It might not be time to ditch the 4K quite yet though, the only footage available to display in 8K is test footage shot on cameras that are yet to go on sale.
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National broadcaster, NHK, has been trialling 8K broadcasts as far back as the 2012 London Olympics, showed selected games from the Women’s World Cup in 8K with practical broadcasting set to occur in 2018.
Instead, Sharp is positioning the TV as a monitor for businesses that can make use of the ultra-high resolution of the TV. Sharp has started teasing its first 8K TV, with an 85-inch 8K TV set to be released next month.
Most companies are only just discussing 4K. The screens will utilize Sharp’s IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) backplane and a number of other technologies by the company. To begin with Sharp is aiming the new panel at digital signage guys, the content producers and those editing 4K video. Want a new TV to impress your friends? However, the amount of content for such screens will be rather limited.
But what about 8K content, you ask?
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8K, also called Super Hi-Vision, packs a resolution of 7,680 pixels by 4,320 pixels – equivalent to 16 times that of today’s high-definition TVs, and the picture has to be seen to be believed. “The average screen size in the TV market has grown by an inch each year over the past decade, but it is still a long haul before sizes over 70″ become commonplace”. In fact, NHK is expected to be a major customer for Sharp’s 8K displays.
