At the Consumer Electronics Association’s Line Show event, Toshiba’s Scott Ramirez offered some more details on the company’s forthcoming 4K Ultra HD TVs.
Amazingly, he opened up the press conference with the same topics that I have been posting here (i.e. features are not what is selling HDTV's). He noted that screen size, especially 50 inches and above, is where the growth is. A 50-inch TV is no longer a big TV; let’s call it a medium large. The other important observation is that 3D is not the driver it was expected to be. If 3D isn't the driver it was expected to be, why would we think 4K would be any different?
Well, let's get to the details. Toshiba’s 4K L9300 TVs now have prices. The line starts out with a 58-inch model at $4,999. A 65-inch will sell for $6,999, and the big 84-inch will be $16,999 (which is about what LG introduced its 84-inch model for). The rollout will begin in August.
Ramirez acknowledged that this year will be a bit of a struggle for 4K because of a lack of 4K content, which is why the company is emphasizing the L9300’s video processing capabilities. Toshiba calls its processing technology CEVO 4K. The processes applies 4K upconversion, fine texture and gamma restoration, brilliance restoration (which Toshiba says enhances contrast and brightness), and resolves 24fps judder.
The "lack of 4K content" is the entire issue here (too some degree the same reason 3D hasn't taken off). Call me a purist, but anything that is being manipulated to "enhance" the original picture is not something I am interested in. It is like the upconverting DVD players of days past. You can only have the resolution of the originating source, It's not like you can put a 1080P test pattern on a 4K upconverting HDTV and see 4K of resolution, you won't.
If the BDA adopts 4K optical discs and studios produce content from 4K scanned negatives (some of them were only scanned at 2K when HD optical formats came out), then I will be the first one on board to buy a 4K display device! Until then...
Amazingly, he opened up the press conference with the same topics that I have been posting here (i.e. features are not what is selling HDTV's). He noted that screen size, especially 50 inches and above, is where the growth is. A 50-inch TV is no longer a big TV; let’s call it a medium large. The other important observation is that 3D is not the driver it was expected to be. If 3D isn't the driver it was expected to be, why would we think 4K would be any different?
Well, let's get to the details. Toshiba’s 4K L9300 TVs now have prices. The line starts out with a 58-inch model at $4,999. A 65-inch will sell for $6,999, and the big 84-inch will be $16,999 (which is about what LG introduced its 84-inch model for). The rollout will begin in August.
Ramirez acknowledged that this year will be a bit of a struggle for 4K because of a lack of 4K content, which is why the company is emphasizing the L9300’s video processing capabilities. Toshiba calls its processing technology CEVO 4K. The processes applies 4K upconversion, fine texture and gamma restoration, brilliance restoration (which Toshiba says enhances contrast and brightness), and resolves 24fps judder.
The "lack of 4K content" is the entire issue here (too some degree the same reason 3D hasn't taken off). Call me a purist, but anything that is being manipulated to "enhance" the original picture is not something I am interested in. It is like the upconverting DVD players of days past. You can only have the resolution of the originating source, It's not like you can put a 1080P test pattern on a 4K upconverting HDTV and see 4K of resolution, you won't.
If the BDA adopts 4K optical discs and studios produce content from 4K scanned negatives (some of them were only scanned at 2K when HD optical formats came out), then I will be the first one on board to buy a 4K display device! Until then...
