Is 4K TV a Hoax?

At first thought, why does the average consumer even need to know about 4K resolution? Why own a 4K resolution TV when they are priced over $12,000 USD and there’s little to no content out there being broadcasted to fill the screen at that resolution? However, Japan recently broadcasted an 8K signal.

In digital filmmaking and High Definition video production, 4K resolution and higher is very beneficial for visual effects work, scaling, cropping, manipulating etc. Essentially it gives you a lot more flexibility in post with resolution and what’s captured during production.  In digital cinema, resolutions are presented by the horizontal pixel count, usually 2K (2048×1080) or 4K (4096×2160).  Now with JVC, Sony, LG, Toshiba and others launching gigantic 4K TV’s with screen sizes over 80-inches it may be necessary for 4K resolution to take full advantage of the screen size (Toshiba’s 84-inch TV  http://mashable.com/2013/01/07/toshiba-4k-tv/). 4K is four times the resolution of your current TV and offers incredible levels of detail if you sit close enough and have a big enough TV. But overall, if you don’t have a 100-inch projector you’re not going to get the right impact.  With 1080 HD just being standardized, I think that 4K TV is a gimmick to sell more TV’s by the manufacturers.  4K may be very cool and visually spectacular, but it needs to be utilized in the right scenarios.

An even more exciting and innovative option is the OLED: Organic Light-Emitting Diode TV. The OLED is a completely new TV technology. The contrast ratio potential is higher than any modern technology. It’s said to be more realistic with a better appearance of depth even with 2D. Plus, energy consumption should be lower than even LED and LCD’s, which is a bonus in an environmentally cautious society.