No Rush for 4K at DVinfo.net

Robert Benda · June 2nd, 2014, 06:54 AM

There may be some reasons to adopt 4K format cameras, but they don't have anything to do with our clients, yet.

Here's an article from CNet about how both Sony and Samsung have locked their content to their own TVs, as in, if you want to watch 'Amazing Spider Man 2', from Sony Studios, you have to have a both a Sony device that offers streaming of their 4K library and, most importantly, it only works with a Sony TV... and Samsung is doing the same thing.

This kind of thing is likely to slow down adoption

Why are Sony and Samsung keeping 4K content to themselves? - CNET

//also note, from the article, that the TVs don't actually cost much more to make than current gen, but their price is WAY higher.

Noa Put · June 2nd, 2014, 07:31 AM

I think Sony is the inventor of the word "proprietary"

On the Belgian Sony website they are heavily pushing their 4K tv towards footballfans, the reason why you should buy such a tv is (mentioned on the site) that you will be able to count every single blade of grass on the field and that their tv is able to transform regular HD to a 4 times higher resolution true upscaling with their X-Reality PRO-technology.

Great! so it looks like Sony just gave my HD camera a few more years of use :)

John C. Chu · June 2nd, 2014, 04:11 PM

As one that chose HD-DVD over Blu-ray initially during the HD-Disc war, this seems like Deja Vu all over again and it may ultimately be bad for the consumer that chooses the "wrong" side.

Noa Put · June 2nd, 2014, 04:39 PM

Sony and Samsung are definitely slowing down 4K acceptance in this way, that's a problem you get when companies get to big and trying to use their weight to change the buying behaviour, the loser of such a battle is always the client.

Dave Blackhurst · June 2nd, 2014, 06:42 PM

Very odd... so the TV can play 4K, but then an external box "locks" the content... that's pretty dumb. You'd have thunk that the HDDVD/BR wars and the resulting slow adoption curve for BR would have taught a few valuable lessons... sometimes stupid just won't go away...

This goes back to the lack of a delivery format... streaming will be a heavy bandwidth hog, there isn't a "4K disc"... so the options are limited.

The reasons to be fiddling with 4K are for the image quality, and to be on top of it if and when it does become more common (and a delivery method becomes apparent!).

Logically, if producing a 4K TV is not more costly, they SHOULD become more prevalent as more 4K cell phonces/tablets/cameras become available.... Since I'm using a cheap off brand TV as a 4K "monitor", it obviously wasn't much more expensive than an equivalent basic HD set... so it's going to come down to how soon "open" 4K content becomes commonly available.

June 2nd, 2014, 06:54 AM	#1
Robert Benda Trustee Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Crookston, MN Posts: 1,353	No Rush for 4K There may be some reasons to adopt 4K format cameras, but they don't have anything to do with our clients, yet. Here's an article from CNet about how both Sony and Samsung have locked their content to their own TVs, as in, if you want to watch 'Amazing Spider Man 2', from Sony Studios, you have to have a both a Sony device that offers streaming of their 4K library and, most importantly, it only works with a Sony TV... and Samsung is doing the same thing. This kind of thing is likely to slow down adoption Why are Sony and Samsung keeping 4K content to themselves? - CNET //also note, from the article, that the TVs don't actually cost much more to make than current gen, but their price is WAY higher.

June 2nd, 2014, 07:31 AM	#2
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,510	Re: No Rush for 4K I think Sony is the inventor of the word "proprietary" On the Belgian Sony website they are heavily pushing their 4K tv towards footballfans, the reason why you should buy such a tv is (mentioned on the site) that you will be able to count every single blade of grass on the field and that their tv is able to transform regular HD to a 4 times higher resolution true upscaling with their X-Reality PRO-technology. Great! so it looks like Sony just gave my HD camera a few more years of use :)

June 2nd, 2014, 04:11 PM	#3
John C. Chu Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Rego Park , NYC Posts: 665	Re: No Rush for 4K As one that chose HD-DVD over Blu-ray initially during the HD-Disc war, this seems like Deja Vu all over again and it may ultimately be bad for the consumer that chooses the "wrong" side.

June 2nd, 2014, 04:39 PM	#4
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,510	Re: No Rush for 4K Sony and Samsung are definitely slowing down 4K acceptance in this way, that's a problem you get when companies get to big and trying to use their weight to change the buying behaviour, the loser of such a battle is always the client.

June 2nd, 2014, 06:42 PM	#5
Dave Blackhurst Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Apple Valley CA Posts: 4,874	Re: No Rush for 4K Very odd... so the TV can play 4K, but then an external box "locks" the content... that's pretty dumb. You'd have thunk that the HDDVD/BR wars and the resulting slow adoption curve for BR would have taught a few valuable lessons... sometimes stupid just won't go away... This goes back to the lack of a delivery format... streaming will be a heavy bandwidth hog, there isn't a "4K disc"... so the options are limited. The reasons to be fiddling with 4K are for the image quality, and to be on top of it if and when it does become more common (and a delivery method becomes apparent!). Logically, if producing a 4K TV is not more costly, they SHOULD become more prevalent as more 4K cell phonces/tablets/cameras become available.... Since I'm using a cheap off brand TV as a 4K "monitor", it obviously wasn't much more expensive than an equivalent basic HD set... so it's going to come down to how soon "open" 4K content becomes commonly available.