8K TV shipments to pass 900,000 units

Worldwide shipments of 8K Ultra High Definition TVs will climb from just 2,700 units in 2015 to 911,000 units in 2019, according to IHS.

The research firm claims that the advent of 8K broadcasting in Japan for the 2020 Olympics will spur a “new round of resolution increases” and that large, 65-inch screen TVs will account for almost 80% of 8K TV shipments in 2019.

“8K requires a very large screen or the higher resolution becomes invisible at normal viewing distances. 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,” said IHS principal analyst, Paul Gray.

He described consumer screen size preferences as “the biggest inhibitor to the growth of 8K TV”, but predicted the capacity to make 65-inch 8K TV displays will increase dramatically in the coming years with China to be “the driving factor in 8K television growth”.