Starting from December 12st, Japanese NHK will start broadcasting in Japan the world’s first 8K channel (NHK BS8K) along with the NHK BS4K channel (4K).

The NHK BS8K will be broadcast for about 12 hours daily - from 10:00 to 22:10. It will offer 8K content and 22.2 channel audio. Japanese consumers will have the chance to immerse themselves with 8K music programs, ranging from concerts from the world’s greatest orchestras and art broadcasts featuring masterpieces of the Louvre and the works of Katsushika Hokusai. The core content will also include TV dramas and nature programs. along with Earth pictures shot from the International Space Station (ISS, NASA).

The second channel, NHK BS4K, will include the world’s first live 4K relay from Antarctica, along with 4K versions of popular 2K programs currently being broadcast on NHK’s terrestrial and satellite channels.

The NHK BS4K will broadcast from 06:00 to 24:00 for 18 hours daily.

NHK aims to start full-scale 8K broadcasting by 2020, with focus on Summer Olympics and Paralympic games in Tokyo.

Japanese consumers will have to buy a special receiver and antenna just to pick up the 8K signal. Sharp began selling its first Super Hi-Vision-ready TVs with a built-in tuner last month for around $6,600.The company also an 8K receiver produces one that costs 250,000 yen ($2,200). It requires four HDMI cables to get the pictures into a Sharp TV set, and another cable for sound, since HDMI 2.1 hasn't been implemented in any of these displays yet. A Samsung 8K television costs about $15,000 to buy.