At the beginning of the year, it seemed as if 4K TVs were still years away from joining the mainstream – the only models on sale were ludicrously costly and obscenely large, and there was no sign of any 4K content for the home. That now looks set to change, as Samsung and Sony start their Ultra HD assault on the living room.
First of all, Samsung eventually set a release date for its smaller 4K TVs for the UK, following on from the monstrous 84in S9 which went on sale in April. The 55in UE55F9000 and 65in UE65F9000, which are far better suited to UK living rooms, each have a 3,840×2,160 display screen resolution, which is 4 times that of a traditional 1080p TV.
Both also have all of the features found in Samsung’s present mainstream champion, the F8000, such as micro dimming LED backlighting, quad core processing, 3D support, voice and motion control, built-in Wi-Fi and a whole host of Smart TV features.
The 55inch and 65inch TVs costs £4,000 and £6,000 respectively, putting them on par with Sony’s 55inch and 65inch X9 sets. Although they carry a significant price premium over the present crop of 1080p TVs at present on sale, they are considerably cheaper than the £17,000 LG 84LM960V.
Sony, meanwhile, has unveiled plans to add Ultra HD content to its Video Unlimited internet streaming service. Video Unlimited is presently designed into Sony’s smart TVs and set-top boxes, the Playstation 3, and Xperia smartphones and tablets.
It can also be downloaded for the PC, allowing users buy or rent films and TV programmes for streaming. The present service allows for standard definition, HD and 3D streaming, but is to get upgraded to allow Ultra HD video downloads in the near future.
Sony’s chief operating officer Phil Molyneux declared that the service will start in the autumn. It is expected to be the very first native 4K downloading service, finally providing those who buy an Ultra HD TV something worthy of the display’s high definition panel.
Initially, however, content will be minimal. Most 4K video will come from Sony’s own Sony Pictures division, with content from other production houses initially limited to short films.
