back to article Sharp's new TV has over 7,000 lines of pixels – but there's NOTHING TO WATCH

On Wednesday the tech and audiovisual media community hyperventilated over Sharp’s announcement that it would begin selling an 8K TV screen next month. Japan’s AVwatch broke the news, with its experts saying that it would be useful for things like keyhole surgery ... and not just your home viewing pleasure. But before you go …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    I'm sure it won't be long....

    ...before Big Buck Bunny is in 8K

  2. Timmay
    Facepalm

    Low-res

    "Sharp's new TV has over 7,000 pixels"

    Wow, an 83x83 pixel resolution? Welcome to 20th century mobile phone screen technology.

    1. Sandtitz Silver badge
      Facepalm

      Re: Low-res

      "Wow, an 83x83 pixel resolution?"

      112x63 actually. The aspect ratio is probably 16:9, not 1:1.

      <nitpick>...and 83x83 is less than 7000 pixels</nitpick>

      1. Timmay

        Re: Low-res

        > and 83x83 is less than 7000 pixels

        Sure, but it's hard to have 0.6660026534 of a pixel.

        1. Simon Harris

          Re: Low-res

          "Sure, but it's hard to have 0.6660026534 of a pixel"

          If each pixel is made of RGB sub-pixels, I suppose 0.6660026534 of a pixel could be one with one of the colour components broken (give or take the odd 0.000664013... of a pixel).

    2. Velv
      Coat

      Re: Low-res

      Over 7,000 pixies. They paint the screen 100 times a second

      1. launcap Silver badge
        Happy

        Re: Low-res

        > Over 7,000 pixies. They paint the screen 100 times a second

        Very Pterry..

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Low-res

      Here are 3 pixels from the TV showing black -> light grey:

      █▓░

      1. Only me!
        Thumb Up

        Re: Low-res

        I miss my ZX81 it had the same grey square ability.......wow how things move on.

    4. RegMidnight

      Re: Low-res

      Each pixel would be about 1 inch...

    5. P. Lee

      Re: Low-res

      Headline says 7k lines of pixels... already corrected?

  3. Andy The Hat Silver badge

    I want one ...

    when Dave, Quest and anything half interesting on Freeview are no longer upscaled 405 line ...

    1. Andy The Hat Silver badge

      Re: I want one ...

      ... credit card balance in assured state of stability for the foreseeable future ... :-)

  4. Ru'

    Meh, until I get my 8k mobile phone I won't be happy...

  5. Zippy's Sausage Factory
    Devil

    So this means everything Hollywood's done that wasn't on 35mm film is going to look ropey. I'm sure the big studios will just love that... nobody will want to watch anything made between about 1990 and some time next year or so.

    1. Anonymous Custard
      Trollface

      I'm sure they'll just use it as another excuse to carry on remaking, sorry reimagining, all of their old movies rather than splashing cash to trying to come up with anything new or original...

      1. FrogsAndChips Silver badge
        Unhappy

        Re: remakes

        If only it was just old movies. Nowadays any movie or show that's a bit original and successful but that doesn't speak merkin gets its Hollywood remake within a few years!

  6. Bronek Kozicki
    Happy

    I don't care about content

    ... I care how my personal computer would drive this display, at its native resolution, and where I can put it on the desk. Programs I will be running will provide the content!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Happy

      Re: I don't care about content

      You could try this puppy...

      http://www.nvidia.co.uk/object/visual-computing-appliance-uk.html

      Seriously, you use 4x HDMI's, so normal Quadro's will do the job, the same as you'd use for a video wall.

  7. djstardust

    Ha ha

    I just bought a Nokia N91. Will be pretty much the same then.

  8. Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse

    Alternatively...

    If I want to see "arty clips of nature" as you so eloquently put it, I could save £84,980 by buying a ticket to Marwell zoo? Or saving the whole balance by taking a walk down by the sea?

    I'm sure the resolutions of my visit would be much higher than 8k as well?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Alternatively...

      > I could save £84,980 by buying a ticket to Marwell zoo?

      Not at 2am in yer underpants you can't.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Alternatively...

