8K discussion thread

[Auditor55]

Originally Posted by apollo828

It's baffling that some companies are bothering with 8K. Most people don't even bother with true 4K content for various reasons (Netflix charging extra, a premium for optical media when Blu-ray or *shudder* DVD suits them fine, etc). I'd argue that even fewer could tell a difference without a massive screen. Now we're supposed to leapfrog to a format that requires even more specialized cameras, more render time on server farms (AFAIK, 2K is still somewhat common for DIs, although I know this is slowly changing for productions with adequate budgets), even more expensive gear for broadcasting, and makes zero sense for small-to-mid-sized displays, much less portable devices? (Funny how Macbooks, even the pro ones, haven't made the full 4K leap yet and still sell like hotcakes.) Somebody out there must have *ahem* a wonderful pharmacist who visits them regularly.

The difference is HDR enhancement and not resolution. 99 percent of folk don't have TV'S large enough to make out the difference in resolution between 4K and 1080p. 8K is really a joke for TV'S smaller than 100 inches, so 8K is a waste of time and money.

[HDTV1080P]

Behind the scenes the Blu-ray Disc Association has been researching and developing since 2018 a new 8K Blu-ray format for a possible release in 2026+ (that is unless streaming wins the format war first). Hopefully the new 8K Blu-ray format will support both 3D and 2D up to 8K quality (or at least 3D up to 4K quality). While in the ideal world a 2TB optical disc should be used with both a new lossless video and audio codec, in the real world the new disc format might only be 200GB with each layer supporting 50GB. The 8K Blu-ray players would most likely be forward and backwards compatible with all HDMI displays using 480i,480P, 720P, 1080i, 2K, 4K, and 8K resolution.

The first article mentioning that a 8K Blu-ray format might be coming, was mentioned in January of 2018. Now if streaming wins the format war against all optical disc media, then 2026 would most likely only see a new 8K streaming format to purchase and rent movies.

https://displaydaily.com/blu-ray-dis...-on-8k-format/

If streaming did win the format war, I wonder what happens to any automated BOT’s that were designed to protect and defend the Blu-ray format. Hopefully they are not deleted and instead are transferred into a android or robotic body.

[RalphoR]

If an 8k format is released with 3D capability and there will be physical and streaming media available then I'd probably get a projector and player upgrade. 4k is perfectly fine for a TV.

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by HDTV1080P

Behind the scenes the Blu-ray Disc Association has been researching and developing since 2018 a new 8K Blu-ray format for a possible release in 2026+ (that is unless streaming wins the format war first). Hopefully the new 8K Blu-ray format will support both 3D and 2D up to 8K quality (or at least 3D up to 4K quality). While in the ideal world a 2TB optical disc should be used with both a new lossless video and audio codec, in the real world the new disc format might only be 200GB with each layer supporting 50GB. The 8K Blu-ray players would most likely be forward and backwards compatible with all HDMI displays using 480i,480P, 720P, 1080i, 2K, 4K, and 8K resolution.

The first article mentioning that a 8K Blu-ray format might be coming, was mentioned in January of 2018. Now if streaming wins the format war against all optical disc media, then 2026 would most likely only see a new 8K streaming format to purchase and rent movies.

https://displaydaily.com/blu-ray-dis...-on-8k-format/

If streaming did win the format war, I wonder what happens to any automated BOT’s that were designed to protect and defend the Blu-ray format. Hopefully they are not deleted and instead are transferred into a android or robotic body.

No 8K upgrade for Blu-ray, admits 8K Association

Steve May | Nov 18, 2019

The chances of an 8K upgrade for UHD Blu-ray 
are slim to none, according to Chris Chinnock, executive director of the 8K Association. Speaking at a format update organized by Samsung, HCC was told that the Blu-ray Disc Association has decided not to adopt 8K for physical media. 'Discussions could start again,' says Chinnock, 
'but I see this as a low probability.'

https://www.homecinemachoice.com/con...8k-association

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by HDTV1080P

Behind the scenes the Blu-ray Disc Association has been researching and developing since 2018 a new 8K Blu-ray format for a possible release in 2026+ (that is unless streaming wins the format war first). Hopefully the new 8K Blu-ray format will support both 3D and 2D up to 8K quality (or at least 3D up to 4K quality). While in the ideal world a 2TB optical disc should be used with both a new lossless video and audio codec, in the real world the new disc format might only be 200GB with each layer supporting 50GB. The 8K Blu-ray players would most likely be forward and backwards compatible with all HDMI displays using 480i,480P, 720P, 1080i, 2K, 4K, and 8K resolution.

