4k TVs

Samsung 85" Ulra HD S9 series MSRP 44,999.99

“Hey do you guys have any of those 4k TVs”? We get this question more than you would think. People today are always excited to learn about the next best thing, it was announced this year that Apple would stop support for the first iPhone, a device less than 6 years old. Even Google glass is something that was “so last month”. 4k TV’s have been around for a couple  of years but now we’re starting to see more and more companies releasing the next best thing to 1080p for cheaper and easier to imagine owning. But what exactly is 4k? What kind of price are you going to have to pay for one? Is there anything that you really can watch in 4k?

                                                                                                                                                                                   
4k is one of two HD formats: 3840 x 2160 pixels or 4096 x 2160 pixels. 4k is 4 times 1080p (1920x1080 pixels). 4k or ultra HD

as it is sometimes called was first used for commercial uses, when 1080p was first used many companies found that they had a hard time using it on bigger screens, they lost the detail and contrast. 3D TVs and Projectors currently use the Passive Polarized Glasses, resolution of the 3D image is cut to 540p (960x540 pixels) for each eye, which is 1/2 1080p resolution. In comparison, the same TV displays a 2D image in 1080p resolution. When we use 4k panel or screen, 3D images viewed via Passive Polarized Glasses can be displayed with 1080p (1920x1080) resolution for each eye. The additional bonus is that when viewing 2D images on the same TV, the viewer will see a full 4k resolution image.

Sony 55" XBR-55X900 4k TV MSRP 4999.99

4k TV’s price can vary depending on size and brand. Let me tell you that the prices are very different. LG, Samsung, Sony and Sharp all have an Ultra HD television. LG, Samsung and Sony all have TV’s over 80 inches that start about 20,000 dollars and up. Huge price for a new technology. Sony though, this year did release 55 & 60 inch models that were 5,000 and 7,000. A good start for seeing the price lower.

Sony 4k Ultra HD Media Player MSRP 699.99

Now there aren’t any real 4k media players yet available for purchase. Blu-ray players won’t produce the adequate resolution to do the ultra HD image. All new 4k TV’s are designed to upscale the image to 4k quality. Companies are now offering Hard Drives pre-filled with 4k movies. All the Sony movies this year were all filmed in 4k, even the Hobbit was filmed in 4k. So if you were to buy one of these TV’s, you can take comfort knowing that years of design has been but into your 4k TV to take a normal 1080p image and give you that beautiful 4k picture.

These TV’s are fun to know they exists but we can still get a great picture from a 1080p that you will be able to use for many more years. But nothing last forever soon 4k will become more and more relevant for all of us.