Back in 2019, executive director of the 8K Association, Chris Chinnock, cast doubt on the possibility of 8K Blu-rays ever happening. He said there was "a low probability" that physical 8K discs would be developed, and that was four years ago; not much has changed since then.
While a physical 8K format isn't without the realm of possibility, there doesn't seem to be much, if any, development taking place. We're not even going to scrape the surface of disc player requirements either, as 4K Blu-ray players are struggling as it is, so we daren't think about an 8K player.
Also consider that 4K looks set to be the standard for the foreseeable future. The pedestrian arrival (and adoption) of 8K TVs means we don't anticipate 8K Blu-ray players will ride in to replace their 4K equivalents any time soon.
Admittedly, there is a strong chance 4K Blu-ray may become less popular as time goes on. Does this mean that 4K Blu-ray is really dying? The answer is no. In fact, I believe there's an exciting future on the horizon, especially for cinephiles and movie fans.
The first is 8K content is lacking and requires a higher bandwidth to download. Now, there are some pretty good upscalers out there that can upscale 4K to 8K out there but even HDR 4K has pretty stiff bandwidth.
As reported, starting in March 2023, the EU's Ecodesign Directive will ban the sales of televisions that exceed the newly defined upper limit for energy consumption. OLED and 8K TVs fall into these criteria.
8K offers 4 times as many pixels than 4K and a staggering 16 times as many pixels compared to a 1080p TV. Ultimately, more pixels results in a sharper, clearer image and 8K offers up an impressive 160 pixels per inch (PPI), delivering a truly smooth and crisp image.
However, with the rise of streaming services and digital downloads, some may question its relevance in today's market. Furthermore, the emergence of 4K and 8K video, along with audio enhancements like Dolby Atmos, readily available to consumers at home, has rendered DVDs and Blu-rays almost obsolete.
Blu-rays deliver the best picture and sound experience
For example, Netflix maxes out at 17Mbps, while Apple TV+ maxes out at around 41 Mbps. The very best Blu-rays, the 4K Ultra HD versions, can deliver a 4K picture with maximum video bitrate of 128 Mbps.
4K Blu-ray produces the sharpest, most textured picture quality I've seen on a 4K screen. Movies with HDR (High Dynamic Range) are particularly striking – closely matching the vibe of the full theater experience.
So, unless you're one of those people who only settle for the very best, you don't need 8K now. For those who can afford it and don't mind the lack of native 8K content, 8K vs. 4K screens are noticeably better, even when upscaling 4K media.
Bottom line. When it's time to upgrade your primary TV, consider the value proposition of 4K versus 8K. For considerably more money, you'll get improved brightness, more realistic color, crisp detail, deeper blacks and a better overall viewing experience with an 8K TV.
While Blu-ray may "only" be as fast as having gigabit fiber, the media size isn't standing still either. At some point in the future, 8K movie media will become available and this represents four times the amount of resolution compared to 4K, which is in turn four times that of 1080p footage.
Netflix was one of the first streaming services to offer 4K streaming. However, they have yet to bear the torch for 8K content streaming. 8K is still very much a technology in its infancy. If 8K streaming ever does reach Netflix, it will likely be some time before we see it!
The feasibility of a fast transition to this new standard is questionable in view of the absence of broadcasting resources. In 2018, Strategy Analytics predicted that 8K-ready devices will still only account for 3% of UHD TVs by 2023 with global sales of 11 million units a year.
8K resolution on an OLED TV? So far, only LG is really doing it. And we wish more firms did, because it's incredible. The picture quality is stunning, the colours and brightness are just what you'd expect from a high quality OLED and the audio output is impressive for such a slim set.
Visual enhancements aside, audio is the defining advantage of Blu-rays over streaming. That's because streaming uses lossy compression to deliver sound, forcing compromises. Blu-rays provide uncompressed audio tracks, ensuring a full dynamic range and the highest sound quality possible.
Many Blu-ray and DVD selling stores and collectors are planning to revive more than 700 million discs in the market in 2022. Most of the awaiting customers are 90s kids aged between 25 and 39. This tells us the possibility of DVDs and Blu-rays coming back to the top by the overwhelming responses from their enthusiasts.
The most concise answer we were able to arrive at was: At least 10-20 years. Ern Bieman, a digital preservationist with the Canadian Conservation Institute, told me that commercially produced Blu-rays—if they're undamaged and stored correctly—should last at least 20 years.
4K Blu-ray isn't dying despite Disney and Best Buy's efforts - it's more important than ever. Blu-ray disc in player drive. 4K Blu-rays have been a hot topic in recent memory.
How to digitize your DVDs. If you haven't subscribed to one of the best streaming services yet, now might be the time: Multiple sources now claim that Best Buy will take Blu-rays and DVDs off store shelves and its online store in 2024.
16K resolution is a display resolution with approximately 16,000 pixels horizontally. The most commonly discussed 16K resolution is 15360 × 8640, which doubles the pixel count of 8K UHD in each dimension, for a total of four times as many pixels.
The world's first 110″ 16K TV prototype has been unveiled by Chinese manufacturer BOE at the Display Week trade show in Los Angeles. The 16K resolution (15,360 x 8,640) screen is made up of almost 133m pixels across the 3.3 sq metre screen. This is four times as many as an 8K TV and 16 times as many as a 4K TV.
Considering that the PS5 is renowned for its graphical prowess and its fast performance, it can be frustrating for many to learn that the console does not output at 8K.
