Recently, I was called to install a wall TV. This is not the thing I usually do, but I thought it would be a change of pace. So because of this experience, so I am going to make a few comments on the new 8 K TVs. In the market for a new TV, choose a 4K HDR TV.
The term 8 K means the horizontal resolution of the TV or the number of pixels running across the screen from left to right. HDR is the High Dynamic Range and comes from the world of photography. HDR means the contrast between brightest whites and darkest blacks. 8K displays have twice as many horizontal pixels and four times as total pixels as 4K, which is measured at 3840×2160 pixels.
So now that we have got the tech talk out of the way. Purchasing an 8 K TV is not a good decision for the following reasons.
- There is virtually little 8K content available.
- Using 8K for your regular content will work but not enough to run out and buy one.
- Streaming 8K will take 50 Mbps connection, and very few have this capability.
- 8K TVs will cost around $15,000 and very few will want to spend that kind of money on a TV.
Some of these reasons will disappear as the years roll by. Amazon and Netflix are still focusing on 4K content but I imagine this will change a few years from now. There are no agreed-upon standards for delivering 8K to TVs. Japan is far ahead of this in developing standards and is planning to broadcast the 2020 Olympics in 8 K.
Samsung is working on an 8K upscaling algorithm and that will help in upscaling issue. That’s what 8K TVs will offer if they come with a decent upscaling algorithm.
But even if these barriers are broken, who will be able to stream movies with the connection that is required. A breakthrough in connection speed cost will need to happen. Not many people can afford a 50Mbps connection and the cost of data caps, since an hour of streaming 8K will burn through 75 Gigabytes.
I have a DSL connection which is very slow for my business. I have questioned Verizon about my slow connection and they say I have the fastest connection available without going to FIOS. I can’t get FIOS in my neighbor so I am restricted.
Finally, 8K TVs are very expensive except for the rich.
This next generation TV will be a step up in features and capabilities from any 4K TV. 8 K TVs will bring the best pictures even when you are not viewing an 8K video, but the average consumer won’t be able to afford these pictures for a few years.
