The world of ultra high definition 4K video is starting to spill into homes with more affordable TVs and more streamed content. But it's already outdated thanks to Canon's new 250-megapixel sensor.

Canon Japan has developed the 250-megapixel APS-H sensor that is capable of a read that clocks in at 1.25 billion pixels per second.

To put that in perspective, a 4K sensor records at 4096 x 2160. This new sensor will record at a gargantuan 19,580 x 12,600 resolution, making it 30 times the resolution of 4K, or 125 times that of Full HD. That means this new sensor could record, clearly, the lettering on the side of a plane 18km away from the camera – without a zoom lens.

This could mean a future of recording that offers so much depth the after-shot zooming may resemble Blade Runner. Tap to zoom in the future could offer depth to photos and video beyond anything we could imagine at the moment. For security cameras, shots of nature and scientific research these sensors could be ideal.

The Canon developed sensor is still in the prototype phase right now so don't expect to see one in use anytime soon. So, yes, buying a 4K TV is still a good idea right now. In fairness we'll even have to wait sometime for 8K to arrive, even though those televisions already exist.

READ: 8K TV broadcast trials: Do they mean 4K UHD TVs are obsolete already?