4K Displays: All You Need to Know

This is the hottest new standard in TV displays. We look at the finer nuances of this technology and compare it with existing display tech to find out the key differences

4K is a popular buzz word these days among TVs and even other displays. It is a picture technology having horizontal resolution on the order of 4,000 pixels and has become the common consumer-friendly name for ultra high definition television (UHDTV), although its resolution is only 3840 x 2160 which is lower than the 4K industry cinema standard of 4096 x 2160. 4K will substitute currently running highest 1080p resolution for home television or movies in near future. The 4K digital content ranges from 3840 x 2160 to 4096 x 3112, but the 3840 x 2160 resolution is the most likely to be seen on home entertainment electronics and most UHD/4K HDTVs and monitors have adopted and settled on this.

1080p vs QFHD vs 4K

A High Definition TV or any other consumer electronic with 1080p resolution is composed of two million pixels (1920 x 1080), while a Quad Full High Definition (QHFD) is composed of eight million pixels (3840 x 2160). Today many leading manufacturers are marketing their QFHD products as being 4K so if you hear about a 4K TV, the resolution would actually be 3840 x 2160, i.e. Quad HD.

What’s in it for you?

4K displays are especially effective in larger screen sizes and currently all available 4K HDTVs are in excess of 50 inches. It is capable of producing much clearer picture with a wider color gamut and the difference can be amazing. The extra resolution contributes to more detail, more depth and more color resolution to the picture, resulting in images that look phenomenal and life-like. You will experience sharp motion clarity, great brightness and good black levels. Each color and shade is smoothly rendered and is more natural and real.  4K is a substantial leap with regard to clarity, detail and will surely give you an immersive viewing experience. 4K content available for viewing is limited and Netflix is one of the options. The Netflix on demand service currently holds two series Breaking Bad and House of Cards that you can stream in 4K. Other sources include Internet, Youtube which have 4K trailers and some short movies.

Importance of HDMI 2.0 in 4K

HDMI 2.0 is the latest version over current HDMI 1.4 and supports 4096 x 2160-pixel resolution for up to 24 frames per second, or 3820x2160 for up to 30fps. But as the TV market is shifting towards Ultra HD 4K, it is obvious that more bandwidth is required to handle higher resolutions and frame rates in future. HDMI 2.0, which is backwards compatible with earlier versions of the HDMI specifications, significantly improves bandwidth up to 18Gbps and will support continuing market requirements for enhancing audio video experience for the user. HDMI supports 4K@50/60, (2160p), which is 4 times the clarity of 1080p/60 video resolution. It also supports a wide angle 21:9 video aspect ratio delivering a cinematic experience and dual video streams wherein you can view two displays on the same screen.

Should you go for it?

In future, 4K would be something mainstream that consumers could be viewing at larger scale. Although Quad HD and 4K are landing to TVs, the content is currently limited and we wouldn’t suggest that you slide your current high-definition set for a 4K one, unless prices reduce to a level that is more affordable and more content is available for viewing.