March/April 2022 85an 8K-capable television, up until 2021 you could
expect to shell out at least $3,500 for one. Even as
an avid gamer and weekend cinephile, I wouldn’t
dare spend that kind of money—and neither would
the average buyer.
“Generally, manufacturers like to launch their
next resolution bump in TVs in larger sizes to jus-
tify the stratospheric costs that usually come with
the new sets,” says Anshel Sag, an analyst special-
izing in consumer tech trends for the research
firm Moor Insights & Strategy. These larger panel
fabrications drive up the price, putting an 8K TV
further out of reach for the average consumer—
with the additional drawback of stifling the
incentive to create 8K content. Even 4K media
isn’t the official standard just yet. “While most
streaming services do support 4K natively, espe-
cially with their own original content, it still isn’t
as common as one would expect with the current
price of 4K TVs,” notes Sag.
Given the prohibitively expensive pricing and
lack of content, there hasn’t been a push for main-
stream 8K TVs. At least that was the case until last
year’s arrival of 8K-capable computer graphics
cards, gaming consoles, and cameras on f lagship
phones, which drove a need for affordable 8K dis-
plays on which to view the inf lux of content. TCL
released its new 8K 6-Series TV last fall to meet
this new demand. The China-based company has
a history of advancements in display technology; it
created the first mini LED TV in 2019. Combining
large 8K displays with mini LED backlighting and
QLED color technology, TCL has built an impres-
sive 8K set for just under $2,000.
Despite a global chip shortage, TCL has man-
aged to pull this off through simple supply-chain
management. It cuts expenses by crafting each
component in-house, eliminating a heavy reliance
on external manufacturers. Cost-efficiently creat-
ing its own driver ICs and streamlining the display
production for televisions 65 inches and up trans-
late to a lower retail price. “TCL has invested in
building seven panel fabs in recent years, includ-
ing the newest completed just this year that uses
the latest gen-11 panel fab layout,” says Aaron
Dew, director of product development for TCL
North America. A large part of TCL’s business is
selling components such as displays to other tele-
vision manufacturers, and Dew says that’s no
different with 8K panels.
We spent a week cycling through both native
and upscaled 8K content on the 6-Series (65R648)
alongside an equally large 65-inch Samsung
TU-8000 4K TV. The clarity difference was appar-
ent. Straight out of the box and set to the “Normal”
picture setting, the 8K 6-Series offered some of the
best sharpness and color range we’ve seen from an
LCD panel. In an 8K nature video, textures like
the cracks in a hippo’s skin or the fur on an otter
were easier to make out. Micro details, like drop-
lets rolling down goose feathers and the ref lection
of light playing in a bead of water, were sharper.
Across all media, pattern recreation is less muddy
in 8K as opposed to a 4K screen. Beyond animals,
that meant details in outfits, facial features, and
environments looked more lifelike.The much higher pixel
density of 8K retains
better fine detail up
close. With 33 million
pixels forming an 8K
image, a 4K’s 8 million
pixels can seem a bit
blurry from two feet
away. While this differ-
ence is pronounced
in these images, the
naked eye would have
trouble spotting it from
farther away.
But as screens get
larger and people sit
closer to their televi-
sions for a more encom-
passing view, that lower
clarity becomes obvious.
The rule of thumb is
that TVs over 50 inches
should display a 4K
image. Within the next
decade, TVs 65 inches
or larger will demand a
higher 8K resolution for
pixel density.THE 4K AND 8K
DIFFERENCE
VISUALIZED
↑ 4K↑ 8K