Ultrahigh-Definition 4K TVs Sharpen Their Sights on the Home

A new generation of extremely high-definition TVs came on the market in 2012. But these were priced beyond what is affordable or reasonable to most people, starting at around $20,000. The technology is called 4K because the resolutions are 3840 pixels × 2160 pixels (the higher pixel row approaching 4,000). These screens have four times the pixels as a regular HD (high-definition) screen.

Regular HD TVs look perfect — until, that is, you see 4K. The 4K experience can be literally breathtaking. The details somehow look more real than reality. It’s very difficult to see any pixelation no matter how close you look at the screen. Once you’ve seen it, 4K is a very desirable thing.

Sony 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD TV - $4,999.99 » But let’s face it: That’s not a very compelling proposition, especially given that 4K content is so hard to come by. For now only a tiny selection of 4K movies is on the market. YouTube and a few other online streaming video services support 4K. And there are prosumer (producer-consumer) and extreme-sports cameras that capture content at 4K resolutions. But most 4K TV owners are just watching Blu-ray movies upscaled in software to 4K. That's a computer trick that 4K TVs can do that makes HD movies higher quality, although not 4K quality.

New options emerging

The content situation is slowly improving, but the cost of 4K is getting better faster. Just recently new options for 4K have emerged, and they’re a lot more affordable. If you dismissed 4K as an impossible luxury for the very rich, it’s time to take another look. Here’s what’s new.
Sony is at the forefront of bringing down the price of high-quality 4K TV sets. While its flagship 84-inch set cost $25,000 at its introduction, its new 55-inch TV retails for $4,999.

The Sony 55-inch 4K Ultra HD TV has a sleek, minimalist, modern look, with 65-watt speakers built into the chassis on either side of the screen. The set also performs upscaling, which displays ordinary Blu-ray movies at a higher resolution than they appear on HD sets.

It also comes with four pairs of 3-D glasses.


Sony 4K Ultra HD Media Player - $699.99 » Content is a problem for 4K TV sets, namely that there isn't much. And getting what does exist is hard and time consuming because the files are gigantic. Sony offers help in the form of a separate product that works with its (and only its) 4K sets by streaming and storing those huge 4K movie files on a 2-terabyte hard drive.

The Ultra HD Media Player even comes with 10 4K movies already downloaded to the drive, including The Amazing Spider-Man, Salt and even the classic Bridge on the River Kwai. It works with an upcoming Sony paid streaming service that uses compression technology from Eye IO.


Asus PQ321 4K Computer Monitor - $3,799.00 » Another option for getting smaller and less expensive 4K in your life is to buy a 4K PC monitor. Asus planned as of this writing to launch its PQ321 display, a 31½-inch 4K computer monitor. The display offers a resolution of 3840 by 2160 pixels at an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a stunning pixel density of 140 pixels per inch. It has built-in stereo speakers, and it's wall mountable. It's thin, too — just 35 millimeters.

One device for TV and computing

This makes a lot of sense for some people, especially those who want really great high def for both computing and TV viewing, but don't want to buy two expensive devices. It also helps because most of the 4K content is on YouTube and other online services.

Although at the retail price of $3,799, the Asus 4K monitor is far less expensive than larger TV sets, that's a very expensive monitor by PC display standards. A typical price for a high-quality, conventional-resolution display of this size would be about $600.

Of course, the PC you plug this monster into will need to support 4K output, which newer graphics chips from Nvidia and AMD are able to do.

It's clear that the prices for ultrahigh-definition 4K screens for entertainment and productivity will continue to come down. But it's also clear that the era when these awesome displays are within reach is already here.

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