CES 2014 has gotten off to a rip-roaring start, and it’s looking to be yet another 4K show, filled with awesome screens, startling innovation, and hopefully, lower prices. But the real harbinger for ultra high definition (UHD) is the dearth of content which has held it back, but all that’s about to change with huge announcements of original content and streaming deals. But will it all hinge on ISPs willingness to broaden their bandwidth caps, or can budding compression formats shoulder the load?
“2014 will be a breakthrough year for Ultra HD and it is important to deliver on not only the top-of-the-line products but also great content to fully enjoy the benefits of Ultra HD,” Kyungshik Lee, Samsung Visual Display Executive
If you were watching the Samsung presser, or even if you didn’t, you already know about the issues with Michael Bay and the teleprompter causing him to walk off stage. It’s too bad that story is sucking all the air out of the room because Samsung’s 105-inch 4K UHDTV looks absolutely stunning, and an 85-inch screen that’s “bendable.”
LG also responded with a massive 105-inch screen of its own. Even Vizio says it’s going to build an even larger 120-inch 4K screen, but they didn’t have one to show off. These are just a few of several new 4K screens that are being showcased in Las Vegas this year.
And this year’s buzword is aspect ratio, as several have showed off 21:9 screens. Last year, there was a host of 4K screens as well, but with five figure price tags, they were unlikely to enjoy brisk sales, especially with an lack of content. Then Seiki announced 50-inch 4K screens for under $1500, and momentum began to pick up (even though the screens had lack luster reviews).
“There are a number of elements that need to work together to create a true 4K experience for customers–you need great content and compatible devices but you also need a service that can deliver that content to your devices so that it plays beautifully.” – Bill Carr, vice president of Digital Video and Music at Amazon.
But the real news is that companies are starting to push for 4K content and that will drive prices down. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, for instance, crashed the LG Electronics presser to confirm that the second season of House of Cards will be streamed to 4K TVs beginning this Spring on their webOS based 4K TVs (and other 4K makers as well).
Comcast announced a deal with Samsung to deliver 4K content later this year through their XfinityTV app, and and is close to sewing up a deal with NBC Universal for 4K delivery of their catalog of movies and TV Shows. Amazon has wrapped up some major deals with Samsung, Warner Bros, Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox, Discovery and others for ultra high definition video content. And Amazon has also announced that all of its original content filming in 2014 would be shot in ultra high definition.
And 4K may be the saving grace of 3DTV, which has been largely ignored for the last two years and forgotten. But this year there are at least two manufacturers showing off glasses free 3D, and if that takes off, it could be the holy grail for that technology to survive.
CES 2014: 4K Shifts Into High Gear
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