4K Ultra HD Shipments to Top Four Million in 2015
As the ATSC finalizes standards for over-the-air delivery of 4K programming, momentum continues to build for 4K Ultra HD TVs in the United States. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is expecting 4K Ultra HD unit sales to reach 4.4 million in 2015, representing a 210 percent increase over last year.
CEA says consumer excitement around 4K UHD TV picture quality is driving sales and that consumers can discern a clear difference in the increased resolution and quality, sending them to upgrade sets as the amount of native 4K content continues to grow. Besides price, CEA research finds the top features driving television purchases in general are picture quality (88 percent) and screen size (85 percent) — key attributes that 4K UHD televisions boast.
General consumer awareness of 4K UHD also continues to tick upwards. CEA research finds seven in 10 online Americans indicate they are familiar with the term “Ultra High Definition TV” now, up from 64 percent last year.
Streaming services including Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, M-Go and Ultraflix and YouTube now offer an array of movies and other 4K video content. Some television manufacturers offer video servers that download, store and playback 4K content. Cable and satellite operators are beginning to offer 4K content, and CEA expects to see Ultra-HD Blu-ray Disc™ players on the market later this year.
CEA notes that the move from HD to 4K Ultra HD is a much faster change than the original HDTV transition, in part because it does not have the additional headwind of a transition from analog to digital and from the standard 4:3 to widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio.
Posted in ATSC News
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Subscribe to The Standard, our monthly newsletter, to stay up-to-date with ATSC news and events around the world.
