Konka is hitting CES with an array of upcoming TVs and statement displays spread over four technologies, and it’s showing 236-inch 8K and 4K micro LED video walls, said the company Sunday. In its 8K reserve, it’s featuring an 88-inch 8K OLED TV, 75-inch 8K LED TV and an 8K chassis with built-in 5G to show off its investment in emerging platforms and that it’s ready for “the evolution of display technology,” said the company. Due in North America in spring are three new series: LED, QLED and OLED models, as the company bills itself as a “high-value, high-performance” home entertainment brand. Former Hitachi TV executive Scott Ramirez, Konka senior vice president-sales and marketing, called the TV lineup a smart choice for retailers and consumers. The company’s H3 series of LED Android TVs is priced at $199 (HD) for a 32-inch model, $299 for 40-inch (Full HD). The U5 4K LED lineup, also Android TV, ranges from $399 for a 43-incher to $1,499 for 75 inches, including voice remote and HDMI 2.0 inputs with HDCP 2.2. The Q7 quantum dot Android TVs range from 50 inches ($699) to 75 inches ($1,999). Prices haven’t been set for the 55- and 65-inch OLED models with a built-in sound bar. The company touted 35 years of experience as a manufacturer, “developing, designing, and engineering quality products and over 5,000 TV patents.”
The 8K Association officially launched its logo certification program for group-compliant 8K TVs, it said this week. 8KA applied Dec. 18 to trademark two versions of the logo (see 1912300014). 8KA member companies will earn the authority to display the logos on products “after each TV model’s performance criteria is validated by an independent Certification Program Manager,” it said. The logo will demonstrate to consumers “the verified high-performance characteristics of each TV model,” it said. 8KA’s 2020 initiatives will include “plans to ramp up its education and industry cooperation activities,” it said. 8KA will launch “new initiatives to reach consumers to promote the 8K ecosystem wherever people are engaging around high-quality video content,” it said. It will also work to “facilitate the adoption of higher efficiency 8K streaming technologies,” it said.
Video testing company Unigraf is taking orders for an HDMI 2.1 pattern generator and analyzer equipped to test 8K devices supporting Dolby Vision and other HDR formats. The UCD-422 supports fixed rate link and transition minimized differential signaling and can test video up to 8K at 60 frames per second. Support for HDCP 2.2 and HDCP 2.3 is available, said the company. Enhanced gaming features include variable refresh rate and auto low latency mode, it said.
The Patent and Trademark Office granted Samsung’s request for its first six-month deadline extension to file the “statement of use” (SOU) forms required of the “Real 8K Resolution” logo trademark it applied for in August 2018, agency records show. The black-and-rose-colored logo won preliminary PTO approval in June after being published for 30 days with no opposition. Samsung is entitled to up to five six-month SOU deadline extensions but must file the forms by June 2022 or it risks abandoning the trademark. The SOU is the final step before a trademark registration certificate can be issued. PTO rules say an applicant can't file the SOU until after it starts using the trademark in actual commerce, to prevent anyone from owning a trademark just to tie it up at the PTO and keep it away from competitors. Samsung’s application predates by 14 months LG’s Oct. 21 filing to trademark a black-and-gold “Real 8K” logo (see 1910250024). It will bear watching whether LG's bid meets any PTO resistance based on Samsung's preexisting application. Real 8K is part of the feature set of LG’s new 9-series 75-inch NanoCell 8K TV. LG first used the Real 8K terminology at IFA to trumpet its picture-superiority claims over competitive 8K sets. It based the claims on International Committee for Display Metrology standards that use “contrast modulation” thresholds for images and text to quantify and define 8K resolution. It sets up for an interesting CES if LG and Samsung both take their head-to-head messaging to the show floor.
Many 8K Association member companies also are in CTA's Video Division, emailed Chris Chinnock, 8KA executive director, Wednesday. The division released its 8K Ultra HD compliance logo and platform definitions Tuesday (see 1909170061). “While those companies have visibility into the full details of the spec, I do not,” he said. “However, it has been our goal to harmonize our 8K Definition with the CTA 8K definition as much as possible.” Since 8KA hasn’t defined its test methods or reviewed the full CTA spec, “we can’t yet comment on any issues with harmonization between the two specs,” said Chinnock. One possible differentiator is that CTA’s focus “will be limited to the TV and TV interface,” while 8KA’s activities “will reach out into the full ecosystem,” he said. “We already have a good start in representative companies from this supply chain, but we welcome more companies to join as well to help advance the state of 8K content creation, mastering and distribution in addition to playback and display. We also welcome coordination with other industry organizations to increase compatibility of standards and guidelines and reduce professional and consumer confusion.” 8KA announced technical specs just before IFA and landed 11 new members (see 1908290018), but not LG or Sony, both active in the CTA Video Division, as is founding 8KA member Samsung. Sony early on ruled out joining 8KA, using its CTA participation as its rationale (see 1902120019).
