Special Focus: 4K/ UHD
Prices of 4K TVs in India, are crashing to match HD Tv prices. Here's a reality check for buyers
By Anand Parthasarathy
Bangalore, June 15 2015: That ancient latin warning: Caveat emptor: let the buyer beware, has suddenly become meaningful, particularly if you are shopping for a new TV set. Throughout June the price of "4K" or Ultra High Definition (UHD) TV has been crashing . On some online sites it matches the cost of a HD LED TV of the same size. Makers companies like VU and Micromax, are leading the race to cut prices on 4K TVs around 42 inches to between Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000. Their aggressive prices are forcing other brands to drop their own prices if not to the same level. Buyers needs to know what they are getting at these
I can vouch from personal experience that the jump from full HD to UHD (otherwise known as 4K) is just as stunning -- thanks to a four-fold increase in the number of pixels within a given space -- as was the change from standard definition to HD.
So if you are able to buy a 4K LED TV -- that is also a Smart TV with built-in Internet -- for just 3000 - 4000 rupees more than a HD LED TV, why not? But here's a reality check:
- Having invested in a 4K TV what is there to see in 4K? Hardly anything. Unlike Bluray disks which give you movies in HD, there are, as yet, no UHD disks. Today, there are two DTH operators -- TataSky and Videocon d2h -- who offer 4K Set Top Boxes for between Rs 5000 and Rs 6000 and at least one permanent channel -- mostly documentary clips -- of 4K quality. Both of them broadcast a few matches of the Cricket World Cup in 4K to let subscribers see the difference. The next big sports event where one can expect to see in 4K is the Olympics in Rio -- and that's 450 days away. Other Indian satellite and Cable TV operators can be expected to launch their own 4K services by then.
- For the fast action of sport to be captured at 4K, they have to shoot at higher frame rates -- 60 - 100 frames per second -- compared with 30 fps of HD. This means your 4K TV must also be capable of this frame rate. TV makers rarely publicize their frame rate in the advertised specs and when they do, they use misleading jargon like Clear Motion Rate which could end up being double the actual frame rate. So if you see a great deal online, you have to do your own homework on the maker's website to ensure that your 4K TV can actually display the 4K content that your TV service provider will offer. Otherwise your 4K experience will be four-fold frustration, when the Games begin!
- If 4K content is scarce, you can always create your own! Quite a few smartphones, like the Samsung Galaxy range , the Sony Xperia range, select HTC, LG, Xiaomi and Lenovo handsets shoot video in UHD/4K at 60 fps. You can then connect the phone to your 4K TV to view the content. You need an MHL cable to this.
- Vipin Sawhney, India Country Manager of Silicon Image, the company that has brought MHL to India, cautions that earlier models of 4K TVs might not be MHL-ready, in which case the UHD video will get down scaled to HD quality. And how do I know if the 4K TV I am about to buy is MHL-ready? Peer at the back of the set. You should find the MHL symbol alongside the HDMI port.
So, you may well get a 4K TV tomorrow for the price of a HD set, but to ensure if you are really ready for the future, you have a to do a bit of undercover work!
___________________________________________
Tech Note:
Standard Definition means 480 x 720 pixels
High Definition: 720 by 1280 pixels
Full High Definition (2K): 1080 by 1920 pixels
Ultra High Definition (4K): 2160 by 3840 pixels
Ultra High Definition ( 8K) 4320 by 7680 pixels
___________________________________________
Other parts of our special focus on 4K/UHD this week:
