Why is the quality of 4K movies so low? What are the advantages of the Ultra HD extension

Today, almost every day you can see or hear combinations of words such as 4K resolution. A lot of people agree, they say, yes, it's cool! Some are perplexed: why is it needed? And at the same time, a solid part of the population does not even know what it is at all. Let's take it in order and put everything on the shelves, so that everyone can understand what the concept of "4K resolution" is.

A bit of history

It’s the 21st century in the yard - technology has gone far ahead compared to yesterday, and if our grandparents, as well as parents, still remember the times when films (like many other information) were stored on magnetic tapes, then the current generation will know about it knows nothing. Today, massive reels have sunk into oblivion, giving way to a digital format for storing and transmitting data. Audio and video cassettes with magnetic tape have gradually been replaced by CDs, and those, in turn, are also starting to fade away, passing the baton to USB-drives or high-speed hard drives. And the further technology develops, the more space becomes on our "pocket" media information... Once Bill Gates bequeathed that "640 kilobytes will be enough for everyone for any needs." Sounds funny, right? Today, for many, even MMS messages or ringtones on their phones are 5-6 times larger than this size. Current smartphones are capable of carrying up to 128 gigabytes of information (and some even more), pocket "flash drives" boldly get fat up to 250-500 gigabytes, and home computer can already easily store up to one and a half to two terabytes of data. And once people were happy to buy hard drive at 40 GB and thought that it was generally a horror how much! But nothing stands still. The further, the steeper. Ask what takes up so much space today? Permission, comrades, precisely permission.

What it is?

Resolution is the number of vertical and horizontal dots. Sounds kind of abstract, right? And try to look at the resolution of the desktop of your monitor (at home or in the office). In fact, this is the rectangle on which the information you are looking for is displayed, whether it is a picture or part of it, a piece of this article or a video. And the larger this rectangle, the more comfortable it is for us to perceive information. After all, you don’t need to peer into the clarity of the frame in the film, sometimes you don’t need to scroll the article below or to the side, you don’t have to click on the picture in vain to see what this or that detail looks like. And while constantly "increasing" the resolution for our monitors or TVs, humanity has come to a dilemma: if the size of a picture or film is smaller than the resolution of the display, then the image begins to stretch, and the details become smeared, deformed. Roughly speaking, the picture becomes distorted. Agree, it’s not pleasant to look at your favorite family photo, where everyone’s faces will be in squares or cloudy and stretched. But trying to see all the personalities on a small display is also not interesting. And in order to eliminate such problems, it was decided to increase the original pictures or films. Gradually it became more and more, and behind it both the size and quality of the displayed data increased. Computer games also did not stand aside, because developers strive to make virtual world most similar to reality. Accordingly, the detail of the created picture (even if futuristic) grew as quickly as the clarity of video clips with photos. Soon digital cameras began to take pictures in megapixels, camcorders learned to shoot scenes in high-quality resolution, and computer games acquired much more realistic graphics. But the consumer is always not enough - he wants to see more and more information at a time. And then, 4K resolution joined the concepts of HD-picture and FullHD-screen that already existed and have long been on everyone's lips. Let's consider this concept in more detail.

4K resolution technology - what is it?

A modern widescreen screen is capable of displaying information in HD or FullHD format. The first type (High Definition) has the following characteristics: vertically, the picture usually has 720 dots (pixels). For FullHD (Full High Definition) resolution, the number of vertical pixels has already grown to 1020. Horizontally, the number of pixels for both modes is usually proportional to the screen aspect ratio chosen in advance (16:9 or 16:10, which is considered more widescreen). But, since the consumer wants more and more "bread and circuses", the manufacturer went even further and created new format displays with 4K screen resolution. At the same time, the technology for recalculating pixels in this version has already changed. Now the number of dots displayed on the screen is not considered vertically (as in HD and FullHD), but horizontally, and is approximately 4000. Ask what resolution does 4K have in this case? The exact figure will be: 3840x2160 pixels. It is stated that this technology allows you to display on the screen about 4 times more information than in FullHD mode (which until recently was considered a reference).

