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The TV industry finally concedes that the future may not be in 8K

February 1, 2026
•Ars technica
The TV industry finally concedes that the future may not be in 8K

Here's something that might surprise you — after years of hype, the TV industry is finally admitting that 8K might just be a flash in the pan. Scharon Harding from Tech says that back in the early 2010s, companies like Sharp and Samsung were pushing hard for 8K, showing off prototypes and releasing models that cost a small fortune. By 2019, LG even had an 8K OLED TV, all claiming it was the future of home viewing. But here’s where it gets interesting — according to Harding, the demand just isn’t there. Consumers don’t see the need for that extra resolution, especially when 4K already looks pretty darn good on big screens. And the tech itself? Standards like HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 were supposed to make 8K seamless, but without actual content or clear benefits, it’s fallen flat. So what does this mean? Industry insiders now say that maybe, just maybe, 8K isn’t the next big thing after all — and that’s okay. Maybe it’s time to focus on better content and smarter tech instead.

Technology companies spent part of the 2010s trying to convince us that we would want an 8K display one day.

In 2012, Sharp brought the first 8K TV prototype to the CES trade show in Las Vegas. In 2015, the first 8K TVs started selling in Japan for 16 million yen (about $133,034 at the time), and in 2018, Samsung released the first 8K TVs in the US, starting at a more reasonable $3,500. By 2016, the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) had a specification for supporting 8K (Display Port1.4), and the HDMI Forum followed suit (with HDMI 2.1). By 2017, Dell had an 8K computer monitor. In 2019, LG released the first 8K OLED TV, further pushing the industry's claim that 8K TVs were "the future."

A marketing image with three TVs next to the words "the future of TV is 8K: By future-proofing an already game-changing technology, you take an unmatched cinematic experience to new levels, paving the way." A marketing image for 8K TVs that's (still) on LG's US website. Credit: LG

However, 8K never proved its necessity or practicality.

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Technology companies spent part of the 2010s trying to convince us that we would want an 8K display one day.

In 2012, Sharp brought the first 8K TV prototype to the CES trade show in Las Vegas. In 2015, the first 8K TVs started selling in Japan for 16 million yen (about $133,034 at the time), and in 2018, Samsung released the first 8K TVs in the US, starting at a more reasonable $3,500. By 2016, the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) had a specification for supporting 8K (Display Port1.4), and the HDMI Forum followed suit (with HDMI 2.1). By 2017, Dell had an 8K computer monitor. In 2019, LG released the first 8K OLED TV, further pushing the industry's claim that 8K TVs were "the future."

A marketing image with three TVs next to the words "the future of TV is 8K: By future-proofing an already game-changing technology, you take an unmatched cinematic experience to new levels, paving the way." A marketing image for 8K TVs that's (still) on LG's US website. Credit: LG

However, 8K never proved its necessity or practicality.

Read full article

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