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Samsung's 65- and 55-inch 4K TVs launch next month in Korea for less than $8,000
Samsung's first 4K TV came with an eye catching 85-inch frame design and an eye popping $39,999 MSRP, but its next two will apparently be much more reasonable. The 65- and 55-inch versions have just been given a release date and pricing information in Korea and while still expensive, they've followed Sony's lead to a sub-$10,000 price point. The machine translated press release indicates pre-orders should start June 1st, with the 55-inch model available for 6.4 million won ($5,670), and the 65-inch version for 8.9 million won ($7,913). Naturally, they include Samsung's upscaling technology and support for the Evolution Kit CPU upgrade as well, and as seen in the pics (above and one more after the break) feature a more standard frame design. As an additional bonus, pre-orderers will get a free coupon for the 2014 upgrade kit (we wonder if that will include any potential new HDMI standards) and a fitness bike exercise game app.
Samsung, LG join forces with Korean cable companies to push UHDTV content
No matter how many 4K TVs hit shelves, without native content their appeal will likely remain limited. Samsung and LG are working to change that, at least in their home country, by announcing a memorandum of understanding with five Korean cable operators (Hyundai HCN, CJ HelloVision, C&M, CMB and T-Broad) to boost 4K TV broadcasts. We could see both live and on-demand 4K programming by the end of this year or early next year, made available via apps on smart TVs and streamed through South Korea's abundant high speed internet connections. Still not enough resolution for you? Just last week, Japan's NHK showed off the first 8K Super Hi-Vision narrative film at the Cannes Film Festival. We'll let you know when all of these developments add up to Ultra HDTV content viewable in your neck of the woods, but for now early adopters will have to make do with mostly upscaled content like Sony's Mastered in 4K 1080p Blu-ray discs.
Sharp launches two new Aquos 4K LCD TVs into the Japanese market
Sharp has just introduced a couple of high-end TVs if you're rich enough to be seeking an UltraHD set and lucky enough to live in Japan: the 70-inch LC-70UD1 and the 60-inch LC-60UD1, part of the new 4K Aquos UD1 series. Each will feature Sharp's 4K "Moth-eye" panel, Aquos 4K-Master Engine Pro HD upconversion engine, 2.1 channel THX surround and 3D capability. The 70-inch model will run 850,000 yen ($8,290) and launch on June 15th, while the 60-inch set will arrive August 10th for 650,000 yen ($6,335). There's no word yet on a stateside arrival, but based on what Sharp said at CES 2013 in January, it may join a 32-inch 4K Aquos model sometime later this year.
TCL announces MoVo UD 4K television with Google TV coming later this year
Google just announced it will be upgrading Google TV units to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and China's TCL has announced it will have the first 4K TV built on the platform. We got a look at TCL's custom-skinned MoVo Google TV platform and 4K TVs separately at CES (pictured above, and in the gallery) so it only makes sense they'll be combining the two. Part of TCL's MoVo customizations include a motion sensor to recognize each user and personalize offerings based on their habits. Called Personal Box Office (PBO) or "Lazy TV" searches the available content and makes a recommendation without the need for a remote or even voice command. The press release indicates it will be available "later this year" although whether that includes a US release like Seiki's 50-inch Ultra HD set remains to be seen. According to the company it's being demonstrated at Google I/O this week, we'll see if we can get some hands-on time tomorrow.
Sony announces pricing for 55- and 65-inch 4K TVs in the UK, pre-order now, in-stores June
Fancy some of the 4K magic from Sony, but are living over in the UK? Well you can get one step closer by pre-ordering today. The Bravia X9 -- as it's known over there -- comes in two sizes (55- and 65-inch) both of which will land in bricks and mortar stores in mid-June. The price? Well, £4,000 and £6,000 respectively. That outlay will get you upscaling on all your media, and Sony's 4K X-Reality PRO engine handling the full-resolution stuff. Still not convinced? Well there is NFC and plus a TV SlideView app for Android and iOS if that sweetens the deal?