        For £84k they'd let you in at any time wearing whatever you wanted to.

    2. JDX Gold badge

      Re: Alternatively...

      I doubt your shooting will be as good as in those videos. How close can you get to a killer whale as it chases a seal?

      1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge

        Re: Alternatively...

        How close can you get to a killer whale as it chases a seal?

        Those kayakers in Monterey Bay got pretty close. Much more realistic than TV.

  9. Fading

    My TV

    Only has 1920x1080 pixels - and there is still nothing to watch.....

  10. Mike Moyle

    No "7000 lines of pixels and nothing on" reference?

    Regular sub-headitor's day off...?

  11. phil dude
    Thumb Up

    jaded...

    it does seem we have all become a bit jaded? At the very least screens of smaller sizes will continue to get cheaper.

    I can't help thinking that video games will make use of this screen size, assuming you can get a video card to drive it!!

    I would happily have one on my wall to look at my molecular systems ;-)

    P.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Meh

    I remember seeing 4k screens for £89,0000

    So give it a few years and it will be "only" £1k

    1. phil dude
      Thumb Up

      Re: I remember seeing 4k screens for £89,0000

      my ASUS ASPB287Q 4K monitor cost "only" $590 last December.

      Mine's the desktop that is current 6400 x 2160, maximum 16384 x 16384

      P.

  13. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge
    Meh

    Solid 7Mbps ADSL or 0-75 Mbps from Cable?

    I'm sure it will make my 3Mbps video streams really come to life. (as long as I'm not getting an e-mail at the same time)

  14. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge

    didnt we pass "what the eye can actually percieve" last time round?

    1. Crazy Operations Guy

      Yep, the human eye cannot perceive pixels of this density. But people will buy these claiming to see a difference, just like the folk that claim that they can tell the difference between 24 and 32-bit encoded FLAC files. (I'll take a 4 MB MP3 over a 30 MB FLAC file any day of the week, can't tell the difference anyway...)

    2. Badvok
      FAIL

      At 0.25mm (85" 8K) versus 1mm (85" FHD) dot pitch you'd have really bad eyesight not to be able to see the difference. Though of course the distance at which you can see the difference does change.

  15. Christian Berger

    I see this thing in engineering offices

    Having worked on CAD workstations I know how frustrating it can be to have a team hunched over some tiny little screen showing a fraction of a design through a peep hole. With such a screen, you could finally show a significant part of the design and discuss it with others. No more scrolling, just your whole blueprint on one big screen. Everybody can just go there and look at the parts they are interested in. No more printouts just to talk about a design.

  16. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    "Yep, the human eye cannot perceive pixels of this density. But people will buy these claiming to see a difference, just like the folk that claim that they can tell the difference between 24 and 32-bit encoded FLAC files."

    You're absolutely right. Even in the link to the 8k youtube video, people claim the 8k video downscaled to display on their 1920x1080 display is sharper than a 1920x1080 video.

    Anyway... I can give you a third reason besides "way too expensive" and "nothing to watch on it yet":

    Look at the early adopters of HD sets. They bought a set, then once HD players came out, found out they'd been totally screwed over. Their set would have component inputs and possibly DVI, and they'd find out their player has HDMI and (due to movie company request) refuse to put out HD over the component connectors. This will happen to you if you get an 8k set now -- I guarantee whatever disc player you get years from now that supports 8k will NOT have 4 HDMI connectors!

    1. Badvok

      No, he's absolutely wrong. If you couldn't see a pixel that is 0.25mm square you'd have serious eyesight issues.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sharp resolution

    Not so sharp business sense.

    Nothing like trying to mass-produce a product that's of very little mainstream use.

  18. Francis Boyle Silver badge

    Slow glass?

    Just stick it in a hole in the wall and run a video of a suitably picturesque loch on a loop. I can't see much other use for it though.

  19. Yugguy

    No

    Just no.

    I do not in any way want an 85inch tv in my lounge. My friend has a 60 inch and it's horrific enough, it dominates the whole room and you find yourself leaning back when watching something on it.

    Awful.

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