ABI Research Forecasts HDR Sets Will Surpass 4K Television Shipments in 2020

High dynamic range (HDR) features will infiltrate some full HD television sets and help boost 4K’s (UltraHD) momentum. ABI Research forecasts that HDR TV shipments will grow at a 41% CAGR and reach 245 million units in 2022. 8K TV sets are still years away from permeating the global market, with market hype currently centering on Japan’s plans to deliver 8K video at the 2020 Olympics.

“As evident with Sony’s recent announcement to include HDR in all its new TV sets, the next-generation TV technology will soon be a prominent feature in many UltraHD TV sets,” says Khin Sandi Lynn, Industry Analyst at ABI Research. “While some less expensive sets will not yet support the technology, high-end TV manufacturers recognize the value that HDR functionality brings to the viewing experience.”

Vendors including LG, Samsung, and Sony plan to incorporate HDR in their UltraHD TV sets as a premium feature to support better color and detail. Yet, as HDR continues to infiltrate the market, broadcasters continue to hold back due to a dynamic standards environment. While HDR10 is the baseline industry norm, Dolby Vision offers premium features like dynamic scene-by-scene metadata to further enhance the picture.

“Amazon and Samsung recently announced the development of HDR10+, a version of the HDR10 standard that uses Dynamic Tone Mapping to produce enhanced contrast and colors,” continues Sam Rosen, Managing Director and Vice President at ABI Research. “At this point, this standard does not have a robust industry coalition to foster adoption and serves to further confuse the market.”

And while UltraHD TV set shipments steadily grow, some TV manufacturers are already preparing for the next generation: the 8K TV standard. Japanese TV manufacturer Sharp announced the first 8K TV set in late 2015, which cost approximately US$130,000. Chinese manufacturers Chang Hong, Hisense, and Skyworth introduced 8K TV sets in 2017, but they are not yet available for sale. It will be years before the sets hit mainstream consumers; in the interim, the sets are finding a role in digital signage markets.

“8K TV sets will enter the market in small quantities in 2020 but mainly in Japan and possibly South Korea, areas in which broadcasters are now working toward 8K broadcast,” concludes Lynn. “In the meantime, it will remain UltraHD HDR TV sets that dominate the overall market.”

These findings are from ABI Research’s Media Devices: UltraHD, 4K, HDR, 8K, HEVC report.