iTunes 8K speculation

[The Watcher 69]

Okay, I know we're realistically years away, and Apple tends to be last with these things, but do we expect them to support 8K and, if so, when?

If 5G coverage reaches critical mass and the H.266 standard is ratified, that will break down some of the barriers.

Or will 4K remain enough for almost everybody?

[UHDuffer]

I think 8K will fail and never reach mass adoption rates.

Most tend to argue that the benefits that come from a 4K HDR image is not the resolution itself, but the advent and implementation of HDR for that content.

Sports and Wildlife photography not withstanding, IMHO, there is just not the benefits necessary to go for such detailed resolution with cinema.

Here's hoping we start to see some iTunes TV shows in 4K HDR.

[sea2000]

Originally Posted by The Watcher 69

Or will 4K remain enough for almost everybody?

This.

Heck, 2K will remain enough for many, maybe most.

[Poya]

Originally Posted by sea2000

This.

Heck, 2K will remain enough for many, maybe most.

DVD is still good enough for most people.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Poya

DVD is still good enough for most people.

Stuff most people.

[Bugg]

Originally Posted by Poya

DVD is still good enough for most people.

I'm not as certain of this as I once was. I think there are a lot of people that don't collect physical media or obsess over image detail, but they have become accustomed to HD. I was surprised how many sports fans expressed finding old games recorded in SD, to be difficult to watch when ESPN started re-airing a lot of the classic stuff during the height of covid lockdowns.

[ps3bd_owner]

Originally Posted by Poya

DVD is still good enough for most people.

I used to agree with this sentiment, but I don't anymore. I just finished watching a movie only available on DVD as far as I'm aware ("Another Day in Paradise" from 1998) and the SD quality showed its age.

Despite that, I'd still take DVD over a streaming of SD content.

[flyry]

Originally Posted by Poya

DVD is still good enough for most people.

Yet their TV and streaming has all been HD or higher for a decade + . they go with the cheaper option because studios never forced them to upgrade as they should have.

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by flyry

Yet their TV and streaming has all been HD or higher for a decade + . they go with the cheaper option because studios never forced them to upgrade as they should have.

The best answer is to offer options. Let the people chose which option they want: Good, Better & Best. Forcing people just alienates your target consumers.

The only reason why you can no longer buy new large HDTV TVs is that OEM TV manufacturers work on an economies of scale for production: cheaper to make one resolution panel than it is two (for the masses)

[flyry]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

The best answer is to offer options. Let the people chose which option they want: Good, Better & Best. Forcing people just alienates your target consumers.

The only reason why you can no longer buy new large HDTV TVs is that OEM TV manufacturers work on an economies of scale for production: cheaper to make one resolution panel than it is two (for the masses)

DVD came out in the playstation/N64 days. console makers have moved on. why can't the studios?

[tjritter79]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

The best answer is to offer options. Let the people chose which option they want: Good, Better & Best. Forcing people just alienates your target consumers.

The only reason why you can no longer buy new large HDTV TVs is that OEM TV manufacturers work on an economies of scale for production: cheaper to make one resolution panel than it is two (for the masses)

What happened Lee is that production of 4K panels at the larger size were just as inexpensive as the HD size. So the decision BECAME the consumers. In the settings they can set (for most models I'm aware of) the output at 1080 if they choose to on 4K sets. Now my 4K set is 6 yrs (900B) old of course it still has this option. The kids' TV's (800D) have this as well (2017). Newer sets I assume have similar settings.

[kannibaliztik]

8K for movies will never be a thing, especially for digital.

[jwsg]

The opposite in fact. 8K streaming will be the only way to make use of 8K TVs, and Apple are likely to at the forefront with an HDMI 2.1 ATV box at some point, although the studios themselves are taking more of an interest in streaming their own films.

[cleeve]

There's literally no point of 8K on home television.

It will probably eventually be used as some pointless marketing bit, but it will never be a thing beyond that, nor should it be.

[Canada]

Originally Posted by cleeve

There's literally no point of 8K on home television.

