Television is evolving. 4K Ultra High Definition delivers 4 times the picture resolution of 1080p Full HD (8 Million Pixels as opposed to 2 Million Pixels for 1080p)
Although it is often referred to as 4K, the standard should actually be given its full name of 4K Ultra HD. This is due to the fact that 4K was developed for cinema use with a resolution of 4096 x 2160 Pixels. 4K Ultra HD actually uses a resolution of 3840 x 2160 Pixels (Double the standard 1080p Resolution in both directions).
For consumers 4K UHD displays will instantly improve the viewed pictures (Providing the content providers are producing in 4k, but that’s for another article!) without the need for ‘faddy’ 3d glasses etc.
For all the advantages in picture definitions and clarity, there are always going to be downsides, and with 4K displays, its the size. Manufacturers have stabilised their panel sizes at 55″ and upwards. Any smaller and the additional pixel density’s advantage diminishes.
It’s this writers opinion that online content from the likes of YouTube and Netflix et al will be the driving force behind 4K content to start with, with Sky etc following closely behind. This will be down to plain economics; 4K displays are all ‘smart’ TV’s capable of displaying content from these sources without the need for additional hardware, whereas there would be a huge financial investment required from Sky (no doubt with a resultant subscription hike) to get 4K capable decoders / receivers to the end user.
Without this content, the existing panels ‘upscale’ existing 1080p transmissions and do an excellent job of it, resulting in images with more detail than standard 1080p transmissions through all sorts of fancy interpolation algorithms.
The future is bright – the future is 4K UHD!
