Many major movies and some TV shows are now shot on 4K cameras, but most of this video is compressed down to HD resolution for broadcast and streaming. Buyers should also look at standard HD fare on 4K sets to judge the quality of the TV's upscaling feature. The picture quality of 4K sets varies a lot, from poor to stunningly realistic. Just because it's a 4K ultra-HD set, that doesn't mean the TV delivers a perfect picture. You can now purchase a 50-inch 4K TV for as little as $350.Īs with most things, however, you get what you pay for. But 4K sets have supplanted HDTVs as the standard, and prices have fallen accordingly. The early 4K ultra-HD TVs were aspirationally priced, such as an 84-inch Sony model selling for $25,000 back in 2013. For a more detailed explanation, check out our guide to HDR. Some models support all three standards some do not. There is basic HDR10, which most sets will support Ultra HD Premium is a similar standard set by an industry trade association and Dolby Vision is a proprietary form of HDR developed by the folks who popularized surround sound. Today, shoppers will see several different labels on TVs indicating these models support some form of HDR. In a good HDR picture - which requires HDR programming as well as a set that can display it - you can see more detail not only in areas saturated with color but also in areas that previously were either too dark or too bright to make out any details. LCD sets could display more colors but were restricted by the old standard. 709) was based on the outdated limitations of CRT televisions. HDR has come about because the existing standard for color TVs (Rec.
High dynamic range refers to a TV's ability to display a wider array of colors in a wider range of brightness levels. It translates into strikingly improved picture details in bright and dark areas. The addition of HDR, or high dynamic range, support in many 4K sets, also means much improved color and dynamic range. In other words, it means you can fit a much larger screen into a smaller room without any diminution of detail.
Even with standard HD content, a 4K TV with good up-conversion will deliver a sharper picture.Ī secondary benefit of 4K ultra-HD technology is that because it requires smaller pixels compared with HD screens of the same size, you can sit about twice as close to the screen before you see the distracting grid of individual pixels. You may not necessarily want to see every pore on Kevin Spacey's face in House of Cards, but with 4K ultra HD you can make out the faces of people in the background.
In a cityscape, for example, you can see individual windows in the buildings, and even the people on the ground walking in and out of the skyscrapers, whereas on a 1080p set, those details might be blurred, or less defined. The major benefit of 4K TVs is improved picture detail. To avoid confusion - or perhaps to generate more - most TV makers put all three terms on the box (4K, ultra HD and the abbreviated UHD) to indicate the set adheres to the new format. Known officially (there's a trade group) as ultra HD, the format measures 3840 x 2160 pixels, making it four times the pixel count of full-HD 1080p TVs (which have 1920 x 1080 pixels). The ultra-HD name is a partial acknowledgment by consumer electronics companies that sets for the home use a slightly lower resolution than true 4K cinema. MORE: Best 4K TVs What Is Ultra HD, or UHD?