4K resolution, sometimes called 4K Ultra HD, refers to video with a horizontal resolution of 4,000 pixels and a vertical resolution of 2,000 pixels. 4K Ultra HD Cable & Satellite TV is currently the cutting edge of technology available within the television industry. While 4K is still considered to be a premium feature, more and more television manufacturers are creating 4K sets and eventually, 4K will become as common as standard high definition is today. It's important to note, however, that simply buying a 4K capable TV set will not automatically upgrade the quality of the picture when compared to standard high definition. The content itself needs to be broadcast in a 4K format in order for the TV set to take advantage. Here are some common questions about 4K Ultra HD.
At the high end, some 4K television sets have a curve to them. This is to create a great viewing angle from every seat in the room.
4K Blu-Ray players can play special 4K Blu-Ray discs on 4K televisions. The 4K Blu-Ray player cannot upgrade a regular Blu-Ray disc to 4K quality or make a standard HD television suddenly start broadcasting 4K video.
4K TV sets are considered to be luxury items at this point and as such one can expect many other premium features to be available. Some 4K sets can also provide 3D and most of them will also be Wi-Fi capable and may have some built-in apps that will allow easy access to online streaming sites. This is convenient as some of those sites or apps may be another ways to easily access 4K content.
When comparing one 4K television set with another, there are a variety of things to consider. One may want to look at the difference in contrast or color tone from set to set, for example. Some TV sets have more HDMI connections while other TVs also provide USB capabilities so that hard drives with 4K content can be plugged in.
In general, bigger is better when considering a screen size for a 4K TV set. It's possible to get a 4K set that is significantly larger than the typical largest standard HD set, with some 4K TVs hitting 80 inches or more in the screen department. This is because a bigger screen is needed to get the full appreciation that the 4K resolution provides. A smaller 4K TV set will still look great, of course, but to the naked eye, it won't be as dramatic of a difference when compared with some of the larger TVs.
The first place a new 4K TV set owner will want to look for 4K content is through their existing cable or satellite TV provider. Not every channel will be in 4K all the time, but there may be some specific programs that broadcast in 4K. There are also Ultra HD options available through some popular streaming websites. Finally, more and more high-end video games today are being designed to take advantage of 4K sets.
In order to take full advantage of 4K Ultra HD, the TV set owner should also make sure they are running a 4K HDMI cable between the TV set and any device that is 4K-capable such as some Blu-Ray players or video game consoles. Also, some cable and satellite TV providers may have special programming boxes that need to be used in conjunction with the TV set.
4K will look like 4K regardless of where the signal is coming from, so there is not a major difference in 4K quality between cable and satellite content providers. The comparison to make here really comes down to which channels are offered and if those channels ever broadcast certain programs in 4K quality. Some satellite providers may provide a wider selection of channels, but it's important to focus in on which ones are 4K-capable.