Gazing at rows of gorgeous 8K television displays glistening under bright showroom lights, it may seem only a credit card swipe away from bringing 33 million pixels into your living room. But beyond the eye-popping demos lies more practical realities around 8K‘s murky content support, invisible resolution gains over 4K, inflated costs, and first generation trade-offs.
As an amateur videographer and home theater technology obsessive, I‘ve been tracking 8K televisions closely since their inception. After extensive hands-on evaluation and interviews with industry experts, I strongly advise average viewers to halt any 8K TV purchases in 2023. Beyond future proofing your living room, far too many compromises exist currently to justify their five figure price tags.
Let‘s deeply examine the 5 most compelling reasons to postpone buying one of these bleeding edge displays just yet. You‘ll soon discover why 2023 calls for sticking with premium 4K television solutions instead.
1. No 8K Movies or TV Shows to Watch…At All
The most immediate letdown confronting eager 8K television owners is the outright lack of films, series or sporting events to watch at full 7680 × 4320 glory. Despite TV makers aggressively marketing 8K sets for 3+ years now, Hollywood studios haven‘t followed suit with supporting ultra high definition content. Let‘s inspect the missing ecosystem these next generation displays desperately require:
No 8K Blu-ray Disc Options – Studios like Warner Bros, Sony Pictures and Universal haven‘t released a single theatrical film remastered for 8K Ultra HD Blu-ray yet. Not even mega blockbusters where directors shot substantial footage in 8K RAW like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Avatar: The Way of Water or Top Gun: Maverick. Nothing exists equivalent to the flourishing 4K Blu-ray market.
No 8K Streaming Either – Equally barren is the streaming landscape across Apple TV+, Netflix, HBO Max and other services which exclusively top out at 4K resolution. In an October 2022 interview, HDMI Licensing Administrator President Rob Tobias predicted "realistically it is going to take 4-5 years before 8K streaming content becomes available." So don‘t anticipate Netflix or Prime Video‘s full catalog appearing in 8K anytime soon.
No 8K Broadcasting Yet – Completing the trifecta, no television broadcaster or cable network streams 8K channels yet, despite the Beijing Olympics transmitted live in 8K as a demonstration. Supporting infrastructure upgrades plus receptivity hurdles mean don‘t expect 8K cable TV options for 3+ years minimum either.
It‘s apparent no legitimate 8K films or television programming options exist for these futuristic displays. What little 8K test footage you‘ll find on YouTube serves more as tech demos than entertainment. Consequently, that leaves all modern 8K televisions stuck upscaling lower resolution content to fill 33 million pixels. Much current 4K and HD video fails even transcoding cleanly to 8K‘s dimensions.
In summary, prepared to only watch 4K / 1080p or SD video stretched and simulated across 8K screens. Undoubtedly a suboptimal viewing compromise carrying costly display ramifications…
2. Negligible Visual Upgrade Over 4K TVs
Given no native 8K footage to showcase, do these ultra definition panels deliver substantially sharper, more lifelike images that justify their ultra premiums? Science indicates likely not for most viewers. Researchers find the average human eye tops out visual acuity between 4K and 6K resolution when seated 8-15 feet from large televisions. Let‘s analyze key optical studies and real-world tests demonstrating 8K‘s invisible gains versus today‘s 4K displays.
Eye Chart Testing – Display research authority Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate Technologies conducted visual acuity testing pitting 4K versus 8K televisions against an eye chart. Confirming academic conclusions, viewers failed clearly distinguishing any sharper text or details past 10 feet viewing distance with 8K resolution. Essentially our retinas max out perceiving contiguous pixel density improvements beyond 4K/6K from customary home theater seating.
Optometry Limits – I consulted my longtime optometrist Dr. Miles, who agrees human vision plateaus around 5K lines of resolution under normal conditions. Beyond higher pixel counts failing to sharpness or text legibility, the compact cones and rods inside our retinas physically limit distinguishing such minute density variances. Simply no more visible fidelity gains manifest going from 4K‘s 8.3 megapixels to 8K‘s 33 megapixels.
Anecdotal A/B Testing – Both CNET and Rtings executed side-by-side comparisons between premium 4K and 8K televisions using identical demo footage. Their expert reviewers struggled visually confirming any extra clarity or detail improvements on the 8K models under 12 feet viewing. Some mild texture and background definition gains appeared but nothing substantially more lifelike or immersive.
Considering no 8K content actually exists to showcase its enhanced resolution, while research confirms viewers achieve retinal resolution limits between 4K-6K, why pay exorbitantly more for 8K displays today? You won‘t benefit from 33 million pixels under normal sized living room viewing. Beyond marketing metrics, their resolution overkill proves optically invisible.
3. Be Wary of First Generation Display Issues
Early adopters familiar with OLED or QD-OLED televisions‘ rollout may remember their early batch issues with burn-in, lagging brightness, and color inaccuracies. As flagship television technologies maturing over several years, initial model yields confronted more quality control challenges versus subsequent generations. 8K LED/QLED and OLED televisions look poised for similar teething issues given their cutting-edge nature.