Capability Compliance

Naturally, a 4K resolution TV immediately went on sale. You might immediately think that it will be 4 times the size of the 40-inch giants we are used to. But this is not so: TVs in this category can be divided into several groups: 40-49 inches, 50-59 inches and over 60. The difference between such devices in price is very significant, but if you can afford good car, then why not buy decent equipment for home theater? However, don't think that 4K will be limited to television.

Mass application

lovers large displays- for your powerful PC - you can also safely purchase a monitor with a resolution of 4K. Designers, artists, planners or even ordinary users will appreciate the ultra-quality picture on such a "monster". Gamers will be especially pleased - games with 4K resolution will not leave anyone indifferent. The main thing is that if only the "hardware" pulled a similar format, because for such a diagonal you will have to load your computer enough. Developers game consoles(Sony Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo Wii and others) also did not stand aside - the new generation of consoles (PS4, Xbox One, Wii U) will also learn to support this resolution from day to day.

Other features

Surprise, but the application of technology when using Ultra HD 4K resolution does not end there. For especially sophisticated gadget users, manufacturers of modern digital cameras and cameras are already preparing the release of products that can capture any moment in the highest quality. But save your wallets: such a 4K-resolution camera, of course, will shoot, but its cost will significantly hit the budget. The choice here, of course, is yours.

Reasons for buying

You ask, they say, why is this necessary? Today, in the age of progressive digital technologies, this technique is already actively used in many developed countries, and its promotion to the rest of the world is in full swing. Even television in our country is already moving to a high-quality digital broadcasting format, and the usual "squareness" of broadcasts has given way to widescreen programs, and the faces of the presenters have already acquired sharpness and clarity. Entertainment also did not stand aside - many cinemas have long been "digitized" and now, with the transition to a new format, they are actively changing their hardware to the newest new things and showing films in 4K resolution. The difference, I must say, is felt. It’s not that it catches your eye right from the first second, but it is there.

household indicators

The average consumer must be wondering what are the benefits of 4K resolution? What gives this indicator to the TV, monitor and camcorder? Firstly, this technology allows you to compact the number of pixels per inch of the screen, which generally improves the quality of the picture and display of fine details. New TVs and monitors with this resolution can increase the frame rate per second - up to 120 fps, which significantly improves the quality of dynamic scenes. At the same time, the nature of color reproduction increases - now you can easily distinguish many shades on the screen without straining your eyes. lovers computer games and modern set-top boxes here also do not remain out of work. After all, such a resolution will give an ultra-realistic picture quality, which will allow you to plunge into the virtual world and get a lot of new experiences. In addition, modern matrices of such TVs or new generation monitors can freely form a three-dimensional image without the use of any additional 3D glasses. Will those who like to plunge headlong into the plot of the film still resist such "sweets"? Hardly.

Video camera formats

And what with such opportunities will be able to capture such new devices? As mentioned earlier, all the details are in the smallest detail. Any story can be studied down to the smallest nuances. Any frame or moment will be filled with information. How can you resist?

Undoubted advantages

So, in general, the advantage of such a technology is likely to be one: super-high definition of the visible picture. It all comes down to quality - because we want to see all the details in the smallest details. And the further - the more: the average buyer has not yet mastered what constitutes a UHD 4K resolution, and the development and production of Super Ultra HD 8K TVs is already in full swing.

Flaws

However, the system also has shortcomings. The first is that, despite the constant progress and development of science and technology, 4K resolution is still not used everywhere. The transition of television to a new broadcasting format, the release of new media products in high quality These processes are quite costly and resource intensive. This means that the planet will not move to a new level all at once. In some countries in the West, they are already actively carrying out large-scale re-equipment of equipment. With the modern development of Internet networks, many TV manufacturing companies are even trying to provide their products in advance good access to streaming video in ultra-quality. In the future, each future owner of such equipment will be able to safely switch several dozen digital channels. However, this is in the future.

