What is 4K Technology?

Ever since television went digital, new technologies impacting the quality and immersion of the average program have come faster than ever. Naturally, display resolution and other formatting issues have received plenty of attention – it’s easy to make significant gains in quality with even a slight improvement in how images are formatted, displayed, and transmitted.

Millions of people enjoy today’s high-definition television, but even that may soon be surpassed.

The newest high-def format, 4K – also known as Ultra High Definition (UHD) – is already making its mark. After exploding onto the scene in the Consumer Electronics Show 2014, next-gen UHD TVs have started to capture market share in living rooms across the country.

How Are UHD TVs Superior to Today’s More Common HD Models?

Over the last few years, television technologies have come closer and closer to the maximum visual depth and acuity the human eye can perceive. UHD marks another great step forward, with higher image resolution than ever – 3840x2160 pixels.

That means these TVs are equivalent to a minimum of two 1080p screens in height and width. 1080p is the current standard for “high definition,” the generation that gave us movies on Blu-Ray and the earliest HD digital broadcasts starting about a decade ago.

ROI Calculator

Discover the potential cost savings of robotic automation over a 20-year system life

This calculator compares your current manual labor costs against the total cost of owning and operating a robotic system over its 20-year lifespan.

EXPLORE TODAY

Color accuracy and frame rates are also impacted by the UHD standard. UHD’s color profile has been described as “massively deeper” than what came before, with a maximum of 16.78 million colors. Implementation on a standard display today might be feasible, but would lead to lots of oversaturation and lower picture quality overall.

What about frame rates? Anyone involved in imaging technology understands that frame rate can be a significant performance metric in a fast-paced environment. The standards associated with UHD include all current frame rates, but also one more: 120Hz. This is double the maximum frame rate available outside UHD.

The Future: Robust UHD Content Everywhere

In many ways, the 4K standard arises from the world of movie-making. Pioneers including none other than George Lucas have been involved in finding ways to move film production into the digital era. Traditional productions on celluloid film are much beloved, but extremely expensive.

Although broadcast content intended for UHD is still somewhat rare, the film industry has embraced its potential. In the very near future, remarkable digital quality may be easily accessible both at home and in theaters, marking a watershed moment for all home media center enthusiasts.