Guest blog by Justin
It has become apparent over the past couple of years that 4K is the future of TV. With increasing amounts of 4K content popping up on YouTube, Netflix, the release of BT’s 4K box, and SKY advertising SKY Q, if you’re looking to invest in a new TV then it needs to be 4K.
Is it that simple? Recently I was introduced to a feature that some top end 4K TV’s have on them – High Dynamic Range (HDR). It’s not hyperbole to say that when I saw it really took my breath away. I was already aware of how good a 4K image was, so my inner sceptic wonder if it could really get any better? The answer was yes!
High Dynamic Range (HDR) on a TV basically increases the contrast range, brightness and colour palette to give a more accurate, colourful and detailed image. It does this by using information encoded within the signal which tells the TV exactly what the image should look like; the TV then displays this image by setting the colour, brightness, and contrast to exactly as the filmmaker intended that image to be seen.
Original 4K content is stunning, but the HDR version is truly incredible. The detail, lighting, background items and shadows are breathtakingly next-generation.
In order to get the benefit of this extra quality you will require a 4K HDR compatible TV, 4K content with the HDR content encoded, and if you wish to be able to watch 4K Blu Ray DVD’s when they come out this year then the TV must have an HDMI 2.0a socket.
To the average TV viewer, 4K High Dynamic Contrast may not even come into the conversation as these TV’s tend to be in the higher priced top end range. But, if you ARE looking to get one of the higher end TV’s and picture quality is an important factor in your decision making, then 4K HDR is most definitely a route worth investigating.
Why not visit your local store to find out more – and see the difference yourself.