SES demos first Ultra HD transmission in more efficient HEVC standard
We're still a bit away from Ultra HD becoming the standard for television. One of the things standing in the way is just how much bandwidth pushing that many pixels demands. SES recently demonstrated an Ultra HD transmission that uses the up and coming HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) standard, as opposed to the more established H.264. It's demonstrated 4K broadcasts before, as seen above at its IBC booth last year, but those were using older codecs. The 3,840 x 2,160 image was broadcast at a data rate of 20 Mbps, roughly a 50-percent improvement in encoding efficiency over H.264-based MPEG-4. The demonstration was performed with support from SES's partners, Harmonic and Broadcom, the latter of which provided the BCM7445-based decoding box used for pulling in the video. The tech still isn't quite ready for prime time, but we'd say a 4K House of Cards stream is probably closer than any of us realized.
Harman Kardon ships AVR 2700 and 3700 receivers with 4K scaling and AirPlay
Now that Ultra HD TVs are poised to hit the market in force, it's more important than ever to have receivers that can handle them -- even if our bank accounts often can't. Harman Kardon knows this well enough to ship its AVR 2700 and AVR 3700 receivers, both of which carry 4K passthrough and upscaling on their eight HDMI ports as a matter of course. The two also support AirPlay streaming alongside more commonplace DLNA media sharing and offer remote control mobile apps. Home theater futureproofers mostly have to decide on audio channels and network support before they buy: the $800 AVR 2700 produces 7.1-channel surround and sticks to Ethernet alone for networking, while the $996 AVR 3700 introduces 7.2-channel audio and WiFi. Few of us will use either receiver to its full potential right now, but well-heeled 4K TV owners (or just the well-prepared) can pick one up today.
Seiki officially prices its 50-inch 4K TV at $1,500 with a late April launch
When Seiki's 4K TV set popped up on retail listings with a price that's just a fraction of what we've seen from its more expensive rivals, we were almost convinced it was a site glitch -- that couldn't be real, could it? The company would like to reassure us that it's quite serious. The 50-inch Ultra HD set is officially shipping to the US later in April, and it will still carry that regular $1,500 price tag when sales expand from TigerDirect (which claims to have stock today) to include Amazon and QVC, among others. We'd remain cautious about leaping in when Seiki is trying to skip a year or three of the usual commoditization process, but those who insist on their 4K bragging rights won't have long to wait before they can start boasting.
Seiki 50-inch 4K TV on sale for $1,299, offers Ultra HD for a regular HD price
The entry price for Ultra HDTV plunged by more than $10,000 earlier this week thanks to Sony's new 4K sets, but now it's going even lower with this model from Seiki. The brand is new to the US market and as such unfamiliar to most, but with a $1,300 listing on TigerDirect it's been lighting up AV enthusiast and deal-hunting forums alike. We haven't yet had a chance to see this display, but hope to take a look shortly. In the meantime, there are plenty of reasons not to be an early adopter -- the infamous eye charts suggest 4K's impact at this size may be reduced, it's an unknown company with unknown standards for quality and service, a new HDMI standard may be incoming and there's no content until the $699 FMP-X1 player arrives this summer -- but with a sub-$2K pricetag some would say you can't afford not to have an Ultra HD set in your possession. Those same people would also suggest inviting us over to watch the game (sports, console, but most likely a super high-res PC title if you can manage) on it, and indicate we are willing to bring refreshments. [Thanks, Eric Kotz]
Samsung announces pricing for S9 UHD TV: $39,999, shipping in late March
At its home entertainment event in New York City today, Samsung filled in the details about the HDTV lineup we first glimpsed at CES 2013 in January. If you recall, several high-profile sets were first unveiled at the show, and pricing is unsurprisingly steep to match. The 85-inch S9 UHD TV, with a slick, easel-style frame and "Precision Black Pro" display tech, will go for $39,999 when it launches at the end of March. Samsung also announced pricing for its Smart Evolution Kit, a hardware set of products -- including a quad-core processor, GPU and memory -- that plugs into the back of a Sammy-designed TV to keep hardware and software up to date as new models are released. The kit will go for $300 when it debuts in May, and it wil come bundled with the latest Smart Touch Remote. And finally -- because what ultra-luxe home entertainment system is complete without high-end audio? -- there's the HW-F750 soundbar, which incorporates the company's vacuum tube technology and boasts a wireless subwoofer. The HW-F750 will connect with select Samsung Smart TVs via Bluetooth, and it will set you back $799 when it goes on sale in March. Hit up the press release past the break for more info.
