AU Optronics recently revealed its plans to make 8K display panels commercially available for TVs ranging from 65 to 85 inches in size. If everything goes as planned, the company will be able to ship ints new, panels in the first half of 2018, with 8K TVs rolling out to the market soon after. AUO video products business chief Liao Wei-lun anticipates that the industry will start adopting 8K TVs from 2018, adding that their market share will hit ten-percent in 2020. The company is seeking to gain the advantage over more established brands like LG, Sony, and Samsung that are also investing in the technology. For the time being, 8K TVs will be available in the top-tier segment with only a relatively small number of buyers, much like 4K TVs in their early days.
AUO is seeking to focus on shipping panels no smaller than 65 inches over the course of this year, according to the executive. Meanwhile, 4K TVs are still catching up with Full HD TVs to capture a majority market share which may happen in the coming years. Mr. Liao added that 4K TVs are expected to gain a 40-percent market share this year, up from 30-percent last year. The content available in 4K has likely fueled this growth, with online streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video regularly releasing UHD (3,840 x 2,160) content over the past few quarters. Televisions with support for HDR10 and Dolby Vision are also popularizing high-end cinema experiences which aren’t available on older FHD TVs, many industry watchers believe.
At CES 2018 last month, LG showcased its 88-inch 8K OLED TV – the biggest such offering in the world – along with other TVs boasting 4K resolution support. Samsung also showed off its 85-inch 8K QLED TV at the event along with Sony that demonstrated its 85-inch 8K TV promising a peak brightness of 10,000 nits. 8K monitors have been around for a little longer; Dell announced its UltraSharp 32-inch 8K monitor at CES 2017. 16:9 8K panels support a resolution of 7,680 by 4,320 pixels, sixteen times more than what 1080p FHD panels offer, but also require a significantly more powerful graphics processor to populate their display area.