We’ll have to wait on individual reviews and hands-on time with the new TVs to make a more detailed case for TCL’s new sets. To this end manufacturers are using machine learning, with AI driven upscaling that can identify objects, pick out different types of scenery, and even make educated guesses about textures and patterns that may not have been captured in the original content at all. In the near future, there are a few other options on the horizon. TCL’s 2020 TV lineup included several of the best TVs we saw last year, but for 2021, TCL opted to carry those same models forward as the flagship TVs for the new year.
In simple terms, it does this by adding additional pixels to the picture, allowing lower resolution images to display on the larger screen. For 8K TV owners, your biggest selection of media will still be upscaled media, blowing up 4K and 1080p content to display on your big 8K screen. 8K TVs: What can you actually watch in 8K? TCL Google TVs just put Roku and Fire TV on notice — here’s why. If TCL can do for Google TV what it’s done with Roku smart TVs — namely, deliver above average quality at surprisingly reasonable prices — then affordable TVs could be in for major improvements across the board.
In terms of market share and accessibility, it puts the successor to Android TV onto a lot more affordable displays. Whether you want to pony up the tens of thousands of dollars for a Red Helium 8K camera – that’s what the movie studios are using – or just make the most of the 8K video capabilities on your new Samsung Galaxy S21 , the shortest path to getting 8K video on your TV might be a phone camera in your hands. Here’s what you need to know about 8K content and where to find it.
TCL’s big bet on Google. It could happen sooner than any of us expect. But the fact remains the TCL has just put Roku and Amazon on notice. Recent trials with multiple antennas have proven that 8K signal can actually work over-the-air, using MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) technology similar to that used in modern Wi-Fi gear. But neither console has really delivered on that promise, since there are no games that take advantage of this resolution.
Broadcast technology could soon (sort of) support 8k content, and 8K sports may be a reality within the next year. But even as UHD Blu-ray sales and 4K streaming options have grown, 4K media remains a small segment of the media market. Put simply, Google is directly taking on Amazon’s Fire TV and Roku smart TVs, and Google came to win. But I’m not betting on it.
In the past, TV manufacturers have applied a number of technical tricks to the upscaling process, using anti-aliasing and smoothing to eliminate the jagged edges that simple pixel doubling creates, color distribution to create more natural looking objects, and more. And the lack of 8K content is the biggest reason. Even with as-yet-undeveloped compression technologies, minimum bitrate for streaming in 8K will be 100 Mbps or higher.
But just like 8K TVs, it’s still very early in the game for NextGen TV, and the rollout is happening slowly. But most productions that use 8K cameras aren’t even planning an 8K release. Sports will likely be the first place that real progress is made for 8K content. Finally, all this upcoming 8K content might be most easily delivered to antenna users. As a result, most people don’t get the coolest smart TV features, and that’s a real shame.
8K content: Broadcast. All of this is exacerbated by recent events. 2020 was expected to be a breakout year for 8K content. Doing this across the image turns a 1920 x 1080 image into a 3840 x 2160 pixel image, and doing it again will fill the 7680 x 4320 pixels of an 8K display. In order to actually game in 8K, you’ll need a high-end gaming PC rocking either an Nvidia RTX 3090 or an AMD Radeon RX 6800.
Streaming 8K content, which has four times the resolution of 4K, and up to 120 frame rate (double the 60 frames per second that 4K generally uses), will demand much more. 8K content: Blu-ray. The best place to get 8K content might actually be to make your own. It seems likely now that TCL’s plan all along was to launch these new Google TV-powered versions of those award-winning TVs.
You can stream 8K video on YouTube and Vimeo . Based on the same Android operating system as many phones and tablets, the TV-oriented version of Android benefits from the rich selection of apps and services in the Android ecosystem, as well as a flexibility that lets it run on all sorts of hardware. The next step in broadcast TV ( ATSC 3.0 or NextGen TV) offers much better signal bandwidth than current transmission standards, and can already deliver 4K content over-the-air. But you can find some 8K video through select streaming outlets, enjoy gaming in 8K (provided you have the right hardware), and you can even try making your own 8K videos.
These are the best TCL TVs out right now : 9 things you need to now Plus: I just tried LG’s $100,000 rollable OLED TV — here’s what it’s like. You’ll have a small selection of landscapes and similar stock footage options to choose from. Google TV: Android smart TVs grow up.
We could still be writing articles in 2031 about whether it’s worth buying an 8K TV, and helping people figure out how to find and watch 8K content. Is there anything to watch on an 8K TV? And where do you find it?
