A New Resolution: Everything You Need To Know About 8K TV

Maybe you’ve had a 4K TV since they first came out.

- Will Greenwald

Maybe you upgraded only recently. Maybe you’re still using a 1080p TV. Whatever your current screen status is, you’ve probably heard about what’s coming after 4K: 8K. It’s the next big jump in TV resolution. And like 4K, the transition requires new technologies. Here’s everything you need to know about 8K: what it is when it’s coming, what it needs to work, and how you can get it.

WHAT IS 8K?

THE BASICS

8K is a higher resolution than 4K—and that’s it. 1080p screens have a resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels. 4K screens double those numbers to 3,840 by 2,160 and quadruple the number of pixels. 8K doubles the numbers again, to a resolution of 7,680 by 4,320. That’s four times the number of pixels as 4K, which means it’s 16 times that of a 1080p TV.

For context, look really closely at your TV. Try to find a single-pixel (not the individual red, green, and blue lights; those are subpixels, which means you’re too close). If you’re looking at a 4K screen, imagine four pixels taking up the space of that single pixel. If you’re looking at a 1080p screen, picture a grid of sixteen pixels, four by four, within that single pixel. That’s 8K. It’s much sharper than 4K and much, much sharper than 1080p.

WHAT ABOUT HDR?

If you’ve been paying attention to TVs and 4K, you’ve heard the term HDR—high dynamic range. You also might be confused by what HDR is and whether it’s different from 4K. HDR can be a complicated concept, but it’s important to understand as 8K continues to develop and use to know when you’re shopping for a 4K TV.