Everything You Need to Know About 8K Monitors Before Investing One

Whether you are putting up with your 1080p monitor or currently enjoying your recent 4K monitor upgrade, having a high-resolution monitor is always a catch.

4K monitors are in full swing– but 8K monitors might steal the show soon.

That’s a huge leap for monitor resolutions, but will they do justice?

Similar to 4K monitors, the transition requires new technologies. Up to this day, the current bandwidth limitations and video compressions cannot fully utilize 4K resolutions.

But why are large companies pimping over their 8K resolution monitors?

Are 8K monitors a gimmick? Or are they really worth it?

Let’s dig up the things we need to know about 8K monitors– and why you should consider a few things before investing in one.

8K Resolution: What Do You Have to Know?

8K resolution is higher than 4K– that’s it. That’s one thing (or the only) fact that we know about 8K monitors.

An 8K monitor has a resolution of 7,680 by 4,320 pixels. That’s 16 times higher than 1080p and twice higher than 4K resolution, making it sharper and clearer. 

But, if you pay attention to monitors, resolutions have an “HDR” or “SDR” label beside them. These terms confuse a lot of consumers. But you have to know the difference to understand the development of 8K monitors and know how to choose the best 4K monitor.

What do HDR and SDR Labels Mean?

1080p, 4K, and 8K are resolutions by pixels. On the other hand, the labels HDR and SDR define what these pixels show. Each pixel has assigned values that determine the color, hue, and luminance of its subpixels (red, green, blue, or white).

SDR (or Standard Dynamic Range) is limited because of its technical restrictions. Its display cannot accurately show darker, colorful, or brighter pictures. Any signals sent over satellite, cable, or air during broadcasts and streaming media are limited.

Meanwhile, HDR (High Dynamic Range) takes advantage of the full range of values in light and color. They have greater capabilities with LCD and OLED screens.

In context, all HDR content is 4K, but not all 4K content is HDR– and this logic extends to 8K resolutions. The same as 4K, 8K monitors can be HDR or SDR. Although predictably, most 8K content will be available in HDR, we can’t testify yet because there is no 8K content available yet.

Things an 8K Monitor Needs

Either you wait for the right time, or you’re getting the 8K sooner. You can only make most of it if you have the right cables. Your 8K monitor has needs, and these are:

DisplayPort Monitors

A DisplayPort 1.4 cable is widely available in the market, and it comes in various shapes, lengths, adaptors, and sizes. The cable can support all high-end graphic cards.

Although DisplayPort 1.4 cable supports monitors with higher refresh rates, it can only cater to lower resolutions– up to 60Hz with HDR display and 30Hz for 8K resolution. 

Aside from having an 8K screen resolution, there are other things you need to prepare to appreciate the media content in an 8K resolution. 

HDMI Cables

8K monitors and video content requires a higher bandwidth. The monitors have more pixels that contain more information than usual. Thus, it requires higher bandwidth to accommodate the 8K content. If you are to stream 8K content, you need a 5G internet connection. Meanwhile, connecting the 8K monitor to other theater devices requires an HDMI 2.1 cable. 

An HDMI 2.1 cable can handle the required bandwidth to deliver the 8K content. If you have a lower bandwidth connection, it compresses the video and lowers the video frame rate and resolution. 

Even if your device supports 8K content, it will not do any good if you cannot deliver the video to the monitor. Thus, it would help if you had a stronger internet connection, DisplayPort 1.4 cable, or HDMI 2.1 cable so your source device such as game system, Blu-ray player, and media streamer can support 8K videos.

8K monitors will become a popular choice, and higher-end graphics cards will make it more mainstream. In the years to come, there will be more 8K monitors available in the market. But is now the right time to invest in 8K monitors?

Should You Start Investing in 8K Monitors?

8K monitors are already available in the market. Large technology companies are advertising their 8K monitors non-stop. 

But still, now is not the time to invest in one. 

The majority of the consumers are unwilling to drop 5-digits for an 8K monitor purely for bragging rights. These monitors are unjustifiably expensive, and you cannot watch any native 8K video content yet.

So, When is the Best Time to Invest in 8K Monitors?

Most people wait for at least 2 years or until the new technology becomes a realistic option. Although consumers are starting to consider 8K monitors as a top-tier option, its price jump and incompatibility to most technologies today is still a concern. Therefore, most are still conservative about investing in one.

Of course, that’s only the compatibility concerns. 

Content consumption is another story that leaves a bigger question. If 4K resolution isn’t yet fully utilized, what more the 8K monitors? Its resolution will not do justice as 8K content is not available in any streaming, broadcast, or physical media. 

It will take time for 8K content to become available to consumers. Only YouTube supports the format for the streaming media. Meanwhile, gaming consoles such as the latest Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X claim they support 8K content. However, neither of these systems is currently 8K-enabled. 

Thus, we can’t say anything about this for now. If 4K content and compatibility is still struggling to deliver its resolution, 8K will not do any justice. For now, upgrade or stick to 4K monitors. 

But, if you are one of the early adopters who want to take a shot with 8K monitors, jump in! Beyond everything, beauty (resolution) is in the eyes of the beholder. So if you want to get ahead of everyone else and be ready for future content, go for it.

Let us know how impressive it is.