Gazing at faded black-and-white photos from the first CES, which occurred 50 years ago this week in New York, it’s tough not to laugh at the antiquated gear that was considered cutting-edge at the time—fat tube black-and-white TVs when 23 inches was considered “big screen,” giant wood console cabinet TV/record player/radio combos, “portable” TVs that […]
Archive | 4K
Is 2017 the Year of UHD?
Hopefully TV suppliers and the content community learned their lesson in the great home 3D debacle. It goes something like this: Don’t promise a transformative and improved viewing experience unless you can deliver it. So now the industry is coalescing behind Ultra High Definition (UHD) as the next-generation in-home transformative viewing experience. When the “next […]
Why Google, Not Amazon, Will Win the Smart Home War
Every new technology brings with it a clash of competing standards, formats and operating systems. Veteran observers can recount the (rhetorically) bloody battles pitting Betamax against VHS, HD-DVD against Blu-ray, DVD-A vs. Super Audio CD, Mac vs. PC—we could go on. The format wars, as they’re colloquially called, are by no means over. There are […]
Many Monstrous Notes at CES 2017
While wandering around CES 2017, I was reminded of that scene in Amadeus, in which the Emperor Joseph II decides that the new opera by Mozart had “too many notes.” (The actual quote is “monstrous many notes” and referred to Mozart’s “The Abduction from the Seraglio,” but I digress.) That’s what I felt about CES—monstrous […]
The Future of Mobile Video Is… DVD Quality?
When you think of the future of video, what words come to mind? If you’re like most observers, you’re likely rattling around words like “4K” or “high dynamic range” or possibly “8K” and potentially “virtual reality.” Unless you’re a mobile carrier, that is. In that case, the future of video conjures up the phrase….480p. The […]
A 360-Degree Video Future? Codec is Key
Today, encoding standard 6:9 4K video footage is well served by the newest codecs. But getting to a future of fully immersive 360-degree video recording is where encoding will go next. That destination will be dependent on massive processing power and the most efficient codecs possible that deliver high-quality results. Consumers’ astounded initial reactions to […]
UHD Blu-ray: A Nice of a Niche
As a handful of UHD Blu-ray players and pre-recorded titles make their market debuts, consumer electronics companies are devising plans for how to position this product in the face of a dramatically changed consumer video landscape. A dozen years ago when BD was the logical next-generation format to DVD, widespread PVR use wasn’t common, pay […]
Is UHD Blu-ray The Last Gasp of Packaged Media?
It’s not exactly a secret: UHD TV sales are on the rise. Duh. According to DTC, sales of UHD sets are due to rise 142% this year, and are projected to reach 43.6 million units and 60% of the total market by 2020. What’s puzzling is why UHD TVs are selling well, considering the dearth […]
Will Hybrid Log-Gamma Present An HDR Log Jam?
As the nascent market for 4K Ultra TVs with high dynamic range (HDR) continues to accelerate, a number of competing standards have emerged, promising to deliver peak luminance, color grading picture improvement benefits, and backward compatibility with standard dynamic range (SDR) TV sets. Looking to avoid confusion in the market, television set manufacturers have shied […]
8K TV is Around the Corner—No Kidding
Edward VIII was 39 years old when he was coronated King of Britain in early 1936. The eldest son of the late monarch, George V, the relatively young Edward was expected to serve a long tenure as monarch. But shockingly, less than a year after his crowning, Edward abdicated to marry an American divorcé, Mrs. […]