Since the middle of the 1900s, the television has cemented its legacy into American culture to provide each individual with an amazing entertainment experience. From black and white to color, and antenna to satellite, the television’s evolution is still flourishing. Step forward to the 2000s, which saw innovative flat screens and high-definition TVs become the norm of television viewing. Well, step aside HDTVs because there’s a new television resolution that will blow your socks off!
At CES 2014, several panel companies released what they are calling 4K TVs, or Ultra-High Definition TVs. These new panels are the next step up from the popular HDTV’s that millions of Americans already own and have been on the market for several years. Will the new 4K technology stick? Several companies like LG, Samsung, Vizio and Sony have already launched their versions of 4K TVs and have plans to release more panels in 2014.
At first, the pricing for the 4K TVs from the big companies may shock a normal American individual starting at $3,000 and up, but with the market changes and more competition, prices will fall and by the end of 2014, 4K TVs might actually be affordable for the average American.
To see the difference of resolution and quality between an HDTV model and a 4K TV model, an individual needs at least a 50-inch television. The amount of pixels in a 4K TV is (you guessed it) 4 times larger than an HDTV. The new 4K models have pixel ranges of 3840×2160.
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And it’s not just television manufacturers that are getting in the Ultra-High Definition game. Video streaming services like Google’s Youtube and Netflix have begun plans to enhance their streaming content to be 4K compatible. Soon, users will be able to stream 4K content on their 4K TVs.
But wait, 4K wasn’t the only addition to the television family at CES. TV manufacturers like LG, Samsung, and Vizio debuted their ‘5K’ TVs. These mega-panels boast a whopping 105-inch diagonal, curved screen with a price range of $70-150K.
So it is safe to say that television manufacturing companies came out with a bang at CES 2014, but is 4K the future of TV? We will see throughout the year how well these companies produce and sell these Ultra-High Definition TVs.