The first article mentioning that a 8K Blu-ray format might be coming, was mentioned in January of 2018. Now if streaming wins the format war against all optical disc media, then 2026 would most likely only see a new 8K streaming format to purchase and rent movies.

https://displaydaily.com/blu-ray-dis...-on-8k-format/

If streaming did win the format war, I wonder what happens to any automated BOT’s that were designed to protect and defend the Blu-ray format. Hopefully they are not deleted and instead are transferred into a android or robotic body.

Please stop

[nick4Knight]

Wow it really is a 4 year dead narrative at this point. Now a cringe meme to still be throwing out hopium links and articles.

[apollo828]

That and some people can't distinguish between something made in a lab or being studied by an R&D team, and something mass produced for the public. I remember when some people were smug about 1 TB discs being made in a lab 10 or so years ago. Seen any for sale lately? Exactly.

(Then again, this is the same poster who appears to believe that "military-grade 512-bit encryption" will magically make some "2026+" 4K Blu successor uncrackable, and refuses to listen when you explain why they're wrong. I can no longer tell if this is somebody with zero social skills, some AI bot from the future, or a long-term troll job.)

[Auditor55]

Originally Posted by nick4Knight

Wow it really is a 4 year dead narrative at this point. Now a cringe meme to still be throwing out hopium links and articles.

8K was DOA.

[stvn1974]

I am 48 years old and I have the eyesite of Mr. Magoo now, 4K is as far as I need to go.

[sapiendut]

Need better glasses with glasses my eyesight is 20/15

[LordoftheRings]

Originally Posted by RalphoR

If an 8k format is released with 3D capability and there will be physical and streaming media available then I'd probably get a projector and player upgrade. 4k is perfectly fine for a TV.

8K/3D ... ya baby! It's permissible to dream while still living.

* 2K/3D is so . . . retro.

[LordoftheRings]

This is just for fun, nothing else.

Is Blu-ray the Last Optical Disc Format Ever? What's Next?

In 2018, scientists announced they had developed a 10TB optical disc with a theoretical lifespan of 600 years.

While Blu-ray may "only" be as fast as having gigabit fiber, the media size isn't standing still either. At some point in the future, 8K movie media will become available and this represents four times the amount of resolution compared to 4K, which is in turn four times that of 1080p footage. Streaming this content will be a tall order and downloading it to a local drive would be onerous.

☆ The Future: A Blu-ray disc the size of a quarter with holographic rainbow multi-terabyte (6D)
And, human tissues rejuvenation, up to 150 years lifespan (roughly twice today's average)
* We're gong to need a bigger, larger-than-life TV.

[stvn1974]

Now I am imagining a quarter sized discs coming scratched from Criterion and Shout Factory.

[apollo828]

Originally Posted by LordoftheRings

At some point in the future, 8K movie media will become available and this represents four times the amount of resolution compared to 4K, which is in turn four times that of 1080p footage. Streaming this content will be a tall order and downloading it to a local drive would be onerous.

Well, there's proof right there that the author's clueless. This is kinda sorta true when comparing DVDs and Blus, albeit just barely and arguably for a variety of reasons beyond a blunt force increase in resolution. (That and, in reality, it was a 5-6x resolution bump, depending on where you lived.)

Blus and 4Ks, which have a proper 4x bump in pixels? You're talking maybe 3x max, and more like 2x in practice. HEVC improves compression quite a bit, with VVC set to bring even more compression improvements.

Either way, it doesn't matter. The average viewer's gonna be content with any number of bit-starved streaming sites. If you're the kind of person who demands maximum quality, you're probably gonna have a 100 Mb/s or higher Internet connection already, with 200+ being ideal for headroom. Let's say 8K bumps it to 300 for disc-based quality. Again, you'll probably live in a place where 300+ Mb/s speed is available, or will soon. That's to say nothing of Starlink, where you're almost always able to stream Blu-level files without hiccups and have a good shot at no hiccups with 4K files. I doubt there are many people who insist on 4K quality while living in a setting where high-speed Internet just isn't feasible.

Still insistent on an 8K optical format being released? Okay. Who's gonna do all the R&D for all the hardware? Who's gonna write the specs and the authoring software? Are producers gonna go for an 8K workflow top-to-bottom? Who's gonna buy the hardware required to press the discs? 4K pressing plants are barely hanging on. The idea that they're gonna jump and buy 8K pressing equipment is ludicrous, unless they're intent on setting their bank accounts on fire.

(I get that the article is just a goofy bit of hopium. I'm just saying why it's hopium. )

[Rajzolja]

Everything is in correlation: in 4 years, we'll have h.266 aka. VVC HW encoding/decoding budget GPU-s, widespread 8K filming in Hollywood, cheap and energy-efficient* 8K TV-s, HDMI with loseless 8K 120Hz HDR-16 4:4:4, 8K (MFT, iPhone, GoPro etc.) cameras, 8K VR headsets etc.

