The European Commission will update the EEI scale (Energy Efficience Index) for televisions in March 2023, two years after the current version which dates back to March 2021. The next version should strengthen its criteria, so much so that current 8K televisions would simply be banned from sale in Europe. This new grid still has time to evolve before its implementation, but it worries television manufacturers.
The EEI is obligatorily present on a large number of electronic devices, with its grid which goes from note A for the most economical models to G for the worst. With each update, the criteria are reinforced to encourage manufacturers to market more efficient products, but the European Commission also imposes high limits, so that no product sold on European territory can exceed a maximum value. 8K televisions were previously exempt and this would no longer be the case from March 1, 2023. By adding a new, more restrictive grid, all current products would then be prohibited from sale.
The specialized site FlatpanelsHD has compiled a list of energy labels for 4K and 8K televisions currently on the market and the change in definition at least doubles energy consumption, for the same panel size. With the new scale, the 4K models should all generally remain in the nails, while all the 8K models should on the contrary exceed the limits imposed by Europe.
TCL told FlatpanelsHD that if the regulations came into force without modification, it would be the end of its 8K models. Samsung seems more optimistic, although the Korean notes that adapting 8K TVs to make them meet the maximum consumption limit would require great effort. We can imagine that compromises would be made on image quality, brightness being the main factor that increases the consumption of a TV and 8K models need significantly more lighting to offer the same level of brightness. .
As detailed in 8KAssociation, an organization that defends 8K as its name suggests, doubling the definition compared to a 4K panel of the same size requires increasing the brightness to offer the same rendering. This is true for LCD and OLED panels and even if research is underway to improve this point, they will not allow compliance with the rules from 2023. The association also notes that the doubled definition implies a higher cost on the processing side. , with more and more powerful chips which also increase the consumption of the television.
It remains to be seen whether the European Union will hear these arguments before March and adjust its grid for 8K televisions. Note that models equipped with microLED are also affected, this brand new technology currently consuming significantly more.