8K TV certification confirmed, logo expected in 2020

8K TV certification confirmed, logo expected on 2020 models
(Image credit: CTA)

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has confirmed the official industry definition and logo for 8K TVs, which will come into effect beginning with 2020 models.

As with the certification for 4K Ultra HD TVs, the 8K Ultra HD program is designed to help consumers recognise gear that meets the industry’s requirements. 

Derived with the input from “major companies” in the industry, the certification concerns everything you’d expect – digital inputs, HDR, up-conversion, bit depth and, of course, resolution. We can expect to see the logo on certified models in early 2020.

The display must have an 8K resolution with “at least 33 million active pixels, with at least 7680 horizontally and 4320 vertically within a 16:9 viewable window”, and be capable of receiving “10-bit 8K images and rendering an image that shows responsiveness to changes to any of the 10 bits”.

Importantly for 8K TVs in an age where 8K content is scarce (and in most territories, non-existent), certified TVs must have the ability to upscale SD, HD and 4K content to display on their 8K displays.

And lastly, one or more of the TV’s HDMI inputs must support a “resolution of 7680x4320 pixels; bit depth of 10-bits; frame rates of 24, 30 and 60 frames per second; HDR transfer functions and colorimetry as specified by ITU-R BT.2100; and HDCP v2.2 or equivalent content protection.”

It's a voluntary program, so it isn't compulsory for manufacturers of 8K TVs – Samsung, for example – to buy into it. Naturally, then, its usefulness to consumers will depend on how widely it's adopted by the industry – which we should be able to gauge in the coming months.

MORE:

Best 8K TVs 2019: the ultimate 8K resolution TVs

8K TV: the good, the bad, and why it's coming sooner than you think

4K vs 8K TV review – which is better? 

Becky Roberts

Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of Australian Hi-Fi magazine. During her 10 years in the hi-fi industry, she has been fortunate enough to travel the world to report on the biggest and most exciting brands in hi-fi and consumer tech (and has had the jetlag and hangovers to remember them by). In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.