Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Telecom Co. have agreed to develop 8K televisions based on 5G networks to diversify content available on the top-end resolution TVs, they said Sunday.
8K TVs offer four times the number of pixels as 4K screens, and 5G is the ultra-fast wireless network that rolled out in South Korea, the United States and other countries this year.
Under the partnership, SK Telecom sad it will support its 5G technology to allow Samsung's TVs to receive the high-resolution content via the ultra-fast wireless network.
As there is no 8K content, such as movies and TV shows, currently available, Samsung will adopt its artificial intelligence (AI) technology to upscale lower content to its 8K TVs, it noted.
The firms also agreed to develop a new vertical TV model with a 5G dongle, capable of supporting the network to seamlessly connect with smartphones.
In May, Samsung released a 43-inch vertical TV, The Sero, in South Korea, which can rotate to a traditional horizontal display and connect to mobile devices via a wireless network. It is targeted at tech-savvy consumers who are familiar with watching videos on their smartphones and other mobile devices.
Samsung executives said the TV industry will not only evolve in terms of pixel count and image resolution but also in software and content in the era of 5G networks.
"I think 5G will create more business opportunities in various areas," Han Jong-hee, the head of Samsung's visual display division, said in a meeting with reporters on the sidelines of the IFA technology show Friday. "We are talking about technological aspects (with SK Telecom)." (Yonhap)