8K Association Launches Comprehensive Education and Promotion Campaign

The 8K Association is a non-profit organization promoting the 8K ecosystem, educating and promoting its creation, distribution, and consumption, and establishing Work Groups for information dissemination.

The 8K Association (8KA) has launched a global education and promotion campaign to accelerate the adoption of 8K content, products, and services. This initiative highlights recent advancements in content production, display technology, and video processing, positioning 8K as a key growth area in ultra-high-definition entertainment. The campaign includes demonstrations, panel discussions, and resources at global industry events such as the 2024 CEDIA Expo, IBC Amsterdam, and IFA Berlin.

The campaign aims to increase awareness and understanding of 8K technology, showcasing its potential to deliver more immersive and realistic viewing experiences. By engaging with key stakeholders across the AV industry—manufacturers, content creators, integrators, and retailers—the 8KA seeks to drive market adoption, capitalize on the growing demand for larger screen sizes, and establish 8K as a standard for future entertainment and visual technology.

The 8K Association (8KA), a not-for-profit organization comprised of key technology companies in the consumer and professional markets, announced today a multifaceted global education and promotion campaign that is designed to accelerate the industrywide adoption of 8K content, products, and services.

The new program, unveiled on the eve of the 2024 CEDIA Expo, underscores how recent advances in content production, display technology and video processing have made 8K a compelling value proposition for those entertainment enthusiasts who are seeking a more powerful viewing experience. Properly implemented, this gives 8K technology the potential to drive the greater adoption of ultra-high definition entertainment in the coming decade.

Expectations are Changing

According to estimates made by Display Supply Chain Consultants this past May, 8K is poised to represent 6 percent of all TV sales by 2027. This coincides with additional data showing that 70-inch or larger screen sizes are now the fastest growing segment in new television sales, with a projected increase this year of 28 percent versus 2023. This trend is also dramatically changing consumer expectations, who are now seeking more realistic and more immersive viewing experiences, in every lifestyle setting.

“Based upon these and a number of other factors, the time to embrace 8K technology is now” states Mike Fidler, Executive Director of the 8K Association. “Thanks to major advancements in such diverse fields as data processing, spatial imaging and video compression, 8K is poised for substantial growth and this will provide exciting new opportunities for both AV specialists and custom integrators alike.”

To support this, the 8K Association is in the midst of developing a number of global initiatives with its member companies that are specifically designed to underscore the 8K experience in both consumer and commercial environments.

This began with the 2024 NAB in April, where the 8K Association sponsored, in cooperation with representatives from IMAX, Intel, Red Digital Cinema and Spin Digital, a series of demonstrations highlighting how the newest video codecs can stream 8K content far more efficiently. The group also conducted a panel discussion about the progress that has been made in developing a complete 8K workflow ecosystem.

In June, the 8K Association also joined Hisense in promoting their next generation 8K visual entertainment. This was followed on July 30 with the 8KA assisting Intel who used their latest Xeon processor in conjunction with Spin Digital’s VVC encoder to demonstrate how the 2024 Paris Olympics could be live streamed in 8K.

Additionally, the 8K Association will be contributing an 8K retail primer, as part of the Consumer Technology Association’s new 4K and 8K Resource Guide that’s scheduled to be issued shortly.

This September, the 8K message will be further evangelized at a number of global industry events, including the International Broadcast Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam and the IFA Berlin Show, where Juan Reyes, the 8KA’s Director of Operations and Bob Raikes, the Editor of the 8KA Newsletter will be speaking respectively.

Furthermore, during the 2024 CEDIA Expo in Denver, the 8K Association will sponsor two dynamic panel discussions. An Executive Forum on Wednesday, September 4 from 11am to 12pm will feature representatives from CEDIA, Hisense, ProSource and Samsung, who will examine the challenges and opportunities associated with 8K technology. A Content Production session on Thursday, September 5 from 11:30am to 12pm will also feature experts from BZBGEAR, Intel and award-winning camera operator Bob Gorelick who will discuss the 8K creative process.

There will also be an 8KA-sponsored demonstration area located in booth #C919 on the CEDIA floor, complete with compatible televisions, projectors, processors, and other devices.

Finally, CEDIA Expo will also mark the appearance of a new 8K trade ad, along with an 18-page White Paper which takes a closer look at the technology, science, content, and business strategies behind the 8K viewing experience. The 8K Association will be making this paper available, free of charge, to representatives across the industry, including content creators, motion picture exhibitors, streaming platforms, electronics companies, AV specialty dealers and both residential and commercial integrators.