How to know if your 4K TV is showing you the real thing
Today, the world of television technology is more advanced and variegated than ever. As televisions have progressed and evolved during their relatively short lifespan, new technologies have emerged, adding a high degree of nuance to the television market; and thanks to unprecedented innovation in TV development, particularly in recent years, we now have more options than ever before.
However, for those of us who aren’t particularly well-versed in TV technology, this can add confusion to the process of choosing a television and muddle our understanding of the best available viewing experience.
As innovation changes the television market for the better, redefining the perfect viewing experience time and time again, our standards grow increasingly refined; but in the same stride, our understanding of TV technologies grows increasingly obscure. The differences between one television and another can seem small and inconsequential — but especially when it comes to picture quality and overall viewing experience, they can have a much greater impact than you might expect. One of the most prominent examples of these palpable differences in today’s TV market is true definition of 4K televisions and 4K experience: a distinction that can seem deceivingly negligible when shopping for a TV.
All too often, television manufacturers claim to offer 4K picture quality when in reality, they only deliver a partial quality of 4K or none at all to their customers.
One of the key reasons people misunderstand the definition of true 4K image quality is that both offer the same remarkably high pixel density of 3840 x 2160 — or four times the level of full high definition (full HD) TVs. However, a true 4K viewing experience is defined by more than pixel density; it also depends on the design and build of the television screen itself. To achieve the optimal 4K image, the screen panel must utilise every pixel strategically. Topend 4K TVs use RGB screen panels, which eliminate white pixels to produce true colour using only red, green and blue subpixels. Meanwhile, other 4K TVs typically use RGBW panels, which produce red, green, blue and white subpixels. The latter combination is cheaper to produce, but it dilutes colours as the white pixels occupy 25 per cent of the total pixel space — meaning colours of the same shade can appear faded in some areas and accurate in others.
4K TVs that are certified by the Consumer Electronics Association, a standard and trade organisation for consumer electronics in the United States; DigitalEurope, an organisation whose members include 59 major tech companies and 36 national trade associations representing the digital tech industry in Europe; and the UHD Alliance, an collection of manufacturers, tech companies and Hollywood studios with a collective goal of certifying 4K at an industry standard, are those that give the best possible quality. Together, these accreditations set the highest standards for real 4K UHD video quality.
When shopping for a new television, identifying a true 4K television can cause confusion and make the buying process more difficult than necessary. So it’s best to do your homework to make sure you’ll be seeing the real thing.
— business@khaleejtimes.com