Jordan O'BrienTVs sporting 8K resolution have been common at CES over the past couple of years, but they’ve all been concepts, rather than something actually available to buy. This year however, LG has announced an 8K TV that could find its way into the living rooms of consumers around the world.
Dubbed the UH9800, LG’s first production-grade 8K model comes in one size designed to show off the detail of 8K – and that’s 98in. For those unaware, 8K is specced at 7680 x 4320, compared to 4K’s 3840 x 2160
Unfortunately, like 4K before it, there isn’t masses of content available in 8K meaning consumers won’t even get to take full advantage of this television set.
That’s especially poignant when the TV could cost around £80,000 to £90,000, judging by the price of Sharp’s 8K screen which costs $130,000 (£88,000) in the US.
While 8K is a significant upgrade in resolution when compared to 4K and 1080p, LG is well aware that its TV is not the first 8K television set to launch. That’s why it has added HDR capability, which is the first of its kind of a TV sporting this resolution.
That’s not the only first for LG’s TV, as it is also the first to sport the new Super MHL connection, which enables users to fire 8K content through the TV using a wired connection. The 8K content can also be pushed through at 120fps, meaning users should have a smooth experience.
Unlike LG’s flagship TVs for 2016 however, the UH9800 won’t sport an OLED display – instead the company has opted to utilise an IPS panel and LCD screen technology.
LG is promising to be able to deliver truer blacks than standard LCD TVs however, thanks to 240 discrete blocks of LED backlighting.
A release date has yet to be set for the 98in TV, but don’t expect it to be a best seller for 2016.