遵义、昆明、长沙、武汉、福州、郑州、呼和浩特、沈阳、哈尔滨等20个城市的28个公共大屏。同时，22家8K LED显示屏制作商名录也被公布。

It is reported that Sichuan, as the province with the most complete UHD video industry chain in the country, has long taken the lead in exploring the construction of UHD outdoor large screens in important urban business districts, Internet celebrity landmarks, cultural venues, etc., in order to better grasp the strategic opportunities of the generational evolution of UHD video technology and promote the construction of UHD video content and the popularization of terminals.

Wang Yue, Secretary-General of the Sichuan Ultra High Definition Video Industry Alliance, told a reporter from China Electronics News that in response to the "Hundred Cities, Thousand Screens" campaign launched by six ministries and commissions, the Sichuan Ultra High Definition Video Industry Alliance, with the support of relevant government departments in Sichuan Province, plans to launch a "Ten Cities, Hundred Screens" 8K ultra high definition video promotion campaign in Sichuan Province. Next, it will be promoted in major business districts, squares, transportation hubs, tourist attractions, etc. in 10 cities including Chengdu, Mianyang, Deyang, and Meishan, exporting Sichuan-made products, Sichuan wine, Sichuan tea, and Sichuan cuisine to expand Sichuan's influence.

The development of the ultra-high-definition video industry is inseparable from the concerted efforts of upstream and downstream enterprises in the industry chain, including terminal manufacturers, network equipment manufacturers, telecom operators, and content producers. In the first batch of public large-screen access candidate lists and the list of 8K LED display manufacturers announced in June this year, domestic LED display supplier Leman Optoelectronics was selected.

Li Mantie, chairman of Ledman Optoelectronics, told a reporter from China Electronics News that as an ultra-high-definition solution provider, the company can provide support for the 100-city, 1,000-screen event through a one-stop service of "software + hardware + content". It is reported that Ledman Optoelectronics participated in the construction of multiple ultra-high-definition display projects such as the 8K COB ultra-high-definition display of the China Ultra-High-Definition Digital Documentary Image Museum, and through 8K live broadcasts such as the 2021 8K Spring Festival Gala and the first WUVIC ultra-high-definition e-sports competition, ordinary people have the opportunity to experience immersive and real 8K visual effects and gain high-quality ultra-high-definition visual experience.

A relevant person in charge of China Central Radio and Television Station told the reporter of China Electronics News that in this "100 Cities, 1,000 Screens" event, the station is responsible for conducting 8K ultra-high-definition content broadcasting experiments, providing major events such as the Beijing Winter Olympics and other high-quality 8K live content, and providing 8K technical standard consultation and technical support services. During the Beijing Winter Olympics, the station will also use 8K ultra-high-definition digital broadcasting technology for the first time. Through the station's 8K ultra-high-definition TV channel and the "100 Cities, 1,000 Screens" project, it will provide the public with an 8K ultra-high-definition Winter Olympics viewing experience and achieve the goal of "Technology Winter Olympics · 8K Watching the Olympics". "Through the 8K ultra-high-definition '100 Cities, 1,000 Screens' landing event, on the one hand, it can promote the promotion and broadcasting of excellent 8K content, further prosper the cultural industry market, tell Chinese stories, and demonstrate the Chinese spirit, and give full play to the role of cultural propaganda; on the other hand, through the large-screen broadcasting operation in public areas, it can drive enterprises to increase investment in research and development and production, drive high-quality and innovative development, and accelerate the integration and innovation of ultra-high-definition video in multiple fields." He said.