Sony is set to launch its 2019 line-up of high-end television models with its 98-inch 8K TV costing $70,000, which roughly amounts to a whopping Rs 50 lakh in India – more than many luxury cars, including Audi A3, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz CLA cars.
Sony's Master Series Z9G is ready for release in June this year, Engadget reported on Tuesday.
The TVs would come with the X1 Ultimate processor, optimised precisely to handle the 33 million pixels for 8K outputs.
The TVs would also feature 8K X-tended Dynamic Range PRO and Backlight Master Drive with full-array local dimming.
While it is more affordable than Samsung's Q900 TV worth $100,000, it still makes the Z9G series virtually inaccessible to anyone, but wealthy viewers who insist on having the best, the report said.
Samsung's super expensive QLED 8K TV – Q900 – costs around Rs 70 lakh in India.
It’s interesting to see the prices being quoted by both these television giants, when the global demand for 8K TVs have barely scratched the surface. The biggest reason for the slow uptake is the lack of content in 8K resolution, which is unlikely to change till 5G develops to its full extent.
Both Samsung and LG have unveiled and displayed their 8K TVs with quadruple the pixels of Ultra HD, but unless the technology becomes accessible, these sky-rocketing prices are unlikely to come down and this shows in the market estimates as well.
According to data compiled by industry tracker IHS Markit, the global shipments of 8K models was expected to reach 338,000 units in 2018, falling short of 430,000 units which was anticipated in October last year.
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