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4K TV seeks niche market in mobile world
Cutting-edge television is now entering a market already saturated with mobile communication devices, up against competition with Internet-connected phones and computers
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Impossibly thin: Sony Indonesia head of marketing Kentaro Hatanaka compares the thickness of Sony X9000C UHD television set with Sony Xperia smartphone.(Courtesy of Sony Indonesia) (Courtesy of Sony Indonesia)
Cutting-edge television is now entering a market already saturated with mobile communication devices, up against competition with Internet-connected phones and computers.
As people nowadays prefer to watch videos or TV content from their smart phones, computer tablets, laptops or PCs for heavy Internet users, TV set makers released what would be the near future of video display technology.
The hottest techy buzzword of 2015 is 4K, a technology that redefines image quality.
It will affect ' it already has in some aspects ' how people want the screens of their cameras, phones, tablets and laptops, their video games, their PC monitors and even the local multiplex screens to be like.
Technology advancement surely has no shortage of acronyms, but 4K actually refers to the total pixel count, which ups the ante by a multiple of four of the final resolution in ordinary full high-definition (HD) TVs.
While HD broadcasts allow a picture resolution of a 1,920 by 1,080 image, 4K offers a 3,840 by 2,160 image ' that's 8 million pixels compared to 2 million pixels.
Some brands prefer not to use the 4K label and use UHD (Ultra HD) instead because as a derivation of the digital cinema standard the consumer format is lower than the 4096 by 2160 4K resolution.
The higher pixel count is not the only new thing that makes a 4K TV set. Producers offer other technological enhancements that would add more sitting hours for the potato couch in all of us.
Sony Indonesia recently launched the latest line of its Android TV of the Bravia series, the impossibly slim X9000C (only 4.9 millimeters) that is available in two screen sizes: 55 and 65 inches for the Indonesian market.
The head of TV product marketing, Takuo Kobayashi, said that the producer capitalized on the rapid growth of the middle class in the country that is always eager to adopt the latest tech revelation early.
'4K TV is today's trend. Consumers prefer to have a larger screen and luxury in their TV sets,' he said.
Corroborating him, Sony Indonesia's head of marketing, Kentaro Hatanaka, said that the TV set was designed with the user experience in mind.
'Now we can bring lifelike image display to the consumers so that they can immerse in the content experience,' he added.
Sony presented its latest innovation called the X1 Processor that sharpens the visual display of 4K content.
Combined with 4K X-Reality PRO that applies algorithm technology, the TV set will analyze the content and automatically increase the pixel density regardless the content source.
The Triluminos and Precision Color Mapping technology also allows much better frame rates, far crisper color palettes and contrast ratios compared to Sony's HD TVs.
The higher pixel density of a 4K panel consequently needs a large screen, but the high viewing quality allows users to comfortably watch it at 1.5 meters in distance, a perfect seating position in compact home theater.
For the Bravia series, Sony installed Google-collaborated features that enable users to use voice search and watch Internet videos on a larger screen. It uses the original platform for Internet TV, unlike other brands that still use mobile platform which has been adjusted for home TV.
Sony also introduced its stylish and slim Sound Bar that can produce sound equal to 300 watts with its 2.1 channel surround-sound speaker and S-Force PRO Front Surround that minimizes the shattering effect on the walls or glass windows.
4K TV sets are now available from most of the major TV manufacturers that includes LG with its OLED series of TV and Samsung's SUHD series.
This technology, of course, doesn't come cheap, but would it be a good investment for a home entertainment system?
While most of the 4K TVs can upgrade pictures from HD quality to UHD, the result will never as good as a true 4K source. The thing is, there's not much 4K content available yet in Indonesia.
TV broadcasters are still slowly stepping up to the ultra-sharp world and, on top of that, there's the unreliable Internet connection in the country.
The average speed for Internet connection in the country is 1 Mbps, with the highest located in Greater Jakarta and Bandung, where it could reach up to 6 or 12 Mbps.
However, if you really want to be ready for the inevitable rise of 4K resolution in the near future, then at least one of the more affordable 4K TV screens would make for a great investment.
With more TV tech enhancement on the way, 4K screens are only going to get more affordable.
As more innovations are expected to come from the 4K TV manufacturers, it is also safe to say that your new home entertainment system is future-proofed.
The one thing you'll need is a reason to get off the couch.
