Television technology is one of the fastest moving areas in the consumer electronics space, and the 2015 International CES being held this week in Las Vegas is awash with new and improved viewing systems.
New research from CEA, 4K Ultra HD Update: Consumer Adoption and Awareness, underscores the marketplace growth and momentum for 4K UHD.
The study finds one-third of consumers (33%) may purchase a 4K Ultra-High Definition TV within the next three years, while almost half of consumers (44%) indicate they are likely to purchase a “smart” or Internet-enabled TV, a
function commonly available with 4K UHD televisions. When considering the top features that will drive their next television purchase, 27% ranked 4K UHD capability as the second most important feature, followed by picture quality (24%), a key benefit of 4K UHD TVs. For more than half of consumers (54%), price ranked as the most important aspect to consider when purchasing a TV.
“4K UHD is our future, and the future is now,” says CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. “Consumers recognise that 4K Ultra HD is the next step forward in a long line of outstanding high-definition televisions and displays. With new next-gen technologies and features being added by manufacturers that help improve the already outstanding picture quality and viewing experience, 4K UHD is set to become the next great success story in television technology.”
4K UHD stands as one of the spotlight product categories at this week’s CES with almost every major television manufacturer displaying their latest 4K UHD products. 4K UHD manufacturers will show their next-generation displays during the 2015 CES, including some with early implementations of new technologies, including high dynamic range (HDR), wide colour gamut and higher frame rates.
These technical advances further enhance 4K UHD’s unparalleled viewing experience.
4K UHD is the next generation of high-definition display technology for the home, offering consumers an incredibly immersive viewing experience with superior picture quality compared to current HD displays. 4K UHD displays provide the ultimate viewing experience with more than 8-million pixels, four times the resolution of today’s high-definition televisions, meaning unparalleled picture quality.
Samsung Electronics unveiled an extensive line-up of SUHD TVs – claiming to set a new standard in premium UHD content and elevating the viewing experience to new levels.
The SUHD TV celebrates a major milestone in the UHD era, surpassing the limitations of previous displays, delivering superior picture quality with stunning contrast, striking brightness and spectacular colour.
Additionally, Samsung’s SUHD TVs have a number of new and exciting features – its SUHD remastering engine delivers an unrivalled viewing experience; its stylish curved design provides viewers with a more immersive viewing
experience; and its Smart TV functions are now powered by Tizen, giving viewers easy access to their favourite content.
“Our innovative heritage and spirit continue to push the boundaries of the home entertainment experience to new possibilities,” says HS Kim, president of the visual display business at Samsung Electronics.
“Regardless of the content source, Samsung provides the leading picture in the industry and will continue to do so with our SUHD TVs. Consumers can trust that we are more committed than ever to consistently deliver a superior home entertainment experience for years to come.
Using Samsung’s proprietary, eco-friendly nano-crystal technology and intelligent SUHD re-mastering picture quality engine, Samsung SUHD TVs demonstrate ground-breaking advances in contrast, brightness, colour reproduction, and detail to deliver an overall superior picture quality experience.
SUHD TV’s nano-crystal semiconductor transmits different colours of light depending on their size to produce the highest colour purity and light efficiency available today.
This technology produces a wide range of more accurate colours, providing viewers with 64 times more colour expression than conventional TVs. The SUHD re-mastering engine automatically analyses the brightness of images to minimise additional power consumption while expressing ultimate contrast levels, producing images with much darker blacks and an elevated brightness up to 2,5 times brighter than conventional TVs and twice the colour adjustment points for the most accurate colour display.
Meanwhile, the new TCL 55-inch 4K UHD Quantum Dot TV that launched in the Chinese market in December will soon be available in the targeted overseas markets, such as Europe and Asia Pacific, according to TCL Multimedia and QD Vision.
The Quantum Dot TVs are the most advanced sets on the market today, with best-in-class colour performance enabled by Color IQ optics from QD Vision. The TVs offer superior performance and incredible value, particularly when compared to other LCD systems and OLED TVs
“Our Quantum Dot TV H9700 has been extremely well-received by consumers in China, and we look forward to making it available to a broader market this spring,” says E Hao, CEO of TCL Multimedia, the world’s third best-selling television brand. “When you deliver a high-end product at an affordable price, the market responds.”
