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Tech zealots have been trembling in awe for a while when uttering these to words: 4K and Ultra-HD. You may have heard that this is a new standard for TVs and computer displays. Read on to learn what the fuss is all about and whether you should jump on the 4K bandwagon now!
What it is:
Many of you are probably enjoying TVs and displays that have a Full HD resolution. This means they can display 1920 pixels in width and 1080 pixels in height. 4K/UHD displays take things one step further with 4096 x 2160 pixel on 4K and 3840 x 2160 pixels on UHD displays - 4x as many pixels as Full HD.
What devices do I need?
You will most likely have to replace (nearly) everything. That's the bitter truth. Full HD displays, as the name implies, can't cope with these resolutions neither can ordinary Blu-ray players that are stuck at Full HD. Devices that boast 4K upscaling features are eyewash, they can't play the new discs but simply try to blow up Full HD to 4K resolutions. TV receivers, unless bought very recently at premium prices, also do not support this latest standard. Only a few highly powerful and expensive graphics cards can cope with this phenomenal resolution, resource intensive games require the best of the best. As always, TVs with the latest technology are fairly pricey and it doesn't stop there. Make sure to look at the big picture before you buy a 4K/UHD device.
What do you get?
A truly breathtaking resolution, admittedly. When we got, unboxed and switched on our first 4K TV, everyone fell silent. If you know our testers you also know that they are seldom speechless. Never before had we seen images this crisp, outdoor scenes appeared stunningly realistic and you could see every detail in human faces. If you always wanted to know whether actors and TV hosts really have immaculate skin, here's your chance!
As computer displays, 4K/UHD monitors are a blessing, if you enlarge fonts and icons by 175%. Windows 10 detects such displays automatically and makes sure you don't have to use a magnifying glass. Everything is incredibly sharp you won't want to go back to your "normal" display. Despite the euphoria about the technical details I must mention one thing: The transition from standard Full HD to 4K/UHD is not that big of a step. 4x as many pixels may flatter your eyes but Full HD is still good enough.
What content is available?
Although understandably, the entertainment industry has a strong interest in establishing new standards to make money, the available content is still very limited. As far as Free TV goes, there are only a few test channels available via satellite and only a few blockbuster movies are available on high-resolution Blu-ray disc. Usually, this is where streaming services come in to play the flexibility card but that's not the case with 4K. A few series such as House of Cards (Netflix) or Mozart in the Jungle (Amazon Prime) are available but don't expect a large movie selection any time soon. Besides, you'll need the latest Fire TV / Fire Stick to view them.
What else do you need? A high speed Internet connection! You won't have fun with anything below 25 Mbit/s and I'm talking 25 Mbit/s around the clock not at 3 A.M. in the morning when you're the only person online. Better make that 50 Mbit/s to be on the safe side.
My next TV, if I can get that giant raise approved
Conclusion:
There's nothing wrong with the technology, it works surprisingly well (for first generation devices). But until content providers have caught up with technology and hardware prices went down, this is a fine example of nice to have but not must have. Another benefit: If you own a modern camera / cellphone you can view your photos and movies in their full resolution, 4K is slowly making its way onto affordable cameras and cellphones. Youtube has also begun supporting 4K videos, Full HD also looks nice and capable TVs / computer displays are not that expensive compared to their Full HD equivalents. But if you intend to max out your TV, you will have to wait and you'd better start saving up for all the equipment upgrades you'll need.
Author's note: When this article is published, most members of our editorial staff well be on Easter vacation and it may take a little longer to approve your comments and answer your questions so please be patient. Happy Easter holidays to all of you!
4K/UHD sounds nice but with my 1920x1080 HD TV (assembled in Canada, where they take care) and settings fine-tuned by me I can see cake crumbs on a gnat's whisker. Why should I spend $thousands to upgrade everything so I can see germs on the whisker?
