Global 8K TV Shipments to Approach One Million Units in 2019

Englewood, Colo., July 14, 2015--The advent of 8K broadcasting in Japan for the 2020 Olympics is expected to spur a new round of resolution increases, even though shipments have not yet started in serious commercial volumes. According to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), the leading global source of critical information and insight, shipments of 8K ultra-high definition (UHD) resolution (7680 x 4320 pixels) TVs are expected to increase from 2,700 shipped worldwide in 2015 to 911,000 in 2019. The IHS 8K TV forecast hinges on the 65-inch screen size, which has by far the highest volume in production and will account for almost 80 percent of 8K TV shipments in 2019. 

“The biggest inhibitor to the growth of 8K TV will be consumer screen size preferences,” said Paul Gray, principal analyst for IHS.  “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.” 

According to the IHS Quarterly TV Design and Features Reportnew LCD fabs in China are scheduled to come online in the next three years, so the capacity to make 65-inch 8K TV displays will increase dramatically. At the same time, Chinese consumers have proven to adopt new TV technologies early, as evidenced by their recent uptake of 4K UHD (3840 x 2160 pixels) resolution. “We can be confident that a combination of enhanced local panel production and consumers eager for the latest technology will make China the driving factor in 8K television growth,” Gray said.

The IHS Quarterly TV Design and Features Report tracks all 4K UHD TV product ranges, forecasts, video processing, and broadcasting; plus, detailed information on other aspects of TV design such as smart TV, backlighting technology, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) and 3D. For information about purchasing this report, contact the sales department at IHS in the Americas at +1-844-301-7334 or AmericasLeads@ihs.com; in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at +44 1344 328 300 or technology_emea@ihs.com; or Asia-Pacific (APAC) at +604 291 3600 ortechnology_APAC@ihs.com.