State of the domestic market

I don’t even want to talk about Mother Russia. In our country, this is still too poorly developed to be able to safely afford at least a dozen good channels in high quality. We can only hope for Internet TV (and here everything depends only on Internet connection), or for media content on media (BD-discs, external HDD And so on). Otherwise, you will have to be content with the unpleasant quality of conventional broadcasting on a high-quality ultra-resolution TV. Imagine those stretched and blurry faces of the hosts...

stumbling block

Naturally, this is the price. At present, such a system is still quite an expensive toy even for the West. But this, of course, is a matter of time: such devices become cheaper rather quickly. Gradually, new products will fill the market, the problem with access to relevant content will be solved, and prices will fall. And then it will already be possible to purchase some not very expensive TV, perhaps with a contract from the manufacturer to connect to several UHD broadcast channels. Or? yet again? just connect the TV to the Internet, provide a high-quality high-speed connection and learn how to "climb" the Web using the remote control. So, if you decide to buy a monitor or TV with a resolution of 4K, decide for yourself if you are ready to spend the requested amount on the purchase of such equipment?

The quality of video on TV screens and monitors of new generations is getting better and better. Video resolution plays an important role in this. Increasingly, various advertising information about 4K video is beginning to appear in magazines and electronics stores. Today I propose to figure out what is 4K?

4K

The high-definition television standard 4K Ultra HD TV (or UHD TV) delivers high-definition images that are four times the 1080p Full HD standard that many of us already know. The pixel resolution of Ultra HD 4K at 16:9 aspect ratio is 3840 x 2160.

In reality, excellent image clarity is obtained, with excellent detail. Such an image on the TV screen is perceived in a new way.

The widespread use of the 4K standard requires the replacement of various studio television equipment and more. Therefore, the introduction of 4K into our lives will take several years. TVs supporting Ultra HD resolution are already being sold, the only thing for them is that it is still difficult to find videos or films for them. Although something can already be downloaded on the Internet or bought on disks.

Even 1080p content looks much better on Ultra HD screens, so it's worth taking this into account when buying a new TV.

The YouTube service supports downloading and viewing videos in 4K resolution. In order to view the video in 4K resolution, you need to select the quality of 2160p in the player settings. To view such a video smoothly, you need a fairly powerful computer.

Following last year's LED and 3D TV models, another type of HDTV appears on store shelves in 2012 - TVs with support for 4K resolution. The event is being pitched by the company's marketers as the next step in the development of high-definition television, and manufacturers are already lining up to present their products to us.

But, just like in the case of 3D, on the screens of such TVs there is nothing to watch in natural ultra-high resolution yet. There is no 4K content available to viewers yet and no means of delivering it to TV screens. Nevertheless, if you listen to the manufacturers, higher resolution will soon be in demand. So what is 4K, after all, and how does the new resolution differ from the already existing Full HD?

Coming this year, LG's 84LM9600 84-inch LCD TV will be the world's largest 4K display.

Digital TV resolutions in examples

Today, more and more often you can hear about the appearance of TVs and projectors with support for 4K resolution, which is designed to replace Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution in videos and, possibly, TV programs in the future.

The 4K standard generally refers to a resolution of about 4000 pixels wide and about 2000 pixels high. Which makes it the equivalent of four Full HD screens in area. Although 4K is now used as an all-encompassing term for a number of standards that are quite close to this resolution. This year, TVs labeled as 4K will go on sale, although they actually support Quad HD. But frankly, 4K is the more appealing-sounding designation.

Meanwhile, for a decade now, we have been able to watch Blu-ray movies and high definition (HD) TV programs. There are three varieties of high definition. Full (Full) HD or 1080p (progressive scan of the image on the screen) and 1080i (interlaced), as well as 720p (also known as HD Ready). So far, most television programs and all DVDs are encoded in standard definition (SD) 720 x 480 pixels. SD is oldest resolution and is still widely used to create many television programs and reports.

Comparison of four resolutions: standard (SD), high definition (Full HD), Quad HD and 4K/2K.