According to TCL, Color IQ Quantum Dot technology enables the TCL H9700 QLED TV to achieve 110% of full-gamut NTSC colour performance. Until now, most mainstream LCD TV designs delivered 60-70% of the NTSC colour gamut
standard. Working together, TCL and QD Vision have delivered a state-of-the-art television with full-gamut colour at LCD TV prices.
Sharp has also unveiled its 2015 AQUOS 4K Ultra HD TV line-up, quadrupling the number of 4K UHD TVs offered across seven screen sizes, ranging from 43-inch to 80-inch.
The new 4K line-up will include the AQUOS Beyond 4K Ultra HD TV, the highest resolution TV available in 2015.
“Sharp’s display technologies shape the TV industry,” says Jim Sanduski, president of Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America. “Our 2015 AQUOS 4K Ultra HD TV line delivers our finest picture quality, most beautiful designs and advanced Smart TV features.”
The Beyond 4K Ultra HD TV, the highest resolution TV, combines Sharp’s proprietary pixel splitting and Quattron technologies, resulting in 66-million subpixels, 42-million more than standard K Ultra HD. With more subpixels, this TV delivers 167% greater resolution than traditional 4K UHD and begins to approach 8K.
Sharp’s next generation Revelation Upscaler unleashes the full potential of this stunning resolution, whether it’s HD or 4K UHD content.
The Sharp AQUOS Beyond 4K Ultra HD TV will be available in late 2015.
Following the debut of the world’s first 4K OLED TVs in 2014, LG Electronics is unveiling its expanded OLED TV line-up at the CES today.
With seven different new 4K OLED TVs ― flexible, curved and flat models spanning 55-inch (54.6 inches diagonally), 65-inch (64,5 inches diagonally) and 77-inch (76.7 inches diagonally) inches in display size, all of LG’s 2015 4K OLED TVs utilise the company’s proprietary WRGB technology. This pixel structure adds a white sub pixel, which allows for expanded, life-like colours.
LG’s Optimized True Color technology regulates colour stability regardless of variations in brightness and delivers a superb viewing experience with more natural, comfortable colours.
With a maximum response time of 0.001ms, LG’s OLED TVs are more than 1 000 times faster than conventional LCD flat panel TVs. LG OLED TVs assure that even viewers sitting off-axis will enjoy exceptional picture quality at wide viewing angles, unlike most LCD TVs, which suffer from colour washout and lower contrast.
The new LG OLED TVs also feature advanced sound with technology developed in partnership with audio expert Harman/Kardon, guaranteeing that the flawless picture quality is deservingly complemented with deep, rich sound. The 4.2 channel speaker setup is balanced and enhanced with LG’s ULTRA Surround System to deliver a powerful yet refined audio experience.
All of LG’s 2015 4K OLED TVs feature webOS 2.0, the latest version of LG’s proprietary smart TV platform. LG’s webOS 2.0 delivers a simpler, easier and more intuitive experience with an enhanced user interface and a raft of impressive features.
The platform takes simplicity and convenience to a whole new level with reduced boot time and also allows users to optimise menus on the Launcher Bar making it easier than ever to add and delete favourite items.
At the top end of the spectrum, Hisense has debuted the new VIDAA Max 100-inch Laser Cinema TV. The Hisense VIDAA Max 100-inch Laser Cinema TV brings an immersive cinema experience designed to exceed customer expectations in picture and sound quality, ease-of-use, price and environmental preservation.
The Hisense VIDAA Max 100-inch Laser-inchCinema TV features a blue laser diode light source offering 25,000 hours of viewing enjoyment with no degradation of brightness or colour and no need to recalibrate the picture settings as with traditional lamp based light sources. The laser light engine is coupled with the Texas Instrument DarkChip 3 Digital Light Processing (DLP) platform.
The DLP is a digital mirror device (DMD) which utilises over two million mirrors to produce stunningly sharp, crystal clear, high contrast FHD (1920×1080) images with no motion blur.
The Hisense VIDAA Max 100-inch Laser Cinema TV has the connectivity (HDMI, Component and Composite) you need to view analogue SD or HD and digital HD movies and shows from any source device.
Connect your PC with the built-in VGA connector or view digital media via the built-in USB ports. The built-in Wi-Fi supports WiDi protocol for connecting wirelessly to your home network or mobile device. The Hisense VIDAA Max 100-inch Laser Cinema TV also features 5.1 Dolby-DTS with eight-inch subwoofers as well as 5.8G wireless surround sound Bluetooth speakers.
