Guest Post: What Is a 4K TV And Why Do You Need One?

These days, you no longer to apply for a small mortgage to buy a 4K TV.  The prices are now at a comparable rate to other televisions available. Having one can make a difference in your entertainment experience, as a 4K television can improve the current HD picture quality. The 4K television is a quality purchase as it provides a “wow” factor and it is affordable. 4K TV offers a high picture quality that is way beyond what is available in many homes. In fact, its picture resolution is four times that of today’s current HD technology. Also, it offers a greater array of colors as well as sharper images.  This makes it much easier for you to get immersed in what you are watching.

4K or Ultra-HD TV is about four times the resolution of a 1080p (HD) TV. Therefore, it has a screen resolution of 3840 × 2160, while most TV sets have 1920 × 1080p. A 4K TV displays about 8 million pixels resulting in a crisper picture especially when using larger screen sizes. With its increasing demand, there have been 4K TV sets available at a much more affordable cost.  But it is still important to be advised to double check to make sure you are buying a 4K television and not a 65’’ 1080p set instead.

It is important to note that many 4K sets – especially the ones that were released before 2016 – do not have HDR built into the set. That has changed over time because TV makers have agreed that TV sets labelled as UHD premium should have a minimum requirement to be met.

For a set to be considered UHD premium, it must have:

• A display resolution of at least 3840 × 2160
• 10-bit color depth (or higher) to allow each primary color in 1024 shades to be seen
• It has a display that meets the minimum brightness requirements. This makes blacks darker and whites more pronounced
• High dynamic range enabled
• Ability to show at least 90% of P3 color range

Here are top 5 reasons why you should be looking to buy a 4K TV now:

1. Lower Prices

The 4K TV models are now available at price points that anyone looking to buy a television can consider. You can grab a 40-inch 4K TV for about $400 or less, or a curved 4K TV at about $800 or less. These televisions are smart and allow instant access to services such as Hulu and Netflix. Since 4K is a relatively recent technology, it started out as a high priced option, but the prices have now fallen and are competitive to other high-end options in the HD market. The 4K offering represents greater value for the money that you will spend. 

2. Higher Quality

With no doubt, a 4K TV is sharper, brighter, and has far richer colors than the standard HD. Better picture quality and large screens are the waves of the future, and this is what the 4K provides. The good thing with 4K is the fact that you are not inconvenienced by special glasses like some of the 3D television options. The 4K television is future-proofed for a considerable number of years to come. Since Ultra HD TVs can work with upscale content, programs will get a glorious makeover, even those that have not yet been filmed in 4K. In addition, its higher 4K resolution, 4K TV have greater brightness, smarter TV interfaces, and improved solid and better colors.

3. Streaming Content

It is to be expected that with a 4K TV, you are going to want to watch the 4K content once you see the difference. You now have plenty of choices when it comes to choosing interesting programs to stream. For instance, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video now stream their content in ultimate format. 4K is effective with the 3D format and will create a 3D experience as you stream. With a 4K TV, the passive approach does not lead to reduced resolution as they allow you to now stream a 3D picture from 3D Blu-rays with minimal class talks.

4. 4K DVDS

In this era, you can now own a movie on 4K Blu-ray DVD. Currently, there are 12 titles available including Mad Max, Kingsman, The Lego Movie and Fury Road. The Secret Service and much more is to launch soon. However, to enjoy these new innovations, you will need a 4K player who goes for around $30 for a DVD though there are other cheaper ways to watch the latest movies.

5. 4K Gaming is Ideal

If we are to believe industry rumblings – which generally are accurate and predict future technology – all gaming is going in the direction of 4K technology. It is believed that Sony is making an ultimate 4K PlayStation 4 that will launch alongside the VR headset. 

Technology trends can come and go, but 4K is here to stay. What was once priced out of most budgets, is now an affordable luxury that you will enjoy if you are an entertainment buff.

This article was written by Mike Morrison, who has been working and studying the tech industry for 25 years.