“Apple CEO Tim Cook announced at last week’s AllThingsD conference that Apple had sold 13 million Apple TVs, and of them, nearly half that figure was sold in the last year,” Mark Reschke writes for T-GAAP. “Host Walt Mossberg and co-host Kara Swisher asked about a new Apple HDTV and what it would entail. Cook was mum on anything resembling an answer, but one thing became abundantly clear: Demand for a way around the cable industry via an Apple solution is ripening at a rapid pace.”
“While Cook used the term ‘intense interest’ to describe Apple’s devotion to the TV industry, there is still no indication as to when Apple would enter with its own solution,” Reschke writes. “The most plausible launch time for an Apple HDTV would seem likely to take place in early 2014, as much needed updates to iPads and iPhone are likely slated for Fall 2013.”
Reschke writes, “4K, or UltraHDTV (UHD) is double the x and y resolution of current 1080p HDTV standard, with the result being a set that contains 4x the amount of pixels than traditional 1080p displays… h.265 is another component to the mystery of 4K technology. What good is a 4K set if there is not content for it? h.265 is being ratified by MPEGLA, which it will license accordingly. The new h.265 compression codec is said to handle 4K extremely well, while delivering a superior color bit depth over existing h.264 technology, which is used on most all HD content to-date. If 4K resolution can enter the living room via h.265 through current cable and fiber providers’ 15Mbps governed speeds, another hurtle will have been crossed to make a 4K set a more reasonable play for Apple.”
Read more in the full article here.