By James Wells in Sardinia, Italy
The rush to make Ultra HD (also called ‘4K') the next 3D and the important role that China has to play up against Sony, Samsung and LG may see the new technology quickly fly or die.
Speaking at the IFA press conference in Sardinia this week, DisplaySearch director of European TV research, Paul Gray, has called on the television to show patience and not rush in with unfinished products.
“If you are selling Ultra HD, you will need to use that resolution to offer a rich detailed experience and offer that real ‘wow’ experience for graphics.”
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Gray claims that rather than introducing Ultra HD to a captive market, this new standard may enable the mass rollout of the former generation of Full HD technology which has occurred previously.
“There could be a poisoning of the water,” Gray said. “People are rushing in to make an experience like 3D that itself was far from finished. Products that are not future-proofed, and offer little more than numbers marketing will turn consumers off and they will detect the poor value for money. If Ultra HD becomes numbers marketing it will fail.”
According to Gray, China could play an important role in the success or failure of Ultra HD technology.
“The balance of power is moving to China which is learning more about the technology. Chinese manufacturers are keen to take on a technological challenge and break out into the export market as the domestic market is slowing.
“At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year all of the Chinese manufacturers had Ultra HD demonstrations — the same as their non domestic competition.
“The test for the Chinese will not be manufacturing the first 10,000 or the first 100,000 Ultra HD panels, but the first 10 million,” he said.
To hear more from Paul Gray, click on the video below…