Samsung teams with 8KA for certification programme

Samsung has partnered with the 8K Association to launch what it calls a ‘first-of-its-kind’ certification programme.

The 8KA Certification Program is designed to create a standardised feature set for 8K displays. Tested features include display resolution reaching 7680 x 4320, peak brightness greater than 600 nits, image transmission of HDMI2.1 and high efficiency video codec (HVEC).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, a Samsung set – the QLED 8K – will be one of the first to be certified by the 8KA when it is released later this year.

The 8KA has also announced plans to increase educational programming efforts this year across many different industries in order to promote member participation, innovation and content development within the 8K ecosystem.

Hyogun Lee, executive vice president of the visual display business at Samsung Electronics said: “We are proud to be one of the founding members of the 8K Association and to have our new lineup of QLED 8K TVs certified by the programme. Our goal is to provide consumers with the ability to easily identify premium 8K displays from other devices when making purchasing decisions. Home entertainment and TVs are important investments for many of our consumers, and we hope that the 8KA Certification Logo will help guide them.”

The announcement of this certification follows the outlining of 8K specification from the 8KA last year, which also came with a promise to promote a logo on any member’s 8K TV that meets or exceeds the standard.

The technology will be amplified by its prominent place at the upcoming CES at the end of the month, but it is still some way off from being a mainstream proposition. IHS Markit estimated that 167,000 8K TVs would be sold in 2019, a figure that the research firm adjusted down from its initial estimate of 430,000 units.

The reasons for this are threefold: a lack of interest, with many consumers still viewing 4K as an emerging mainstream technology; expensive displays with an average cost of US$5,563; and a lack of 8K content available.