8K how?

[Jamauk]

I have been helping my dad find a new TV as his current TV is showing horizontal lines that are gradually getting more noticeable. It came from Argos and they have agreed an exchange as it is only 23 months old.

It will obviously be 4K. Whilst there is no interest in going for 8K I have seen a lot of 8K TV's gradually being advertised.

The questions I have though:

• Is there actually any 8K content?
• What sort of HDMI cable is needed?
• What are the length limitations of the cable?

 

[Jamauk]

Its going to just upscale. You can use hdmi 2.1 and find some stuff on youtube.

So it really is pointless

No

Believe it or not HDMI 2.0 will do 8k at 30fps with 4:2:0, but HDMI 2.1 will be preferable

About 5-10 metres for standard cables.

That's unexpected, I remember there was a rush to get the latest HDMI cables when 4K first started to become a mainstream standard, possibly though because people had previously just gone with the cheapest, most basic HDMI lead they could get just because it had a HDMI connector on the end.

8k is non existant.

I bet though paid no attention to the sound system right?

As per my comments below, the only way I can see 8K becoming popular is so that people can brag about their new 8K TV, even if there is no content. Sound systems, they seem to be irrelevant for a lot of people where a simple, cheap sound bar will suffice. I don't understand why people will spend thousands on a TV and then get the cheapest sound bar they can find just so they can tell people that they have surround sound.

I have had people ask me what hi-fi I have and they look confused when I say about Linn, Tag McLaren and running active crossovers - "err, what's a crossover" is usually the response I get, then they have never heard of Linn or Tag.

I can't say 8K ever being mainstream. It's just pointless for near enough every use case outside of professional/cinema. The uptake on 4k has been so slow and we're still miles off it being the normal format.

The thought I had with it was it would only become a thing for people to brag about - I have heard in the past people in work say about how they spent part of their bonus on a 4K TV (the rest on a holiday). I remember it being the next big thing when people went HD 720p, 1080i/p. Now not everyone seems to know why it is called 4K.

 

[Jamauk]

I follow the physical media side quite closely and there is more and more content coming out. It will never be mainstream again as the masses are fine with DVD quality but for anyone that cares it's the best option. Even Disney are releasing more of their content on disc, they realise it's better to have multiple income streams and are losing a lot of money on streaming which is saturated with competition now. More people are realising the limitations and costs to streaming too, people like owning stuff. It's definitely had a dip and as a result there are lots of bargains to be had in the used market but I see more interest over time. More choice is always better and the 4K streams are often quite poor despite a full fibre connection, they are just saving bandwidth with compression, very evident in banding and the sound quality.

This is what I find and why I prefer physical media. Sound quality is noticeably more compressed and of a lower quality with streaming.