LG has stopped making 8K TVs

LG has put its 8K TV sets on hold.

The South Korean tech giant confirmed the news to FlatpanelsHD. In a statement to the publication, the company said it’s stopping manufacturing 8K panels, although it didn’t rule out returning to this business should market conditions improve.

LG debuted its first 8K OLED TV, the 88-inch Z9, in 2019. It had introduced a few other models, the Z1, Z2 and Z3, in subsequent years, but discontinued that last option late last year. At the time of writing, LG doesn’t even have any 8K TVs listed on its website anymore. That said, the Z3 is available on Amazon Canada for nearly $13,800, which, obviously, is a hefty price.

Meanwhile, other TV makers, like TCL and Sony, have already pulled out of 8K TVs. Samsung, meanwhile, isn’t pushing 8K very hard, opting instead to debut the occasional higher-end set, such as the 98-inch QN990H at CES last month.

Of course, 8K TVs are extremely expensive, and at a time when the cost of living continues to rise, it’s easy to see why even fewer people would now opt for such a niche option. (That’s to say nothing of how little support there is 4K to begin with.) We’re also seeing how streamers like Netflix have been rapidly growing their low-cost memberships which, among other concessions, offer 720 to 1080p streaming resolution.

For instance, based on most recently published figures, 94 million of Netflix’s overall 300 million subscribers are on its $7.99/month ad tier, which offers “only” 1080p resolution. If you want 4K resolution, you need the $23.99/month Premium membership — a hefty price increase. (The $18.99/month Standard membership also only offers 1080p streaming.)

All of this is to say that people are clearly content with lower video quality if it means saving some money.

Image credit: LG

Source: FlatPanelsHD