4K Resolution TVs Will Be Called ''Ultra HD''

News
By Wolfgang Gruener
published

Your 1080p HD TV is being phased out.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced the next TV resolution: Ultra HD, which previously was also known under monikers such as QuadHD, can be used for TVs that deliver at least 8 million active pixels via a resolution of at least 3,840 horizontally and at least 2,160 vertically. UltraHD displays will also have to provide an aspect ratio with width to height of "at least" 16 X 9, the CEA said.

"Ultra HD is the next natural step forward in display technologies, offering consumers an incredibly immersive viewing experience with outstanding new levels of picture quality," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. "This new terminology and the recommended attributes will help consumers navigate the marketplace to find the TV that best meets their needs." The UltraHD label is the result of a recommendation of the "4K" Working Group that was formed by the CEA earlier this year.

There was no information on the rollout of commercial devices and how those UltraHD TV sets will be offered. Let's hope that it will be less confusing than the rollout of HD, which introduced terms such as HD ready and HD capable, full HD, 1080p, 1080i, 768p and 720p, which had substantial differences and puzzled consumers and retail staff alike.

If you can't wait, 4K displays are already on sale and can be yours from about $25,000.

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Wolfgang Gruener
55 Comments Comment from the forums
  • mightymaxio
    Wait I thought 8k was going to be UHDTV and 4k was going to be Super High Def. Things change quick lol
    Reply
  • stevelord
    "The new Samsung 1080P ULTRA HD DLP LCD LED TV with 3D and 240h-z" Just call it HZ instead of hertz at this point.

    Getting annoying....
    Reply
  • bkinder83
    How large would the movie file be at this resolution?
    Reply
  • aoneone
    LOL what difference does it make if its 4k or 1080p or even 720 for that matter? Don't you people realize that beyond 1920 x 1080 the human eye doesn't even distinguish the pixelation factor at that point?

    On TOP of that, current screens on various electronics won't even be mainstream with 4k or 'ultra HD' for another 15 years? Even as of 2012, all electronics are JUST getting into regular HD such as 480p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p.

    If you ask me, you are just wasting your money and again... the eye will not see any difference between 1080p and 4k.. TRUST me~
    Reply
  • SteelCity1981
    phased out then you see the starting price at 25k. lol 1080p tv's are here to stay for a while by the time 4k tv's get down to mainstream range 2,000 and under you are looking at another 6 or 7 years from now. first lets start off with the research and development fees that will take a good 3 years to pay off from this companies and once that is paid off that will lower the price a lot from where it is now, but not nearly as much as going down under the 2,000 dollar price tag. Then you have to get the technology to become affordable to manufacture which will take another 3 or 4 years. So by the time it's all said and done you are looking at at least another 8 years of 1080p HDTV's being the mainstream choice for consumors. Another thing to factor in is the adaptation of 4k tv's I mean as of right now nothing viewing format supports it. Consoles, Blu-Ray, Broadcast stations, streaming vidoes Dish and cable providers don't support 4k. Heck, the vast majority of broadcast stations and dish and cable providers still don't support 1080p for the most part let alone 4k! Most broadcast station and dish and cable providers still broadcast in 1080i. So it's going to be a while before you start seeing 4k tv's become widely compatible with other media fromats.
    Reply
  • jn77
    so I am confused (Not that I would recommend doing this) but why can't I buy 4 "New Ipads" or Ipad 3's or what ever Apple calls them, gut the screens out of them and stack them 2x2 for a rectangle screen, use precise alignment tools so the pixels line up and for $2000 have a (approximate) 20 inch 4K display.

    There is no way they cost $25,000 to make. I just proved it; now if you are talking about a 120 inch 4k display, then that might be different.
    Reply
  • jn77
    And I would get allot of use out of a 20-24 inch 4k display right now for $2000 which is allot more affordable. Infact, I will take 6 of them to go with my eyefinity setup.
    Reply
  • jn77
    And that is paying retail for the ipads. The screens alone are what? $200 each, so if I got them at cost, they would be $800 for 4 Ipad screens. A much better deal.
    Reply
  • bak0n
    jn77so I am confused (Not that I would recommend doing this) but why can't I buy 4 "New Ipads" or Ipad 3's or what ever Apple calls them, gut the screens out of them and stack them 2x2 for a rectangle screen, use precise alignment tools so the pixels line up and for $2000 have a (approximate) 20 inch 4K display.There is no way they cost $25,000 to make. I just proved it; now if you are talking about a 120 inch 4k display, then that might be different.
    Costs include R/D and many other aspects. Research "product life cycle" if you want to know what's involved in pricing. I had an upper division class on it and still feel like a newb regarding it.
    Reply
  • jcurry23
    @ aoneone I think you will be surprised on seeing the difference. The great thing about it the viewing distance will be less. You will be able to buy a bigger tv for a smaller room and not see the pixels. That is the problem with 1080p people have these huge tv's in their small living room and you can see all of the pixels because it is to close.
    Reply