I know Ultra HD is hardly the de facto TV standard right now, but a new report from industry analyst IHS is anticipating global sales of 8K TVs to hit an all time high in the run up to the Japan Olympics in 2020 as 8K broadcasting takes hold.
Any excitement around such estimations obviously needs tempering though - in 2015 the figures for global 8K sales is just 2,700. IHS reckons that seed will grow over the next four years to hit 911,000 units in 2019.
Screen dreams
"The biggest inhibitor to the growth of 8K TV will be consumer screen size preferences," says IHS analyst, Paul Gray.
You already need a pretty big screen to get the most out 4K resolutions to see the difference between it and traditional HD. The jump up to the 7680 x 4320 TV resolution then is going to require a real heffer of a panel to be able to deliver the necessary real estate to deliver on the promise of 8K.
"8K requires a very large screen or the higher resolution becomes invisible at normal viewing distances," explains Gray. "The average screen size in the TV market has grown by an inch each year over the past decade, but it is still a long haul before sizes over 70 inches become commonplace."
There's also the fact our room sizes aren't increasing in size to match TV panel growth. Sure, the 55-inch panels are the big hitters at retail now, with most people upgrading to 4K also opting to go for a boost in screen size too, but there's a physical limit to that.
I honestly don't think an 85-inch 8K screen would even fit in my little Bath apartment...