CES 2014: Ultra HD and 4K Round-up

1080p? Sorry, never heard of that.

by hodg100
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CES 2014: Ultra HD and 4K Round-up
As we fully expected, CES 2014 was packed with news on 4K displays and technology.
Each and every manufacturer had Ultra HD TVs on show with the impression given that this is where most of the marketing resources will be directed in the immediate future.

LG kicked off the press day and we’ve almost lost count of the number of 4K TVs they had on show in Las Vegas.

In fact, for our money, the Korean’s were the stars of CES 2014, with the most comprehensive and exciting range of TVs announced. Not least amongst these was the flexible 77-inch 4K OLED which can be viewed as a conventional flat-screen or with an adjustable degree of curvature.
Genius!
CES 2014: Ultra HD and 4K Round-up

As well as their OLED TVs, LG will have an entire range of Ultra HD TVs in 2014, with screen sizes between 49 and, double that, up to 98-inches. LG told us that prices will begin under the £2,000 barrier so they are expecting to shift quite a few.

The new range of 4K LG Smart TVs will also feature their new webOS platform, which from what we've seen, will set a new benchmark in the connected TV experience.

Sharp has built its recent reputation on producing really big TVs and they didn’t disappoint this time around.

Sharp’s 2014 4K line-up features models in 60, 70, 80 and 90-inch screen sizes with support for the 3840 x 2160 resolution at 60Hz included.

CES 2014: Ultra HD and 4K Round-up

They also had a ‘stop-gap’ solution on show which featured a 1080p panel but with 'Revelation' technology included. This means the panel has 2.5 times the amount of sub-pixels found in a conventional Full HD TV and it also accepts a 4K signal but we’re struggling to see the point given the number of affordable 4K TVs announced.

Toshiba's Radiance Panels look promising
Toshiba didn’t have a press conference but they did, of course, join in the 4K shenanigans with the announcement of some new TVs of their own. We’re quite excited by the prospect of their new flagship model, featuring ‘full-array’ LED backlighting with the new Radiance panel.

Toshiba’s new UHD line-up will also support for HEVC decoding and sport HDMI 2.0 connectivity. We’re expecting them to launch in the Spring of 2014.

Almost all Samsung’s focus will be on 4K in 2014 as far as TVs are concerned and they’re embracing the idea of curved displays as much – if not more – than any.
CES 2014: Ultra HD and 4K Round-up

Chief amongst this wave of wavy TVs is the monstrous 105-inch, 21:9 ratio flagship offering which boasts a 5120 x 2160p resolution and more than 11 million pixels. This TV was so phenomenal it caused film director Michael Bay to lose the plot and walk off stage.
Samsung's 105-inch curved UHD TV was too much for Michael Bay to handle
Samsung currently has no plans to release their 105-inch model, they're presumably waiting to see how LG's fares, but they do have their 8 and 9 series of Ultra HD TVs coming to market in 2014, with screen sizes beginning at 50-inches. The 9000 series will feature a curve whilst the 8 Series are conventional flatties.

We couldn’t let any 4K round-up go by without mentioning Sony and they brought up the rear on Press Day with their event late on the Monday afternoon.

Sony had a number of Ultra HD compatible products to show off and they seemed most keen to promote their new 4K camcorder which will also break the $2,000 price barrier in the States.

CES 2014: Ultra HD and 4K Round-up

There were no big surprises in the TV department with a new X95 and X9 Series announced, although the new wedge-shaped design at least bucked the trend for all that curviness and allows the TVs to produce excellent audio.

Sony did have something up their sleeves which they saved for the day following their press event. Nobody had guessed that the Japanese manufacturer would have a 4K laser-driven projector at the show and that it was a short-throw number, capable of producing a 147-inch 4K image from as little as 17cm clearance. It’s the kind of futuristic product that epitomises CES but will hit the market this year?

That was just a brief round-up of the 4K goings-on at CES 2014, to see all our coverage from the event, click here.

To share your thoughts on the above, click the Discussion tab and post a reply.

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