NASA to stream first live 4K video from space at the 2017 NAB Show

US astronauts on the International Space Station featured in Super Session that probes the future and demonstrates end-to-end live 4K, cloud-based workflow in HEVC for delivery to multiscreen devices.

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced today it will produce the first-ever live 4K video stream from space during a Super Session at the 2017 NAB Show. “Reaching for the Stars: Connecting to the Future with NASA and Hollywood” will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 26 in room N249 of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC).

The panel is co-produced by NAB Show, NASA, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), and will explore how advanced imaging and cloud technologies are taking scientific research and filmmaking to the next level. The live feed from 250 miles above Earth will be encoded AWS Elemental encoding software on board the International Space Station (ISS) and on the ground at Johnson Space Center.

The US space agency is a pioneer in the application of advanced media – including 4K. By streaming real-time video that captures images four times the resolution of current HD technology, NASA is enhancing its ability to observe, uncover and adapt new knowledge of orbital and deep space.

NAB Super Session

During the NAB Show Super Session, a live 4K stream will enable NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson on the ISS to converse with AWS Elemental CEO and Co-founder Sam Blackman, who will be at the LVCC. In conjunction with the live 4K streaming event, NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson and NASA Imagery Experts Program Manager Rodney Grubbs will take part in an LVCC-based panel discussion featuring Hollywood and technology leaders including Bernadette McDaid, head of development, VR & AR, Bau Entertainment; Khawaja Shams, vice president of Engineering for AWS Elemental; and Dave McQueeney, senior principal investigator, IBM Watson Group. The panel will be moderated by Carolyn Giardina, Technology Editor for the Hollywood Reporter.

The entire event will be available, here.