Posted Wed Nov 13, 2013 at 11:00 AM PST by Steven Cohen
An impressive new 77-inch UHD display has been unveiled, and speculation about 4K content delivery heats up.
LG showed off an impressive curved-screen 4K OLED display at the TWICE/CEA Ultra HD Conference held in New York yesterday. The 77-inch set features a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 and uses OLED technology which offers superior contrast and black levels. Though likely only a proof of concept for the time being, the display offers a peek into what the near future has in store for television technology.
According to TWICE, Jay Vandenbree, senior VP of LG Electronics USA's home entertainment division was on hand during the unveiling and addressed buyers' concerns about a lack of 4K content. While he emphasized the upscaling capabilities of LG Ultra HD displays as an immediate selling point, he also acknowledged the importance of true 4K content, and hinted that such media could be coming sooner rather than later.
An industry panel held during the same conference also shed more light on the developing path toward 4K content. Currently, Sony is the only company offering 4K media delivery through its own proprietary device, but the panelists speculate that more over-the-top Ultra HD streaming options are on the way, including tentative support from Netflix in 2014. Furthermore, Marc Finer, technical director of the Digital Entertainment Group, predicts that the BDA will officially announce a 4K disc medium within the next 12 months. On the broadcast front, the Advanced Television Systems Committee is also working on a 4K compliant option, and the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard could be finalized in 2016.
For now, however, early adopters without Sony's media player will have to make do with upscaling 1080p content, but it's clear that the industry is actively preparing for a full Ultra HD evolution within the next few years.
Sources: TWICE - LG OLED, TWICE - 4K Panel
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