It’s a significant enough improvement that we gave it the Tom’s Guide 2021 Award for the best smart TV platform. For the moment, it looks like TCL’s Google TVs will be a little more expensive at launch than the equivalent Roku models from last year. But lower resolution content, whether it’s 1080p shows streamed from Netflix or 720p shows broadcast from major networks, is harder to get right. 8K content: Long-term outlook.
Now the PS5 and Xbox Series X are here, but 8K gaming isn’t enabled, and the Tokyo Olympics have been rescheduled for this July, complete with NHK’s 8K broadcast. The addition of Google TV to TCL’s higher-quality, but still budget-friendly models in the 5 and 6 Series, represents an important shift for both TCL and Google. Ultra HD Blu-ray discs were introduced in 2016, but Netflix started streaming in 4K two years prior. The TCL name has been very closely associated with Roku over the last few years.
With this being only the second major launch of Google TV-based smart TVs from a bigger name manufacturer — the first was in the Sony 2021 TV lineup earlier this year — it represents a big step forward for the big-screen operating system. But 4K media is still relatively scarce. Actually, a smartphone may be your best bet.
Even the 4K releases of major movies, like Avengers Infinity War aren’t true 4K, they’re 2K source material scaled up to 4K – not much different than what your TV already does with full HD video. I’ve seen enough 8K TVs to confidently say that 8K is a major upgrade over 4K, and it’s an upgrade you definitely want… eventually. And there’s no denying that the latest upscaling technologies are significantly better than anything we’ve seen in the past. The interesting counterpoint to this is the newer 4K standard, which was introduced in 2012, but in less than a decade, 4K TVs have become the standard for the TV market, dropping in price drastically – just check out the best TVs under $500 for some excellent examples of affordable 4K TVs. But every time I’m asked whether an 8K TV is worth buying now, the answer isn’t just "no", it’s "not for a long time".
It could be the best thing to happen to smart TVs in years. Most over-the-air broadcasts are in 720p, with cable and satellite still stuck at to 720p and 1080i, and even streaming is mostly done at 1080p, though there are many more options for 4K streaming today. We’ll take a look at each option in detail, but the short answer is that there are still relatively few places to get 8K video, and professionally-made 8K movies and shows are still largely missing. Given that median download speeds were roughly 86 Mbps for homes in the U.S. last year (according to Speedtest.net), it’s unlikely that we’ll have widely available broadband to support 8K streaming anytime soon.
Right now, 8K TVs are just a big, expensive, complicated way to watch 4K movies. Let’s look at each option in detail. That could change within the next year or so.
The move to Google TV also offers enhanced smart home compatibility, drawing on Google’s deep ties to its own Nest products and a growing ecosystem of other smart home devices as those product categories have matured. Samsung and BT Sport have teamed up in Europe to offer Premier League and Champions League matches in 8K, and LG shot a single Premier League match in 8K in late 2019 – though that was largely a move to gather some demo material for LG’s 8K sets. Even when it does happen, it can sometimes be pretty slow. Ultra HD Blu-ray is the best way to get 4K movies for 4K TVs, but any 4K aficionado will tell you that even those pickings are pretty slim.
What it means: Better TVs, more competition. A few of the we’ve reviewed offer 8K video, like the OnePlus 9 Pro , the Asus ROG Phone 5 or the Asus Zenfone 8 . That’s all to say that a meaningful rollout of 8K media could be years away. Both Sony and TCL Google TVs are outfitted with far-field microphones, essentially making the TV a big smart speaker, just like a Google Home, complete with functions that tie in to smart thermostats, video doorbells and myriad other devices. The good news is that once media or streaming formats are figured out, there should be some 8K movies ready to go.
But then, as with most things 2020, the year of 8K failed to go as planned. The postponed Tokyo Olympics is still planned to showcase 8K, with live 8K footage shared in Japan by broadcaster NHK, and international audiences getting 8K online, through download or streaming. But pixel doubling alone is a fairly crude method, and it makes for lousy looking images, especially on higher resolution displays.
Instead, they shoot in 8K so that they can later reframe shots and tighten in on actor’s faces in the editing booth without losing resolution for the 4K version of the movie. Gaming might suddenly take off, provided GPUs or current game consoles ever become widely available. Frankly, upscaled 4K or lower resolution content is far and away the most realistic content for your 8K TV, because there’s just not much out there yet. Check out the best TVs we’ve reviewed Our TV buying guide has advice for every TV shopper What to buy? These are the best TV brands you can get.
Upscaling is the process used to make lower resolution content display properly (and hopefully look better) on a higher resolution screen. While other TV manufacturers have offered Roku-powered displays, a quick glance at our picks for the best Roku TVs shows a lineup heavily slanted toward TCL products, and for good reason. These Android-powered models are largely identical to their Roku-powered counterparts, but the TCL Android lineup hasn’t been as widely promoted or even as widely available through major retailers.
8K content: Record your own video. Why TCL TVs matter. Even then, you’ll be limited to a handful of games – almost nothing is made to be rendered at 8K resolution.
Boy, what an understatement. 8K content: The chicken, the egg and the pandemic. 8K content: Streaming.
As a reviewer and smart TV enthusiast, I couldn’t be more thrilled. Also, Google’s smart TV interface is not tied to any one TV manufacturer, unlike LG’s webOS or Samsung’s Tizen platforms. And movie and TV production sometimes evolves slowly, as these new standards have to filter through to camera equipment, editing software, and new distribution methods are needed for the sudden jump in bandwidth. As a result, Android TV has been licensable to several TV manufacturers, making it one of the only brand agnostic options available for TV shoppers, alongside Roku. Netflix says you need at least 25 Mbps download speeds to stream 4K Ultra HD content, and Sony’s new Bravia Core streaming service is promising true lossless streaming quality in 4K, and it’s estimated to use up to 80 Mbps to stream in ultra HD. (Check out our guide What internet speed do I need? to learn more.) TCL has just announced some big news this week: A full slate of TCL Google TV models are coming in the next month or so.
It effectively combines the same top-notch hardware with Google’s revamped operating system to make a play in that same high-value category. The 8K Association , the industry body that handles 8K certification and promotes the 8K format, puts it this way on their website: "We admit, it’s not yet as simple as flipping to any TV channel to find beautiful 8K resolution content." And here we are, in the middle of 2021. 8K TVs are available to buy, some even at somewhat reasonable prices, but 8K content is still nowhere to be found. The good news is that 4K content when upscaled to 8K resolution looks pretty great.
You can’t talk about modern TVs without talking about streaming, but if you’re looking for 8K movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime, you’re out of luck. But if you’re interested in buying an 8K TV now – or perhaps have already ponied up an extra few thousand dollars for one – you want to know where you can watch 8K media now, today. Several recent films have shot in 8K – Guardians of the Galaxy 2 was the first major Hollywood film shot at the higher resolution. The spotlight has always been Roku. The good news is that 4K content when upscaled to 8K resolution looks pretty great.
Adding metadata like high-dynamic range and deeper color depth will only make for even larger digital files. The two companies have worked closely with one another to make TCL Roku TVs some of the best affordable smart televisions you can find. The biggest names in streaming have announced no plans for 8K in the near future, and some, like HBO Max launched without even having any 4K content. (They have since added some 4K titles, but not all TVs and devices support it.) The first HDTVs started selling in 1998, but it wasn’t until 2008 that Blu-ray was adopted as the new standard for HD movies releases by the major Hollywood studios – a full decade after the first HDTV went on sale.
Talk to any TV manufacturer about 8K TVs and there’s one term you’ll be hearing a lot of: Upscaling. The Tokyo Summer Olympics were set to be broadcast in full 8K resolution, and 8K capable game consoles were on the horizon for the holidays. The Olympics might be a turning point, driving 8K adoption enough to spur development in streaming and home media. The postponed Tokyo Olympics is planned to showcase 8K, with audiences getting content online through download or streaming.
By partnering with TCL to roll out several new Google TV products, Google is taking aim squarely at some of the most popular smart TV platforms on some of the most affordable smart TVs you can buy. Budget TVs are about to become a hotly contested space. 8K content: Upscaling. There’s also the question of bandwidth. But on 8K TVs, which are just as likely to be upscaling 720p imagery from broadcast television as they are a 4K Blu-ray movie, the upscaling has to be significantly better.
The change in branding is accompanied by several new features, including advanced content suggestions that combine Google’s many content channels (YouTube, YouTubeTV, Google Play Video, etc) and search chops, linking TV viewer profiles to Google users and letting you save and share watchlists between phone and TV, among other things. So why add Google TV to the mix? Both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X use custom AMD hardware that can output up to 8K resolution, with frame rates up to 60Hz at that resolution. Innovations introduced by TCL, such as the combination of QLED and mini-LED backlight as seen in our TCL 6-Series Roku TV (R635) review , has had a significant impact on the home theater market, with mini-LED-lit quantum-dot TVs since being introduced by both Samsung and LG. But, even if you’re content gathering video in 3-5 minute snippets and skipping anything like editing – you’d encounter the same production issues that Hollywood is already running into – that’s still an awful lot of work just to enjoy the full capability of your new 8K TV.
