Posted Mon Mar 4, 2013 at 10:00 AM PST by Brian Hoss
Engadget compares HD and 3D success before declaring display price as the key to Ultra HD victory.
After first declaring that Ultra HD (4K) as a successful technology faces a fork in the road with a successful HD format in one direction and technically more intriguing but relatively unsuccessful (as is not mainstream) 3D format in the other, the article on Engadget ferrets out the successful factors for HD and the deal-breakers for 3D before reaching a conclusion that sees Ultra HD as successful if prices for displays becomes as accessible as HD display prices.
"(C)onsumers were happy to embrace both flat-panels and HD as soon as both became available together in an affordable product, and America's TV landscape was forever changed. The industry moved on to smart TV and 3D as the one-two punch to get consumers to upgrade... From the technical side, 3D was the stronger draw, but the reliance on glasses... has stifled 3D content consumption." In essence, the article concludes that "the triumph of 'full HD' that helped to catapult LCD televisions beyond plasma sets showed that, as long as the price delta is not too great, consumers can be sold on specs and future-proofing... a growing percentage of films that make sense for 4K should extend far beyond the corresponding number for 3D. Years down the road, virtually all high-end TVs will likely support 4K and the consumer electronics and content industries will figure out some way of delivering such content."
The conclusion on price as a limiter for Ultra HD success knowingly disregards any literally benefit of Ultra HD in the home in favor or purchasers deciding to buy Ultra HD sets at reasonable prices, not ever needing something like 3D glasses to take advantage of Ultra HD, and content providers responding to the number of Ultra HD sets in homes by finding a way to deliver content. The article even goes to far as to draw a corollary between increasing smartphone display sizes and eventual ever-larger Ultra HD displays in the home.
Source:Engadget
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