1996: DVD
2006: Blu-ray
2016: Ultra-HD Blu-ray
2026: 8K Blu-ray

and

1999: PS2 with DVD
2006: PS3 with Blu-ray
2013: PS4 with Blu-ray 3D
2020: PS5 with Ultra-HD Blu-ray
2027: PS6 with 8K Blu-ray

I'm sure, that was the plan. I'm not sure that the bandwidth of the Internet connection will be able to serves this data traffic (hundreds of Mbits). Today there isn't any streaming service that could compete Ultra-HD discs, so for the best picture in this decade, we will need 8K Blu-ray. If we don't get 8K Blu-ray, we will get reduced 8K picture quality of streaming services.

* OK with 2023's EU rules

[gkolb]

Originally Posted by Rajzolja

Everything is in correlation: in 4 years, we'll have h.266 aka. VVC HW encoding/decoding budget GPU-s, widespread 8K filming in Hollywood, cheap and energy-efficient* 8K TV-s, HDMI with loseless 8K 120Hz HDR-16 4:4:4, 8K (MFT, iPhone, GoPro etc.) cameras, 8K VR headsets etc.

1996: DVD
2006: Blu-ray
2016: Ultra-HD Blu-ray
2026: 8K Blu-ray

and

1999: PS2 with DVD
2006: PS3 with Blu-ray
2013: PS4 with Blu-ray 3D
2020: PS5 with Ultra-HD Blu-ray
2027: PS6 with 8K Blu-ray

I'm sure, that was the plan. I'm not sure that the bandwidth of the Internet connection will be able to serves this data traffic (hundreds of Mbits). Today there isn't any streaming service that could compete Ultra-HD discs, so for the best picture in this decade, we will need 8K Blu-ray. If we don't get 8K Blu-ray, we will get reduced 8K picture quality of streaming services.

* OK with 2023's EU rules

One BIG problem here. The BDA has acknowledged that there is NO plan for 8K discs. Not now. And probably never.

4K discs are it at present, and near future.

Now I know you should never say never, but 8K has every indication if it could become a thing for 65mm negative moview of the past, and future productions. But it won't be on the bluray discs we know today.
Possibly either downloads, streaming, memory sticks, or mystical future tech.

[HDTV1080P]

Around 2026+ could see a new 8K optical disc format. If not then 2026+ might see 8K streaming and 8K download instead. With maybe 8K cable TV and satellite TV channels, unless 8K streaming takes more subscribers away from satellite TV and cable TV.

[mrtickleuk]

Originally Posted by HDTV1080P

Around 2026+ could see a new 8K optical disc format. If not then 2026+ might see 8K streaming and 8K download instead. With maybe 8K cable TV and satellite TV channels, unless 8K streaming takes more subscribers away from satellite TV and cable TV.

Wow! That sounds like a completely different reality from the one I'm in. Here in the UK we have barely a handful of 4K satellite TV channels, around a hundred High Definition satellite TV channels, and many hundreds of Standard Definition TV channels that will never ever even be in HD. Some of those dipped their toes into HD, found it too expensive and actually closed down their HD channel, going back to SD-only.

Based on the evidence, I couldn't disagree more with a prediction that there will be an 8K disc format. But obviously, time will tell. Merry Xmas

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by HDTV1080P

Around 2026+ could see a new 8K optical disc format. If not then 2026+ might see 8K streaming and 8K download instead. With maybe 8K cable TV and satellite TV channels, unless 8K streaming takes more subscribers away from satellite TV and cable TV.

Originally Posted by mrtickleuk

Wow! That sounds like a completely different reality from the one I'm in. Here in the UK we have barely a handful of 4K satellite TV channels, around a hundred High Definition satellite TV channels, and many hundreds of Standard Definition TV channels that will never ever even be in HD. Some of those dipped their toes into HD, found it too expensive and actually closed down their HD channel, going back to SD-only.

Based on the evidence, I couldn't disagree more with a prediction that there will be an 8K disc format. But obviously, time will tell. Merry Xmas

over her (Canada) no talk of 4K OTA, BDUs (sat, cable, fiber TV) have had 4k for a bit but it is limited to streaming and some sports events (i.e. no real broadcast type TV). Streaming has some supposed 4k that dies not beat
HD on physical media (IMHO) and the streaming providers instead of trying to improve what their AV is like are trying to cut costs and offer cheaper options (not criticizing, that is what their customers want).

I think physical media is the only hope one day we will get 8k that matters.

[Cortiz]

In other news, i'm thinking about buying me an unicorn. Anyone knows any top breeder?