Is It Worth Buying An 8K TV Now?


If you're thinking of buying an 8K TV, you might be wondering whether the upgrade is currently worth it.

When playing the best PS5 games on an amazing 4K TV, it's hard to imagine if much else can be improved upon. But is that what was said when 1080p and HD TVs first entered the scene?

Here's all you need to know about if it's worth buying an 8K TV.

Is it worth buying an 8K TV in 2021?

If you're looking for an immediate payoff, then it probably isn't worth upgrading to an 8K TV right now. This is because while the TV may support 8K resolutions, very few other devices do.

The PS5 and Xbox Series X, for example, are both capable of running in 8K. However, this function has yet to be enabled on the consoles. Microsoft's explanation for this sums up the problem with 8K perfectly:

As there is not media content or games that currently support 8K resolution, we have not enabled the option within the system settings at this time. Xbox Series X was designed with the next 8 to 10 years of advancements in mind, and as 8K becomes a more widely adopted format, the console will support it.

Essentially, 8K technology is still a fresh innovation. Most developers see 4K or 1440p as a desirable resolution. Developers can reach while still supporting higher frame rates and overall better performance. As most games released in 2021 still need to support the PS4 and Xbox One- consoles not even capable of 4K output - developers have yet to prioritise 8K resolutions.

What is the point of an 8K TV?

If you are set on buying an 8K TV, there are still some ways to make use of those extra pixels. For example, NVIDIA's RTX 3090 GPU supports 8K and even offers DLSS support for the resolution. This means 8K gaming on a TV for the likes of Death Stranding, Control and Forza Horizon 4 is possible. However, this is provided you manage to find an RTX 3090 for your PC.

To run games in 8K, you'll also need to use an HDMI 2.1 cable.

Aside from this, little 8K content exists. Streaming services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime only support resolutions up to 4K. By purchasing an 8K TV, you will be 'future-proofing' your setup. But, given the cost of these 8K TVs, is it really worth it yet?

Does 8K look better than 4K?

With a display of 7680x4320 compared to 4K's 3840x2160, 8K is better looking than 4K, at least on paper.

The problem is that to notice the difference between a 4K and 8K display, you need to be sat quite close to the TV. Given that 8K TVs tend to be quite large and on the other side of the room to the sofa, it's unlikely that you'll be sat close enough when watching TV or playing games to really see the visual improvements.

Indeed, if you're wanting to see more noticeable differences in your visual outputs, it's perhaps better to consider other aspects, such as HDR, 120Hz refresh rates, and whether the TV is QLED.

READ MORE: Best Cheap 4K TVs

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