The BBC and Sky are teaming up to promote 4K ultra high definition television with a ‘UHD ready’ sticker.
A new group of 4K fans, the UHD-Forum, is headed by industry body Digital TV Group along with representatives from Sky and Auntie Beeb.
Other members include broadcasters and standards bodies like the Digital Production Partnership and the Forum for Advanced Media in Europe (the spectacularly-monikered FAME), who will unite to make sure UHD is properly understood and that UHD kit from different manufacturers plays nice together.
The goal is to come up with a ‘UHD ready’ sticker, like the ‘HD ready’ logo slapped onto high-tech tellies and other gear in the run-up to the high definition revolution.
UHD is chiefly known for its incredibly detailed picture — Sony sells TVs with 3,840×2,160 pixels, crisp enough to see adverts on the fingernails of Wimbledon stars. But it’s set to be more than that, hence the change in name to UHD rather than simply 4K. The standard will be about more than just pixels, but colour, frame rate and dynamic range too.
At the moment there isn’t much in the way of stuff to watch in 4K, but you can buy UHD TVs if you have a few grand burning a hole in your pocket. Samsung’s 55 and 65-inch UHD TVs cost £4,000 for 4K, as do Sony’s UHD TVs. When 4K becomes more common prices should come down.
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