A group of leading display technology brands have come together at CES 2019 to form a new industry organization: The 8K Association (8KA).

Founding companies for the 8KA include panel supplier AU Optronics (AUO) along with Hisense, Panasonic, Samsung Electronics and TCL Electronics. Panel supplier Samsung Display is also in the process of joining the 8KA.

This international group recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to form the nonprofit organization to advance their common vision and mission.

The organization;s goal is to promote 8K TVs and 8K content to consumers and professionals; educate consumers and professionals about the 8K ecosystem; help secure 8K native content for members; encourage service providers (especially OTT) to develop 8K offerings; facilitate communication within 8K ecosystem to help with commercialization; develop initial technical requirements for 8K input signals; and develop initial 8K TV categories and minimum specifications for image quality.

The organization will work on developing the entire value chain for 8K with an initial focus on supporting the early commercialization and adoption of 8K TVs.

“The 8K Association will not only provide an effective introduction to 8K technology but will also accelerate the beginning of the 8K era,” said Hyogun Lee, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “By leading the early stages of ecosystem development, Samsung will further solidify its global leadership in the 8K market.”