The 8K Association (8KA), the cross-industry group promoting growth and harmonization throughout the 8K ecosystem, announced that an 8K Association Certified program for 8K TVs is now available for 8K TVs that meet the requirements outlined by the 8K Association.

8K Association Certified TVs feature 4 times as many pixels as standard 4K TVs and deliver exceptional contrast and color for high dynamic range performance. Among the features tested include display resolution reaching 7680 x 4320, peak brightness greater than 600 nits, image transmission of HDMI2.1 and high efficiency video codec (HVEC). Member companies of the 8K Association will be able to promote 8K TVs under the 8K Association Certified banner after each TV model’s performance criteria is validated by an independent Certification Program Manager. Under this certification program for 8K televisions, TV brands will be able to display the 8K Association Certified logo to consumers to demonstrate the verified high-performance characteristics of each TV model.

The 8K Association expects that many top TV brands will launch 8KA-Certified TVs in 2020 and will use the 8KA Certified logo in the marketing of those TVs.

For 2020, the 8K Association plans to ramp up its education and industry cooperation activities. The 8KA plans a number of initiatives in the year ahead:

• Promotion and certification of 8K TVs with the 8K Association Certified program back by compliance validation
• Expanded promotional activity for the 8K industry to create cutting edge demos showcasing the maturing nature of 8K products, production workflows, delivery options and display devices
• New initiatives to reach consumers to promote the 8K ecosystem wherever people are engaging around high-quality video content.
• Facilitate the adoption of higher efficiency 8K streaming technologies.

Members of the 8K Association include Panasonic, AU Optronics, Hisense, TCL, Chili, Intel and Novatek. However, they notably do not include LG Electronics or LG Display.

A few weeks ago, the Consumer Technology Association in the US announced its own different definition of what constituted a ‘real’ 8K TV. And by that definition Samsung’s 2019 8K TVs didn’t make the grade, while LG’s debut 8K TVs did.

Looking ahead, the 8KA expects adoption of 8K in content creation, distribution and home penetration to follow a similar growth pattern as the adoption of 4K over the past several years, with 8K displays leading the way.

Samsung Electronics is partnering with the 8K Association (8KA) to establish a certification program designed to distinguish 8K-enabled televisions and other devices. Samsung said that its QLED 8K will be among the first TVs to be certified by the 8KA next year, bearing the new certification logo.