That’s a bit of a gamble, betting that some of the best affordable TVs of last year wouldn’t be replaced by models from competitors like Hisense and Vizio. (Both of these competing manufacturers have in fact delivered great TVs this year, so this was not at all a safe bet.) But the bet has so far paid off, as evidenced by the TCL 6-Series reigning still as our favorite value among the best TVs. ATSC 3.0 broadcasts are being introduced in cities around the country, and the first TVs with ATSC 3.0 tuners appeared in 2020. TV shoppers can overlook a lot – price, size, complexity, unfinished standards – but only when jumping over those hurdles gets them something in return. A single triple layer Blu-ray 3.0 disc has a capacity of 100GB, which might be enough for an 8K movie, but not without some serious compression. The result is a polished version of what was already an excellent smart TV experience.
8K content: Sports. That includes from these new TCL Google TVs and those from Roku and Amazon as the competition heats up. Raw 8K footage weighs in at 121.5 GB per minute , with a full hour of footage resulting in a giant 7.29 TB file.
The result is that TCL has been able to make its inexpensive Roku TVs a major presence in televisions. For starters, Google TV represents the latest evolution of Android TV, which has been the name of Google’s smart TV interface for the last several years. The shortest path to getting 8K video on your TV might be a camera phone in your hands. You just aren’t likely to pay $2,000 for a high-end model when all you want is a 4K display that can play Netflix and Disney Plus.
This move also seems like a carefully calculated step on TCL’s part. The new sets are available for preorder, with the 5-Series starting at $599 and the 6-Series models starting at $999. NASA also has 8K footage available for download, from the first 8K video of Earth (shot in 2018) to … well, that’s it. (It’s also available on YouTube .) But equipment for live events is even more cost prohibitive than movies.
As with movies and shows, upscaled 4K content is probably the best you’ll get in most cases. 8K content: What you can watch. The improvement in picture quality is genuinely stunning, and the level of realism it delivers will be game changing for more than just entertainment. That allows for a very high level of quality.
Even as UHD Blu-ray sales and 4K streaming options have grown, 4K media remains a small segment of the media market. TCL makes really good hardware, and the company owns its full manufacturing supply chain, from the panel to the finished TV. What I expect, however, is that the small price increase for the new Google TV sets will soon vanish as release windows pass and sales start knocking down prices to levels closer to what the current Roku sets bring in. TCL released its first Android TVs last year, but relegated the platform to its less expensive and less advanced 3- and 4-Series models. The premium smart TV category dominated by LG, Samsung and Sony has long offered the sort of expansive functionality that most people want from a smart TV, but premium TV prices keep those models out of most homes.
Navigating this early stage can make or break new technologies, with many innovations never achieving the critical mass needed to create a thriving ecosystem of both hardware and content. This includes new Google-powered versions of the highly popular TCL 6-Series and 5-Series smart TVs. In many ways the switch to Google TV is a branding move, since the underlying software is still Android. Even in this age of streaming, videophiles tend to hold out for physical media, so it makes sense to imagine that 8K Blu-ray discs are in the works. 8K content: Gaming.
As the smart TV category matures, we expect this to result in some of the best smart TVs to hit the market at aggressive prices. Look at any review of any 8K TV on the market and you’ll run into one nagging question: Where’s the 8K content? The first 8K TVs were introduced in 2018, and three years later the availability of 8K media is still relatively non-existent. So where can you stream 8K video?
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The pickings are mighty slim. But the addition of Google TV is a big step. The most basic forms of upscaling use what is called pixel doubling, turning a single pixel into a larger 2×2 cluster of pixels.
New formats are always faced with something of a chicken and egg problem, with new hardware required to support the latest and greatest formats, and media in that new format to justify buying the hardware that supports it. The latest gaming consoles dangle a vague promise of 8K gaming, but neither one really delivers. HDMI 2.1, the first HDMI standard that can handle 8K, has a bandwidth of 48 Gbps.
No matter how smart the upscaling is, blowing something up several times the size and resolution of the original content will be noticeable. What about Roku? Given that TCL also just launched the TCL Roku TV 6-Series 8K (R648) in partnership with Roku, I doubt that the TCL/Roku pairing will go away anytime soon. And without any real 8K content available anywhere, there’s no prize at the end of that steeplechase. Cameras like the Sony UHC-8300 cost about a half a million dollars, and on-site production equipment is similarly expensive, and has to be updated to handle the increased demands for data and storage.
But if landscape timelapses are your thing, pretty much any 35 megapixel camera can capture images at 8K resolution. But there’s more to it than that.