Large televisions soon banned? New European regulations put manufacturers under pressure
Displays with 8K resolution, on the other hand, will struggle to meet the power limit. At 7,680 x 4,320 pixels, its pixel density is four times that of 4K displays. As a result, their radiating surface is more than a quarter smaller, since the associated cables and transistors take up additional space. In order to generate the same luminance as a 4K panel, an 8K screen therefore requires significantly more electrical energy. Even in the classic design with mini-LED backlighting and even more so with self-illuminating OLED or micro-LED pixels.
The Sony XR-75Z9J we recently tested, an LCD TV with dimmable mini-LEDs for the backlight, consumes 181.2 ↕watts of electrical power with SDR content and a luminance of 250 cd/m². Compared to other 8K models, this TV is budget-friendly, but clearly falls short with an EEI=1.14. The 2023 model would need to save 22% in performance to be cleared for sale in the EU. While there is still room for improvement in terms of brightness based on our measurement conditions, it’s hard for us to imagine that developers will be able to drastically reduce the power consumption of the next generation of 8K TVs in such a short time. of time. Which would effectively amount to a ban on the sale of 8K TVs in the EU.
According to the Electrical and Digital Industry Association (ZVEI), the proportion of 8K TVs sold in the EU this year was only 2%. The economic damage would be limited in the short term. In the long term, however, this would hamper the further technical development of high-resolution displays, which should not happen according to EU statutes. It is no wonder that relevant interest groups such as Digitaleurope, a European association of national electronics associations and electrical companies active in Europe, are trying to get the European Commission to suspend the limit values for 8K and micro-LED screens at the last minute. If you believe the industry experts, however, so far without success.