It will probably eventually be used as some pointless marketing bit, but it will never be a thing beyond that, nor should it be.

8K projectors are the only sensible thing. Joe Kane said we (most of us) have too small a 4K TV and sit too far away to get any benefit from the enhanced resolution. That's a 4K set. now imagine an 8K set. Plus the 8K TV's will still only be at 10 bit colour, the 8K set are not at 12 bit colour.

[mlabonte21]

Originally Posted by The Watcher 69

Or will 4K remain enough for almost everybody?

4K will likely be the standard for a minimum next 10-15 years.

Physical movie releases have reached their zenith and there will be no future formats to drive physical and prompt new & expensive film transfers.

The only radical change I can see in 10-15 years would be a true lossless video codec and a radically new physical television medium that would benefit from 8K.

Something like a stretchable/bendable display type that a person could use to cover an entire wall in their home.

Even then-- it'd have to be cheap enough for average consumers to afford.

Another rectangular tv with an 8 instead of a 4 is not enough to warrant the amount of work for the reward.

However, there are reasonable things to look forward to:

iTunes could activate 4K for the TV section at any point in the future.

And Apple kicks ass with compression. Any year in the future they can announce some newer codec that will make the 4K streams look EVEN BETTER (they already rival 4K discs-- could potentially even surpass them someday).

[The Watcher 69]

Originally Posted by cleeve

There's literally no point of 8K on home television.

It will probably eventually be used as some pointless marketing bit, but it will never be a thing beyond that, nor should it be.

True, most of the current content showcased on 8K TVs is short-form demos.

Originally Posted by mlabonte21

And Apple kicks ass with compression. Any year in the future they can announce some newer codec that will make the 4K streams look EVEN BETTER (they already rival 4K discs-- could potentially even surpass them someday).

Well H.266 is just around the corner, which will halve data requirements again. So they may use that to deliver better-quality 4K at comparable file sizes.


Of course, 8K may just become the standard without people even needing to "adopt" it - like how 4K TVs are now the only option.

[The Watcher 69]

As this article points out, hardly any existing content will be able to be upgraded to true 8K: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbrea...k-tv-nhk-japan

[tjritter79]

Originally Posted by The Watcher 69

As this article points out, hardly any existing content will be able to be upgraded to true 8K: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbrea...k-tv-nhk-japan

Ehh, its limited.
35 mm gives you the same resolution as 4K, so it stands to reason 70 mm gives you the same at 8K. If you scan 35 mm at 8K, then I think the grain becomes an issue with older films. But digital up-conversion is a LOT better going from 4K to 8K, especially when the native source is orig/remastered 4K.
Smaller screens give you additional color range and clarity....as an addendum to my original post....Dell now markets an 32" 8K monitor!
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

[BijouMan]

Originally Posted by mlabonte21

4K will likely be the standard for a minimum next 10-15 years.

Physical movie releases have reached their zenith and there will be no future formats to drive physical and prompt new & expensive film transfers.

The only radical change I can see in 10-15 years would be a true lossless video codec and a radically new physical television medium that would benefit from 8K.

Something like a stretchable/bendable display type that a person could use to cover an entire wall in their home.

Even then-- it'd have to be cheap enough for average consumers to afford.

Another rectangular tv with an 8 instead of a 4 is not enough to warrant the amount of work for the reward.

However, there are reasonable things to look forward to:

iTunes could activate 4K for the TV section at any point in the future.

And Apple kicks ass with compression. Any year in the future they can announce some newer codec that will make the 4K streams look EVEN BETTER (they already rival 4K discs-- could potentially even surpass them someday).

Streaming will NEVER surpass disc. Even if they somehow miraculously get enough bandwidth, the most that's possible with a given master is an exact bit-for-bit image of the disc, which by the way is what Kaleidescape carries. Everything is made for disc first, and then scaled down for streaming. The only way streaming could be higher quality than the current disc is if a newer disc with an even higher capacity was introduced for studios to create masters for.