Technology moves at an incredible pace. While it seems as though the market has just now caught up with 4K technology, here comes 8K right behind it.
Truthfully, 8K is not quite ready to become a household norm but the ability to upgrade to 8K today does still exist. It is due to this fact that we at 4XEM want to give you, our valued customers and partners, some helpful information about the next big step in video resolution.
What is 8K?
8K fully translated, stands for 8 Kilo or 8000. 8000 of what, you may ask, pixels is the answer. 8K and 4K refer to the amount of pixels that encapsulate an image. 4K showing 4000 with 8K being able to show 8000.
The number of pixels on screen is how an image resolution is indicated. At 8000 pixels 8K is the current highest resolution possible. It doubles 4K’s resolution, which was already a doubling of the former standard resolution of 1080p.
What does this mean for you though? 8K supported images are going to be the sharper, and more detailed than ever before. It is hard to imagine an image looking better than 4K but that is exactly what 8K is capable of. In fact 8K quality images may be the clearest possible digital pictures that the human eye will be able to see.
How Prevalent is 8K?
There are a few major factors keeping 8K from being a current mainstream item. The first is of course price with sizes that start at 55 inches and prices that begin at $3,500. Currently an 8K display is only in the realm of super luxury item. This is due to not only the advanced technology going into creating the displays but also the available sizes of the displays. As stated 8K TVs usually start at 55 inches, that is a sizable TV, but why is that. It all comes back to the number of pixels on screen. With more pixels on screen, that screen needs to be bigger in order to fully notice the added difference.
4K TVs average size was about 40 inches, since 8K is double the amount pixels, it is safe to believe that the average 8K TV will about about double 40 inches. Having a TV that is at a minimum of 70 or 80 inches seems like a big commitment. Thankfully, for the 8K market it seems like most customers are looking and buying bigger TVs. TechRadar notes that “the highest demand for better screens and larger displays comes from China, where the average size of a TV is 54-inches. In the U.S. it’s 50-inches, in Europe it’s 49-inches, and in Japan it’s just 40-inches”. It would seem that size is rapidly becoming a non-factor for many customers.
8K content could be looked at as another barrier. While it is still being built up, there is already a solid amount of support for the new resolution. There have been movies shot in 8K, typically big budget blockbusters like Guardians of the Galaxy vol.2 and New Mutants. Vimeo and Youtube both support the uploading of 8K content. And lastly, the next generation of video game consoles, the Xbox series X and PS5, support 8K resolution.
While not about to over take 4K as the current visual standard, there is enough support for 8K that if you were an early adopter of 4K you could also be one for 8K. If you are interested today, check out this video review, by Rtings.com, on a 8K TV you could purchase today. For other customers the price tag and size may be a little too much currently, but 8K is here and it is only going to get better.
How can 4XEM help?
While an 8K device in every household has enough barriers keeping it form every household, 4XEM is already stocked with products that will enable true 8K visuals. PCMag points out in their article “What is 8K” that “top-of-the-line certified HDMI Premium High-Speed cables are rated for only up to 18Gbps; to handle 8K’s requirements, you’ll need to wait until the HDMI Forum officially certifies some Ultra High-Speed HDMI cables, or otherwise look for cables that meet the criteria and have a maximum bandwidth of 48Gbps”.
Currently 4XEM offers as rather expansive list of true HDMI 2.1 8K cables. Sporting various lengths our cables are going to be a versatile as you need. Our cables support the required 48Gbps to ensure that you will be seeing 8K quality resolution. These are future proofed items as well, they can connect to all high definition supported devices.
4XEM is always looking to solve problems. Having already solved the problem of connecting 8K devices be on the look out for future products from 4XEM to solve any up coming 8K related issues, as the market expands in the coming months and years.