Earlier this year, that is less than half the size and a quarter the weight of previous devices. The projector is still fairly large, heavy and expensive, but its development serves as a further indication that work towards the 2020 goal is progressing.

Development of Super Hi-Vision began in 1995, just as analog HDTV broadcasting was beginning to take off in Japan. NHK, which is one of the few broadcasting companies to heavily invest in R&D, began work on HDTV in 1964 and was the first broadcaster in the world to launch regular HD broadcasting. It's hoping to repeat that with Super Hi-Vision in the next decade.

The IDG News Service