If you’ve been thinking about moving from 4K to 8K, now may be a good time to upgrade. That’s because one of the biggest problems with 8K TVs – the lack of content captured for this super sharp resolution – is a far lesser problem. Without a doubt, 8K is the future of televisions. These devices offer four times the resolution of 4K models, which themselves offer four times the resolution of standard 1080p Full HD. This improved resolution is especially important if you’re buying a TV with a much larger screen – something more of us have done over the past year.
Now you might be wondering what this new technology is good for, after all, finding 4K content, let alone 8K, can be frustratingly difficult. Fortunately, that could change as BT Sport confirms it is ready to roll out this crisp format to consumers in the months ahead.
BT Sport is no stranger to 8K. The broadcaster tested live 8K feeds during Arsenal’s game against Olympiacos at the Emirates Stadium early last year. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and put plans on hold, causing a delay for BT driving a full rollout for customers. But now things are back on the right track.
BT says it recently completed construction of its first 8K-enabled gallery, one of the first outside of Japan.
The good news is that fans streaming on BT Sport don’t have to touch anything on their screens as the app always brings out the best quality that fits your setup and subscription plan. That said, if a soccer game is filmed in 8K and you have a compatible TV and BT Sport Ultimate plan, you get the full experience.
“That’s the beauty of the dynamic canal infrastructure that we provide,” said Hindhaugh. “We will always serve the best possible taste. For example, if you have an HDR television, the BT Sport Ultimate channel offers you this variant, if you have a 4K SDR television variant.
“We’re trying to stop talking to customers through conversation formats. We’re simply giving you the ultimate viewing experience, depending on that platform.
“In the future, if a BT Sport customer has subscribed to Ultimate, has the right connectivity and has a Samsung 8K TV, they will automatically be offered this offer when it is available in 8K.”
This is a huge investment from BT Sport, and you might be wondering why the company is putting so much time and energy into one format when millions of households have only just switched to 4K TVs.
“We were the first in the UK for 4K HDR, Dolby Atmos, 360, the list goes on,” Hindhaugh told Get the best quality available. It’s about getting people into the heart of sport.
“We don’t do it to be smart, we don’t do it to be the first, we do it to make sure we give people an experience and bring them closer to the action.”
Another benefit of live-action recording in native 8K resolution is that subscribers who have 4K TVs at home can tell the difference too. Hindhaugh added, “If we record in 8K, the quality of any feeds that result from it will be of better quality. So the 4K distribution recorded by 8K is a better image quality than the 4K recording with 4K cameras.”
In addition to BT Sport’s enthusiasm for the future, Samsung is excited that consumers will soon be able to watch content in 8K. As more of us invest in bigger screens, higher resolution is vital to getting the best living space experience.
“If you look at the market, screens 75” and higher have grown 115 percent over the past year and this is where 8K really shines, “said Deep Halder, director of TV / AV retail and content services at Samsung Electronics UK. “As consumers make these big purchases, they increasingly want to future-proof themselves. So knowing that 8K is available in these big screen sizes diminishes their appetite for a 4K screen.
“8K TVs are in homes now. As pioneers, it really is up to us to figure out who the right partner is that we need to support and incubate to bring this next generation experience into homes, and there is no one to do that is better than BT Sport. ” as a partner to offer the fans this stadium experience. “
BT Sport wouldn’t reveal exactly how many games will air in 8K this year. However, if you have one of these newest TVs in your living room, expect brighter and better content in the future.
