4K resolution is one of the best advances in image quality that we have been able to start enjoying in the last five years. Full HD came to standardize the minimum that should be required of content to be able to enjoy it well, but 4K has taken everything to a higher level; especially if we add the use of HDR . In the middle of 2021, can it be said that 4K has already prevailed over Full HD?
4K content does not stop growing around the world, but it still has to surpass Full HD in availability. The devices we use every day are more and more prepared to consume this content, but there are many problems that have not yet been solved.
Smart TV, the queen of 4K
For starters, the number of 4K devices continues to grow, but it is not enough. 4K is not present in mobile screens because, with the pixel density offered by a 6-inch Full HD screen, we have more than enough. Fortunately, 4K televisions are already the majority on the market, and it is impossible to find a television of more than 350 euros that is not 4K. Thanks to this, anyone who is buying a television today, is probably doing it already prepared to consume content in 4K.
In the case of computers, 4K monitors are getting cheaper, although most users still prefer Full HD to work, and WQHD to play, since a 1440p 144 Hz monitor costs the same as a 4K 60 Hz monitor . In laptops there are more and more 4K panels , although again most continue to use Full HD , or intermediate resolutions with 4K.
Therefore, the main place to consume 4K content today is the television. Almost 80% of the content consumed on a television is DTT, where 4K is not taken advantage of. On the operators’ pay television, which also takes a long time to watch, we do find hundreds of 4K content on demand , but in linear channels practically the most interesting thing is only sports such as football or Formula 1.
4K content is becoming more common
That’s where streaming platforms , video games , or Blu-ray movies come into play. 4K is the standard in the quality of Netflix original content, while platforms such as Prime Video, HBO Max or Disney + also produce everything already in 4K. On YouTube, almost all large YouTubers record in 4K, since even a mobile camera records in that resolution, and it is possible to record the contents very easily without the cost skyrocketing. Movies , whether original or obtained from other sources, are also all edited in 4K so that they can be enjoyed at home at the highest quality. In the case of video games, with PS5 and Xbox Series X almost all games can already be enjoyed in 4K.
Therefore, everything that involves getting out of linear content consumption today leads us to 4K content on OTT platforms , movies, YouTube videos or video games. It has been a long and tedious process, and the next step will be for the SD content to disappear from the payment and DTT platforms so that the basic thing is Full HD. Looking ahead to the next five years, the goal will be for everything to end up being replaced by 4K channels.
The 8K, unfortunately, is going to be difficult to justify a large outlay of money, since there is hardly any content produced in that resolution, and the film studios seem very happy with the result that 4K offers today. to record and master content.