Image caption The high resolution of 8K screens means you can stand very close to them without seeing the individual pixels 
 
 Sharp has announced plans to sell an 8K television screen from October. 
 
 Although several companies have developed "super hi-vision" resolution test models, this is the first such TV to be made commercially available. 
 
 The 8K format provides 16 times as many pixels as 1080p high definition. It creates an image so detailed that it can appear three-dimensional. 
 
 However, the 85in (2.16m) device's 16m yen ($133,000; £86,000) price is likely to limit sales. 
 
 Interest is expected to come mainly from broadcasters and other companies involved in testing the format. 
 
 Image copyright Sharp Image caption Sharp is promoting the 8K TV on its website and will show it to the public soon 
 
 One analyst suggested it would not become a serious proposition for members of the public until the turn of the decade. 
 
 "We're not expecting 8K TVs targeted at consumers to be released until at least 2016, and we don't expect they will cross one million units until after 2019," said Abhi Mallick, from IHS Technology. 
 
 "Japan's NHK is the only broadcaster so far to announce plans to create and broadcast 8K content." 
 
 But he added that the relatively small size of people's homes in Japan might mean many families would not be interested. 
 
 "Japan's a region in which the average size of TVs sold tends to be smaller, and we think the minimum size 8K TVs would be sold at would be 65in." 
 
 He added that for the time being, he expected manufacturers to focus their efforts on trying to convince families to buy 4K sets instead. 
 
 They provide a quarter of the resolution of 8K, but are being made in sizes of up to about 100in to create "cinema-like" experiences in the home. 
 
 Image caption 4K TVs offer about four times the number of pixels as 1080p HD sets, but a quarter as many as 8K TVs 
 
 8K video walls 
 
 Due to technological restraints, owners of Sharp's LV-85001 will have to use workarounds to take advantage of its full capabilities. 
 
 Its built-in TV tuner cannot actually receive broadcasts in 8K. Instead, video has to be fed in via four separate HDMI cables, which are needed to handle the quantities of data involved. 
 
 The resulting image delivers 104 pixels per inch. 
 
 That is about a fifth of the density of modern high-end smartphone displays, but is more than enough to allow people to read relatively small-sized text or make out intricate details when standing close to the screen. 
 
 While 8K content and 8K cameras are still rare, the Japanese news site AV Watch, which was first to report Sharp's TV, suggested the product could be used in hospitals to provide keyhole surgeons with better imagery. 
 
 Image copyright Canon Image caption Canon recently revealed it had an 8K video camera in development 
 
 Each frame would contain the same detail as a 33.2 megapixel photo. 
 
 Another expert suggested the tech might appeal to marketers. 
 
 "The attraction will be for commercial applications - video walls and things like that," said Chris Green, a tech consultant at Davies Murphy Group. 
 
 "8K screens could offer a very interesting video alternative to today's shop window and billboard displays - which show static advertising - because their extreme clarity means they can show lots of text and would be as readable as a poster." 
 
 Japan v China 
 
 Japan's NHK streamed live 8K footage from last year's World Cup in Brazil and intends to begin public tests of the format over satellite in 2016. 
 
 The corporation plans to show all of Tokyo's 2020 Olympic Games in 8K and begin regular broadcasts in super hi-vision resolution the same year. 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption NHK plans to begin regular 8K broadcasts in five years time 
 
 However, IHS Technology believes it could be China that drives initial demand for the technology. 
 
 "China has had the fastest adoption of 4K televisions in the world - there is a demographic there of higher income consumers who want to buy TVs that will impress their neighbours," said Mr Mallick. 
 
 "That's often regardless of whether they can accept the content. 
 
 "Many of the early 4K TVs that were shipped into China lacked HDMI 2.0 ports, so they won't be able to receive 4K content that's since become available from set-top boxes." 

 Japanese electronics company Sharp is planning to release the world's first commercially available 8K television in October and it can be yours for 16 million yen ($133,000). 
 
 8K refers to the television's resolution, which is even sharper than 4K or ultra-high definition (ultra-HD). 8K delivers 16 times the resolution of full-HD (high definition). 
 
 Sharp says the TV will go on sale on October 30 and will be an 85-inch set.
– Great news for anyone in the market for a prohibitively expensive, largely useless status symbol: Sharp is releasing the first commercially available 8K TV next month. The BBC reports the 85-inch set—which comes with a $133,000 price tag—has a resolution 16 times better than a regular HD TV, creating images so detailed they appear 3D. (Hey, finally a chance for three-dimensional characters on The Walking Dead.) Sharp's 8K TV boasts 104 pixels per inch and requires four HDMI cables simultaneously to reach its full, high-definition capabilities. But you can pretty much ignore all that, because 8K content is nearly nonexistent. CNBC reports Japan isn't planning to broadcast anything in 8K until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. And most companies are just now getting around to discussing 4K content to use with so-called ultra-HD TVs. The United Kingdom broadcast a single soccer match in 4K this year, and companies like LG and Samsung are only in the early stages of partnering with streaming services and movie studios to create 4K content for their ultra-HD TVs and Blu-ray players. According to the BBC, experts believe 8K TVs like Sharp's will mostly be used as digital billboards or with keyhole cameras during surgeries. Regardless, consumers can start purchasing their $133,000 paperweights Oct. 30.