LG just launched the biggest “ultra definition” television in the Korean market, and the 84-inch mammoth is doing its part in not only gaping the jaws of Internet onlookers but also reviving the discussion that there is still a long way to go after 1080p. The “ultra definition” moniker is what LG and other manufacturers use to refer to their displays as they approach and eclipse 4K, a resolution that is more than four times as large as 1080p and is what you experience when you go to a digitally equipped movie theater.
LG is hardly the first to offer such a display, however. Toshiba offers a 55-inch 3840×2160 TV for around $11,700, and that makes it just about the cheapest one on the market. Every other major manufacturer offers some sort of option, whether they’re full-fledged TVs or displays, or projectors. Many are promoted mainly to business customers, like Panasonic’s $500,000 152-inch 4K display.
However, the consumer market is certainly growing, and that leads to the next barrier to entry. Once you actually buy an ultra-expensive, ultra-definition TV, what can you do with it? Here is a a look at the kind of content and hardware that actually supports 4K:
The Epic camera from RED allows 4K video capturing. It’s so powerful, it has been used to create 3D IMAX movies.
Any digital camera with an 8-megapixel resolution or greater can take still photos capable of maximizing a 4K display’s pixel density.
Sony’s BDP-S790 Blu-ray player boasts 4K upscaling.
A 4K edition of the documentary TimeScapes, released last month, is being called the first commercially available 4K movie. It costs $99.95.
Some online video is available at as well, like this 4K playlist
And that is about it — for now, at least. In the coming months, several new cameras will support 4K video capturing, and it has been rumored that the PlayStation 4 will also be on top of this market with full 4K support. For now, though, $11,000 won’t buy much more than the inflated ego you get knowing you have the top consumer display technology in your living room.
