Who Has Real 8K TV Technology LG Takes Another Crack At Samsung

It’s set to be a major issue at CES 2020, who has the best and above all “real” 8K TV offering.

LG and the Consumer Technology Association the organisers of CES have announced that LG 8K TVs are the first TV’s in the world to receive 8K Ultra HD certification.

Two months ago, ahead of the IFA 2019 Show in Berlin, LG accused Samsung 8K TV’s of not being real 8K TV technology.

CTA announced its 8K Ultra HD specification and logo back in September 2019.

LG’s 2020 8K TVs are the first to meet “and exceed” the official industry specification for 8K TVs, the companies announced overnight.

LG’s “real 8K TVs” will be unveiled at CES 2020. Samsung is expected to also make announcements re their new 8K TV offering.

Besides specifying 8K resolution (7680×4320 pixels), a central element of the 8K Ultra HD specification relies on contrast modulation.

A 4K TV or an 8K TV with low contrast modulation will not be capable of reproducing the full resolution.

To meet the 8K Ultra HD specification an 8K TV “shall meet a minimum of 50% contrast modulation using a 1×1 grill pattern”, according to the specification.

LG claims that its 2020 8K TVs all deliver CM (contrast modulation) values in 90 percent range.

LG is now referring to its TVs as “real 8K TVs”.

Current flagship 4K and 8K TVs from Samsung use a subpixel rendering technique to improve viewing angles at the expense of resolution claims LG.

“CTA is the consumer technology industry authority, and LG’s use of the CTA 8K UHD logo communicates a clear message to consumers that a Real 8K TV from LG will deliver the viewing experience they expect,” said Nam Ho-jun, SVP of R&D at LG. “We expect LG’s 2020 8K TV line-up to set a new standard for the TV industry.”

FlatpanelsHD examined Samsung’s system in our Samsung Q90R review and expanded on the subject in our Why you shouldn’t buy an 8K TV in 2019 article. FlatpanelsHD has yet to review any 8K TVs from LG but the company says that the numbers were verified by certification organization Intertek as well as VDE.

To obtain 8K Ultra HD certification, an 8K TV must also include at least one HDMI 2.1 input and support HDR.

Specifications are listed below.

8K Ultra HD – as defined by CTA 

A display may be referred to as 8K Ultra High Definition or 8K UHD if it has the following attributes:

Display Resolution: The display shall have at least 33 million active pixels, with at least 7680 horizontally and 4320 vertically within a 16:9 viewable window. The aspect ratio of the image shall be properly produced and not distorted. Physical pixels shall be individually addressable such that the horizontal and vertical resolution above can be demonstrated over the full range of colors provided by the display and measured in accordance with the established guidelines for measurement of visible resolution specified in version 1.03c, section 7.8, of the International Display Measurement Standard (IDMS) specified by the International Committee for Display Metrology (ICDM). Display shall meet a minimum of 50% contrast modulation using a 1×1 grill pattern.*

* – If the contrast measurement is phase dependent, the average of the measurements of the two phases shall be used for the calculation of contrast modulation as described in section 7.2 of IDMS 1.03c.

Up-conversion: The display is capable of upscaling SD, HD and 4K video and displaying it at 8K display resolution or better.

Digital Inputs: Has one or more HDMI inputs supporting the following characteristics:
– Resolution of 7680×4320 pixels.
– Bit depth of 10-bits.
– Progressive scan.
– Frame rates of 24, 30, and 60 frames per second as well as at the associated
1000/1001 fractional frame rates.
– Frame rates of 25 and 50 frames per second for displays intended for use in 50 Hz
regions.
– HDR transfer functions as specified by ITU-R BT.2100.
– RGB Colorimetry and the Non-Constant Luminance Y’C’BC’R signal format, as
specified by ITU-R BT.2100.
– At least one of the 7680×4320 HDMI inputs shall support HDCP v2.2 or equivalent
content protection.

Bit Depth: Has the capability to receive 10-bit 8K images and render an image that shows responsiveness to changes to any of the 10 bits. The exact manner of processing is not specified.