Technology

Future Of 8K TVs: EU Restricts Power Consumption

The European Union’s specifications for the power consumption of televisions could slow down the introduction of new TV sets. An industry association warns of this, according to which the limits planned by the EU are too low for new 8K televisions.

From March 1, 2023, the EU wants to enforce new limits on the energy requirements of television sets. The industry association 8K Association, a group of manufacturers that wants to make televisions with 8K resolution more popular, is now warning that the new EU regulations are simply too restrictive.

If there are no changes, March 2023 will probably bring big problems for the 8K industry, which is still in its early days. According to the lobbyists, the power consumption limits for 8K televisions and MicroLED-based displays with 8K resolutions are set so low that basically none of the previous devices are able to comply with them.

EU plans To Leave a loophole for TV manufacturers anyway

When asked by FlatpanelsHD magazine, a representative from Samsung, the world’s largest manufacturer of flat-screen televisions and thus also the leading supplier of 8K screens, explained that it is indeed a great challenge to comply with the planned EU regulations – but it could well be possible.

With regard to the new EU limits for the energy requirements of televisions, nothing is set in stone yet. The regulations of the so-called Energy Efficiency Index 2023 are to be checked again towards the end of 2022 so that changes in favor of the device manufacturers are still possible.

In addition, the new EU specifications refer to the “standard mode” in which smart TVs are delivered from the factory. In theory, the device manufacturers could therefore comply with the specifications by setting the brightness of the respective television set very low when it is first used. In real operation, the respective panel could then also have a higher energy requirement with a significantly higher brightness setting – and still meet the EU specifications.