What They Say
The 8K Association published an article highlighting the extension of the annual Value Electronics (VE) TV Shootout to 8K sets. Regular Display Daily contributor, Ken Werner, wrote the report. The three 8K sets were:
- LG OLED77ZXPUA (77-inch ZX Series OLED TV, $19,997)
- Samsung QN75QN90A (75-inch QN900A HDR QLED TV, $5299)
- Sony XR75Z9J (75-inch Master Series LCD, $6997)
As with the 4K test, custom content was used, with the 8K sets showing native 8K content and 4K upscaled video. There are no 8K reference monitors available yet.
In the 4K upscaling, the colour, contrast and shadow detail were significant factors and the LG OLED was rated best overall. The Sony won the 4K upscaling test, but couldn’t play back the native 8K test content, so was not judged for that factor.
Ken said that:
“What was also clear was that different TVs performed better or worse based on the content. As a result, the winner for an ordinary consumer will depend on what type of content they watch and the environment they watch it in.”
He pointed out that OLED still stands out against the new, improved LCD technologies of miniLED and dual cell. (Of course, that depends on the dual cell technology – we’ve been pointing out for several years how good the Panasonic-based dual cell panels were, even compared to OLED).
What We Think
I was surprised to see the comment that there are no 8K broadcast monitors yet as I remembered Ikegami showing 55″ 8K prototypes two or three years ago, with plans to make them. However, it seems they haven’t got to production yet.
Ken’s comments on the importance of content just reinforced a very long term truth. It’s one of the reasons that demonstrations from Sony, in particular, are often stunning. They have access to great content, know how to deliver and process it and combine it with a good display.
I remember, decades ago, winning a big government contract for large DTP displays because I knew how to set up Ventura Publisher to correctly use screen fonts, whereas my competitors left it to the customer to set up and test. It’s the system, not the device! (BR)