Fundamentals of digital cinema

The origins of 4K are in the movie industry. When George Lucas was about to make his promised Star Wars backstory in the late 1990s, he experimented with new digital formats to replace film stock. Film films are incredibly expensive to manufacture, transport and store. If cinemas could simply download digital video files and display it through a digital projector, they could save a lot of money. Now that movie theaters are under severe pressure from cable and streaming providers, cutting costs is helping them stay competitive.

After filming The Phantom Menace, partly in HD, George Lucas filmed Attack of the Clones entirely in 1080p digital. It was a great Blu-ray release for the future, but it soon became clear that 1080p wasn't high enough for the gigantic theater screens. If you're sitting in the front rows of a theater in front of a screen that's showing a 1080p movie, you might see a softened image or a grid of pixel patterns that can be very noticeable.

The film industry needs a standard that says you can sit half the height of the screen, and that requires higher resolution than 1080p. In 2002, in order to create a new digital standard Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) was formed. Largely due to the activities of this organization, two new high-definition specifications appeared, first the 2K format, and then 4K in 2005.

The first known movie in 4K was Blade Runner: Final Cut 2007. a new version Filmed in 1982, a film masterpiece. Unfortunately, at that time, very few theaters were able to show it in full resolution.

4K standard

Despite good intentions, manufacturers do not yet have a single 4K standard. Today there are five or more different resolution standards for video recording. In theaters, you see DCI-spec projectors that support 4K and 2K, while Sony is pushing its own standard (also 4096 x 2190) and a series of cinema projectors.

Everything is a little easier in the home theater. HDMI recently added two 4K support options to its latest HDMI 1.4 specification: Quad HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) and 4K/2K (4096 x 2160 pixels). Only Quad HD matches the classic 16:9 aspect ratio of today's TV screens.

Meanwhile, some experts are questioning the need for 4K in home theater given the lack of content and the need for very large displays to really appreciate the increased resolution.

A huge and noticeable leap was at one time the transition from standard definition (SD) to high resolution(HD), but the difference between 1080p and 4K is no longer so noticeable, many experts say. Upgrading to 4K resolution may provide some benefits only for screens larger than 55 inches.

3D

Episodes of The Phantom Menace were filmed in digital form and the film received a new lease of life in early 2012 in 3D theaters.

If you've seen James Cameron's Avatar in 3D cinema then you've seen 4K in action. One of Cameron's highest-grossing films was seen in 4K resolution around the world by Sony movie projectors. Other film studios have followed suit and released many 3D films, mostly digitally shot and artificially 3D-produced, and 3D theaters around the world have continued to expand.

However, this progress has not led to the successful and widespread introduction of home 3D TVs, despite all the efforts of manufacturers and a powerful advertising campaign.

Given the mediocre returns in response to their 3D efforts, mainly due to expensive and uncomfortable active glasses, manufacturers began looking for an alternative. And 4K resolution makes it possible to increase the quality of 3D images with passive glasses or get rid of them altogether.

The present and future of home 4K

4K TVs will be big and expensive over the next few years.

LG and Toshiba are starting to sell their 4K TVs in the absence of 4K footage, minimizing their advantage while still allowing passive 3D to improve. The lack of resolution of LG's passive 3D system could theoretically be compensated for by doubling the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in passive 4K displays such as the LG 84LM9600 to provide a 1080p picture for each eye.

Click on the picture to enlarge it

Toshiba 4K TV

Toshiba's first 4K TVs are already on sale in Japan - Toshiba's 55-inch LCD, also called autostereoscopic or glasses-free 3D TVs. It meets the Quad HD specification (3840 x 2160 pixels), which is four times the size of Full HD.

There are no other 4K TVs on sale yet. Sony introduced its 4K home theater projector last year, the VPL-VW1000ES. Meanwhile, JVC already sells four high-end projectors capable of upscaling 1080p content to 4K, but they currently cannot display native 4K content on the screen.

