It seems the 8K TV business hasn’t been the massive success Sony had hoped for, and so they are pulling out of this segment — at least for now.
Is 8K resolution on TVs truly useful? It’s a question many people — including TV manufacturers — are seriously asking themselves. First, there’s the issue of viewing distance versus screen size. Very few people have a giant TV hanging in an average living room. Besides being too expensive, it’s also overwhelmingly large for most spaces. On smaller 8K screens, you’re often sitting too far away to notice any real difference between 4K and 8K resolution.
There are also technical hurdles. Average household internet speeds are currently not fast enough to stream 8K content without heavy compression. Finally, interest in physical Blu-ray discs and compatible players is declining rapidly.
Sony not the only one
It’s a trend that hasn’t escaped Sony’s attention. That’s why — at least for now — the company is stopping its efforts in 8K. In fact, Sony’s focus on 8K TVs had already been minimal, with their latest model — the Z9K — dating back to 2022. According to FlatPanelsHD, production of that TV has now officially ended, and no replacement is planned for the time being.
However, Sony does have several new 4K TVs scheduled for release in 2025. As it stands, Samsung is now the only manufacturer still launching new 8K televisions, while others have already exited the market.