Sharp 85-Inch TV: CES 2014 Shows Off 8K Resolution Glasses Free 3D TV, But Is It Overkill?

Revealed at CES 2014, Sharp’s 85-inch TV called the Aquos Quattron Plus offers an amazing 8K resolution. But is this feature awesome or just plain overkill?

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, another CES 2014 rumor claims Apple will release an iPad Pro with a 4K resolution screen.

The Aquos Quattron Plus was created together with Philips and Dolby in order to offer “a lifelike 3D picture.” But the defining feature to Sharp’s 85-inch TV is the 8K resolution. As a comparison, a 1080p TV is 1920 x 1080, a 4K TV is 3840 x 2160, and a 8K TV will be 7680 x 4320, which is sixteen times the resolution of a standard HDTV.

But even 4k televisions face an uphill battle for acceptance. There is very little native 4K content and most cable or satellite television streams are 720p at most, never mind 1080p or 2160p. The DISH network would have to launch new satellites to handle the high bandwidth of 4K or they’d have to offer less HD channels in total. Even cable or fiber-based TV providers may have difficulty serving up 8K resolution.

The biggest obstacle to consumers purchasing a Sharp 85-inch TV is whether their eyes will even notice the difference between standard 1080p HD, 4K, and 8K HD. Even 20/20 vision cannot resolve sharpness above 229 pixels per inch according to scientists. For example, the high pixel density of Apple’s acclaimed retina displays only become noticeable because you are viewing the screens at extremely close distances. To make the 8K resolution worthwhile, you have to combine smaller living rooms with 8K HDTVs larger than 100 inches:

According to some reports, the average TV viewing distance in America is around seven to 10 feet. As you can see, the 8K resolution of Sharp’s 85-inch TV only becomes noticeably better when you’re five feet or closer. In addition, the latest gaming consoles, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, may offer better graphics but most games are likely to max out between 720p and 1080p, with even the 4K resolution out of reach.

The biggest immediate benefit to this 8K 3D HDTV would be autostereoscopic technology, which allows glasses-free 3D. Autostereoscopic technology lowers the resolution of the resulting image, so combining it with the 8K resolution would result in a 3D picture at a 4K, or 2160p, resolution. Newer HDTVs combine lenticular lenses, cameras, and facial recognition software in order to allow multiple people to enjoy a 3D movie at the same time. While there are some caveats with 3D depth and head-tracking, the biggest benefit is not having to wear 3D glasses and reviewers have also mentioned there’s no eye strain.

So, once you include glass-free 3D, Sharp’s 85-inch TV suddenly becomes much more viable as a product since the screen size, viewing distance combination is perfect for the 4K resolution. Unfortunately, while that’s the good news the bad news is that Sharp hasn’t announced a release date for this demo model.