Everyone’s talking about 8K TVs, and Toshiba is the latest mainstream brand to unveil an ultra HD model, as the company announced at Berlin’s IFA 2018 conference.
With four times the clarity of the 4K models you might have become used to in recent years, the new TV from Toshiba is said to deliver sharper and better-defined imagery than ever before.
What is 8K TV?
8K TV is the clearest picture currently available, owing to a more dense concentration of pixels than 4K and Full HD models. This calls for a larger screen size (the new Toshiba model comes in at 65-inch), allowing for over 33 million pixels per screen - making it impossible to make out the individual pixels.
Resolution-wise, this is sometimes referred to as 4320p, in the same way Full HD is known as 1080p, meaning 8K provides an unbelievably defined picture.
Welcome to the 'Smart Lounge'
Toshiba has set out to “re-establish the TV as a go-to entertainment hub in its own right” by offering what it calls the "Smart Lounge experience".
Features include a remote control that allows you to browse channels without leaving what you are watching, as well as dedicated buttons for streaming services like Netflix, meaning you can switch from terrestrial TV in one click.
While prices and availability are yet to be confirmed for Toshiba’s new 8K TV, prices for 4K TVs currently on the market range between around $600 (around £470 / AU$825) at the lower end to over $4000 (around £3100 / AU$5500) for high-spec models - and we'd expect it to far exceed that upper pricing level.
- IFA 2018 is Europe's biggest tech show. The TechRadar team is in Berlin to bring you all the breaking news and hands-on first impressions of new phones, watches and other tech as they're announced.