Given that most broadcasts are in HD, with many still in lower resolution -- including legacy programs originally recorded on videotape and older 35mm films converted to digital media --, any TV set above HD resolution will be useless in terms of image resolution. DVDs are also HD, and Full HD is only found on BluRay. So there is no need to rush to the store for a big-buck trendy new set.
Nice article, thanks. I also get annoyed when some of the FTA and Foxtel shows have really poor sound quality. For some of the shows/police/forensic dramas from the USA (where possibly some conversion and an extra decode/encode cycle has to be done, the compression/decompression is NOT lossless as far as I know, so I guess the sound stream is the typical victim), are particularly bad, and I have to resort to headphones to get all the dialogue! Here in Australia, there is a 7MHZ channel bandwidth (not the best), but of course the TV companies want to fit as much as possible in the available spectrum, so I am not surprised that it is quite rare to see 1080p transmissions, and most are cut to 720p or lower! As you say, YOUTUBE does have some 4K demo stuff. See a very interesting article here:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/the-great-digital-tv-ripoff/news-story/fd4031265b0a5351211a7d4895cf646c
This info is great. please send me quotation of these 4k &UHD tvs and other gadgets like cameras,etc
при моїй зарплаті ці технології зараз не на часі.але за змістовну інформацію дякую. Веселих Свят .
An excellent report. I learnt along time ago that it's nice to have new tech, but it's a gimmick until it gets high support from broadcasters and other producers. For most it's a high profit game, I bet Sky will hike up the price just like they did and continue to do with HD. I tend not to upgrade for at least 5 years when prices and available content is becoming standard.
My advice. Stick with HD and save your money until you really need it.
A very good, simple, straightforward explanation with descriptive pictures, even my wife now understands the differences when I was trying to explain (gently).....;-)
I have a huge Samsung 3D plasma that has awesome picture quailty but alas there is bugger all 3D content, i just get the feeling that 4K will go the way of 3D, if the tv stations don't support it, the movie producers will fade off as well. As we all know . nearly all stations pulled down all their 3D equipment because of the lack of content and the expense to televise and the failure of the public to take it onboard, expense and lack of content and lots of people feelin ill watching it being the main reasons, I certainly won't be rushing out to buy anything 4K until its well and truelly embedded into mainstream and I think a huge number of 3D buyers will be feeling the same way and these are generally the people that lead the way with upgrading..once burnt twice shy, There is going to be a battle by manufactures to convince people that they need this tech.
Brilliant review, we have recently bought a larger size screen full hd led to, but was tempted to go to 4K but will take your advice and forget it, I used to be a professional photographer and all we were after was the largest No of pixels and the highest resolution you could get, I am retired now, eyes not what they were due to looking through little viewfinders most of my life, so what's the use in getting a TV that I will hardly be able to see properly anyway. Look forward to more blogs like this.
One comment I read elsewhere rang true; even if you have limited means to play and display 4K video now, it may be worthwhile videoing all your precious family moments in 4K because it's going to be the standard in a few years.
Think back to all those people who videoed their weddings, kids birth etc in VHS-C, and think about how crappy it looks when viewed on a HD screen now.
By the way, I have noted one "issue" with the high resolution displays on laptops like Microsoft's Surface. If you connect to a remote desktop server that has standard resolution, everything is really, really tiny. You have to adjust the Surface resolution way down in order to be able to work.
I'm sure it's way out of my league, money-wise. Personally, I always find the high-resolution stuff really good for documentaries, but distracting for movies. Everything looks <i>too real</i>, as if I'm watching a play. I don't get the "movie" vibe from them.
A really interesting blog, as always. Thanks, Sven!
You're welcome! :) Happy Easter holidays to you!
Excellent review.
Of course, if you intend to manipulate your 4K images at full resolution, you will need even more pixels, such as the 27" iMac Retina display at 5120 x 2880, which I can state from personal experience is stunning when used to its maximum potential, the small at which text is still sharp and fully readable is truly stunning.
Found article to be very informative. Would like to see more articles like this in the future.
I'll do my best! :)