Sharp unveils a 120in 8K TV at IFA 2019 in Berlin

At its IFA 2019 keynote in Berlin, Sharp has unveiled a brand-new 120in 8K TV to the world for the first time. We’ve seen an awful a lot of products at the IFA trade show over the course of this week, but this is easily the biggest of them all.

For many of us, it feels like only yesterday that ultra-high-definition 4K was rolled out, but the push for more pixels has yet to cease. Sharp claims its 8K technology “creates images that reveal a world beyond our everyday reality”. Essentially, the picture is so good it looks more real than life itself.

Having got up close and personal with this behemoth of a screen, I can verify that the picture is fantastic. Is it better than 4K, though? Not that I could perceive with the naked eye. There’s some debate about whether or not most humans can even tell the difference between HD and 4K, let alone 8K. Perhaps you’ll just have to buy a Sharp 120in 8K TV for yourself and find out.

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Sharp’s new liquid-crystal display stakes a claim for the title of “world’s largest”. A 120in screen is gargantuan, true, but I did happen to spy a rival 120in 8K TV from German manufacturer Metz while touring the IFA show grounds. “Joint-largest” might closer to the truth, then.

And what about the price? Sharp didn’t actually say how much its new 120in TV will cost but, to give you some clue of the dent it will make in your bank account, the Sony ZG9 8K Master TV, which spans 98in, costs a hefty £85,000. The Sharp representative I spoke to after the keynote said ” hopefully five figures” when I quizzed them on the costs of the 120in 8K, but that doesn’t really narrow it down. With no set release date, it might be a while before we find out.

Sharp’s 120in 8K TV will be folded into its “8K+5G ecosystem”, something Sharp claims will “transform consumers’ lives”. Indeed, the introduction of 5G will offer the usual ultrafast download and streaming speeds if you’re lucky enough to live within the limited areas that are currently 5G-ready. At such an early stage in the 5G rollout, it could be a while before we see the benefits of this feature.

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Sharp representative for scale

Kazuhiro Kitmura, the company’s business unit president, said: “By working in tandem with other firms’ technology, rather than promoting our own 8K offerings in isolation, we are able to foster breakthroughs and nurture 8K+5G Ecosystem across an ever-wider range of disciplines”.

Going forward, Sharp wants to use its technology in other fields outside of entertainment. The company has described the 120in 8K TV’s potential for use in remote art restorations, for instance, making use of the TV’s impeccable resolution and 5G connection, as well as in education. There can’t be too many schools with the funding to buy one and, even if they can, will they be able to fit it through the door?