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8K Televisions Are Coming

13K views 70 replies 23 participants last post by  Smokin Joe 
#1 ·
#8 ·
Standard Definition was around for like what? 50-60 years? then HD came out and has been around for what feels like only 10 years, now 4k, and 4k has only been around for a short wile now 8k is already here? pretty soon people will be fed up with having to change tvs every so often, but for someone like me, i will stick to my Full HD 1080p Television, it wont be going anywhere for a wile
 
#47 ·
Don’t forget that standard definition started at less than 100 lines and kept changing all the way up to 480 lines of interlaced resolution, then moved to 480p. So it was still about 10 years per upgrade.
 
#10 ·
I have to agree, save your money for something besides 8k

I couldn't justify 4k until HDR was becoming more standard,

I have 20/20 vision, sat 8' from a 65" 1080p tv, now same distance from a 75" 4k HDR TV,
Only thing really noticeable is HDR,
I accidentally put a regular bluray in instead of the UHD Bluray the other day, I didn't pick up on the resolution,
I noticed the washed out SDR picture within the first couple scenes
 
#11 ·
@Cyclist: The problem is that today's TVs are meant to die (like replicants) and when they do, sooner rather than later, the only sets available are likely to be 8K whether we want or need the new technology. The manufacturers have it all their way. Once the new tech is introduced, the old is quietly and quickly dropped. Sure a lot of 4K TVs are now being sold but that's not because of the popularity of 4K resolution but because there's nothing else being made anymore. What choice does the customer in need of a new TV have?

And regarding this so called popularity of 4K, it really a bit a of smokescreen. That extra resolution is only visible on the larger size TVs, 65 inches or more and only if you sit closer to the screen than is comfortable or possible for most viewers. The real selling point of 4K TVs is HDR which produces a superior picture for sure on any size screen. However what is never mentioned by the industry magazines, websites etc. is that HDR could have been added to new 1080P HD TV sets, Blurays and streaming sources. Instead, it is being marketed with the implication that it can only be applied to expensive/premium 4K products and no one in any media source I've come across has been "brave" enough to bring this fact to light. It's the same for the new technology of immersive sound. With just a few exceptions Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks are both found only on Ultra HD Blurays when they too could also be offered on HD 1080P media.

When 8K TVs are finally released there's no reason to believe that these tricks won't be used again to convince gullible Joe Six-Pack to upgrade yet again.

(To all of you at DHC Canada, A Happy New Year! May you all find your technology nirvana in 2018!).
 
#13 ·
Other than the few channels that Rogers owns (like SportsNet which does show 4K when available), these service providers don't "broadcast". They are a conduit for programming and the "broadcasters" and "content owners" are responsible for providing the 4K content. Most "broadcast" (HD)TV is still 720P or 1080i, with a lot of SD (480i) channels still around. I believe that Rogers currently has the most 4K channels, with all available broadcast 4K material available on those, albeit few, channels.
 
#15 ·
Well, 4K have always been a stopgap. The original NHK research was 8K from HD. The industry, however, needs something in between, so they went with 4K. I personally am looking forward to 8k but NOT for the resolution, but for the 12-bit colour depth..

However... I don’t understand why are they introducing 8K now when not even enough people use 4K yet.
 
#16 ·
I am perfectly happy with my 'dumb' TVs from 2008 and 2009.
Not interested in any additional STB action required for 4k let alone an 8k.
 
#17 ·
One person here says that he'd like 8K not for the resolution but for the 12 bit colour depth that may be offered along with the 8K resolution. So why don't the manufacturers just add those features to 4k or even 2K? Right now the latest 4K sets also offer HDR and WCG/10 bit colour and it is these features that are the most noticeable and desirable to people buying 4K sets. The manufacturers have never admitted that they could have added HDR and WCG to 1080P sets if they had wanted to but that they didn't because they wanted to market them as "premium" ULTRA HD features that only more expensive 4K sets could have. It seems that same devious thinking will apply to 8K if one of the additional features is 12 bit colour. Unfortunately as P.T. Barnum noted, there are suckers out there ready to spend their money on the latest new and shiny thing instead of recognizing how they're being scammed.

