8K TVs: What can you actually watch in 8K?
8K TVs: What can you lot really watch in 8K?
Look at any review of any 8K TV on the market place and you'll meet one nagging question: Where's the 8K content? The first 8K TVs were introduced in 2018, and three years later the availability of 8K media is nonetheless relatively non-existent.
The 8K Association, the industry body that handles 8K certification and promotes the 8K format, puts information technology this mode on their website: "We admit, it'south not yet every bit uncomplicated as flipping to any Television set channel to discover beautiful 8K resolution content."
Boy, what an understatement. Here's what you need to know almost 8K content and where to find it.
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8K content: The chicken, the egg and the pandemic
New formats are always faced with something of a chicken and egg problem, with new hardware required to back up the latest and greatest formats, and media in that new format to justify ownership the hardware that supports it. And movie and TV production sometimes evolves slowly, as these new standards take to filter through to camera equipment, editing software, and new distribution methods are needed for the sudden jump in bandwidth.
Navigating this early on stage can make or break new technologies, with many innovations never achieving the disquisitional mass needed to create a thriving ecosystem of both hardware and content. Even when it does happen, it can sometimes exist pretty slow.
Fifty-fifty as UHD Blu-ray sales and 4K streaming options take grown, 4K media remains a small segment of the media market.
The first HDTVs started selling in 1998, simply information technology wasn't until 2008 that Blu-ray was adopted equally the new standard for HD movies releases by the major Hollywood studios – a full decade afterward the first HDTV went on sale.
The interesting counterpoint to this is the newer 4K standard, which was introduced in 2012, but in less than a decade, 4K TVs have go the standard for the Television market, dropping in cost drastically – just check out the best TVs under $500 for some fantabulous examples of affordable 4K TVs.
But 4K media is nevertheless relatively scarce. Ultra Hard disk drive Blu-ray discs were introduced in 2016, but Netflix started streaming in 4K two years prior. But even as UHD Blu-ray sales and 4K streaming options have grown, 4K media remains a pocket-size segment of the media market place. Most over-the-air broadcasts are in 720p, with cable and satellite still stuck at to 720p and 1080i, and even streaming is more often than not done at 1080p, though in that location are many more options for 4K streaming today.
All of this is exacerbated by recent events. 2020 was expected to exist a breakout year for 8K content. The Tokyo Summer Olympics were set to exist broadcast in total 8K resolution, and 8K capable game consoles were on the horizon for the holidays.
But then, as with most things 2020, the year of 8K failed to go as planned. Now the PS5 and Xbox Series X are here, but 8K gaming isn't enabled, and the Tokyo Olympics take been rescheduled for this July, complete with NHK's 8K circulate. And hither nosotros are, in the center of 2021. 8K TVs are bachelor to buy, some even at somewhat reasonable prices, only 8K content is yet nowhere to be found.
That'due south all to say that a meaningful rollout of 8K media could be years abroad. We could notwithstanding be writing articles in 2031 nearly whether it's worth buying an 8K TV, and helping people figure out how to find and watch 8K content.
8K content: What you lot can watch
But if you're interested in buying an 8K TV now – or perhaps accept already ponied up an extra few m dollars for ane – you want to know where y'all can watch 8K media now, today.
Nosotros'll have a look at each selection in detail, but the curt answer is that there are yet relatively few places to get 8K video, and professionally-made 8K movies and shows are notwithstanding largely missing.
For 8K Tv owners, your biggest pick of media will nevertheless be upscaled media, blowing up 4K and 1080p content to display on your big 8K screen. Only you can find some 8K video through select streaming outlets, enjoy gaming in 8K (provided yous have the right hardware), and you tin even endeavor making your own 8K videos.
In the about future, there are a few other options on the horizon. Broadcast technology could soon (sort of) back up 8k content, and 8K sports may be a reality within the side by side yr.
Permit'due south await at each pick in detail.
8K content: Upscaling
Talk to whatever Goggle box manufacturer near 8K TVs and there'south one term you'll be hearing a lot of: Upscaling.
The good news is that 4K content when upscaled to 8K resolution looks pretty smashing.
