The basic specifications and logo for the 8K Ultra HD screens (7680 × 4320) have been presented by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Television manufacturers can start using this new logo in 2020 if their televisions meet the established requirements. This same 2019 we already have a good number of 8K screens and as we could see in the IFA fair all the marketing that involves this new generation of products is in the line of shooting of the brands of the sector.
This logo presented by the CTA will be one of the ones we see on the 8K SmartTV from 2020 in the US, but we will have another one defined by the 8K Association that includes the Hisense, Panasonic, Samsung and TCL brands and finally another one in Europe defined by Digital Europe that will follow the specifications of the CTA. This year it is expected that some 175K of 8K TVs will be sold in the US, a fairly high figure given the limited number of available models.
A 8K SmartTV is a worth buying in 2019 or 2020?
Short and direct answer = NO
- There is no 8K content available, there is currently very little 4K content since its release in 2012.
- There is no previous content recorded in 8K. In 4K you could take advantage of the 35mm movies that were scanned again but for 8K a 65mm filming is required with high frame rate and a lot of HDR information that does not exist in the master.
- Many 8K screens do not have HDMI 2.1 connectors, something quite unfortunate that limits their functions.
- Current 8K codecs such as HEVC p6.1 are not ideal for that resolution, a new one and possibly new VPUs are required.
- There are several models with 8K resolution distorted to improve viewing angles.
- Today several technologies such as HDMI VRR (variable refresh rate) and Dolby Vision do not support 8K resolutions, only 4K.
8K CTA official specifications
- Display Resolution: The display shall have at least 33 million active pixels, with at least 7680 horizontally and 4320 vertically within a 16:9 viewable window. The aspect ratio of the image shall be properly produced and not distorted. Physical pixels shall be individually addressable such that the horizontal and vertical resolution above can be demonstrated over the full range of colors provided by the display and measured in accordance with the established guidelines for measurement of visible resolution specified in version 1.03c, section 7.8, of the International Display Measurement Standard (IDMS) specified by the International Committee for Display Metrology (ICDM). Display shall meet a minimum of 50% contrast modulation using a 1×1 grill pattern.*
* – If the contrast measurement is phase dependent, the average of the measurements of the two phases shall be used for the calculation of contrast modulation as described in section 7.2 of IDMS 1.03c. - Up-conversion: The display is capable of upscaling SD, HD and 4K video and displaying it at 8K display resolution or better.
- Digital Inputs: Has one or more HDMI inputs supporting the following characteristics:
– Resolution of 7680×4320 pixels.
– Bit depth of 10-bits.
– Progressive scan.
– Frame rates of 24, 30, and 60 frames per second as well as at the associated 1000/1001 fractional frame rates.
– Frame rates of 25 and 50 frames per second for displays intended for use in 50 Hz regions.
– HDR transfer functions as specified by ITU-R BT.2100.
– RGB Colorimetry and the Non-Constant Luminance Y’C’BC’R signal format, as specified by ITU-R BT.2100.
– At least one of the 7680×4320 HDMI inputs shall support HDCP v2.2 or equivalent content protection. - Bit Depth: Has the capability to receive 10-bit 8K images and render an image that shows responsiveness to changes to any of the 10 bits. The exact manner of processing is not specified.