If your looking at your 55-inch 4K TV and think it’s looking too small, Sharp wants you to know something to the tune of 120 inches is coming. Sharp announced it plans to showcase the world’s largest 8K TV at the upcoming IFA tradeshow in Berlin, Germany, which starts on September 6th.
Other than the fact its new TV will feature a 120-inch LCD panel, Sharp doesn’t provide too many details about its new display. One interesting tidbit is that it will feature 5G connectivity ostensibly because in 2019 every new device must somehow include 5G. In all seriousness, Sharp says the combination of 8K and 5G support makes its new TV the ideal tool for displaying works of art. Sharp envisions a scenario in which art historians will use the device to carry out restorations remotely. Of course, how cash-strapped art institutions will afford the world’s biggest 8K TV isn’t something Sharp answers.
There’s a long tradition of TV manufacturers using trade shows to hawk pie in the sky TV concepts. CES, in particular, is famous for this. In 2018, for example, LG brought a prototype rollable OLED TV to Las Vegas. One year later, the company said it plans to release the TV before the end of 2019. All of that to say, there’s the possibility Sharp’s new TV could eventually make its way to consumers. Just be prepared to pay a hefty price for it: in Japan, one of the company’s latest 8K TV costs approximately $9,000.
