LG Has 8K Monitor On Deck Before 4K Can Become Standard

LG could introduce an 8K beast at CES 2015

LG 34UM95 review monitor front display angle — Image used with permission by copyright holder

After checking out one of the world’s first 8K Ultra High Definition television sets back in September we were left craving for more. And more is what LG’s reportedly planning for CES 2015 in January. According to “LG insiders” in touch with Cnet, the Korean titan is working to bring this eye-popping pixel count to the show.

8K means a total of 33.2 million pixels, which translates to 7,680 x 4,320 resolution. Surprisingly, the display will be a “tiny” 55-inch set. That’s quite small compared to LG’s unwieldy 98-inch 8K TV prototype showcased at IFA 2014 in Berlin. It’s small even compared to current 65-inch, 4K televisions.

The size of the display means this the rumored 55-incher will boast an ultra-sharp pixel density of 160 per inch. That’s about the same as a 4K computer monitor and well over twice the density of a 65-inch 4K television. Of course, no video hardware currently in circulation is capable of backing this futuristic technology, so LG will allegedly be using specially tuned Nvidia hardware to display 3D images created specifically to demo the set.

While LG’s display will no doubt be impressive it’s not clear the company has any intention of putting out a consumer product soon. Just think back to the very first 8K TV prototype, flaunted at CES nearly three years ago by Sharp, which is still not available to the masses. It’s also worth pointing out that owning an 8K TV or computer display at this time would be virtually useless in the real world, as content producers are just now making headway with 4K-supporting games and movies. 8K content is a long way off.

That said, if you care to hear one more technical detail bound to keep you up at nights and make you instantly drool all over your outdated current Full HD system, here you go; the 8K LG monitor, codenamed “Mabinogion,” is rumored to include a white sub-pixel alongside red, blue and green which boosts maximum brightness to a record-setting 500 nits. This could be a more immediately applicable technology than 8K, as it’ll work well with existing content.

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