On a side note. Would someone please offer a line of TVs that has no internet connectivity and no reason for what seem to be almost monthly 20 minute upgrades? I never use the smart TV functions (smart for who?) because of privacy concerns and my growing disgust with the practices of the two big players but more practically wonder how much cheaper the latest sets would be if all those smart apps and screens were removed for those who don't want them?
 
#18 ·
Technically, they can actually have regular HD with 12-bit colour and HDR plus wide colour gamut. They just do it the way they’re doing it right now so they can sell more panels. So to people like me they can say “you want 12-bit colour? You gotta buy the 8K format”
 
#20 ·
Sadly what you just said is true. I wonder how many consumers really understand how they are being hoodwinked into buying features that have no tangible effect on their viewing? (eg. Getting 4K on a 50 inch screen).

Which makes me ask. How large a screen will be needed to see any of the extra resolution on an 8K TV? (80 inches or more?). We're rapidly getting to the point where most people's homes simply can't accommodate the required screen size to make a difference.
 
#22 ·
It really depends on your viewing distance and your eyes. I can still see that I need 8K for my 21:9 96” screen (same width as 113” 16:9 scren) viewed from 8ft away.

I watch a 65” OLED from 8ft away and I don’t think I need 8K other than the 12-bit colour
 
#21 ·
There is no money to be made in redesigning 1080p panels to add extra features. The engineering and retooling costs would be very expensive and the end result would be a 1080p panel that costs as much as a 4K panel and would not sell. As it stands, 4K panels are only slightly more expensive than 1080p panels and they offer a better viewing experience.

The making and selling of TV panels is a very competitive business. Billions of dollars in market share and profits ride on the outcome of each panel design. That's why manufacturers spend huge amounts of money in a race to make panels that offer new features and better quality. There is no conspiracy to sell consumers features they don't want or to market snake oil. The only thing I can think of that comes close is Hollywood's insistence on resurrecting 3D every 20 years. Consumers who don't want the latest features benefit from the low cost of 1080p panels that are available at historically low prices in low end TVs.

Many consumers want the best TV they can buy. They benefit from the billions of dollars that panel manufacturers invest into research and the manufacturing of better panels each year. Just look at LG OLED panels to see an example of that. It's a win-win situation. If you want the latest features, just buy a 4K TV. There is no downside.
 
#27 ·
Well, my point still stands. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Youtube and radio is a pretty good utilization of the functionality. Your post presented it as virtually nothing. And you seemed to be agreeing with reidw who asserted that everybody who buys 4K TV's with Smart functionality is being scammed like suckers by P.T. Barnum.
 
#30 ·
Whoa nelly! I never said that Smart TV is a scam. I said that other than for watching streaming stuff, nobody I know use the smart functionality... you know, the smart stuff. Streaming something does not make it a smart TV. Even last year, Samsung had one model with only Netflix and YouTube (only 32” I think) they didn’t call it as Smart TV, the model above that with more non-tv/movie watching features they called it SmartTV

So gaming with built-in TV app, social media, Bixby, voice control... those are the things that make a TV “smart”. But if you want to be correct and you want me to be wrong, that’s fine by me.
 
#28 ·
@faston ; I never said that the Smart TV features are part of a scam. That was an aside I made to ask for a set without internet connectivity as I don't trust the IOT.

What I did say was that that the makers of TVs are scamming us by making it seem that you have to have 4K for technical reasons if you want HDR and WCG/10 bit colour and if I may add it, immersive sound like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X when in fact all these features could have been added to the latest basic 1080P HD sets. 4K is to me really just a marketing gimmick. Disagree with me if you please but exdilbert's rebuttal doesn't convince me. -30 -
 
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