Upscaling is the procedure used to make lower resolution content display properly (and hopefully look better) on a higher resolution screen. In unproblematic terms, it does this by adding boosted pixels to the picture, allowing lower resolution images to display on the larger screen. The most basic forms of upscaling apply what is called pixel doubling, turning a single pixel into a larger 2x2 cluster of pixels. Doing this across the image turns a 1920 10 1080 epitome into a 3840 x 2160 pixel image, and doing it once more will fill the 7680 ten 4320 pixels of an 8K brandish.
But pixel doubling solitary is a fairly rough method, and information technology makes for lousy looking images, especially on higher resolution displays. In the by, Tv set manufacturers have applied a number of technical tricks to the upscaling process, using anti-aliasing and smoothing to eliminate the jagged edges that unproblematic pixel doubling creates, colour distribution to create more natural looking objects, and more.
But on 8K TVs, which are merely as likely to be upscaling 720p imagery from broadcast television as they are a 4K Blu-ray pic, the upscaling has to be significantly amend. To this terminate manufacturers are using motorcar learning, with AI driven upscaling that tin can place objects, pick out different types of scenery, and fifty-fifty make educated guesses nearly textures and patterns that may not have been captured in the original content at all.
Bluntly, upscaled 4K or lower resolution content is far and abroad the most realistic content for your 8K TV, considering there'southward just not much out there withal. And at that place's no denying that the latest upscaling technologies are significantly better than anything we've seen in the by.
The good news is that 4K content when upscaled to 8K resolution looks pretty great. But lower resolution content, whether it's 1080p shows streamed from Netflix or 720p shows broadcast from major networks, is harder to get right. No affair how smart the upscaling is, bravado something up several times the size and resolution of the original content will be noticeable.
8K content: Streaming
You can't talk near mod TVs without talking almost streaming, only if you're looking for 8K movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime number, you're out of luck. The biggest names in streaming have appear no plans for 8K in the about future, and some, similar HBO Max launched without even having any 4K content. (They have since added some 4K titles, but non all TVs and devices back up information technology.)
There'south also the question of bandwidth. Netflix says you need at least 25 Mbps download speeds to stream 4K Ultra HD content, and Sony'south new Bravia Cadre streaming service is promising true lossless streaming quality in 4K, and it's estimated to use upwardly to fourscore Mbps to stream in ultra HD. (Check out our guide What net speed do I need? to learn more.)
Streaming 8K content, which has four times the resolution of 4K, and up to 120 frame rate (double the 60 frames per 2d that 4K generally uses), will need much more.
HDMI ii.one, the beginning HDMI standard that can handle 8K, has a bandwidth of 48 Gbps. Fifty-fifty with as-yet-undeveloped pinch technologies, minimum bitrate for streaming in 8K will be 100 Mbps or higher. Given that median download speeds were roughly 86 Mbps for homes in the U.Southward. last yr (according to Speedtest.net), it's unlikely that we'll accept widely available broadband to back up 8K streaming anytime before long.
So where can you lot stream 8K video? The pickings are mighty slim. You can stream 8K video on YouTube and Vimeo. Y'all'll take a modest selection of landscapes and similar stock footage options to choose from.
NASA also has 8K footage available for download, from the first 8K video of Earth (shot in 2018) to … well, that's it. (It's also available on YouTube.)
8K content: Gaming
The latest gaming consoles dangle a vague hope of 8K gaming, but neither one really delivers. Both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X use custom AMD hardware that can output up to 8K resolution, with frame rates up to 60Hz at that resolution. Only neither console has really delivered on that hope, since at that place are no games that take advantage of this resolution.
In order to actually game in 8K, you'll need a loftier-end gaming PC rocking either an Nvidia RTX 3090 or an AMD Radeon RX 6800. Even then, y'all'll exist limited to a handful of games - almost nil is made to be rendered at 8K resolution. As with movies and shows, upscaled 4K content is probably the best you'll make it nearly cases.
8K content: Tape your own video
The shortest path to getting 8K video on your TV might be a photographic camera phone in your hands.
The best place to get 8K content might really exist to make your ain. Whether you want to pony upwards the tens of thousands of dollars for a Cherry-red Helium 8K camera – that's what the movie studios are using – or just make the most of the 8K video capabilities on your new Samsung Galaxy S21, the shortest path to getting 8K video on your TV might be a phone photographic camera in your hands.
Actually, a smartphone may be your best bet. A few of the we've reviewed offer 8K video, like the OnePlus 9 Pro, the Asus ROG Phone 5 or the Asus Zenfone 8. But if landscape timelapses are your thing, pretty much whatever 35 megapixel photographic camera tin capture images at 8K resolution.
