Almost 1 billion UHD TVs shipped so where's the content?
The majority of the 1 billion UHD TVs are still in use, according to market research firm Omdia, but the resolution gap persists. Most of these Ultra HD TVs are in China, North America and Europe.Many of the TVs also support HDR, but considering the current dominance of LCD technology and the fact that OLED is still reserved for high-end models even a decade after its launch, only a fraction of these TVs have the hardware necessary to deliver true HDR picture quality. Nevertheless, having nearly 1 billion UHD TVs in use should provide a solid foundation for the widespread adoption of 4K. - "The global status of UHD TVs continues to evolve, with nearly 1 billion UHD TV sets currently in use worldwide," said Maria Rua Aguete, Senior Research Director at Omdia. "Notably, 30 percent of these sets are in China. However, despite the widespread adoption of UHD TVs, there remains a significant gap in the availability of content produced in UHD."
Only 1.6 million 8K TVs sold
Paul Gray, TV and video technology analyst at Omdia, revealed that only 1.6 million 8K TVs have been sold in total since the launch in Japan in 2015 and Western markets in 2018. Sales of 8K TVs peaked in 2022, he added. 8K TVs still come with steep price tags, yet they do not match the best 4K models in terms of picture quality.
The resolution gap remains
Despite the enormous install base of UHD TVs, there is still a limited supply of 4K content, with or without HDR. While UHD movies and series can be found on UHD Blu-ray and streaming services such as Apple TV+, Disney+, Max, Netflix and Prime Video, the broadcasting industry seems to be shifting away from 4K in favor of 'enhanced HD'. This has resulted in a significant resolution gap, as highlighted by FlatpanelsHD. Five years on, this gap remains. It is not that the media industry is short on money. - "Omdia projects that the media and entertainment market will surpass $1 trillion in 2024, fueled by the rapid expansion of streaming video."