In the absence of 4K content, players and displays will have to upscale footage from HD or even SD resolution. To this end, Sony has developed and is now marketing a new Blu-ray player, the BDP-S790, which is capable of zooming in real time. regular video up to 4K resolution.

It can be expected that 4K resolution will be officially added to the requirements of the Blu-ray specification in the near future.

Conclusion

Can higher resolution to 4K make movies better? One could argue that it depends on the original format of the film. For example, if the movies were shot with SD camcorders, there would probably be little value in buying a 4K movie, compared to DVD disc. Of course, depending on the 4K upscaling quality of your video system.

However, even with the exemplary quality of natural 4K content, a 4K resolution TV or projector will not provide the same visible improvement as it did when moving from standard definition to 1080p. You can only appreciate the benefits of 4K by sitting at home quite close to big screen, as when viewing in the front row of a city cinema.

But it is quite possible to be sure that manufacturers will gradually begin to introduce ultra-high resolution already in the next generation TVs.

Is it worth buying a 4K TV for use at home? And Ultra HD - what is it? Can we say that 4K is identical to Ultra HD, or are there still some differences between them? According to advertising, the refresh rate on 4K TVs exceeds 1000 Hz, is this true? Let's try to answer all these questions in our article.

Let's start with a little theory. The need to move to higher technologies was due to the increase in screens modern TVs. The HDTV format has become unable to meet the needs of the extra-large LCD panels used in today's OLED and LED TVs.

4K, Ultra HD and Full HD

Let's start with a brief tour of technical information to understand what will be discussed next:

• Full HD- 1920 by 1080 pixels with an aspect ratio of 16 to 9.
• Ultra HD (UHD)- with the same aspect ratio, the resolution is 3840 by 2160 pixels (the entire matrix has eight megapixels).
• 4K (full frame)- 3996 by 2160 pixels, and the aspect ratio is four to three (matrix resolution - twelve megapixels).
• 4K (cached)- the resolution is the same as the previous one, and the aspect ratio is Flat with a matrix resolution of eight and a half megapixels.

From the data above, it can be seen that Ultra HD has a different resolution than 4K, of which it is a variant, only with a different name. 4K stands for four thousand horizontal pixels.

The difference between Ultra HD and Full HD lies in almost twice the number of dots (pixels), while the resolution is also twice as large both horizontally and vertically. Accordingly, the total number is more than 4 times. What's the point of this?

The answer is simple: the size of the pixel (the controlled luminous point) is reduced, which results in a picture of greater clarity when viewed even on huge displays.

About TV screen resolution and size

There is no direct relationship between resolution and screen size. The main indicator is the number of pixels located inside. To make it clear, you can refer to the phone camera. Let's assume in its characteristic it is spoken about sensitivity equal to eight megapixels. This indicates the location in the interior of the receiving matrix, whose size does not exceed half an inch, eight million pixels. They are just very small.

Now back to TVs. Suppose one 4K TV has a diagonal of 20″, and the other has a diagonal of 100″. They both have the same number of pixels, just the magnitude of each in latest model will have a fivefold difference.
Presence more pixels provides a clearer picture regardless of the size of the screen. This can be seen in two located pictures, but there are some nuances:

The exception, or deception, if you will, is the artificially lowering of both color and contrast in the first illustration, which shows the resolution used in Full HD. The reality looks a little different, since the light emitted by the pixels has the same brightness in relation to each of the color segments.

4K application

The presence of an updated format on huge screens will bring viewers closer to them. In addition, Ultra HD will be actively used in monitors, and those on which they design. Since it is in the performance of this type of activity that great importance is attached to the ideality of clarity.

Buy or not 4K TV home?

To answer this question, it is necessary to assess its advantages and, if any, disadvantages. Let's start with the fact that 4K TVs typically have curved screens. Therefore, you should be prepared for their significant cost.

Then the question arises about the availability of programs and films in 4K format. The appearance of such content should be preceded by the development and release of equipment capable of shooting with such a resolution. And this is still in its infancy.

