Get ready: 4K streaming is near

4K, also known as ultra HD, it currently the biggest thing in the world of TV. This format offers four times the pixels of HDTV, plus better color, and is designed especially for very large TVs. The format is also available on laptops and desktop monitors.

A comparative illustration showcasing the difference between HD and 4K resolution,focusing on a detailed close-up of an eye.
Image Source

4K display has to consist of at least 3,840 pixels (horizontal) x 2,160 pixels (vertical) of resolution and the horizontal can go above 4,000 pixels. This puts it on the top of the current scale of digital resolutions in which the bottom is occupied by standard definition TV (450X540 pixels), HD with 720 pixels and full HD at 1080p.

How One AI-Driven Media Platform Cut EBS Costs for AWS ASGs by 48%

How One AI-Driven Media Platform Cut EBS Costs for AWS ASGs by 48%

4K isn’t meant to be just for TV. It’s making ground to be the best platform for streaming as well. YouTube has had a 4K channel running since as early as 2010 and other developments are definitely on the horizon, especially in countries or regions with excellent internet connectivity that goes above the normal speeds available to most people, shaping the new face of the broadcast industry. The new standard is being introduced in the industry, called H.265 or HVEC (High Efficiency Video Codec). With the implementation of HVEC, broadcasters are assuring the buying public that 4K content will become easy and economical to stream into home theater systems and thus will become much more common. TV manufacturers themselves have been keeping up to date with this promise and have ensured that every new 4K TV to be released this year and in 2015 or further down the road is fully capable of decoding the HVEC standard for its users.  buying a 4K TV gives you access to future connectivity specs and future visual specs that will come in handy as broadcasters catch up to the new technology

The benefits of 4K

  • In simple terms, having a 4 K means you’re getting a lot of detail; so you can sit about twice as close before you see the grid of individual pixels, which is really important when it comes to large screens. The Consumer Electronics Association estimates that in 2016, almost all TVs over 50 inches will have 4K/UHD resolution.
  • Buying a 4K TV gives you access to future connectivity specs and future visual specs that will come in handy as broadcasters catch up to the new technology. Both Amazon Prime Instant Video and Netflix now shoot and stream their original programs, such as Mozart in the Jungle and House of Cards, in 4K/UHD.  You still need a fast broadband connection (about 15Mbps) to ensure high viewing quality.
  • Well-appointed PCs with multiple graphics cards can run some games at 4K/UHD resolution and at playable frame rates of about 30 fps, and sometimes higher. Still, 4K/UHD gaming has a long way to go before it’s a common capability, even on gaming-focussed PCs.
  • Even if 4K content is slow to arrive in your area, you’ll at least benefit from a wide array of top of the line resolution upconverting, rendering and display technologies which will drastically improve all of your regular HD content; 4K is here to stay, and it’s only getting bigger.
A cockpit view from a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier deck during a stormy weather
Image Source

And what about 8K?

8K is still emerging, but it’s getting closer and closer, from concept to reality, as several TV manufacturers have demonstrated 8K prototype sets, though all problems of delivering 4K to a TV become much bigger when it comes to 8K, because the idea of providing enough detail to fill 8K television’s 7680 x 4320 pixels is still pretty far off. Research by Japanese broadcaster NHK suggests that 8K resolution is the point at which it’s hard for people to distinguish video from reality. No television viewer can resist that.

The conclusion – is it worth the buzz?

If you want a video or photo camera that will deliver image and film clarity like nothing you’ve ever created before, or if you’d like a home theater quality viewing pleasure, ready for the arrival of 4K films and streaming content, most certainly yes!

4K is almost certainly going to have its large space on the TV marketas new UHD content emerges, and the technology is already well established as the latest and possibly best in cameras and film projectors. The only problem 4K is currently facing is the lack of content, but that’s about to change pretty soon. So for now, at least you get amazing quality, but amazing content will follow, making 4K worth the buzz.

Latest Articles

How Optimizing Kafka Can Save Costs of the Whole System

Kafka is no longer exclusively the domain of high-velocity Big Data use cases. Today, it is utilized on by workloads and companies of all sizes, supporting asynchronous communication between even small groups of microservices.  But this expanded usage has led to problems with cost creep that threaten many companies’ bottom lines. And due to the […]

29th September, 2024
Migrating Volumez RedHat VMs into Amazon Linux 2 for higher effective discounts rate of Saving Plan

A cloud data infrastructure company relied on extensive use of multiple instance types to test its products. But this made it difficult to optimize costs – a fact which had begun to impact their ability to scale the business.   The GlobalDots team helped the company identify and implement a new infrastructure configuration that both saved […]

19th September, 2024
How Yuki Achieved SOC 2 Compliance 6x Faster

Overview A fast-growing Snowflake optimization platform was missing out on customers because they didn’t have the right data security compliance. Through multiple consultations and extensive vendor-testing, the GlobalDots team selected a solution to provide both tech and human support, helping the company achieve SOC 2 compliance within just 3 months – and win new customers […]

16th September, 2024
Agile Content partners with GlobalDots to revolutionize CDN management ahead of IBC 2024

New partnership between Agile Content and GlobalDots promises to introduce automated multi-CDN solutions, optimizing content delivery and easing provider management for broadcasters worldwide. Amsterdam, Netherlands, September 9th, 2024 – Agile Content, a leading provider of digital TV and video distribution solutions, proudly announces its strategic partnership with GlobalDots, a global leader in cloud performance optimization and […]

Miguel Fersen Director for Iberia and LATAM, GlobalDots
12th September, 2024

Unlock Your Cloud Potential

Schedule a call with our experts. Discover new technology and get recommendations to improve your performance.

    GlobalDots' industry expertise proactively addressed structural inefficiencies that would have otherwise hindered our success. Their laser focus is why I would recommend them as a partner to other companies

    Marco Kaiser
    Marco Kaiser

    CTO

    Legal Services

    GlobalDots has helped us to scale up our innovative capabilities, and in significantly improving our service provided to our clients

    Antonio Ostuni
    Antonio Ostuni

    CIO

    IT Services

    It's common for 3rd parties to work with a limited number of vendors - GlobalDots and its multi-vendor approach is different. Thanks to GlobalDots vendors umbrella, the hybrid-cloud migration was exceedingly smooth

    Motti Shpirer
    Motti Shpirer

    VP of Infrastructure & Technology

    Advertising Services