CES 2019

Association Formed to Nurture 8K Ecosystem

SV Staff  |  Jan 8, 2019

A group of consumer electronics companies today announced the formation of the 8K Association (8KA) to nurture the nascent market for 8K products and content.

The announcement was made in Las Vegas at CES 2019 by five founding companies: panel supplier AU Optronics (AUO), Hisense, Panasonic, Samsung Electronics, and TCL Electronics.

Stated goals of the organization include:
• Promoting 8K TVs and 8K Content to consumers and professionals
• Helping educate consumers and professionals about the 8K ecosystem
• Helping secure native 8K content for members
• Encouraging service providers (especially internet providers) to develop 8K offerings
• Facilitating communication within the 8K ecosystem to help with commercialization
• Developing initial technical requirements for 8K input signals
• Developing initial 8K TV categories and minimum specifications for image quality

“The 8K Association will not only provide an effective introduction to 8K technology but will also accelerate the beginning of the 8K era,” said Hyogun Lee, executive vice president Samsung’s Visual Display Business.

AUO chief technology officer WeiLung Liau added: “AUO has long been devoted to the development of advanced display technologies and was among the first to have introduced 8K technology to large-sized TV displays. It is hoped that through the founding of 8K Association with partners of the ecosystem, globally consistent standards will be established to accelerate the adoption of 8K technology, delivering the best image performance possible for viewers worldwide.”

For more information, visit 8kassociation.com.

COMMENTS
Bosshog7_2000's picture
Submitted by Bosshog7_2000 on January 8, 2019 - 9:21am

People are still figuring out there is almost zero native 4k content...or the 4K gear they bought 3 years ago is already obsolete because it doesn't support Dolby Vision or wasn't HDCP 2.2 compliant. Nah, we good.

mwelters's picture
Submitted by mwelters on January 8, 2019 - 4:49pm

There may be a niche market for this (rare venues where massive TVs needed), but there is not enough yet for this to be a compelling upgrade for consumers, even when they become cheaper. 4K itself, just the pixels alone, would not have led me to upgrade. It was HDR and wider color gamut, which are inextricably linked with 4K, that led me to get a 4K HDR TV. Unless some new technology is tied to 8K, I don't see it being anything more than a niche product. In about 10 years, such companion technology may be available and affordable enough that an 8K TV becomes appealing, but for the foreseeable future it is not something consumers will take much notice of.

Bosshog7_2000's picture
Submitted by Bosshog7_2000 on January 9, 2019 - 7:50am

You're 100% correct....HDR/Dolby Vision was the biggest selling point for me over the actual resolution increase to 4K.

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