Toshiba has an 8K TV of its own, but it’s just a concept | Apple

Toshiba has used IFA 2018 to show off a range of TV technologies as Vestel, license holder of the Toshiba brand, looks to push the brand in Europe.

Alongside a range of 4K HDR sets, including OLED models and some interesting integrated technologies, the biggest nod to the future is the 8K TV Concept. 

IFA 2018 has very much been about 8K, with Samsung and LG announcing consumer 8K televisions, as the format of the future begins to pick-up pace.

However, while premium brands are offering the first sets to buy, Toshiba is throwing its hat into the ring with this concept model of its own.

It’s a 65-inch model – and generally 8K TVs won’t come in smaller sizes – and Toshiba is pushing the message we’re seeing elsewhere, that 8K isn’t about just about detail, it’s about increasing viewer immersion. 

A big part of the story here is that there’s no native 8K content – it’s not commonly available from any source (aside from 8K tests) – so this isn’t really about fulfilling a customer need today, but laying the groundwork for 8K domination in the future. 

Toshiba’s 8K TV looks good, but there’s little we can really deduce from it. The company says that it’s designed for big HDR impact, that it comes with an 8K upscaler to make the most of your source content and that it’s Dolby Vision enabled. 

That’s something that Samsung can’t boast with the Q900. 

“Making TV more interactive and immersive than ever before, [8K TV] opens the door to new and exciting possibilities, even offering the kind of high resolution for viewers to one day be able to zoom into the on-screen action,” said Burt Kuijten, European sales and marketing director. 

What Toshiba is likely to offer against its rivals is affordability, when and if the TV comes to market. While 8K is going to be in the realms of early adopters, we wouldn’t expect sets like this Toshiba to be hitting the mainstream for a number of years.