“Ever since HDTVs became standard, we’ve seen several gimmicks to make them stand out while 4K took its time creeping forward. 3D was never really embraced as a vital feature for TVs, and curved screens were rightly dismissed as needlessly expensive aesthetic tweaks,” Will Greenwald writes for PC Magazine. “I can’t promise those days are over, but if CES is any indication, the gimmicks have mostly been swept away in favor of actual, tangible TV advancements.”
“Last year was the first time we recommended 4K TVs for general consumers. This year we can make it official: Next-gen TV is here, and it really is the time to consider replacing your television for a new and completely better one,” Greenwald writes. “Forget HDTV. 1080p is yesterday’s news. 4K (ultra high definition, or UHD, or whatever you want to call the now-standard 3,840-by-2,160 video resolution) TVs are now the standard. You can find some incredibly inexpensive 4K TVs now, meaning there’s no reason to even consider a 1080p screen anymore… 4K has arrived, and now is the time to get it.”
“High dynamic range (HDR) is an important technology that goes with 4K TVs, and is the reason to spend more money. HDR means each pixel has more information determining its light output and color, making a more detailed picture than an SDR signal even at the same resolution,” Greenwald writes. “Smart TV systems were wildly fragmented for years while every major TV manufacturer attempted to make its own custom interface. There are still vestiges of this in LG and Samsung’s TVs, but the majority of manufacturers have embraced third party solutions. Google’s Android TV and Google Cast platforms, the Roku TV interface, and Amazon’s newly released Fire TV television integration offer TV makers feature-filled systems with loads of apps and services without the need to get fancy with custom engineering.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Note which company’s solution, er… “hobby,” wasn’t even worth a mention.
Apple TV needs to be 4K, Apple. It needed to be 4K for this past Christmas. In fact, for a company that supposedly “pushes the envelope,” it should have been 4K when it debuted October 30, 2015 over 13 months ago.
Interns, TTK. We could use some cheering up! Prost!