Industry players line up to support ‘4K Ultra HD’
November 12, 2014
By Colin Mann
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has revealed that leading US industry associations, technical organisations and retail groups have agreed to use ‘4K Ultra HD’ and ‘4K UHD’ as common terminology to describe the new generation of television products, technology and content. This will help provide clarity and consistency for consumers seeking to enhance their home entertainment experience with 4K Ultra HD.
The groups – including DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group, the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA), the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the Home Theater Specialists of America (HTSA) and the NATM Buying Group – agreed to join CEA in using ‘4K Ultra HD’ as common terminology in educational and promotional efforts related to the emerging category of display products with more than 8 million pixels, four times the resolution of Full HD.
Many of these organisations will encourage their members to use ‘4K Ultra HD’, and some may also use the 4K Ultra HD logos released by CEA in September as appropriate to identify 4K Ultra HD programming, services and technologies. A simple licensing agreement will certify logo usage in accordance with CEA guidelines. CEA developed two logos for use – 4K Ultra HD and 4K Ultra HD Connected – mirroring CEA’s voluntary characteristics, which were designed to address various attributes of picture quality and help move toward interoperability, while providing clarity for consumers and retailers alike.
“Alignment with these important and influential organizations in using common nomenclature will help accelerate growth across the exciting and rapidly-emerging new market of 4K UHD,” said CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. “By working together, we will provide greater consistency and clarity across the full 4K UHD ecosystem to help guide consumers in identifying 4K Ultra HD products, services and related content.”
SMPTE President Wendy Aylsworth said, “This is a foundational item that looks to a new future of higher-quality content that SMPTE is committed to advancing. SMPTE congratulates and supports the CEA in its effort to create nomenclature that simplifies the consumer messaging.
“The emergence of 4K displays is driving interest in 4K Ultra HD broadcasting as well with the work now underway on the ATSC 3.0 digital TV broadcast standard. We support the idea of using consistent elements, whenever possible, to identify new technologies,” said Mark Richer, President of the Advanced Television Systems Committee.
Incoming CEA Executive Board Chairman Dan Pidgeon, chairman of Dallas-based retailer Starpower Home Entertainment, said, “4K UHD delivers such an rich experience, consumers are now asking for it by name. 4K UHD sales continue to grow at a rapid rate. Embracing a consistent look and message helps elevate the credibility of this exciting new category as it matures from early adopters to the mainstream.”
In July, CEA upwardly revised its sales forecast for 4K Ultra HD. CEA projects unit shipments of 4K Ultra HD displays to reach 800,000 in 2014 – a marked increase over CEA’s initial forecast of 485,000 units – earning $1.9 billion in revenue, a 517 per cent increase over the 2013 total. Revenue from 4K Ultra HD displays is projected to exceed $5 billion in 2015, which the CEA says is an impressive total considering that revenue was virtually non-existent three years earlier.