WATCH: Astronauts film first 8K ultra HD video in space

Image: NASA

Astronauts currently living in the International Space Station uploaded the first 8K resolution video shot in space.

The footage was shot by a Helium 8K RED digital camera that was delivered to the ISS in April along with other supplies aboard the 14th SpaceX cargo resupply mission.

8K specifically refers to the 8,192 x 4,320 pixels resolution of a video. By comparison, the average HD television can display a picture with up to 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, or 1080 HD. However, lately the 2K and 4K HD resolutions have been gaining traction.

The 3-minute-long video showed off some of the experiments the astronauts performed while aboard the station in exceptional detail. However, an 8K resolution compatible display will be needed to fully appreciate the footage. Even so, when seen through a standard HD display, the video will still appear more crisp and smoother than those shot at lower resolutions.

It should be noted that along with the increase in pixel count is an increase in file size. The short 3-minute clip eats up 3,127 megabytes or about 3 gigabytes of storage space using the popular MP4 video format. That’s approximately one gigabyte per minute. You may download the footage through this link. This should give consumers an idea of how much space an 8K video library would need, which is a lot.  /ra

RELATED STORIES:

Netflix testing feature allowing platform to be controlled by eye movements

10-year-old coder passes up Google offer to keep her business running

NASA uses classic electronic fix to repair Hubble space telescope: Turn it off, on again