The next generation of high-definition home entertainment screens now have a name befitting the jump in viewing quality they’ll deliver to viewers–”Ultra High-Definition,” or “Ultra HD. Ultra HD TVs will be giant screens capable of displaying more than 8 million pixels, four times the resolution of today’s models, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
CEA’s Board of Industry Leaders last week unanimously voted to endorse the opinion of CEA’s “4K” Working Group, which had recommended the new name. Along with the name, high-performance characteristics “are designed to help consumers and retailers understand the attributes of this next generation of superior television and display technology beginning to roll out this fall,” the CEA explains in a press release.
“Ultra HD is the next natural step forward in display technologies, offering consumers an incredibly immersive viewing experience with outstanding new levels of picture quality,” commented CEA president and CEO Gary Shapiro. “This new terminology and the recommended attributes will help consumers navigate the marketplace to find the TV that best meets their needs.”
Extensive consumer research conducted by CEA’s market research group showed that “Ultra HD” consistently rated highest in terms of helping consumers understand the technology, as well as communicating its superior viewing performance. In addition, the CEA Ultra HD Working Group defined the core characteristics of Ultra HD TVs, monitors and home projectors.
Minimum Ultra HD performance attributes include display resolution of at least 8 million active pixels, with at least 3,840 horizontally and 2,160 vertically, CEA elaborated. Ultra HD displays are to have a digital aspect ratio with width to height of at least 16×9. Display products will have to have at least one digital input capable of carrying and presenting native 4K format video from this input at full 3,840 x 2,160 resolution without relying solely on up-converting in order to use the Ultra HD label.
“TVs remain highly sought after and were the second most frequently mentioned device on consumer wish lists this holiday season, behind only tablets,” Shapiro added. “There has never been a greater time to be a consumer of televisions and displays. You can select from a wide array of choices offering outstanding high-definition picture quality, an amazing 3D experience, and interconnectivity within and outside of the home. And now we are proud to present Ultra HD for those consumers who want tomorrow’s next-generation of displays and televisions, today.”
