Boundless Vivid, Collective Intelligence: Highlights from the 2026 UWA SUMMIT Main Forum

On October 21, the 2026 UWA SUMMIT Main Forum took place in Shenzhen under the theme "Boundless Vivid · Collective Intelligence." More than 600 attendees from UWA members, academia, industry and international organizations discussed global audiovisual trends, AI and ecosystem building. The livestream on CCTV's streaming platform drew nearly 4 million views.

UWA Chairman Jiang Wenbo said the ultra-HD audiovisual industry has made a systemic leap this year, built on three themes: deepening standards, expanding scenarios, and scaling the ecosystem. UWA technologies are now widely deployed across IPTV, in-vehicle and cinema applications. IPTV terminals supporting UWA standards have reached about 35 million, and in-vehicle systems have passed 3.6 million. UWA has over 600 member organizations across about 30 countries and regions. Going forward, UWA will:

• advance ultra-HD standards and intelligent applications
• build a closer industry community, from chips to end devices
• accelerate global expansion

Gao Wen, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at Peking University, spoke remotely on the path from 8K to 10K. He said China's ultra-HD industry has reached roughly 4 trillion yuan in scale. The AVS standards have evolved from AVS1, AVS2 and AVS3 toward AVS4, which is designed for 10K and is backward compatible. He said it delivers major efficiency gains over H.265 and H.266, with better visual comfort and realism.

Andy Quested, Chair of ITU-R WP6C, spoke on AI-native content production. He advised using AI from the earliest stages, such as script analysis and outlining, while humans keep control of creative and final decisions. He named two risks for media organizations: over-reliance on AI as a shortcut, and not adopting it at all.

CCTV's ultra-HD production team presented its Audio Vivid ecosystem work and its AIGC-assisted production. They reported shorter production cycles and lower costs.

Mango TV shared its approach to industrializing AI-generated drama, including its micro-drama output in early 2026.

Kevin Shaw, Chair of the Colorist Society International, said human colorists remain essential for setting creative intent and keeping the look consistent across TVs, projectors and mobile devices, even as AI speeds up workflows. He noted that HDR Vivid helps close the consistency gap across devices.

China Mobile Shanghai described its Vivid zone on IPTV, which launched in 2024. It added Vivid content this year, and user feedback has been largely positive.

The forum also presented UWA's 2026 achievements in standards, ecosystem growth and international engagement.

The two-day summit also included sub-forums, international seminars, working-group meetings, an industry ecosystem exhibition and the Vivid Music Festival.