Technology is always moving ahead and advancing at an ever increasing rate. Back in the day you bought a TV every 10 years or when it finally broke. Now with 720p, 1080p and even 4k, the technology is moving faster than content can keep up. Could the lessons we learned from switching to HDTV be a guide to how we can expect 4k to roll out.
TV Content
In the early days of 1080p you had a few choices, similar to what you have now. There are only a few items covered in 4k such as Netflix’s House of Cards and Marco Polo. 4k content is growing thanks to online broadcast sources.
Finding the Right 4K TV
4K is the way of the future, but it’s simply not there yet. Many of the TVs on the market are limited in their refresh rate. The earlier samples I’ve seen had refresh rates that made action scenes look like slideshows. It will be some time until the technology can catch up with the speed so it can be used with computers.
Watch Out for Product Demos
One thing I noticed lately has been the sample TVs running in stores are showing different broadcasts than non-4k TVs. They often display simple slideshows or slow motion to avoid flaws like ghosting or blurring from becoming apparent. While there are a handful of cheaper 4k TVs that make still images look amazing, the video playback is blurry and slow. Another trick stores use is to adjust the contrast and sharpness to sell certain TVs. So, if you can, try to reset the TV settings before making a judgment call on looks.
4K Gaming on the PC
Technology is moving forward, but improvements are still needed before we can enjoy fast-paced games at 4k. When picking a 4k TV, it’s good to look into the interface. While classic HDMI is universal in order to achieve those 60 Hz speeds, you are going to need a better cable, and a better video card.
Video Cards and 4K
The biggest problem right now is the limited number of TVs that use HDMI 2.0 and an even fewer video cards. At the time of writing this, there are only two video cards that support HDMI 2.0, which are the 970 and 980 series. Even the fabled FuryX only uses standard HDMI. So you have to use DisplayPort. There are hardly any TVs on the market that support it. The only series I could find was the AX800U. While you can use a standard HDMI, you won’t reach the high speeds you need for gaming. So we might need to wait a little while longer for proper 4k gaming.
These are all barriers we expect to be resolved with the next generation of 4K TVs. So keep your eyes out for HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort since these will be what you need to get the best out of your PC and TV. Do you have any experiences with 4k and PC gaming? Let us know in the comments below.
