Will 8K technology render 4K obsolete?
1 min read
Massive Ultra HD TV (or 4K) sets were one of the big things at the last Consumer Electronics Show and we will see incredible advances in the technology at the upcoming show (January 2014 in Las Vegas).
4K picture quality is amazing, the colour space is magnificent and the moment you see a 4K video displayed on a 4K screen, you will want one!
Why? Let's geek out for a second. HDTV or 2K (1080p) is what the industry is selling most of today. The best sets from the top manufacturers display content at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and with a 240Hz refresh rate.
Ultra HD sets have a minimum resolution of 3840 × 2160 pixels – that's 8.3Mpixels or four times the number of pixels of a top of the line 2K HDTV (1920 × 1080 or 2.1Mpixel).
What's better than 4K? 8K of course! 8K UHDTV (4320p) will feature screens displaying 7680 x 4320 pixels – 33.2Mpixel, or 16 times more than a current 1080p HDTV.
We know the pace of technological change is faster than it has ever been and is accelerating. So, will 8K technology advance so far ahead of the content industry that consumers will ignore 4K? It just might.
Author: Shelly Palmer is managing director of Advanced Media Ventures Group and comments on technology issues on the US FOX tv network.
