Many of us have grown up around televisions from the good old days where they were fuzzy and grainy, so obviously looking at today’s landscape where we are seeing super sharp displays with deep and rich colors is literally like night and day. But at what point does it stop being so readily apparent to the human eye?
Some argue that 4K is that point, but yet there are many who keep pushing the boundaries of technology, such as over in Japan where the first 8K satellite TV broadcasts have begun. This will be from NHK where the first 8K supported movie is 2001: A Space Odyssey, which according to the BBC saw Warner Bros. actually rescan the film’s original negatives specifically for this broadcast.
That being said, we have to wonder what is the point of 8K in this day and age. Right now 4K has yet to become as widely supported as Full HD, let alone 8K, which means that the number of people who can actually appreciate/enjoy this 8K broadcast is probably very small. Plus there aren’t exactly many 8K displays on the market now (although companies such as LG, Sharp, and Sony are working on them)
8K displays also do not come cheap, such as Sharp’s Super Hi-Vision-ready TVs which are said to be priced at a whopping $6,600. However we suppose in terms of futureproofing, at the very least NHK is ready for the time when 8K does eventually become the new standard.
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