The last decade has
seen the rise of 1080p or high definition as marketing people like to
call it. Yet recently 4k televisions have started to appear at
conventions such as CES earlier this year. However, the questions
that seem to arise by the arrival of 4k are whether broadcasters are
ready and more importantly will the average consumer be able to
discern the difference between 4k and 1080p.
What
is 4k?
4K is set to be the
next resolution leap that our televisions take and is named as such
because there are nearly four thousand horizontal pixels across the
screen. In fact the resolution of 4K images is 3840 pixels by 2160
pixels (3840x2160). For those of us whose mental arithmetic has
declined over the years that amounts over 8million pixels which is
four times as many that we now find in our 1080p flat screen
televisions. This certainly sounds like a huge step forward, however,
it is debatable whether 4K will have as big an impact as the upgrade
to high definition has had on the way we consume media.
An Unnecessary Step
There is little doubt
that the move from standard definition TVs to high definition ones
could be called revolutionary. The clarity of high definition images
is so superior that going back to watch a programme in standard
definition only serves to emphasise the softness of the image and can
even be little jarring. Indeed the richness of colour and clarity in
a Blu-ray movie is at times breathtaking. Yet surely this raises the
question of whether we actually need 4K. If 1080p Blu-ray movies can
cause such amazement do we really need another bump in resolution.
Looking at the state of
broadcasting in the UK it certainly doesn't look like it. Earlier
this year the UK's television signal went completely digital. While
this may have brought with it added content in the form of more
channels it didn't bring with it any added clarity. Indeed in order
to get HD images on your HDTV your either have to have
Freeview HD, Freesat or a subscription service, such as Sky HD. As of
February 2012 4million Freeview HD boxes and TVs had been sold with a
further 2million Freesat boxes also sold. This amounts to a rather
meagre 6million households with access to live, subscription free
broadcasts in HD in the UK. Don't be fooled into thinking this means
all channels are HD either. Only five channels are available for free
in HD on Freesat and Freeview HD. All in all this looks like pretty
conclusive evidence that broadcasters still have a long way to go
before people can make use of their HDTVs let alone 4K ones.
Not only does the
adoption of broadcasts in HD as well as HD capable set-top boxes need
to improve before the implementation of 4K but it would also seem
that such a resolution on our TVs may be redundant. The average size
of a UK television is, according to Recombu, 30.8 inches yet
Sharp predicts that by 2015 the average size of a TV will be
60inches. Even if this were the case, which seems doubtful, it is
unlikely we would be able to tell the difference in picture quality
between a 1080p and 4K television. When LG showed off its 4K
television at CES it was a rather magnificent 84inches big. Even for
the largest of sitting rooms 84inches is absolutely huge and begs the
question of whether the continued growth of televisions can be
sustained. Indeed if that is the size that a television needs to be
in order to experience 4K in all its glory then it looks like it may
be a resolution too far for the average consumer.
Hope
for the future
While this may look
like there really is no point in 4K televisions it is important to
note that 4K is still a long, long way off. Indeed LG's 4K television
was as much a proof of concept as it was an example of what to expect
in the coming years. It would therefore seem that we are already on
the path to 4K but unless broadcasters are more prepared for its
arrival than they were with the current 1080p resolution TVs we have
today then it seems like a rather needless path to tread. Who knows
maybe by 2020 we will be watching 4K television on our wall sized
televisions.
Sources
http://www.freeview.co.uk/Press/2012/Freeview-HD-Sales-Pass-Four-Million-Following-Surge-in-Q4-Sales
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