New 4K resolution televisions and its relation with the history of digital cinema – Part 2

The industry needed a standard that works on the proposition that you’ll be sitting one-and-a-half times the screen height from the screen, and this required a higher resolution than 1080p. Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) was formed in 2002 with the goal of setting a digital standard. Based on these efforts, two new resolutions came about: a 2K specification, and later in 2005, the 4K format.

The first high-profile 4K cinema release was “Blade Runner: The Final Cut” in 2007, a new cut and print of the 1982 masterpiece. Unfortunately, at that time very few theaters were able to show it in its full resolution. It would take one of director Ridley Scott’s contemporaries to truly drive 4K into your local Cineplex.

Despite the industry’s best intentions, there is still no single 4K standard–there are five or more different shooting resolutions available. In cinemas you see projectors based on the DCI specification, which supports both 4K and 2K, while Sony sports its own standard (also 4,096×2,190-pixel resolution) and series of projectors.

Things are a little simpler in the home. The HDMI organization recently added two types of 4K support to its latest 1.4 specification: Quad HD (3,840×2,160 pixels) and 4K/2K, also called 4Kx2K (4,096×2,160 pixels). Only Quad HD conforms to the classic 16:9 ratio of modern television screens.

Meanwhile, some industry experts have questioned the necessity of 4K as a home format given the lack of content and the need for very large displays to appreciate the extra resolution.

“There was a huge, noticeable leap from standard definition to HD, but the difference between 1080p and 4K is not as marked,” said researcher Dave Lamb of 3M Laboratories.

Lamb added that “4K is at the point of diminishing returns,” but there could be some benefits for screens over 55 inches.

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Posted by Usman Khalid on Jan 26 2012. Filed under Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.