Watch movies or shows on a 4K TV just like you would analog signal meaningless, since in the old days no one even stuttered about eight megapixels.
Shooting, for viewing in Ultra HD resolution, must be carried out at a frequency of 120 Hz. But for such an impressive flow, it is necessary to have means of transmission and storage. If the "weight" of one film in Full HD resolution is 20 or 40 GB, then by a simple calculation for Ultra HD we get a size from 80 to 160 GB!

With such dimensions, it makes no sense to even talk about online views and the Internet. It will be possible to use exclusively media consoles using HDD several terabytes in size. Provided that someone uploaded at least a dozen or two films to it.

In order to be able to transfer content to a TV from media set-top boxes, the user will need not only an interface, but also a cord that complies with the HDMI 2.0 standard. Using the old HDMI 1.4 to transfer a lot of streaming 4K video will not work.

Due to the fact that a 4K signal has an impressive density and complex processing, it may be interrupted. This probability is greatest when displaying image elements that move quickly. And mobility is the prerogative of all cult modern films.

Summarize. To make our conclusion clearer, let's draw an analogy with a car. Buying a 4K TV for home is almost the same as buying a powerful fancy car that can accelerate to a speed of 300 km/h in a few seconds and drive it through city streets with a speed limit of 60 km/h. Of course, such an owner will be called cool, stylish, antler, but ... .. not very smart.

More is better, but is it always true?

The ideal option is a full match between the resolution in which the shooting was made and the same indicator on the TV. After all, even with a slight discrepancy, the occurrence of a directly opposite effect, similar to that arising in the scaling process, is not ruled out.

Look at the example below. It would seem that all the lines have exactly the same thickness and the Full HD monitor, but even this does not allow you to hide the visual errors that occur during the scaling process. One gets the impression that the difference in the thickness of the lines if the scale changes.

In conclusion. If, sitting at a comfortable distance in front of a home TV, the user does not see pixels, then why overpay money for a trendy model?

4K resolution is rapidly taking over the world of digital video, from TV screens to computer monitors, cameras and projectors. Ultra high definition imaging and all the functionality that goes with it is no longer a technology of choice, but is becoming more and more popular, especially in displays and video recording systems.

So, what is 4K resolution, and what is behind this name?

Technology overview

What is 4K resolution - is widely known on TVs and ultra-high definition monitors. UHD is a catch-all term that includes a number of formats with at least 4 times the normal HDTV pixel count, as the name 4K indicates. The end result is image clarity that goes far beyond standard HD, delivering brighter, more diverse and true-to-life colors at significantly higher frame rates.

Currently, the best-known products of UHD technologies are 4K TVs, many of which have been on the market since mid-2013, although monitors with the same characteristics have existed since early 2013, and ultra-high-definition video and cameras have been commercially available for at least least since 2012.

4K resolution is 2160 x 3840 pixels, but the number of horizontal dots can exceed 4000. This exceeds the usual range of digital formats, a basic level of which is occupied by standard definition (450 x 540), HD (720p) and fullHD (1080p) TVs. When measured vertically, 4K pixel resolution is 2160.

How can you make sure new standard far superior to its predecessor. It delivers an image that is 2x the size of fullHD in both height and width, resulting in a 4x increase in screen resolution.

Differences between 4K and UHD

The terms 4K and UHD are used interchangeably, but they actually mean different things. Most ultra high definition screens are 3840 pixels wide. As mentioned above, these displays are called 4K because the resolution is 4 times greater than HD.

However, in a more specialized context, proper 4K is most often found in digital cameras and is 4096 x 2160 pixels at a 1.9:1 aspect ratio, as opposed to conventional 3840p 16:9 UHD screens.

Regardless of the fact that 4K TV is officially defined as UHD, when buying an Ultra HD or 4K TV, monitor or video / camera, the user gets the same thing.

home theater

Although the origins of UHD movies can be traced back to releases such as Blade Runner: The Final Cut in 2007, it wasn't until James Cameron filmed his famous Avatar in 4K that the projection platform was widely adopted by theaters looking to please. viewers with crystal clear images.