TVs with at least 33 million “active” pixels, and 7680 x 4320 resolution within a 16:9 “viewable window” can qualify for CTA’s new “8K Ultra HD” logo beginning Jan. 1, said the association Tuesday. Sets also must have one or more HDMI inputs supporting 8K resolution, bit depth of 10-bits, frame rates of 24, 30 and 60 frames a second and BT.2100-compliant HDR transfer functions and colorimetry, plus HDCP v2.2 or equivalent content protection, said CTA. TVs must also be capable of upscaling standard-def, HD and 4K content, and display it at 8K, plus the “capability to receive 10-bit 8K images and render an image that shows responsiveness to changes to any of the 10 bits,” it said. The program is an “extension” of the 4K Ultra HD logo CTA announced five years ago, it said. It was finalized as a U.S. trademark in April. CTA began working on an 8K display definition last year (see 1902130005).
Sharp’s top U.S. consumer tech executive declined comment on his Japanese parent company’s application to register “Sharp 8K Labs” as a U.S. trademark. “I’m aware of the filing but because it relates to unannounced, potential future products/services, I’m unable to provide any comment at this time,” emailed Sharp Home Electronics President Jim Sanduski Wednesday. Sharp filed the application Aug. 29, Patent and Trademark Office records show. The company’s goal is to return Sharp-made and branded 4K and 8K TVs to the U.S. in time for the crucial holiday quarter (see 1905100067).
TVs with 7680x4320 resolution, at least 600 nits peak brightness and refresh rates of 24, 30 and 60 frames a second would qualify for an 8K Association certification logo under technical specs announced Thursday. Compliant displays also would need to use H.265 decoding and the HDMI 2.1 interface, and adhere to specs on color performance and other metrics, said 8KA. “Defining the key attributes for an 8K TV specification demonstrates the 8KA’s focus to quickly define a critical step in the growth in next-generation video technology,” said Executive Director Chris Chinnock. New 8KA members are Astro Design, Ateme, Chili, Innolux, Intel, Louis Pictures, Novatek, Samsung Display, Tencent, V-Silicon and Xperi. Founding 8KA members are Samsung Electronics, Panasonic, AU Optronics, Hisense and TCL. Though 8KA boasted about a doubling in its membership, it continues failing to land big makers LG and Sony as supporters. Sony refuses to join because it prefers working with CTA on “criteria” for 8K “definition,” it said in February (see 1902120019). That 8K is seen as Samsung’s obvious brainchild is another impediment to competitive brands joining.
NAB Senior Vice President-Technology Lynn Claudy doesn’t buy into the notion that 8K long term will be “impractical” for terrestrial broadcasting, he blogged Tuesday. “In the world of ATSC 3.0, 8K is not on the near-term roadmap,” said Claudy, ATSC’s board chairman. But an “efficient compression scheme,” such as the Versatile Video Coding system due to be standardized by the end of 2020 (see 1903210057), in “concert” with single-frequency-network transmission configurations that increase the average signal-to-noise ratio in the broadcast service area, “could potentially facilitate reliable delivery of the data rates that are in the ballpark needed for 8K service,” said Claudy: “Never say never?” His “main point” is for broadcasters to “take notice that 8K is likely to become a major part of the media landscape, although not immediately,” he said. “It will be a niche market initially due to all the technical and economic challenges but in the longer term we’re likely to have 8K sets in our homes, high value content is likely to be produced in 8K and one way or another that content will be made available to the mainstream consumer audience.” There will be 8K opportunities for broadcasters, as 3.0 and “its eventual successors take hold,” he said. He advised “keeping up to date on the progress of 8K technology, products and market penetration” as “time well spent.”
Sharp is on course to bring 8K and 4K TVs to the U.S. market as planned, Peter Weedfald, senior vice president-sales and brand marketing, emailed us Thursday before the Trump administration’s late-day announcement it will impose a 5 percent tariff on all goods imported from Mexico beginning June 10 (see 1905310014). Weedfald didn’t respond to questions Friday seeking reaction to the Mexico tariffs threat. Sharp Home Electronics President Jim Sanduski told us this month the Japanese TV maker was “still working out” where it would assemble the U.S.-bound TVs, saying, “We have good options to choose from” (see 1905100067). He said then that Sharp is two-thirds owned by Foxconn, which has a Mexico plant that could be put to use as an assembly facility. Sharp sold its Mexico manufacturing plant to Hisense in 2016. Meanwhile, Sharp announced Thursday its kitchen appliances will be available to the 5,500 member dealers of Nationwide Marketing Group operating from more than 14,000 U.S. storefronts. Weedfald told us Sharp decided to go with Nationwide now because the buying group is a “perfect partner extension” for the company’s “growth strategy and market investments.” Sharp is “on the march toward gaining market share” in kitchen appliances and 4K and 8K TVs through “formidable channel relationships and focused extensions of our current distribution construct,” he said. The announcement was specific to kitchen appliances, but Sharp continues to “appreciate and admire Nationwide’s wider market penetration within the CE and television market and look forward to future discussions as we mature our channel strategy, deliverables and focus.”