DSCC and Insight Media Launch 8K TV Report

Austin, TX and Norwalk, CT -

Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) and Insight Media announce the launch of a new report titled “Outlook on 8K TV”, covering the latest developments in the next stage of TV technology. The report combines Insight Media’s expertise in cinema, broadcast, and ProAV fields with DSCC’s proficiency in flat panel display capacity and cost analysis to cover all aspects of the 8K ecosystem required to make 8K a reality, including the following major sections:

• Production Equipment – cameras, lenses, color grading, encoders, players, recorders, converters, and other production gear
• Distribution Systems – satellite, over-the-air broadcast, cable, telco, and other options for distribution
• Connectivity – the latest developments in HDMI, DisplayPort, SuperMHL, Thunderbolt, USB and others
• Display factors to enable 8K flat panels in LCD and OLED including backplane technologies, backlight and driver circuits, High Dynamic Range (HDR) features, Wide Color Gamut (WCG) features, and the corresponding impact on flat panel yields
• Cost analysis of 8K TV panels for both LCD and OLED
• Forecast of 8K TV for 2018-2022

​Highlights of the report include:

• The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be a major driver in the development of 8K infrastructure, with Japanese broadcaster NHK leading efforts to produce and broadcast Olympic programming to homes. NHK continues to meet or exceed milestones for 8K broadcasting in 2020, as the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea will mark at least the sixth major world event since 2012 where NHK has demonstrated 8K capture and display.
• Cameras from Hitachi, Astrodesign, Ikegami, Sharp and Sony address the many challenges in capturing 8K video. The report describes features of these cameras and suggested pricing.
• The transmission parameters for satellite broadcast of 8K content are detailed, as satellite companies take the lead in broadcasting, addressing the challenges of handling the massive bandwidth required to bring this content to the home.
• Activities the HDMI Forum and other connectivity solutions are taking to address the increased bandwidth required for 8K.
• The display industry plans for massive expansion of Gen 10.5 capacity, which will enable efficient production of 65” and 75” display panels for both LCD and OLED TV. Capacity of Gen 10+ substrates for displays is expected to increase from 8 million square meters in 2017 to at least 75 million square meters in 2022.
• Challenges to enable flat panel displays, including the substantial increase in backlight and driver circuitry costs and the impact on yields.
• Total manufacturing costs for 8K 65” LCD panels are estimated at $1000 per panel currently and are expected to be reduced to $595 by 2021. Costs for OLED panels are estimated at $1830 today and the report includes cost estimates in 2021.
• Sales of 8K Flat Panel TVs are expected to increase from 0.1 million in 2018 to 5.8 million in 2022, with China leading the way representing more than 60% of the total market during this period.

8K TVs are expected to include advanced features like HDR, wide color gamut and advanced upscaling. Native 8K content will be limited so upscaling will be a differentiating feature. “While the benefit of simply increasing pixel count from 4K to 8K is weak except for the largest TV sizes, there will be significant panel and TV supplier ‘push’ that will foster adoption in a way that is similar to the 4K adoption pattern, but at a slower pace,” noted Chris Chinnock, President/Founder of Insight Media.

​DSCC Co-Founder & President Bob O’Brien added, “8K represents the next generation of the TV industry, and with the massive increases in Gen 10.5 capacity planned in the next few years, the adoption of 8K technology will be a key factor in the success of the flat panel industry. We are delighted to partner with Insight Media to provide clients a comprehensive view of the 8K landscape."

For more information and pricing information, please contact Dustin at dustin@displaysupplychain.com and (832) 451-4909.