Ultra HDTV systems are here & ready to show off in a big way. But wait, isn’t it all about 4K? 8K? 12K? Learn more about the HDTV love today here at Grand Home Automation.
In the beginning…
When our TV sets were big square-ish tubes of heavy glass, there was standard definition (SDTV), which had a resolution of 640 pixels (picture elements, or dots) in width, by 480 pixels in height. Not too bad, especially considering that VCR tapes couldn’t even attain that level of clarity. Then for a brief moment when wide-screen TVs first came on the scene, there was enhanced definition (EDTV), which added more pixels in width to accommodate the wider sets. Then, the big event – HDTV (high definition). At first, the studios could only muster a resolution of 1,280 by 720 pixels, which is still officially included in the HDTV standard. But a few years back we were bathed in the glory of full resolution HD, which consists of 1,920 by 1,080 dots of resolution, creating the crisp, clear, image we have come to expect of HD.
More is better In HDTV!
Our next upcoming official standard is Ultra-HD. Coming in with a whopping resolution of 3,840 by 2,160, it is essentially the equivalent of stacking four HDTV systems together, or twenty-seven old fashioned SDTVs. Quite impressive. The other term being used is “4K”. While similar to Ultra-HD, 4K is actually a commercial cinema standard that is comprised of 4,096 by 2,160 elements. We already have some video projectors with 4K resolution, and quite a few big-screen TVs that natively display Ultra-HD. For the most part, the two standard are interchangeable, with nearly all of these high-res TVs able to display either format. In the residential world, Ultra-HD will likely be the de facto standard.
Can you see the difference?
Absolutely yes! And maybe no. If you buy a 50″ Ultra HDTV and view it from a distance of twelve feet where your couch is, the human eye would not be able to resolve the extra detail. But if you have a 90″ set, and are only eight feet from it, or have a large video projection system in your home theater, you will surely be able to see and benefit from the added uber-clarity. Some may ask – With this new standard, how many frames, or full pictures are being flashed on the screen each second? Well, let’s leave that story for another time….
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Sean Hotchkiss