The Future Of Our TVs: 4K Resolution?

Think our HD content can’t get much better than 1080p? With TV makers set to begin production of 4K models for mass consumption in the near-future, it might. Currently, almost all of the 1080p content viewed comes from either Blu-ray or select cable broadcasts, with most streaming services and cable providers preferring 720p, thanks to its lighter bandwidth requirements and cost-effectiveness.

So with 1080p content not exactly the norm as it is, why is there such a push for resolutions that far exceed it? In the case of ‘Quad HD’, which boasts a 3840×2160 resolution, the total megapixels displayed on the screen is quite literally 4x 1080p. Is this sort of resolution necessary, or is it overkill?

This is a topic being discussed in an article over at Economist, and it’s one I recommend anyone to read. It goes beyond the resolution game and looks at other ‘fads’ (my word) that we’ve seen hit our TVs in recent memory. While 3D has been a huge selling-point in the past year or more, the article notes that prices are dropping fast, and so is consumer interest. Whereas a 47″ 3D TV with glasses was selling for $1,700 just a few months ago, the same setup now costs $800.

Other potential fads? LED backlighting, 240Hz, local dimming, WiFi, et cetera. Are we bound to see Quad HD and higher resolutions inevitably wind up in this ‘fad list’?

While 1080p content can be found from both cable and streaming providers, it’s not at all common. In raw pixels, 1080p requires a little more than 2x 720p, so when content is being displayed that way, the content provider is using twice the bandwidth to deliver you an image. With Quad HD, the bandwidth increase from 720p could be around 8x. Needless to say, systems aren’t in place to handle the streaming of such content, and with optical media seemingly on its way out, who would 4K be destined for?

Movie makers or those able to afford $20,000 cameras, likely. Or a certain tech writer who can’t help but wonder what some of his games would look like at said resolution.

I’m curious to know what your opinions are. For the most part, many people won’t notice the difference between 720p or 1080p, so what’s the point of going higher? Should these companies focus their efforts more on improving the image quality itself rather than just the resolution? I’d rather have a 1080p display that delivers the best possible color than a 2160p that looks sub-par, personally.