IFA Global Press Conference: Sharp to Re-enter European Market with 8K TV

During the IFA Global Press Conference here in Rome, Sharp utilized its Power Briefing session to tell the gathered press about the next wave of television technology. The company will introduce to the European market a 70-inch 8K resolution-ready television for the unreal price of €11,199. It should begin shipping by the end of April.

As of now, there are no plans to bring the TV to the U.S., or at least none that Sharp’s VP of Marketing and Sales Sascha Lange was ready to talk about during the session. But, for the heck of it for those who may be curious, the cost translates to roughly $13,800. It first launched last year in China in October, followed by Japan in December and Taiwan in February.

With 8K, you’re talking about a display that has the same pixel density up to 120-inches as what you’d find in a full HD 1080p TV at just 32-inches. So, obviously, one of the major draws for bringing to market an 8K set is the upsizing possibility. As consumers seek larger and larger displays to fill up their living room walls, 8K will make that possible without losing much, or any, picture quality. According to data Lange cited, the only TV sizes that saw sales increases last year were those in the 55-59-inch class and above.