8K TVs: Not Dead Yet, but Pretty Close | Hacker News Reader

8K TVs: Not Dead Yet, but Pretty Close

pcmag.com

23 pointshyperluz25 comments

Considering that the giant screens in movie theaters use 2K or 4K projectors[0], a TV screen with 8K resolution seems like a pointless marketing gimmick that deserves to die.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_cinema

I agree. I am unable to tell a difference between FullHD and 4k and I am supposed to buy 8k? For what?

The worst thing on movies today is sound, not the picture. Whispering scenes where I can understand absolutely nothing without blasting TV on full volume and then effects sound, which is ridiculously loud even on normal volume....

All TV and movies should be mastered on the cheapest Bluetooth speaker from the local Walmart or whatever.

John Lennon (ex Beatles) said to a mutual friend to always check the mix on a very cheep tape player to simulate old car and transistor radios.

> . I am unable to tell a difference between FullHD and 4k

I am also unable to tell a difference between 320p and FullHD on youtube but that only means that compression is doing its work. /s

> That prediction didn’t pan out because TV manufacturers latched onto a loophole in the EU rule: While it grades TVs on the electricity they use in their default setting, it lets them offer other settings if the set warns the user about the potentially higher power draw.

I've noticed PC monitors doing this as well - one of them was winking and nudging so hard that you couldn't even access the settings before disabling the "eco power saving mode", and I couldn't find a way to turn it back on without a factory reset. Would name and shame if I remembered the brand but it was one of the big ones.

8K TVs not being produced until they can meet efficiency standards and win consumers over as an actual improvement on 4K seems like a pretty good outcome, honestly.

I don’t need 8k for movies and games but I want it for text

But that’s more a monitor then, not a TV I assume?

The only reason we have cheap high-resolution 4K monitors is they use the same panels as TV screens. If TV's don't move to 8K, cheap monitors also won't.

Do they? I always thought TV screens are lower pixel quality panels with colors/hdr cranked up for remote viewing and from any angle. And that the only link between them is movie standards, as in viewers >> PC users, so their demand defines the market. PC panels also tend to have low-ms response rates whereas TV panels are okay with 100ms+ range. I mean there must be a common ground for manufacturing <N>K, but aren’t they different beasts?

GP claimed cheap monitors are only possible because they use the same panels as TVs. It's silly to say all 4K monitors are just TV panels with different inputs and vise versa.

Panels available today have a vast array of differences. Just check out some reviews on RTINGS. Even similar models from the same manufacturer can have wildly different specs.

https://www.rtings.com

I friggin love rtings - I wish all reviews would dive so deep into the technicals and have such consistent processes.

There's more to a display than a panel. I don't think the raw panel has latency at all; probably only a pixel transition time which defines the fastest possible response but that is far less than 100ms. The rest is up to the 'panel driving' electronics. I don't believe there are really different panels in a 32" 4K monitor or a 32" 4K TV. (those would be the cheap low-end or 'bedroom' TV's which are sold far more than 65" flagship living room TV's)

Hmm, I didn’t even think of this aspect. Thanks!

I wish the industry could pivot to something like 3K and 6K. For the low end we want something better than 2K or 1080P. For the higher end we have something better than 4K, higher PPI that fits the somewhat niche scenario when 4K isn't perfect.

We could even do 2K to replace 720P, and 3K at mid range to replace 2K, while 6K to replace 4K.

Instead it seems we are stuck with 2K and 4K.

"Offering the ability to look at your purchased NFT's in 8K." I guess they know how their target market is.

Maybe NFT purchasers have a different concept of ownership where they don't believe in exclusive rights to a physical thing? Along those lines, I think they'd be open to parting with their real title to their home to me for $20 in exchange for a portable NFT that they can enjoy anywhere else. Think of all that additional freedom from being tied to one location and on-going lifecycle maintenance costs. It's a win-win no-brainer. ;)

Has the 8K-capable receiver, HDMI cables, and 2 Gbps internet (10 GigE POE+ house). Just need an 8K TV, those nonexistent 8K streaming services, and Lasik eye surgery so I can tell the difference between insane resolution (8.3 MP) and the beyond ridiculous resolution (33.2 MP). And something else to adjust absurdly dark streaming scenes with inaudible dialogue.... that's also HDCP-compliant because that DRM between the TV and receiver and receiver and streaming stick is absolutely essential and impenetrable that anyone can buy an 8K 1:2 splitter from Amazon for $21.

I like the idea of 8K on large and up close monitors. I and many others use a smaller 4K TV as a monitor and I would definitely enjoy an increased PPI.

I want the mini LED TV long before 8K.

Would be happy with a 1080 HD set.

Having come up on CRT, then Plasma, I find I prefer displays that emit light directly to be viewed over those that filter light in some fashion.

Story author here: Thanks for the feedback! Ready to answer any other questions you all might have about the post.

"The IFA tech trade show’s exhibits provided ample evidence of 8K’s relevancy struggles. The companies trying to make 8K a thing could talk up the size of their screens but didn’t promise anything new to watch in that resolution, while other electronics vendors with TVs on their menu either stuck to their 4K fare or switched their emphasis to efficiency and sustainability, two adjectives that 8K can’t claim today."

8k should be the realm of almost exclusively upscaled content, and this should be the pitch. Don’t worry about 8k content, it just makes 4k better.

The situations where an 8k screen beats a 4k screen for video content are already niche at best. If you need to upscale then don't even bother.

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