The NEC PH1201QL projector offers full 60Hz refresh at the native 4K resolution over Quad SDI: one of a growing number of truly 4K capable display devices. AV News looks at some of the issues impacting on the adoption of 4K and the recent developments in the technology.
For us, the InfoComm 2015 convention itself was something of a watershed, with significant advances in 4K infrastructure.
Adoption of 4K by the professional market has been far from consistent to date. While generally excited by a technology that offers almost invisible pixels, the constraints on mainstream adoption have been primarily budget – hence the almost negligible take-up by the education sector. Content has also been a problem – or rather the lack of it. There have also been networking and content transmission issues. Add to these a number of small but frustrating niggles that are largely in the hands of other technologies
For example, close viewing of detailed content and, even here, Windows font scaling has been an issue. Some office-type applications and menu texts appear very small on a display. In some professional applications, this has caused unacceptable usability issues, and a delay in adoption.
Other users report problems with internet content sourced using the Chrome browser, necessitating the use of desktop scaling with variable results.
These problems only really impact on applications where the higher resolutions are deployed for close-up viewing. Detailed oil and gas schematics are often quoted as an example. Fortunately and end is in sight for those affected by the problem. There is pressure mounting on Microsoft to make future release of Windows much more compliant and usable with fine-pixel 4K displays.
Early adopters
Among the first to move to 4K are rental and simulation sector. Not as constrained as the education and office applications, these sectors have exhibited strong demand since the first 4K displays came out in late 2014, expressing excitement and appreciation of virtually pixel-free images. According to Tobias Augustin, Product Manager Large Format Displays, NEC Display Solutions Europe specialist markets, such as the oil and gas sector, now demand ultra-high resolutions for exploration and simulation applications.
In this sector, detailed visual communication is vital to support remote and offshore installations, where 4K/UHD displays enhance this process deliver an enhanced and more believable experience for the user.
With its wider gamut capabilities, 4K delivers better pixels as well as simply more pixels. Augustin argues that the potential for an enhanced colour that will be the key going forward. Colour gamut is under continual improvement, particularly when the new REC2020 standard is considered. The projector world is already proud that the latest RGB laser light sources are providing a wide colour gamut that essentially meets most of the REC2020 requirements.
On the monitor side, there is still more research and development needed, and it is hoped that backlight Quantum Dot technology will be the key to reaching REC2020 compliance. Basically, 100% compliance to all aspects of the REC2020 standard will mark the point at which 4K can be considered ‘complete’ in display terms.
Delays
Augustin agrees that developments in 4K, infrastructure and switching connectivity has taken a bit longer than expected. However, he argues that there has been “a steady release of strong 4K and UHD display products into the market” of late. He cites the example of the NEC PH1201QL projector which offers full 60Hz refresh at the native 4K resolution over Quad SDI.
This projector, he argues. is really building a platform for significant growth in 4K market share, since it also employs the latest SSL (Solid State Light source) technology. NEC has also launched a wide range of desktop and large format displays in the UHD (see the box below for an explanation of the difference with 4K) resolution formats, which are targeted at professional applications (e.g. CAD/CAM, simulation, scientific and medical application) despite the UHD designation.
Augustin believes that the growth of 4K in these niche applications will spur developments that will provide a platform for industry-wide adoption. “The whole of the display industry, particularly on the monitor side is now standardising and promoting 4K / UHD. Prices are also coming down rapidly, and we expect that 4K / UHD will become an unavoidable mainstream display format within the next couple of years.”
Augustin adds: “There really will be nothing to fear or worry about in implementing 4K. The display world is always under continual and incremental improvement. The 4K family of signals and products is no exception, and for example we see some room for improvement, particularly with respect to implementation of HDR (High Dynamic Range) capabilities.”
Going forward
According to the InfoComm June 2015 whitepaper ‘4K and Beyond: Technical Challenges and Opportunities’, “4K has been fodder for transition polemics and propositions for roughly a year and a half. In the absence of stable infrastructure, vendors want to know how they can build a system today that would allow them to take advantage of 4K down the road. And if they do, what pieces of the infrastructure can they use right now? How do they know and communicate to end users which system components they may have to replace within five years of implementation?”
“Before 4K can become widespread, there have to be applications that require it. The challenge
The NEC PH1201QL projector offers full 60Hz refresh at the native 4K resolution over Quad SDI: one of a growing number of truly 4K capable display devices.
with 4K today is that there aren’t many applications that couldn’t exist without it. One could argue that it is display manufacturers who need 4K to succeed, because sales of 1080p systems have peaked. And to spur sales, they have to begin pushing 4K products. In this way, product is perceived as the main driver of 4K adoption, rather than the need for product. However, it is easy to see the immersive value of 4K in a variety of applications, from multi-window displays, to projection mapping, to simulation and visualization. And some end users are already reaping the benefits of smoother video and much greater detail.”
For us, the InfoComm 2015 convention itself was something of a watershed, with significant advances in 4K infrastructure, as well as display technologies. And the story will continue with the need to satisfy a pixel-hungry market.
Even with 4K solutions ease their way into the mainstream, Augustin is already, very occasionally, fielding enquiries about 8K resolutions. He attributes this to press speculation: “This is mainly due to some stories and rumours about cutting-edge research and test laboratory models. Having 8K displays in the future will be a challenge without doubt, but the establishment of 8K will still take quite a few years, and is not a reason to delay or try and skip the 4K models now available”.
But those chasing even higher resolutions, should note that the pixel count is just one component of image quality. Colour depth and contrast ratios can be more important than the number of pixels in a signal. When 4K resolution is coupled with better control of the colour gradient, then you really having something in terms of a smoother-looking image.
4K / UHD – does it matter?
While commonly used as synonyms, 4K and UHD are actually different. 4K is the professional production and cinema standard higher resolution standard, UHD is the consumer display and broadcast standard.
“4K” originally derives from the Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) – a consortium of motion picture studios that standardised a specification for the production and digital projection of content conforming to 4,096 x 2,160 pixel resolution. This is exactly four times the previous standard for digital editing and projection 2,048 x 1,080. The 4K designation refers to the horizontal pixel count 4,096. But the 4K moniker isn’t just about resolution. It also defines how 4K content is encoded: a DCI 4K stream is compressed using JPEG2000 and can have a bitrate of up to 250Mbps with 12-bit 4:4:4 colour depth. (
UHD (Ultra High Definition) is a resolution standard based on a multiplier of the Full HD standard – i.e. four times 1,920 x 1,080. UHD quadruples that resolution to 3,840 x 2,160. A few consumer panels on the market that offer 4,096 x 2,160 resolution (theses can be identified with their aspect ratio of 1.9:1, but the majority of consumer sets are 3,840 x 2,160 with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio.
But does it really matter? Tobias Augustin, Product Manager Large Format Displays, NEC Display Solutions Europe believes that initial confusion with the slightly differing resolutions of 4K and UHD has now been resolved: “All of our customers know their particular applications deeply and have had no problem in picking the appropriate resolution and product. In fact, the general market sees no particular need to distinguish between 4K and UHD, and most marketing materials assume that these are essentially interchangeable.”
