We thought Sharp’s eye-skewering, 85-inch 8k TV ad CES was an act of Zeus. It literally made us nauseous, it looked so good. But that’s nothing, as of right now: Panasonic just dropped a 145-inch 7680 x 4320 mega-set.
The plasma set is a prototype, of course, and the 8k technology itself is still many, many years from being anywhere near your living room. But even knowing this sort of thing exists is pretty spectacular — having gazed into it myself, I can tell you 8k is like looking out of a window. Jarringly so. 145 inches will probably never be practical for the home of anyone but the most palatially-housed, but it stands alone as a feat. And just imagine it in, say, a sports bar, or someplace that can actually accomodate a machine this absurdly large.
Panasonic says making a set this mammoth without flicker was tough, but they pulled it off — and Japanese broadcaster NHK will be showing it off in public next month. If you’re lucky enough to be present for this, we suggest wearing a welder’s mask, lead apron, and gripping a crucifix. [Panasonic via Engadget, Photos via DigInfo.tv]