High definition is shaping up to be a thing of the past. Say hello to ultra high-definition television, or UHDTV. At 3,840 by 2,160 pixels, UHD screens have four times the resolution of 1080p HDTVs. You might have also heard these screens called 4K, and, while UHD is shaping up to be the most used term, both UHD and 4K are acceptable and interchangeable. At CES, every HDTV manufacturer showed that they're working on UHD/4K screens.
I looked at 4K HDTVs from everyone from Sony to Vizio, and, while we're months from getting them into the PCMag labs to test, I can say that the screens do indeed look sharp. While the 4K screens on display were mostly larger than all but the biggest 1080p HDTVs on the market, the difference between the two types was comparable to the difference between the iPad 2 and an iPad with Retina display. Sony's booth showed newspapers on a 4K and a 1080p screen, and the tiny text was not only legible but crisp on the 4K screen. While it's not the same technology, you can see a similar comparison in my look at the iPad 2 and new iPad.
The media issue is something several companies are trying to work out. Samsung had several UHDTVs on display at its booth, including one that demonstrated 4K content streamed over Netflix. This content is very bandwidth-intensive, but between Netflix working on the technology and Youtube offering limited 4K media, digital distribution of such massive video could be the main method of accessing it. My tour of Vizio's showroom showed similar possibilities. The representative demonstrated 4K footage played from a local media server, but he noted that compression techniques are being developed to help ease the pressure on Internet connections streaming ultra high-definition video.
Panasonic unveiled its first 4K and OLED screen at the CES keynote. This screen is notable for being not only 4K and OLED, but also for being made by "printing" the color elements directly on the panel. The screen on display was just a prototype, and, while it looked pretty it, won't be coming to stores in the next year.
For the "world's largest UHDTV" category, Hisense and TCL stole the show from bigger names. Both companies claimed they had the world's largest 4K HDTVs, and at 110 inches each, they were both right. TCL noted that its 4K HDTV will be featured in Iron Man 3.
UHD is coming, and you can get a UHDTV within the next few months if you're willing to drop five digits to do so. The technology is shaping up to be a remarkable upgrade, but it still needs to sort out content distribution before it can be ready for consumers. UHDTV's condition is very similar to that of HDTV in the early days, when there were few sources, little consistency, and high prices. UHDTVs might seem like an absurd luxury only for early adopters now, but expect to see a 4K screen in your home in three to five years.