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from the we-want-moar-pixels-and-moar-colours dept.
The BBC has begun a trial of 4K high dynamic range (HDR) video on its iPlayer streaming platform.
The test involves four minutes of footage from its Planet Earth II series, which promise to reveal more detail and present more vibrant colours than was possible before.
It is part of efforts to develop technologies that will make live broadcasts in the new formats possible.
But only a minority of TVs can screen the footage at this stage.
"One of the clips is a frog on a leaf with lots of rain, and the reason this is so interesting is that the redness of the frog is a really deep Ferrari red that you would never get in broadcast television at the moment," explained Phil Layton, head of broadcast and connected systems at BBC Research & Development.
[...] But programmes will cost more to make if they take advantage of the innovations. So, the improved quality will have to be weighed against the fact the majority of viewers will be unlikely to have TVs that support the new technologies for some time to come.
In the meantime, Amazon and Netflix both offer some pre-recorded shows and movies in HDR and 4K.
And BT and Sky both offer movies and sport in 4K but not HDR.
There's always the chicken/egg situation with video - without the screens that can view them, there's little point making the content, and without the content being available, there's little point in producing the screens. Has 4K reached the critical mass that will make it inevitable, or will it retreat the way that 3D did?
(Score: 3, Informative) by frojack on Friday December 09 2016, @09:53PM
480i to 720p and 1080p, yeah, the difference was very noticeable, but even then it wasn't THAT big of a deal.
Yes it was, but mostly for sports. Drama, and most movies, not so much.
Watching hockey on standard definition television is mostly a waste of time. You simply can't follow the puck. Tennis and baseball and golf are pretty much the same, and even football (any variety) can be hard to follow the ball in standard def.
I visit my neighbor, who's eyesight is not that great and he watches tennis all the time. Most of the time, I walk in, notice he is watching the standard def channel, and I switch to HD (1080p) channel for him and he is amazed all over again. I don't think he actually watches so much as listens to it.
At this time, I'm with you regarding purchasing 4K. 4K sounds like an excuse for the cable company to charge me more money, for the same crap quality drama and biased news with scrolling banners covering 1/3 of the screen.
I kind of wonder if 1080p isn't the sweet spot in this medium.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.