Outlook on 8k ​Report

Report Summary

Relies on interviews with panel makers, TV brands, broadcasters, equipment and materials suppliers. Discusses how 8K may impact display manufacturing processes, any key manufacturing challenges, likely price points and sizes introduced by TV brand and challenges for broadcasters. Developed in partnership with Insight Media.


“Outlook on 8K TV”, covers 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.

Table Of Contents


Page 5 - Executive Summary

Page 6 - Analyzing the 8K TV Opportunity

  • Page 6 - Introduction
  • Page 7 - The World in 2020
  • Page 10 - Discussion

Page 12 - 2020 Olympics as a Driver for Tech Development and Commercialization

  • Page 13 - Discussion

Page 14 - Evaluation of the 8K Production Equipment

  • Page 14 - Overview
  • Page 15 - Cameras
  • Page 19 - Camera Lenses
  • Page 20 - Color Grading/Editing
  • Page 20 - Encoders
  • Page 21 - Players
  • Page 22 - Recorders/Players
  • Page 23 - Converters
  • Page 23 - Other Gear

Page 24 - Evaluation of the 8K Distribution Systems

  • Page 24 - Satellite
  • Page 25 - Over the Air
  • Page 26 - Cable and Telco
  • Page 26 - Other Options
  • Page 27 - Tuners/Demodulators
  • Page 28 - Summary of Expectations

Page 28 - 8K Connectivity

  • Page 29 - HDMI
  • Page 31 - DisplayPort
  • Page 32 - SuperMHL
  • Page 34 - Thunderbolt
  • Page 34 - USB Type-C
  • Page 35 - U-SDI
  • Page 36 - Panasonic Hybrid Cable
  • Page 36 - V-by-One

Page 37 - Supply Push for 8K TV

  • Page 37 - Cut Efficiency
  • Page 38 - Capacity Growth for Large-Screen TV

Page 40 - Display Panel Factors to Enable 8K

  • Page 40 - Resolution
  • Page 41 - Backplane Technology
  • Page 41 - Backlight
  • Page 42 - Driver ICs and Module Components
  • Page 42 - Yield
  • Page 43 - Achieving UHD Features Beyond Resolution
  • Page 45 - OLED vs. LCD
  • Page 46 - Cost Summary LCD vs. OLED
  • Page 48 - 8K Product Plans

Page 48 - TV Design Impact to Enable 8K

  • Page 48 - Video Processing
  • Page 50 - 8K Product Introductions

Page 51 - 8K TV Forecast

  • Page 51 - Large-Screen TV Forecast
  • Page 52 - 8K Penetration
  • Page 54 - 8K by Size
  • Page 54 - 8K by Region

Report Samples