Netflix wants 4K streaming in one to two years, House of Cards to lead the way
Netflix is quickly establishing a reputation as a technology vanguard beyond just its streaming-first initiative. We only just saw Super HD streaming in January, and it's already discussing the leap to Ultra HD: Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt tells The Verge that Netflix wants 4K streaming inside of "a year or two" for at least some of its catalog. It doesn't take a genius to deduce that the internally-produced House of Cards could play an important role in that upgrade. Hunt confirms that David Fincher shot the political drama in 4K, and it should be encoded for the higher resolution later in the year. While it's doubtful that most of us will have the bandwidth to handle any near-term 4K launches short of moving to Kansas City, it's good to know that the content should be ready well before we are.
Switched On: A 4K in the road
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. The past decade has now seen at least three industry-wide technologies vie for the future of television -- HD, 3D and now 4K or UHD. The first of these -- HD -- represented a massive change for television that affected nearly every aspect of the TV experience from how it was captured to how it was consumed. A decade later, it is nearly impossible to purchase a TV that does not support high-definition. The second -- 3D -- was a mixed bag. While the technology became commonplace on high-end TVs, it has remained relevant for only a small fraction of programming. The question, then, is which of these paths, if either, 4K will follow.
Telefonica shows off streaming 4K video on home fiber
The future of TV is supposed to involve streaming video, and it's also supposed to involve 4K TVs -- but melding the two has been difficult. Telefonica wants to show that the feat is at least possible with mere mortal connections: it's been using Mobile World Congress to show 4K video streaming on a 100Mbps fiber-to-the-home link. As our Spanish teammates can attest, the (admittedly very local) demo works as well as you'd hope, providing all the fine details without buffering or other hiccups. There's no estimated timeframe for a commercial service, but we wouldn't hold out hope of a version that would fit on cable or DSL when there's a raw 40Mbps bitrate.
LG shows off Wireless Ultra HD video streaming from phone to TV at MWC
LG is all about product synergy at MWC 2013, demoing the ability to beam 4K resolution video from a phone to an Ultra HD television -- no wires necessary. There's no specifics mentioned about the technology in use other than that it uses "ubiquitous" WiFi connections, but LG claims its technique uses less than half the power others require. That's achieved by reducing the drain on the phone's CPU and other hardware, but we'll have to wait for a hands-on opportunity to learn more about how this works -- and to save up enough money to buy one of those Ultra HDTVs.
Japan plans to broadcast 2014 World Cup in 4K
While NHK's Super Hi-Vision 8K TV is still some distance away from becoming an everyday presence in our living rooms, we may get the next best thing soon. Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications expects to broadcast the 2014 World Cup next July in 4K, using free capacity on its communications satellites rather than the usual delivery methods -- the bandwidth required is reportedly too much for conventional sources. The 4K airing is still coming two years earlier than originally planned, however, and should eventually spread to broadcast satellites and terrestrial networks. The fortunate ones who can tune in to the ultra-sharp futebol will need an exorbitantly-priced 4K TV set to watch, but it's safe to presume that they'll have some of the best viewing parties around.
