Resolution is no longer the best indicator of picture quality and there are several reasons to still steer clear of 8K TVs. Here's why.

Several years ago, I published an article titled 'Why you shouldn't buy an 8K TV in 2019', outlining the many reasons to hold off during the early years of 8K technology.

Looking back at my 2019 article in the lord's year of 2024, it is remarkable how little has changed over the past five years for a technology some people insisted was the inevitable next step, as TV makers would simply reserve their best features for flagship 8K models. And they have. However, 8K has still flopped miserably.

In 2022, market research firm Omdia concluded that "8K TV is failing to appeal to consumers".


Why 8K failed
8K could still emerge as a winner in the future, but it is evident that TV makers overestimated their influence on the market in the short and medium term while underestimating consumers.

The first 8K TVs simply lacked essential components needed for 8K. If you look closely at the developments around 2018-2019, it becomes clear that 8K TVs were not launched with the consumer in mind or in coordination with the content industry. Instead, they were an attempt to counter the rising popularity of OLED technology, which posed a significant threat to the LCD-dominated market.

8K TVs not only arrived before their time, but they were also prohibitively expensive and often delivered inferior picture quality to more affordable 4K OLED TVs, especially at a time when the content industry had yet to fully transition to 4K. It is no surprise that 8K failed; consumers are smarter than that.


Why you still shouldn't buy 8K TVs
While technology continues to evolve and 8K TVs have improved somewhat, prices remain high. Taking stock of the situation, many TV makers abandoned the 8K market in 2023 and have not yet announced plans to return.

A few brands still promote 8K LCDs as premium options, but do not be misled. Here is why you should think twice before investing in them:


1. The best picture quality isn't 8K
The transition from SD to HD was a significant milestone, but today picture quality is no longer dictated primarily by resolution. In fact, further increases in resolution yield diminishing returns. Factors like contrast and HDR capabilities have become much more important.

The more important factor today is display technology. You can get significantly better picture quality with an affordable 4K OLED TV compared to an expensive 8K LCD TV. In the case of 4K LCD (miniLED, QLED, ULED or whatever TV makers call them nowadays), the most advanced miniLED zone dimming systems are not even found in 8K LCD models any longer; they are found in 4K LCD models.

 Also read: Review: TCL X955 Max


2. The largest TVs have 4K
While it might seem logical to assume that larger TVs come with 8K resolution, that is no longer the case. The largest TVs available – whether OLED, LCD or microLED – typically feature 4K resolution, from LG's 97-inch OLED to TCL's 115-inch LCD.

Therefore, it makes little sense to purchase a 75- or 85-inch 8K LCD TV when you can pay less to get a better 98-inch 4K LCD TV.


 One of the largest TVs today, TCL's 115-inch, features 4K resolution and far more miniLED dimming zones than typical 8K LCD models. Photo: Flatpanels

3. A dearth of 8K content
Six years after the first 8K TVs launched, there remains a dearth of 8K content. Hollywood shows little interest in producing 8K material and the same is true for streaming services such as Disney+, Max and Netflix. The gaming industry is also not prepared to transition to 8K yet.

Don't expect the UHD Blu-ray specification to transition to 8K either: An 8K disc format is unlikely. Here's why.


4. 8K "upscaling"
With the ongoing lack of 8K content, one of the main arguments from TV makers is that 8K TVs can upscale your existing HD and 4K content to 8K, supposedly enhancing quality.

This is nonsense. Upscaling HD or 4K content to 8K will not improve the picture; instead, it often degrades it. Upscaling is simply the process of resizing a lower-resolution image to fit a higher-resolution display, which would otherwise take up only a fraction of the screen – one-fourth of the screen for a 4K image on an 8K panel.

When the picture sometimes ends up looking different on an 8K – or 4K – TV, it is due to the TV applying various picture enhancements such as artificial sharpening, motion smoothing or gradation smoothing. These enhancements distort the original image, making it less authentic and not as intended. With the advent of AI in picture processing, the result is typically an even more artificial-looking image.

If you want a higher-resolution version of a movie, the only worthwhile option is to wait for the studio to release one based on a higher-resolution master, if available.


5. Waiting for 8K video formats
In 2019, I noted that the first 8K TVs lacked built-in support for 8K video formats. It is surprising that this remains true for new 8K models launched in 2024.

Yes, the HEVC (H.265) and AV1 video compression formats do support 8K video at higher encoding/decoding profiles – just like MPEG4 (H.264) can do 4K – but to make distribution of 8K video feasible, to make it fit within our bandwidth pipes, we really need new more efficient video formats such as VVC (H.266) or 'AV2'.

 New video codecs such as VVC (H.266) can dramatically decrease the bandwidth required for 8K. Chart: Researchgate, CC BY 4.0



6. Fake 8K
One of the strongest arguments against 8K LCD TVs, as highlighted by FlatpanelsHD in 2019, is that some models cannot even display true 8K resolution. This occurs because they sacrifice resolution to improve viewing angles through sub-pixel rendering. You can see an example in my 2019 article, featuring photos taken on a Samsung 8K LCD TV.

Surprisingly, this issue is rarely mentioned in reviews of 8K LCD TVs. Perhaps that is because FlatpanelsHD is no longer reviewing 8K TVs.


7. Better pixels
Again; resolution is no longer the primary factor driving improvements in picture quality. Instead, the content industry is focusing on HDR and higher frame rates rather than simply pushing for higher resolutions.

While you may experience 8K or 4K when viewing a static image, the effective picture resolution drops dramatically during motion in scenes shot at low frame rates of 24fps, 30fps or even 60fps. In one of my first demonstrations of an 8K TV, I viewed a remastered action scene from Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk in 8K, but, judging by eye, it did not even approach 4K quality due to its low 24fps frame rate.

 Also read: Why 24fps is not enough for HDR movies

Higher resolution needs higher frame rates. At this point in time, we need better pixels instead of more pixels.


 It is time to chase better pixels, not more pixels, in TVs. Chart: Finalcolor.com

8. HDMI 2.1 has limitations
HDMI 2.1 supports bandwidth up to 48Gbps, with the potential for even higher rates using Display Stream Compression (DSC), as shown in the chart in our original article about HDMI 2.1. However, DSC must be supported by both the player and the TV, and currently it is not widely supported or documented in consumer products.

Unless we want to restrict the 8K video ecosystem to 60Hz and limit 8K gaming to 4:2:0 color compression, or rely on DSC for most 8K signals, we need a higher-bandwidth interface than HDMI 2.1 for 8K to truly flourish. There are simply too many limitations and uncertainties at this time.