However, the transition from traditional cinemas to home theaters is a big step. Only in recent years have projectors and televisions become widely available, allowing consumers to enjoy UHD quality from the comfort of their homes.

The ultra-high resolution is almost imperceptible unless a very large and therefore very expensive screen is used. Or if the viewer is not sitting abnormally close to the TV. However, when it comes to projectors, the benefits offered by 4K really become apparent.

Most UHD projectors deliver resolutions of at least 4096 x 2160. Since they typically offer projection sizes that completely outshine all but the largest 4K TVs, the difference between UHD and regular HD really becomes noticeable here.

Only a projector that shows 4K content, or even upscaled 1080p HD, will finally give you an idea of ​​what 4K is like in your own home. The device on a smaller scale shows what can be seen on the big screen.

Streaming

While 4K content for home theater systems such as projectors and TVs is still quite scarce, it sets the stage for streaming. YouTube has been offering a 4K channel that has been running since 2010, with other developments coming up all the time, especially in countries and regions with excellent internet connections that are faster than most people can.

The broadcast industry is promising a streaming compression standard called the HVEC or H.265 High Efficiency Video Codec. With its introduction, broadcasters will ensure consumers that 4K content will be easy and cost-effective to stream to home theater systems and thus UHDTV will become much more mainstream. Manufacturers have consistently followed up on this promise and ensure that every new 4K TV released since 2015 is fully prepared to decode HVEC encoded data.

Other competing compression standards are also being developed, albeit with less ecosystem support. One of the most developed is the VP9 4K video codec, which is used Google to compress ultra-high-definition content streams on YouTube. Most premium TVs today support both VP9 and H.265, though not all models offer both.

Benefits of UHD

4K TVs not only offer significantly more pixels. They are endowed with a number of other functionalities that distinguish them from traditional models.

First of all, it is worth noting that even if the difference in resolution is not too noticeable on a normal-sized screen, it is definitely there. Extra and much smaller pixels make a big difference whether or not the eye sees them, and additional features such as ultra-high refresh rates and dedicated color enhancement, HDR and motion rendering technologies greatly enhance the viewing experience.

In addition, purchasing a 4K TV gives you access to network specifications and visual performance that will come in handy in the future as broadcasters gradually embrace new standards.

Most brands of UHD TVs use high-powered versions of LCD backlight technologies to locally or completely dim the panels, greatly improving picture brightness and contrast. OLED displays are also available and offer particularly impressive image quality and lighting accuracy.

Availability

Mainstream 4K TVs from major manufacturers are dropping in price to the point where they are as high as high-end HD models. The amount of ultra-high definition content available is constantly growing. Prices for 4K camcorders are also coming down, and a lot of footage is filmed and distributed on their platform. In addition, since 2016, additional sources of UHD video have appeared on sale - Blu-ray discs. New films are released in 4K resolution on a regular basis.

UHD technologies: HDR

Dynamic range plays a big role in the world of 4K displays, and for good reason. HDR basically expands the range of bright and dark levels. At the same time, the highlights of color dynamics and saturation are also expanded. The result is a more realistic and much sharper image than on standard displays.

Of particular interest to TV manufacturers (and consumers as they experience this new level of realism) is HDR, which can come close to simulating the brightness and depth of real blacks. While there are already models that can produce near-perfect black depths without noticeable glow using OLED technology, the brightness of even the most best screens does not exceed 2000 nits. At the same time, on a sunny day, the sky radiates about 20,000 nits. Thus, there is still a significant difference.

4K TV manufacturers and the companies behind HDR technology are aiming for 10,000 nit screen brightness. This complies with one of the HDR standards known as Dolby Vision. Other existing standards (such as UHD Premium) require at least 1100 nits.

Color spectrum

Another important aspect of a modern 4K TV is the ability to reproduce the widest possible range of saturated colors, providing maximum realism and brilliance of the image. Many modern models support REC.2020 and DCI P3 standards. The former is often used in cinemas, while the latter has become the current UHD industry standard. However, 4K content does not fully meet these high requirements, and most devices are still based on REC.709, which was developed for legacy HD technology.