ITU approves the H.265 video format, takes us closer to high-quality mobile video
Any smartphone owner who's ever watched a streaming HD video buffer... and buffer... and buffer on even LTE connections will appreciate the ITU's speediness today. Just months after MPEG proposed the extra-miserly H.265 video codec, the ITU has approved it as an official standard. As it's greenlit so far, the format (also known as High Efficiency Video Coding) includes 8-bit, 10-bit and photo-oriented profiles that should cover most 2D capture and playback. Pros are promised 12-bit and chroma profiles in the future, while there's work on 3D for all of us. We'll have to wait for both software support and hardware acceleration to reap the rewards, but there should be many: the halved bandwidth requirements have obvious benefits for cellular devices as well as 4K media delivery for that rash of giant TVs about to hit the market. Let's hope that camera and mobile device makers are just as impatient as we are.
LG has found 300 homes for its $20K, 84-inch, 4K TV in Korea so far
Throwing a $20k Ultra HD TV set onto the market when there's no 4K content of any kind in sight is quite the leap of faith, but LG told ChosunBiz (and confirmed to us) that it's already found 300 deep-pocketed videophiles in Korea for its 84-inch 84LM9600 since it went on sale. Judging by CES 2013 the industry is all-in on the tech, so that news hopefully bodes well for the near future of UHDTV. It's safe to say that consumer interest has been piqued by the pixel-rich screens, but whether that'll translate into the kind of numbers we've seen recently for run-of-the-mill HDTV will likely depend on the all-important sticker price -- which will have to be much, much lower than recent models.
First Ultra HD channel goes live in Europe
Eutelsat Communications launched the first dedicated demonstration Ultra HD channel in Europe on January 8th. Delivered via satellite with the resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 (4K) at 50 frames per second -- the European equivalent to 60p -- the stream is encoded in MPEG-4 with help from video compression solution provider, ATEME, and transmitted at 40 Mbps. This is over twice the bandwidth used by most 1080i broadcasts, but not necessarily an indication of future Ultra HD broadcasts utilization, as they're expected to use the more efficient HEVC codec -- depending on color space and other factors, Ultra HD broadcasts might use less throughput than 1080i does now. With only three very expensive Ultra HD TVs on the market, there aren't many who can take advantage of this. Hopefully if you are one of the lucky few, you're in a position to take advantage of this native content on your latest prized possession.
Samsung's 85-inch Ultra HD TV up for pre-order in Korea, priced at just $38k
At CES last week Samsung set a new benchmark in size with its 85-inch S9 that edged past the Ultra HD competition by one inch, and now it's setting a new high mark for price as well, at least in Korea. While we still don't have any US pricing or release details, the first 77 models encased in that "Timeless Gallery" frame are going up for pre-order, priced at 40,000,000 won ($37,877 US). Other than the obligatory 214cm of 4K goodness, it has built-in 2.2 channels speakers, quad-core CPU and Precision Black Pro LCD panel. We've heard that sales of Sony and LG's models have been surprisingly brisk despite their high prices so you may want to run, not walk to your local Korean high-end electronics retailer to get one first. Of course, if you wait, you can always snag the 95- or 110-inch model that are promised to ship later this year, albeit at similar prices. While you're deciding, check out our hands-on pictures and video to get an idea of what awaits.
Ultra HD TVs stole the show at CES 2013, but they're just part of the puzzle
Even before this year's CES kicked off, we knew Ultra High-Definition was going to dominate the show. Then from the first press conference to the last, 3,840 × 2,160 resolution displays were a center piece of almost every major manufacturer's announcements. Leading up to the show, the CEA's board decided against using "4K" to market these 8-megapixel (1080p is two megapixels) displays, instead choosing Ultra High-Definition or Ultra HD. Of course not everyone followed along, in fact Sony was first to market in the US, late last year, with its "4K Ultra HD TV." The display is only one piece of the puzzle and plenty of questions remain, however. Like, "Where's the content?" and "Will I have to replace all my other home theater gear?" Questions aside, Ultra HD TVs are here and more are coming, so click through for these answers and to discover the slate of new Ultra HD TVs for 2013.
