8K TVs Are Here, But Do You Really Need One?

By the time many consumers finally settled in with 4K TVs, the next evolution in TV resolution came around the corner. The 8K TV packs in an astounding number of pixels for unparalleled picture quality. But is the technology ready for prime time? And if so, should you upgrade yet?

Is an 8K TV really worth it in mid-2021?

In this post, you’ll learn answers to the following questions:

8K is a next-generation resolution standard for televisions and other displays. Also called 8K UHD (for ultra high definition), the standard describes displays with 7,680 pixels across and 4,320 pixels vertically. That’s over 33 million total pixels!

4K resolution, which is the de-facto standard for most TVs above 40 inches today, has exactly half the number of pixels in either direction (3,840 by 2,160), for nearly 8.3 million pixels. So, 8K resolution is four times the number of pixels of 4K (which itself is four times the resolution of 1080p high definition).

The much higher pixel density accomplishes a few things. First, it creates a much sharper image, allowing for greater image clarity. For example, take an HDTV and an 8K TV of the same dimensions, and you could fit 16 pixels from the 8K display inside every pixel on the older HDTV.

A pixel, by the way, is a small, individually colored block with its own independent RGB value. Together, all the pixels on your TV form the image that you’re watching. The larger the pixel, the grainier the image. The smaller the pixel, the sharper.

If you already have a 4K TV, you almost certainly don’t need to upgrade to 8K — yet. While 8K TVs are categorically better, they are still very new. There are some real-world limitations here that you should know about.

First, cost. 8K TVs are still very, very expensive. If you have the budget for one and you want to be future-proofed, go for it. But right now, the bang for your buck just isn’t very significant. That’s because of the second limitation: content.

The second issue with 8K is the lack of content. There is no optical disc format for 8K, period. And absolutely no service is streaming 8K content yet. The bandwidth requirements are formidable (remember, four times the amount of content as 4K, at a time when many US homes can’t even reliably stream 4K).

This was a problem in the early days of 4K TVs, too. Even just two years ago, around half of those with a 4K TV still hadn’t watched any actual 4K content on it. Now, every major streaming service is pushing 4K content. So it’s only a matter of time before technology catches up on this point. But it isn’t there yet.

Now, 8K TVs set will upscale 4K content in the same way that your 4K set makes older, HD content look better. So the same content will look better on an 8K TV than on a 4K TV — but not necessarily by a mind-blowing amount.

You can probably guess the answer by this point: no. If you’ve been limping along with an HDTV, even a budget-priced 4K smart TV is going to be a mind-blowing upgrade. For all the same reasons in the previous section, jumping up to 8K is just going to be overkill at this point. Instead, buy a cheap 4K set and wait a few years for the price of 8K TVs to drop (and for content to exist).

As the landscape stands in mid-2021, most people shouldn’t upgrade to 8K. The costs are still very high, and there isn’t really any content available in true 8K resolution anyway.

Still, if you’re in the market for a new TV (whether 4K, 5K or 8K), there’s one thing you should do at upgrade time: protect your new TV with an extended TV warranty from Upsie. Your TV is a gateway to a world of entertainment: sports, movies, reality TV, gaming, and streaming. You don’t want to be stuck with a costly repair bill if something goes wrong.

Coverage with Upsie is simple, straightforward and affordable. You’ll get better coverage at lower rates than you would at the big box store—or from the online competition. In fact, Upsie’s warranties cost up to 70 percent less. With their affordable coverage, Upsie protects your TV from screen burn-in, defects, dead pixels and more.

Ready to protect that new TV? Get an Upsie extended TV warranty today!