Official Next-Gen 8K TV Association Performance And Spec Guidelines Look Fantastic

There are more 4K TVs available on the market than you can shake a stick at these days, having pushed their Full HD (1080p) counterparts down to the bargain bin. Today, you can find competent 43-inch 4K TV for under $200. But the tech industry is already looking to the next big thing, which naturally means 8K TVs. While a handful of 8K sets have made their way to the market, the 8K Association has announced guidelines that will define these TVs as they become more common in the marketplace.

The 8K Association has put forth a set of specifications and performance parameters that will ensure that 8K TVs will have us scoffing at 4K panelsin the same way we look at Full HD TVs today. For starters, the official 8K resolution has been set at 7680x4320, which doubles on each axis today's 4K panels. With a total of 33 million pixels, there are four times as many pixels being displayed at 8K compared to 4K.

8K TVs will use the HDMI 2.1 interface along with the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) for video compression. HDMI 2.1 in fact supports up to 10K, but that's still way a long way to being feasible for the consumer market. Input frame rate is supported at 24, 30 and 60 frames per second, and peak display luminance is will be rated at a minimum of 600 nits.

“Defining the key attributes for an 8K TV specification demonstrates the 8KA’s focus to quickly define a critical step in the growth in next-generation video technology,” said Chris Chinnock, Executive Director for the 8K Association. “To reach this milestone is a great testament to the cooperative spirit the members of the 8K Association enjoy along with our shared enthusiasm for the 8K ecosystem expansion.”

The 8K Association's members include some of the biggest names in the TV business including Samsung Display, Panasonic, TCL and Hisense.

If you just need to have a 8K TV today and don't mind forking over an insane amount of money, the 65-inch Samsung Q900 Series QLED TV will set you back $3,500. Or if you want to go totally bananas, the 85-inch Sony Master Series Z9G is available today and costs a staggering $13,000.