Technology

8K Association Looks to Build Standards in High Resolution

The industry group, which counts Samsung, Panasonic, and Intel as members, recently announced a set of standards for the industry to follow as it tries to move television sets to an 8K resolution.

You may only now be getting a TV set or computer monitor with a 4K resolution, but the tech industry is already barreling toward a future with an even sharper resolution.

Leading the charge is the 8K Association, which is helping to build out standards for the next generation of television sets. Last month, the industry group announced new specifications for the forthcoming sets, which will have a resolution of 7680 by 4320 pixels, four times that of the standard 1080p resolution offered by digital broadcasters.

But beyond the resolution, there are a number of technologies that the 8K standard will allow for, including recommended performance settings for color, luminance, high dynamic range, and connectivity.

“Defining the key attributes for an 8K TV specification demonstrates the 8KA’s focus to quickly define a critical step in the growth in next-generation video technology,” explained Chris Chinnock, executive director of the 8K Association, in a news release. “To reach this milestone is a great testament to the cooperative spirit the members of the 8K Association enjoy along with our shared enthusiasm for the 8K ecosystem expansion.”

The association, which started with a number of major TV manufacturers—Samsung, Panasonic, and TCL among them—has since added members focused on different parts of the technology field, including the industrial design firm Astro Design and the chip-manufacturing giant Intel. According to the association, its current member base reflects more than 40 percent of the U.S. TV market and 90 percent of the produced units to date.

One notable TV manufacturer currently not a member: the South Korean electronics giant LG, which recently released its own 8K sets with a focus on a metric called contrast modulation, or the TV set’s ability to distinguish between pixels.

But while there is some debate about what makes a great 8K television set—as highlighted by LG’s move to take a different path for now—the association is focused on building membership to set a firm standard for the industry to follow as it aims to take an emerging technology mainstream.

“This rapidly expanding membership is an indication that we are on the right path and that other companies see the value in the work we are doing,” Chinnock added. “We expect to announce additional high-level members in the near term that will expand our efforts into other parts of the ecosystem and allow us to continue to educate and deliver positive 8K messages to professionals and consumers alike.”

(Piotr Adamowicz/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Ernie Smith

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. MORE

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