Read it for yourself. In the fall of 2013, I published an editorial called, “Here’s why 4K won’t go mainstream.” I laid out in exhausting detail all the reason why 4K television just wouldn’t succeed. Here we are about nine years later, and surprisingly that post has aged very well.
I think it’s safe to say that 4K television still hasn’t succeeded, despite the fact that a lot of people are buying 4K TVs. The big problem today is the same as it was in 2013… not enough content. There’s the three channels available on DIRECTV plus all their pay-per-view, but beyond that, pretty much nothing.
It’s even more frustrating that there isn’t as much 4K sports footage as there should be. Truth is, I don’t know why. The desire for great sports coverage really drove the HD revolution a generation ago. I have it on good authority that some of the biggest stadiums in the country have 4K cameras, but they aren’t producing their content in 4K. Instead they use the 4K picture to be able to zoom in digitally. I guess in order to keep that capability they would need 8K cameras. But with 8K showing up on cell phones now, could 8K cameras really be that expensive?
What about 4K streaming?
OK, so you can stream some 4K content and you can even get 4K Blu-ray discs if you’re still into that. It’s become pretty common for new movies to come out in 4K HDR or Dolby Vision. But are you really getting the true 4K experience? Chances are you aren’t. In order to fit that 4K stream into something that your internet service provider won’t choke on, it needs to be severely overcompressed. In a lot of cases, the result isn’t any better than HD. To make matters worse, most apps won’t tell you if you’re really streaming in 4K or what the bitrate is. You’re left to guess what you’re not seeing.
If you really want high quality 4K, it’s physical discs or DIRECTV. And for those who are still building a physical disc collection, I say more power to you. But, most people aren’t the sort anymore to buy a movie just to watch it once. That means getting the physical disc doesn’t really fit
I’ve been pretty pessimistic about 4K for a long time now, and I have to say, the problem is not me and it’s not your pay-TV company. It’s the networks that just aren’t producing 4K content. You have to wonder why that is.
Before you go…
You’ve probably read other articles that suggest that if you do have a 4K system, you should be using high-speed rated cables. I couldn’t agree more. If you enjoyed what you read, please consider shopping at SolidSignal.com. They sponsor this blog and all the great content in it. If you’re ready to buy but have questions, give us a call! We’re here during East Coast business hours. Call 888-233-7563 or fill out the form below, any time of the day.
