When it comes to 8K, you hear one big gasp from tech fans around the world. Why
These are all fair questions, and in this article weWe will try to give answers to them. This is all you need to know about 8K, as well as the reasons why your 4K TV will remain relevant for quite some time.
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What is 8K?
Primary school level mathematics tells usthat 8K should provide us with twice the resolution of 4K, but this is actually not the case at all. Considering that we are talking about two axes – vertical and horizontal, – that's actually 16 times more than HD and 4 times more than 4K. 8K is 7,680 x 4,320 or 33.1 million pixels, while 4K is 3,840 x 2,160 or 8.3 million pixels. To visualize it, just imagine four 4K TVs stacked into one panel. That's a lot of pixels.
Other technologies like HDR can achievea similar effect programmatically. Thanks to HDR, the image on your TV becomes brighter, especially noticeable from a distance. 8K, on the other hand, shows a noticeable difference even close to the screen – especially on large panels.
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History of 8K TVs
8K actually arrived almostsimultaneously with 4K. Although stand-alone displays have been shown before, the first 8K TV was brought to Japan by Sharp at CES 2013. It was an impressive 85-inch panel. Of course, this model did not go on sale that year. As we already know, CES usually does not showcase ready-to-sell devices, but sets the pace for the development of consumer technologies for several years to come.
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Over the next couple of years, other companiesbegan showing off their 8K TV prototypes while content producers were just starting to offer 4K. That changed when Japanese broadcaster NHK launched the world's first 8K satellite channel in 2016. Later that year, part of the Rio Olympics was broadcast by HNK in this resolution, but such broadcasts could only be viewed in special cinemas.
When will 8K TVs become available?
Although prototypes of 8K TVs have begundemonstrated back at CES 2013, this year’s exhibition became a powerful impetus for the mass release of such panels. Major TV manufacturers – Samsung, LG and Sony, – showed their 8K models, while at least two of them promised to be released for sale before the end of 2018. But this does not mean that 8K will become the norm.
You may remember the beginning of the development of 4K and HDTV andprices for the first models. 8K will certainly not escape this fate. Of course, you can still see outrageous price tags on 4K TVs, but there are also plenty of affordable models available on the market. You can easily find an 85-inch panel for under $5,000, while LG's first commercial 4K TV, the 84-inch 84LM9600, cost $20,000 in 2012.
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So it's no surprise that the first 8K TVswill be unaffordable for most of us. Sharp's first 8K TV went on sale in 2015 “for professional use” priced at approximately $133,000. In September 2017, the company announced its first consumer model, the LC-70X500. Price? Much lower: just $73,000.
What about the content?
In short, there is practically no content in8K, even if you have a suitable TV at hand. But native content in 8K – Not the only reason to buy an 8K TV is if you're looking for a model with a really large display. Such TVs will be able to upscale 4K content to 8K in the future, and the higher resolution obtained this way will look much better.
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To prove this, Samsung put two side by side85-inch TVs and launched on them, respectively, content in 4K and the same video, but scaled to 8K. The latter looked much better. However, many want to know when the “real” 8K. In a way, it is already available.
In November 2017, Vimeo added 8K support to the site.as well as several videos in this format. In December, NHK launched a separate 8K channel, but as with its Olympics content, it can only be viewed in designated locations across Japan. The 2020 Games in Tokyo should be a major milestone in the development of 8K broadcasts – at least in Japan. It is still unknown whether such content will be broadcast outside the country.
8K cameras are already available and we will surely seenew films and TV series in this resolution. But to get an idea of how long it will take, look at how things are going now with 4K. Streaming services like Amazon, Netflix and Vudu offer 4K, and 4K UHD Blu-ray discs are coming out, but 4K is still a long way from reaching HD levels of widespread availability.
ATSC 3 digital broadcasting standard.0 will result in 4K broadcast “over the air” and via cable and satellite TV, but this standard was only approved by the FCC in November 2017. Technically, 8K is compatible with ATSC 3.0, but most providers are now focused on enabling users to harness the potential of their 4K TVs rather than on introducing 8K. Another one hurdle for 8K content – focus on HDR.
Total
Most likely, very soon 8K-TVsit will be possible to purchase, however, as in the case of 4K and HDTV, a lot of time must pass before this technology becomes practical for ordinary users. The first 8K TVs will soon find their owners, but your 4K TV will remain relevant for a long time to come.