4K Ultra HD Inches Closer To Mainstream Adoption

As was the case before the eventual transition to HD resolutions, the move to 4K is somewhat of a “chicken and egg” scenario. Producers are waiting until there’s a larger install base before prioritizing native content for the new format and hardware manufacturers are pumping out new products at a relatively modest clip. There are some technical limitations to address as well (i.e. using a more advanced codec to compress and playback content), but those have mostly been resolved and it’s only a matter of time before CE manufacturers implement them.

This past week, however, a couple of manufacturers took some major steps toward pushing 4K Ultra HD televisions and PC monitors mainstream— VIZIO and Acer . Acer started shipping a new display targeting gamers and VIZIO launched an entire line-up of relatively affordable televisions.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of the first samples of Acer’s XB280HK G-SYNC gaming monitor, which will retail for $799. Though this monitor isn’t one of the most affordable 4K PC displays, it is more desirable than most. First off, the display features a 1ms response time and support for NVIDIA ’s G-SYNC technology. That means the panel is fast enough to show almost no ghosting with moving objects and gamers with GeForce GTX-based graphics cards can enjoy the image quality and latency benefits of G-SYNC. The Acer XB280HK is not a tiled display (another plus) and it has a 60Hz refresh rate—which is vastly better than the 24Hz of many cheaper 4K displays. At 28”, it’s also big enough to appease most users.  About the only people that would be somewhat put off by the Acer XB280HK are pro-photogs and content producers, because the panel uses TN technology, which doesn’t offer the same kind of viewing angles or color accuracy as more advanced IGZO or IPS displays.

VIZIO, known for producing affordable, high-def displays, also launched its new P-Series, which features a 50” model priced at only $999, a 70” model at $2499, and a trio of different sized models in between. “Our P-Series collection offers an outstanding Ultra HD picture and performance,” said Matt McRae, Chief Technology Officer, VIZIO. “The shift towards 4K has left consumers demanding new solutions that deliver the right innovations to enhance their viewing experience.  The P-Series Ultra HD line-up is…equipped with HEVC H.265 codec and 802.11 ac dual-band Wi-Fi for faster streaming and the latest HDCP 2.2 support for playback of protected Ultra HD content.  This combination of technologies leaves consumers with the solutions that matter most in an Ultra HD set.”

Support for H.265, 802.11ac, and HDCP 2.2 are all well and good, but it’s the P-Series’ price points and VIZIO’s penetration in discount chains like Costco that will grab consumer attention. When viewed side by side with similarly priced HD televisions, the UHD / 4K VIZIO P-Series is going to look mighty tempting. Even if there isn’t as much native 4K content available just yet, there is some, and 4K displays can scale 1080P content just fine—it’s a clean 4-to-1 ratio (4K displays have 4x the number of pixels at 1080P displays, 8.29MP vs. 2.07MP).

There is still a lot that has to happen before 4K goes fully mainstream, but we’re a heck of a lot closer today then we were just a few weeks ago.