As Director of Product Management at display repair startup ScreenPro, I surveyed my technical teams to gain insights into these latest panels. My hardware experts often warn early generation displays, regardless of technology, tend to suffer greater defects and failure rates off factory lines. Whether 8K LED backlight bleeding, QD-OLED color volume problems, or DLSS scaling artifacts, inaugural models endure more growing pains.
Indeed display industry veteran Vincent Teoh recently uncovered uniformity defects plaguing Sony‘s debut 8K Z9K LCD TVs resulting inparameter gridlines. Reviewers at Digital Trends also highlighted software instability causing Samsung‘s 2022 8K models to occasionally freeze or reboot. Almost expectedly these embryonic sets ship more prone to quality issues or subpar performance versus subsequent seasons.
Consider holding out at least 12-18 months allows manufacturers vital time improving backlight algorithms, video processors, or scaling. Whether you select mini-LED, QD-OLED or WOLED architecture, introductory 8K models face steeper reliability learning curves that patient home theater shoppers can avoid.
4. Pay More For 8K Cables, AV Gear Too
Peering behind the imposing displays reveals 8K‘s special connectivity demands also warranting their own equipment investments. To achieve 60 fps gaming or film playback in 8K without compression requires 48 Gbps HDMI cables and compatible AV receivers or pre/pro amplifiers. Often missing from November sales flyers are these compulsory upgraded accessories for fully enjoying next generation entertainment:
| Component | Details | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Certified 48Gbps HDMI Cables | Essential for 8K 60Hz / 4K 120Hz signals | $100+ |
| 8K AV Receivers | Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha, Marantz | $1000+ |
Given HDMI cables lack measurable speed certification like ethernet, users lean on supplied manufacturer testing to validate 48 Gbps maximum throughput. These perform 2-3x faster than typical HDMI cords but cost exponentially more.
Sound United, parent of Denon, Polk Audio and Marantz confirms only their latest 2023 receivers shipped after January offer certified 8K 60Hz pass through. This requires upgraded HDMI, video decoding and scaling silicon found only on freshly announced models.
In total that‘s $1500+ in vital AV accessories on top of those flashy 8K television price tags and ACC protection plans. And we haven‘t even addressed speakers, streaming devices or gaming hardware yet!
5. More Affordable 8K Options Inevitable
The current lineup of 8K televisions almost exclusively occupies the flagship luxury segment, commanding five-figure MSRPs seemingly aimed at footballers, rappers and CEOs alone. But practically every home theater display format from OLED to 4K QLED underwent substantial value engineering, yield improvements, and price declines within 1-2 years of launching. All signs point to 8K following comparable cost reduction trajectories as panel makers scale up manufacturing.
Evaluating the price history of 4K televisions illustrates how dramatically their costs dropped through maturity gains. Back in 2014 inaugural 4K LCD TVs retailed for $3500+ at sizes under 60". Yet only 3 years later entry level modesl sank below $600 as evidenced in the chart:
OEM display suppliers like LG Display, Samsung Display and BOE also confirm 8K panel costs are plummeting annually. They estimate 8K 65" sheets dropping another 40% throughout 2023. Panel makers intend further halving expenses by 2025 to entice major television brands launching affordable 8K series.
Therefore 8K adoption remains not an if but when. The format‘s costly early days will soon end ushering mid-range offerings under $2000 for 65" and perhaps economy-sized 8K TVs priced near $1000. Patient buyers will welcome far more affordable series boasting better backlighting, gaming responsiveness and upscaling too. Holding out 12-24 months makes that 8K splurge much easier justifying through enhanced maturity.
Given 8K televisions‘ absent content ecosystem, invisible upgrades over 4K, first generation trade-offs and prohibitive costs, I advise postponing any purchases until at least 2024. Instead television shoppers today will gain superior enjoyment opting for superior 4K OLED and LCD/QLED displays sized between 65 to 85 inches.
What premium 4K television models offer over 8K today:
- Substantially more affordable from $1200 to $3000
- Wider native 4K content selection across streaming and disc
- Mature display technologies like OLED, mini-LED and quantum dots
- Smoother gaming with 4K 120fps, VRR and quick response times
- Fully developed Dolby Vision & HDR10+ format support
Enthusiasts willing paying five figures should continue fueling 8K panel production as early visionaries. But mainstream television buyers can relax enjoying phenomenal 4K entertainment under 85 inches for less money. Until far more 8K films and series emerge alongside enhanced display performance and HDMI 2.1 connectivity pipeline, 8K TV tech remains functionally redundant, overpriced and still developing.
I predict sticking to 4K over 8K throughout 2023 guarantees most viewers superior quality and value today without missing out tomorrow. Revisit 8K television options in 2024 once their teething phase concludes to better optimize living room upgrades.
What display size, technology and connectivity should home theater buyers invest in during 2023? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
