This 4k lark...............i dont get it

[bwi]

While i love the idea of even higher resolutions i just dont realisticly know what i would do with it.

I don't know what sky or virgin are going to do tv wise. To get 4k gaming it requires a couple of the top of the range titans and current gen consoles are struggling to do 1080p60 by the looks of it.

So i suppose it would be netflix/lovefilm but the bandwidth must be horrendous needed and have they even announced anything.

Scaling on my current 1080 set is patchy at best, so i dont want sd/hd upscaled to 4k.

I only bought my original 720 set because i felt like i was missing out with my 360, can say the same with consoles now

<grumpy old man moan over>

[sj33]

I don't think I'm being too cynical in suggesting that it's to encourage people to buy new TVs. The issue with TVs from the perspective of manufacturers is that they do tend to be long-term purchases, so they need new technology to push. Especially with 3DTV not really gaining any traction, 4k seems to be the next way to go.

I don't think people rushed out in droves to upgrade their 720p/1080i TVs to 1080p TVs - more likely that it reached a point where the majority of TVs were 1080p and the old models started to disappear from the shelves. This will happen with 4k - I don't anticipate a massive rush to purchase 4k TVs, they will just gradually replace the existing models.

In principle, I fully support efforts to improve upon current technology. If more development is being put into 4k, then we're all winners. But I still use a 1366x768 TV (admittedly supporting 1080p input) and don't anticipate forking out for a new TV in the near future.

[wakka]

Don't worry about it. 4K content will take years and years to become mainstream.

There's absolutely nothing forcing you to buy a 4K TV.

['Press Start']

There's absolutely nothing forcing you to buy a 4K TV.

Are you sure you want to live an incomplete existence? Society says your missing out if you do not jump on the hype wagon.

[Baseley09]

You can be pretty sure that there will be no 4K gaming on the current generation unless we are talking games with simplistic graphics.

[sj33]

We'd be lucky if we get 1080 gaming this gen.

[smouty]

I've only recently 'upgraded' to a 1080p TV
The screen size required for 4k over 1080 means I wouldn't benefit. Can just about fit a 40" LED TV.

[Lyris]

4K will come via optical disc. Like you say, the bandwidth on the web as it is at the moment can hardly even do 1080p (at least not without compressing all of the high definition out of the "HD" picture!)

And also via satellite and cable, eventually.

[smouty]

Netflix are doing 4k trials I read. Will still be highly compressed though but I think the SuperHD streams are OK.

[bwi]

I just made me think when i read on digital foundary a while back what it needed to achieve a solid gaming experience on a 4k set. Tv specs seem to outstripping any hardware that can actually get the best out of it.

Why go straight to 4k when pc monitors seem to be going 2.5k and that pushes a system. Didn't Sony demo 4k with 4 ps3s each doing a quarter screen? if so does that mean that the new gen isnt 4x faster even though the tech is supposedly 8 years further on?

[chipsgravy]

I'd be interested in a 4K tv as long as the content is there. Most of the stuff I watch on TV isn't anywhere near HD yet. Its nice to look to the future but content is king and they need to learn to walk before running so to speak.

[ste]

So i suppose it would be netflix/lovefilm but the bandwidth must be horrendous needed and have they even announced anything.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24805760 - apparently 'next year'

I'm totally with you, though. I'd really like 1080p @ 60fps (or even just the 60fps) to be the standard but I'm not going to hold my breath.

[smouty]

I can see 4k working for video and this is possibly the end of the line for resolution increases as you get close to 'retina' limitations.
For games though I don't think I've seen a realistic looking game at SD resolutions so there is a long way to go before hardware is powerful enough.
Predictions are in the region of 10 years away.

[PaTaito]

It will be pointless for a looooong time, a tiny bit of worthy content, and everything else looking like ass.

[darkangel]

I do believe I've noticed some online retailers already selling and pimping up 4K Blu Rays. Waste of a bloody time if you ask me. 1080p is perfectly decent.