By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on Facebook & X.
Former Sony employee. Author of TV Dot Com.
TV Answer Man, does 8K offer a better picture than 4K? And if so, why hasn’t the industry embraced 8K instead of 4K which doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. — Terry, Hartford, Connecticut.
Terry, it’s a good question, but it hardly matters at this point whether 8K offers a better picture than 4K. There is virtually nothing to watch in 8K besides a few YouTube videos. And, as you note, 4K still hasn’t become a mainstream technology with relatively few live sports events available in the format. There are more on-demand shows and movies, and Blu-ray discs, in 4K, but the number of 4K titles is still a fraction of what’s available in high-def. Generally speaking, the industry understands that 4K offers a better picture than HD, but is unwilling to invest in the infrastructure and labor to make it the display standard.
What Is 8K TV?
But since you asked…8K has a horizontal resolution of around 8,000 pixels, which means a total of 33 million pixels. That’s four times as many pixels as 4K. But that doesn’t always mean a better picture. At normal viewing distances, it’s difficult for the average person to detect the added resolution. I have noted here that you have to sit closer to a 4K TV to appreciate the increased resolution, but you have to get even closer to an 8K TV.
Under the right conditions, with the right set, the 8K TV showing 8K programming can deliver a better picture than a 4K TV. But it’s not always the case, another reason why the industry is not investing heavily in the technology.
Does 8K TV Offer the Best Picture?
So, to answer the question, does an 8K TV offer a better picture than a 4K TV? The answer is that it depends on a variety of factors, including the size of the TV, the viewing distance, the quality of the source material, and the overall quality of the TV itself. For most viewers, a high-end 4K TV will offer excellent image quality, and the additional cost of an 8K TV may not be worth the marginal improvement in resolution. However, if you’re a professional photographer, videographer, or digital artist who needs to view highly detailed content at close distances, an 8K TV may be worth the investment.
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The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
