LG Display is no longer making 8K LCD or OLED panels, FlatpanelsHD reported Friday. Should this really come as a surprise? They are the latest in a long line of manufactures that have either reduced to straight ended production. Earlier this month, an LG Display representative told FlatpanelsHD that the panel supplier is “taking a comprehensive view of current display market trends and the trends within the 8K content ecosystem.”
Now, there are a good amount of reasons why 8K TVs didn’t take off. One is necessity. After most people jumped to a 4K, what was the need to get an 8K? So many people have moved off the “next thing” trend. The economy has changed for a lot of people. People are no longer upgrading their phone each year. Some, including myself, upgrade when needed. Not because we want to.
Although the content issue is a big one. There is no content that is produced in that format. With internet restrictions on bandwidth use, the infrastructure isn’t available to support it. With some providers, there are limits. Not to mention signal compression that offer resolution that wouldn’t utilize basic features.
8K TVs Are Not the Future
True use of the resolution would only be available on physical media. Using Netflix at 4K isn’t even true 4K. Not to mention, most people cannot see the difference between 4K and 8K. “I believe the reason you see a large number of people rating 4K better than 8K is that they really can’t see a difference and are simply guessing,” said Michael Zink, vice president of technology at Warner Bros.
With prices for 4K televisions so low, there is no need to spend $1500 for an 8K TV. Would you spend $2300 for an 8K TV or pick up a $300 Vizio 4K from Walmart? With people being more conscious about their money, a good deal is a good deal.