Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV, or “4K”) packs four times the resolution of regular HDTVs. Until this week, they also came with ultra high prices.
The first models, introduced late last year, cost $20K-$25K. Samsung is offering an 85-incher for $40K. Sony’s 55-inch UHDTV is $5,000.
This week, Chinese TV maker Seiki (pronounced SAY-key), began shipping a 50-inch UHDTV for just $1,500. At Seiki’s NYC press meeting today they demonstrated it using UHD content. We got to check it out.
The question on everyone’s mind: How sharp did it appear? It’s so detailed; it’s more like looking through a window than a TV. Think of it as an iPad Retina screen on growth hormones.
The low cost TV manufacturer revealed to us how they make a UHDTV (3840 x 2160 resolution) at a fraction of the price of the Korean and Japanese TV makers. The Seiki SE50UY04
A Seiki executive told HD Guru they will be offering other UHD TVs this year: a 65-inch version in Q3, and a 39-inch version for Q4. These are aimed to to coincide with the expected arrival of the Playstation 4, which is anticipated to play some content in UHD resolution.
The CMI UHD LCD panels are shipped to Seiki’s factory in China where they build the circuit boards, mold the cases and assemble the TVs. To keep costs down Seiki makes all of its TVs very bare-bones. This means no built-in Smart TV features such as Netflix, no video camera for Skype and gesture control, no 3D, and no voice control. Many of these features can be found in LG, Sony and Samsung UHDTVs.
While the lack of features isn’t a huge deal (Roku streaming boxes are inexpensive and excellent), there are also no gamma, gray scale (for color temperature calibration) or color management system adjustments. This is a potentially much larger deal, as these three adjustments can radically affect a TV’s picture quality. We hope Seiki will consider adding these since all are software, not hardware, based and should not add much (if anything) to the cost of the TV.
Seiki also developed the algorithms needed to upconvert high definition and standard definition content to UHD resolution. They showed us Blu-ray disc content to prove the TVs capabilities.
The SE50UY04 is currently available from Amazon. It is also expected to arrive in the near future at brick and mortar stores such as HH Gregg and Sears, according to a Seiki spokesperson.
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Currently there is no commercially available UHD content. Seiki used a desktop PC with a 4K video card and stock demo footage fed to the TV via a supplied HDMI cable. Sony plans to sell a 4K media server this year; however they say the unit will only work with Sony TVs. The aforementioned Playstation 4 should work with any UHDTV. Satellite and cable are looking into UHD broadcasts, but we don’t expect them to begin until late 2014 or beyond. So why buy a UHD TV now? To be future proof… sort of. Current HDMI specifications only allow up to 30 frames per second at UHD resolution, precluding frame rates of 60 Hz that are currently employed in 720p HD broadcasts by ABC, ESPN, Fox and others.
For a spec sheet on the SE50UY04 click here
For the Amazon link click Seiki SE50UY04
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Seiki SE50UY04 50-Inch 4K UHD 120Hz LED HDTV
Now $449.99
China is very savvy and they plan to pull the rug out from under their Asian competition with 4K technology.
Plasma won’t scale to 4K so its at end-of-life.
The beauty of 4K is active 3D is no longer required.
4k is the new SACD. Like SACD there’ll be no perceptible difference aside from potentially better mastering.
Unlike SACD, 4k will likely succeed, as people are always buying new TVs, and no one needs to throw out their media to get a new TV type, but there will be no perceptible advantage over 1080p aside from maybe it just being a more advanced TV.
mistake – “HDTV Plasmas TVs have never been offered in screen sizes below 42-inches”
Vizio offered them in 32″ http://www.walmart.com/ip/VIZIO-32-Class-Plasma-HDTV-with-Digital-Tuner-VP322HDTV10A/8477433
That model was 1024 x 720 resolution or about one-tenth the resolution of UHDTV. Too large of a pixel pitch. A 64-inch with the same pixel density would only have a resolution of 2048 x 1440 less than 36% of UHDTV resolutiion.
HD Guru
I haven’t had the chance to see 4k in person. There are those who claim it’s pointless to have 4k on anything less than say a 70 inch screen and make the pixel size and viewing distance arguments. Others claim that the difference is noticeable even at standard viewing distances. I would think that the image would be sharper either way, where do you stand?
To see all the UHD resolution, you’ll need to be at half of the 1080i/p viewing distance. For a 50-inch UHDTV it’s just over 39-inches.
Our chart is at http://hdgurucom.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/hd-guru-viewing-distance-chart.pdf
HD Guru
Hi HDGuru. You may have answered this question, but in case you did not: Would watching HD content on a UHD screen be similar to watching SD content on an HD screen?
They did not show us any SD material so we will have to wait for a review sample to evaluated its SD performance. Whether its decent or ugly will depend on its upconversion.
HD Guru
@ your “it’s complete junk” comment. Did you buy the TV or physically viewed it to justify your criticism chewy?
It’s complete junk