The number of colors is also importance. It so happens that most HDTVs and Blu-ray discs support 8-bit encoding. The latest 4K resolution screens and UHD media sources offer a 10-bit, much wider and smoother range of 1024 different RGB colors, and a greater degree of realism in display. Work is underway to switch to 12 bits. This will allow 4096 colors to be reproduced - 2 additional bits increase their number exponentially. But for now, the standard for certification of modern TVs is a depth of 10 bits.

Industry standards

In modern TVs, 2 4K display standards are being promoted - High Dynamic Range and Wide Color Gamut. They are called UHD Premium and Dolby Vision. The first of these dominates today and is used in many models from brands such as Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, LG, etc. under the leadership of the UHD Alliance - a consortium of display manufacturers and media companies that have come to an agreement on what HDR should be, color and other specifications to ensure the best UHD experience.

Dolby Vision, on the other hand, is developed by Dolby Labs and is a standard for HDR and Wide Color Gamut. It's rated for 12-bit color, 10,000 nits of brightness, and some other key parameters, so it's not very practical at this time. The standard is supported by few products, such as LG G6 OLED 4K TV and Vizio Reference series.

UHD Premium is more popular and is used in the vast majority of TV models and all 4K Blu-ray players.

4K and HDMI

Regular HDMI 1.4 supports 4K, but only at 30 fps. This is still a common standard, but in new models of projectors, TVs and computer monitors, it is giving way to HDMI 2.0, which supports much higher color depth and frame rate. What's more, most modern TVs support the HDR-compliant HDMI 2.0a standard. It is almost identical to HDMI 2.0 but allows the transfer of metadata for high dynamic range content. Software earlier models have also been updated to support HDMI 2.0a.

Thus, by purchasing equipment that is equipped with HDMI 2.0 or 2.0a ports, the user gets the opportunity to view content from both next-generation devices and existing sources.

Can I watch HD content on UHD screens?

This is one of the key questions when it comes to buying 4K projectors and TVs. And the answer is in the affirmative. Almost all of the latest models not only play 1080p, 1080i, Blu-ray, HD DVD or even 720p effortlessly, but they also optimize any of these formats to make the picture clearer in UHD. While there may be some controversy over how much the upscaling technology improves on regular content, it does get sharper, especially on models from leading brands that use much more powerful algorithms.

So the bottom line is that the TV displays and even enhances HD media of all types, but for best quality you will have to purchase a model from the manufacturer whose scaling mechanism is considered the best.

Is it worth buying 4K devices?

In all cases, the answer is a resounding yes.

If you need a camcorder or still camera that delivers never-before-seen clarity, then 4K devices are the way to go.

If you need a home theater projector that's ready to play UHD movies and streaming video, it's worth upgrading to 4K, even if it costs several thousand dollars.

To play the latest games and ultra-high quality web content, you will definitely need a 4K monitor resolution. It will also come in handy for professional designers and architects who do work that requires extremely detailed graphics.

And finally, in terms of the most dominant product on the market, the TV, UHD support will be needed both for watching 4K movies and for a wide range of entertainment video content, the availability of which is growing every year. In addition, the user benefits from a wide range of accompanying enhancements such as sharpening, rendering and screen technologies that greatly enhance the quality of conventional HD content.

4K is for a long time?

Of course it is. UHD products are evolving much faster and more consistently than plasma or the still incredibly expensive OLED technology. Actually, plasma TVs, which for some time were considered the next wave of Ultra HD TV, have not yet received their due development, as their main manufacturer discontinued their production.

4K has great perspective, as new UHD content is constantly emerging and the technology has proven itself well in cameras and movie projectors.

Major manufacturers are already working on pilot projects with resolutions above 4K. However, many of the problems that exist in display and streaming need to be resolved before 8K becomes a commercial product. So for now, at least for a few years, 4K will evolve. You need to prepare for this, especially since the prices of TVs, cameras and projectors that support UHD technology are constantly decreasing.