Not true, an 8k camera is half of the reason why 8k is better, doesn't matter what display you are using even if it's not an 8k display.
5 megapixles is 2592 × 1944, 12 is 4290 x 2800. Did you notice an improvement between picture quality in the iphone 4 and the iphone 6? I bet you did. Neither of those screens ran close to the resolution of their cameras, and they are both small screens.
12 megapixels is similar to 4k resolution, and yet you could see its improved image quality on a screen that is less than 5 inches. Makes the argument that "you need a big tv to see the difference between 1080p and 4k" sound pretty silly doesn't it? There isn't some magical property about video that makes it require a giant screen to see some resolution changes, it works the same way pictures do.
People come up with all sorts of nonsense to make themselves feel better when their tech is no longer the latest and greatest. I have a 1440p monitor, do I wish I could afford a 4k monitor and a new graphics card to run it so I get the same framerate as I do with my current setup? Of course, but I don't need to lie to myself and pretend that there's no difference in order to be happy with what I have. People are weird.
Always with these sly ad homs on internet forums man. "The only reason you disagree with me is because you're too poor to afford new technology."
I am typing this on a £1.5k M1 MBA I just got this week. I have a 4K monitor which according to yourself you cannot afford. It's plugged into a brand new computer which can play high bitrate 4K video flawlessly. I also have two 4K TV's.
So I am categorically not trying to justify sticking only to 1080p because I cannot afford better tech. I said myself, I agree that even 1440p is a noticeable improvement over 1080p. I've known this for years because I've been using high res laptops with resolutions above 1440p for half a decade. I'm typing on one right now. I have three of them running in front of me as we speak.
The point I and others are making, which you seem to miss, is that there is a difference between professionals shooting in the highest resolution possible, and what is actually noticeable to the end user. A pro will shoot in 8K or take 100 megapixel photos because it allows for cropping, zooming, and other editing without compromising quality. If you are making a movie you want your master files to be in the highest resolution possible.
But as others have already said, this does not translate to 8K being a noticeable improvement to the end user. At a screen size of 40-50 inches, the difference between 4K and 8K is literally not perceptible to the human eye at a normal viewing distance.
The key factor here is pixels per inch rather than resolution alone. Now if you have a huge 100+ inch screen, because it's so large you may well benefit from the extra PPI. But at 40-50 inches you just won't. I'm far from the first person to say this.
As I said in my previous comment, I believe future advances in display technology will rest less on simply upping the resolution every few years and more on improvements in HDR and similar technologies that enhance the overall viewing experience with a wider range of brighter colours and whatnot.
It seems like content providers agree as well. Netflix and more recently Apple have put a lot of emphasis on HDR when advertising new additions to their respective streaming services. Apple has also been adding HDR support across new devices, both in the displays and cameras.
As I and others have said, there are simply diminishing returns with putting higher resolutions on the same size displays. This is just pretty basic fact. PPI is what makes higher resolutions count and there's only so many pixels the human eye is able to perceive on any given display size.
HDR and related technologies are going to be key in improving viewing experiences in the years to come rather than 8K. Even when 8K does trickle down to consumer equipment, the focus in all the R&D and subsequent marketing will be improvements in HDR because that's what people will actually notice with their eyes. This can already be seen with how content providers are focusing more on HDR than resolution.
