Once considered synonymous with "premium products," 8K TVs are disappearing from the market. As major manufacturers gradually stop releasing new 8K TV models, Samsung Electronics is effectively the only one left. Despite the spread of online video services (OTT), there is a severe shortage of "ultra-high-definition content." As a result, the standing of the "8K Association," led by Samsung Electronics, has shrunk rapidly.
8K (7680×4320) offers resolution 16 times sharper than FHD (1920×1080) and four times sharper than 4K (UHD·3840×2160). A TV must have at least 33 million pixels to be called an 8K TV. Korea introduced 4K broadcasting for the first time in the world in 2017, but the programming ratio still does not exceed 30%. A nationwide 4K network has yet to be built. Both domestic and global OTT services support most content in FHD, with only some in 4K. Industry watchers say this is why "even 4K has not taken root, yet manufacturers rolled out 8K too early in an effort to create new demand."
◇ "No practical benefit"… corporations exiting the 8K Association
According to the industry on the 12th, the global consultative body "8K Association," which Samsung Electronics has led from establishment to operations to expand the 8K ecosystem, now has only 19 member companies. As recently as July 2022, there were 33 members. As the 8K TV market has shrunk over the past two years, the association has seen a mass exodus.
During this period, Hisense, TCL, Changhong and TPV withdrew, leaving only Samsung Electronics and Panasonic as TV manufacturers in the 8K Association. Major display makers such as Samsung Display, BOE, Innolux and CSOT have all left, with only AUO remaining on the roster. Content producers that had participated, such as Amazon and FramesDealer, and partners in technology and equipment, such as Tencent, Harmonic and Astro, have also left the 8K Association.
The 8K Association is an organization that Samsung Electronics spearheaded after unveiling an 8K TV in 2018. Launched around CES 2019, it has worked on establishing 8K standards and expanding related certifications. The first 8K Association chair was then–Samsung Electronics Visual Display Division Vice President Cheon Kang-uk. Even now, Bill Mandel, senior director at Samsung Research America, serves as the 8K Association chair.
A TV industry official said, "To maintain membership in the 8K Association, you have to pay an annual fee of at least $3,000 (about 4.5 million won) up to $20,000 (about 30 million won), but there is virtually no practical benefit," adding, "Activities have visibly dwindled recently, and it has long been called an 'in-name-only group.' With more corporations not engaging in 8K TV or content businesses, withdrawals have increased lately."
◇ Samsung Electronics left alone in Korea's 8K TV market
The 8K TV market drew expectations that it could become "a new trend in premium products" after Samsung Electronics opened the door and LG Electronics and Sony entered. In fact, market research firm IHS Markit projected in an early 2019 report that annual 8K TV shipments would start at 338,000 units and grow to 3,725,000 units by 2021.
The reality was different. According to market research firm Omdia, global 8K TV shipments totaled 386,800 units in 2022. They fell to 214,400 in 2023 and then declined to 136,800 last year. 8K TVs account for about 0.1% of the overall market.
Industry watchers cite the "content shortage," flagged as a problem from the early days of market formation, as the reason the 8K TV market failed to grow as expected. With little content produced to fully utilize 8K resolution, TV demand declined in tandem. In response, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics equipped TVs with "upscaling" technology based on artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically upgrade low-resolution videos such as FHD and 4K to 8K. However, the actual picture quality improvement has been limited, and the technology is seen as having failed to generate demand.
A display engineering professor who requested anonymity said, "Upscaling is a technology in which AI analyzes areas without pixel data based on existing data and automatically fills them in, but to the naked eye there is little gain in sharpness," adding, "The 'bigger is better' formula once said to define the premium TV market has broken down recently, and demand for ultra-high definition itself has dropped significantly."
In response, LG Electronics has not released new 8K TV models since 2023 for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) and since 2024 for liquid crystal display (LCD). While it continues to sell previously released 8K TV lineup products, they are said to account for a small share. Sony also halted production this year of its only 8K TV model, the Bravia Z9K series.
By contrast, Samsung Electronics included 8K in this year's Neo quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) TV lineup. In this line, there are five 8K TV models, consisting of two series (QNF990 and QNF900) in three sizes (98, 85 and 75). The 98-inch 8K TV is priced at 50.4 million won. Similar-size 4K TVs released by Samsung Electronics and other major manufacturers can be purchased in the 3 million to 5 million won range. Most products with premium features do not exceed 10 million won. A Samsung Electronics official said, "As content quality continues to improve, we are continuously enhancing technology to gain an early lead in the 8K TV market."