But, even if y'all're content gathering video in three-5 infinitesimal snippets and skipping anything similar editing – you'd come across the same production issues that Hollywood is already running into – that's still an awful lot of work just to enjoy the full adequacy of your new 8K TV.
8K content: Blu-ray
Even in this age of streaming, videophiles tend to agree out for concrete media, so it makes sense to imagine that 8K Blu-ray discs are in the works.
Ultra Hd Blu-ray is the best way to go 4K movies for 4K TVs, merely any 4K aficionado volition tell you that even those pickings are pretty slim. Fifty-fifty the 4K releases of major movies, like Avengers Infinity War aren't true 4K, they're 2K source material scaled up to 4K – non much dissimilar than what your Television receiver already does with full Hard disk video.
A single triple layer Blu-ray iii.0 disc has a capacity of 100GB, which might be enough for an 8K movie, but non without some serious compression. Raw 8K footage weighs in at 121.v GB per minute, with a full hour of footage resulting in a giant 7.29 TB file. Calculation metadata like loftier-dynamic range and deeper color depth will only make for even larger digital files.
The good news is that one time media or streaming formats are figured out, in that location should be some 8K movies ready to go. Several recent films take shot in 8K – Guardians of the Galaxy 2 was the first major Hollywood film shot at the higher resolution.
But near productions that use 8K cameras aren't even planning an 8K release. Instead, they shoot in 8K and so that they can later reframe shots and tighten in on histrion's faces in the editing booth without losing resolution for the 4K version of the movie.
8K content: Sports
The postponed Tokyo Olympics is planned to showcase 8K, with audiences getting content online through download or streaming.
Sports will likely exist the first identify that real progress is made for 8K content. The postponed Tokyo Olympics is yet planned to showcase 8K, with live 8K footage shared in Japan by broadcaster NHK, and international audiences getting 8K online, through download or streaming.
Samsung and BT Sport accept teamed upwardly in Europe to offering Premier League and Champions League matches in 8K, and LG shot a single Premier League match in 8K in tardily 2019 – though that was largely a move to gather some demo material for LG's 8K sets.
Just equipment for live events is fifty-fifty more cost prohibitive than movies. Cameras like the Sony UHC-8300 price about a half a million dollars, and on-site production equipment is similarly expensive, and has to be updated to handle the increased demands for data and storage.
8K content: Broadcast
Finally, all this upcoming 8K content might be almost easily delivered to antenna users. The adjacent step in broadcast Television receiver (ATSC 3.0 or NextGen Goggle box) offers much better signal bandwidth than electric current manual standards, and can already deliver 4K content over-the-air.
Recent trials with multiple antennas have proven that 8K point tin can actually work over-the-air, using MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) technology similar to that used in modernistic Wi-Fi gear.
ATSC three.0 broadcasts are being introduced in cities around the country, and the first TVs with ATSC three.0 tuners appeared in 2020. But merely like 8K TVs, information technology's still very early in the game for NextGen Television receiver, and the rollout is happening slowly.
8K content: Long-term outlook
I've seen enough 8K TVs to confidently say that 8K is a major upgrade over 4K, and it's an upgrade you lot definitely want… eventually. The comeback in picture quality is genuinely stunning, and the level of realism it delivers volition be game changing for more than merely entertainment.
Only every time I'm asked whether an 8K TV is worth buying now, the answer isn't but "no", information technology's "not for a long time". And the lack of 8K content is the biggest reason. TV shoppers can overlook a lot – cost, size, complication, unfinished standards – simply only when jumping over those hurdles gets them something in return. And without any real 8K content available anywhere, there's no prize at the finish of that steeplechase. Correct now, 8K TVs are only a large, expensive, complicated manner to watch 4K movies.
That could alter inside the next yr or so. The Olympics might exist a turning point, driving 8K adoption enough to spur development in streaming and home media. Gaming might suddenly take off, provided GPUs or current game consoles ever become widely available. Information technology could happen sooner than whatsoever of us expect. But I'thou not betting on information technology.
Brian Westover is an Editor at Tom'south Guide, roofing everything from TVs to the latest PCs. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he wrote for TopTenReviews and PCMag.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/8k-tvs-what-can-you-actually-watch-in-8k
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