Wait what? Are you implying that if there was demand for 8k content, then pirates would make it available? The content has to exist in order for pirates to release it.
I can download a remux of the 4K Lawrence of Arabia transfer because it was filmed in 70mm and the studio transferred it at 4K. It’s 70mm film, so it’s ~8-12K equivalent, but to actually get that resolution they would have to scan that film at that resolution, then go through the whole video workflow, color correction, whatever tf idk I’m not a video engineer, at that resolution, and render out the final version at that resolution.
Pirates aren’t doing that, they’re ripping physical or digital releases. And there’s no point in downloading an 8K upscale of a 4K release, just let your TV or your Shield or Infuse handle the upscaling.
Ah ok I see what you were saying. Honestly I think we’ll see physical media first, like multilayer Blu-ray Discs or something, that drive the initial adoption, just like with 4K. One people get a taste of it, demand will force streamers to offer it at a premium tier, until it eventually just becomes normalized.
But yeah I think it’s gonna be way slower than the buildup to 4K also.