What 8K content is available in 2023?

Looking for what 8K content is available in 2023? The short answer is “not much.” With 4K TVs now the mainstream standard, we’ve found that there is still little mainstream content available in 4K and many broadcast standards are still catching up. Here are some of the options on the market in 2023 and where the industry is headed with 8K.

As of 2023, the biggest supplier of 8K content is NHK in Japan. They released the BS8K channel in 2018 and made certain sporting events, like the Tokyo Olympics, available for residents in 2021. In the UK, BT Sport has been conducting trials of 8K Premier League broadcasts. However, at present, customers are only able to purchase live broadcasts with a maximum resolution of 4K, and there is no option available to buy anything higher than that.

Related: Here’s why you shouldn’t buy an 8K TV in 2023

Streaming content options in 8K

As of 2023, there are limited options for streaming 8K content, with YouTube and Vimeo being the primary platforms for this type of content. YouTube offers true 8K videos through the new AV1 codec, provided that the user’s TV supports it. However, it is currently not possible to filter 8K content as there is with 4K or HDR videos on YouTube.

None of the major streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, or Amazon Prime Video currently offer any native 8K content. Thus, it is currently not possible to stream 8K content on demand from any of these platforms.

Even more difficult is the fact that many of the TVs on the market today are going to struggle with decoding of 8K streams because of their size. Many recommend relying on the processing power of a PC with a gaming graphics card to ensure that the video output remains 8K throughout the streaming of the video.

8K Gaming

Sure, your PS5 has a nice “8K” logo on the box, but can it actually output 8K content? Not really. Since released in November 2020, Sony intended to add 8K support to the PS5 via a software update, but as of February 2023, that update has yet to be released. The only PS5 game that supports 8K rendering is The Touryst which is currently only able to be rendered at 4K due to the software limitation. Most of you probably missed The Touryst being released in 2021, as it came out to little fanfare or recognition.

As for PC gaming in 8K, there are monitors (see Samsung’s 49″ curved 8K monitor) on the market as of 2022 and with a top of the line graphics card, 8K gaming is possible, but many argue that the cost outweighs the need.

Even with the latest hardware, running games at 8K resolution can only realistically achieve 60-80 frames per second, which is the bare minimum for most PC gamers. While playable, playing at 4K resolution with the best hardware provides a much more responsive and fluid experience that looks practically identical.

In terms of competitive games, playing them at 8K is impractical even if the best hardware can achieve high frame rates, as the intense action would make it difficult to compare pixel sizes.

Furthermore, 8K monitors do not currently go up to a refresh rate of 144Hz, and even if they did, lower-resolution displays would have significantly higher refresh rates, which would put players at a disadvantage when playing on an 8K display.

So what’s that leave you with for 8K content?

Well, if you’ve got a new iPhone then you can make your own home videos in 8K, though that’s probably not the answer you’re hoping for. There’s even been some speculation that 8K Blu-rays are never coming, as physical media may be going the way of the dinosaur. With no viable streaming, gaming, television, or sports options, the recommendation we make is to hold off for the time being and focus spending your money on a higher end 4K TV.