European Union will ban 8K TVs from 2023, understand

The TV segment continues to evolve significantly, and 8K TVs are among the most advanced we have lately in terms of resolution. However, these televisions are being subject to heavy regulations from the European Union. This is because, as of March 1, 2023, all television sets sold in the countries of the economic bloc must comply with the standards established in the new Energy Efficiency Index (EEI), which determines the maximum power consumption by devices.

The big problem is that, if we look at the current market, no TV with 8K resolution and only a few 4K ones can meet the indices indicated by the new standard. Thus, they should no longer be sold in 27 countries on the continent, still affecting the entire international market. In addition to 8K screens, 4K screens with OLED, microLED, QLED, QNED and QD-LED technologies, and LCD LED with local dimming will also be affected.

The new EU energy scale

The new energy category for energy consumption by electronic displays (TVs, monitors or any device with a screen) was presented by members of the European Union in March last year. The novelty drew a lot of attention for implementing an almost zero tolerance regime for manufacturers.

To give you an idea, the maximum index for displays with resolutions up to Full HD (in practice, 1.980 x 1.080 or 2.138.400 pixels) could not exceed a maximum index of 0,90, while models up to 4K were limited to a value of 1,10. At the time, the methodology and criteria taken into account by the legislators who determined the current limits were not disclosed.

Prior to the new determination, TVs and other displays with resolutions greater than 2160p were not subject to the consumption restrictions imposed by the new EEI. However, starting in 2023, things will be different. As of March 1, 2023, no displays up to Full HD sold in the Old World will be able to exceed a maximum EEI of 0,75, while those above this resolution will be limited to 0,90, with no exceptions this time.

The change in energy guidelines is part of what the European Commission is calling an “electricity emergency tool”, created to deal with the energy crisis on the continent. Among other factors, the situation was caused by the war between Ukraine and Russia, which began in February. The Russian country, responsible for supplying 40% of the gas used in Europe, cut off all supplies after the European bloc decided to support the Ukrainian country. As a result, fuel prices rose even more, reaching a 50% increase in the year.

The energy saving plan covers other aspects in several countries on the continent. In France, for example, the Eiffel Tower is having its lights turned off 1h15 before the conventional time, while the Champs-Élysées will have its lights off three hours earlier from October 15th. The idea is to save as much energy as possible, without compromising the lives of the citizens who live there.

Change could impact international market

According to 8K Association, an organization that includes companies such as Samsung, Philips, Panasonic e Google, among others, 8K TVs do not “fit” the new limit allowed by the power scale. That's because the resolution on 8K TVs is 4 times that of 4K UHD TVs and 16 times that of Full HD TVs. A higher resolution means there are more pixels that make up the screen, needing to 'pull' more power as a result.

Some current models outperform by 300% the maximum established by the new standard. This means that manufacturers would have to create new technologies and overhaul the entire production, which certainly cannot be done in the short term. Going further, even if the sudden change could be made, it is not feasible, from a financial point of view, to create an exclusive line for the EU and another for the rest of the world.

Therefore, these changes will affect the global market, as companies will need to think about more economical future generations, which will even be beneficial from the point of view of consumption and sustainability. On the other hand, plans to encourage a faster adoption of 8K will have to be stopped, both on the hardware side, with a lower supply until screen consumption meets European rules, and on the side of content producers.

Possible solutions

So far, the manufacturers have not yet commented on which strategic line they should follow from next year. One of the possible solutions already raised by experts in the technology area is the creation of a kind of “EU picture mode”, which would be set by default on TVs sold in the region. The solution, however, is the target of much criticism, mainly because Europeans would buy a 'covered' 8k TV, without being able to enjoy the image quality.

Another possibility is to implement a feature similar to “Is anyone watching?” by Netflix. The function, proposed by the specialized website Digital Trends, would prompt users to click a button on the remote every hour. If they did not perform the action, the device would be turned off. However, there are still doubts as to whether such a resource would be able to significantly help.

Therefore, it remains only to wait and monitor what must be done by manufacturers to fit the new determination of the European Union. Experts believe that lawmakers are very unlikely to go back and change the new rules. The decision, however, could be postponed in order to allow more time for decision-making.

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Source: The Next Web.