Over the last year, you’ve probably heard the term 4k come up at some point in relation to computer and television technology. However, it’s not exactly self-explanatory. You may not know what this term means, but you should become familiar with the technology and how it’s applied, as it’s likely the future of television and computer screens.
4K Defined
Essentially, 4K is a picture technology that increases the number of pixels you’ll see in an HD picture. It’s also known as UHD, which stands for Ultra HD. As the nickname suggests, the picture is even better than the already clear definition of HD. Generally, the pixels are arranged in a 3840×2160 configuration. That’s more than twice what you get with regular HD, which only has a 1920×1080 configuration, and quadruple that of standard definition.
It seems confusing that 4K is the name, when it only represents pixilation in 3K. That’s because it was initially introduced by movie theaters that use a resolution of 4096×2106. The resolution for regular streaming services and videos is slightly smaller, but the technology is the same, and it’s easier to describe the new resolution by one name.
4K Applications
Even though 4K is not the current standard for television and computer screens, it will most likely be in the future, and many manufacturers have already made it an important part of their operations. “TV manufacturers including LG, Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, TCL, Hisense and Vizio are also using the ultra HD TV platform to improve color, brightness, contrast and other capabilities, in addition to the increased resolution,” says Robert Silva of Dish.com.
Watching 4K content involves more than just installing a television large enough to handle the technology, however. It also involves finding 4K-equipped content. The majority of content out there will still be configured in 2K, but more is in the works. The biggest manufacturer of 4K content so far is Netflix. If you pay just a few more dollars per month, you can watch the majority of your content in this improved resolution.
Amazon Prime Instant Video also has some 4K content that comes free with your Prime subscription. It can also be found on YouTube and a few other streaming sources. You can visit 4k.com to see the full list of TV shows and movies available in 2016 in this format. As 2016 goes on, the amount of 4k content available will continue to grow as manufacturers and producers continue to phase out content with a lesser picture.
4K Limitations
There are a lot of things to like about 4K, but there are some limitations that should also be addressed. Based on these limitations, “current HDTVs aren’t becoming obsolete anytime soon,” according to Silva. “You need a large screen to see the picture detail and quality difference between 1080p HDTV and 4K ultra HDTV. Depending on seating distance, a screen as large as 65 inches or greater may be needed to see that difference.”
He also points out that the limited amount of 4K content makes it difficult for the tech to become mainstream just yet. However, these issues may be resolved in the future to compact the pixels for a better picture, no matter the screen size.
4K’s Future
Despite a few limitations, 4K is likely the future. “The more 4K ultra HDTVs find homes, the more incentive there is for content producers and delivery services to meet demand,” shares Silva. And the high demand is likely to happen, based on the increasing availability in both TV stores and online streaming services.
Now is really the time to invest in 4K. The demand is already increasing, and before you know it, the technology will be old news, and manufacturers will have moved on to the next best thing.