The Pixel Overdose: 4K too much?

Call it 4K, UHD or Ultra HD, it is the latest buzzword; a technology that is redefining the way we view, consume and even create visual content. From videos to photography to live surveillance 4K takes content viewing to the next level with its highly immersive like-never-before experience.
4K is undoubtedly the future of the audio-visual medium. However, no matter how fast it is making its presence felt, there is still a long way for it to become mainstream. Reason? 4K calls for entire infrastructure revamp.
All the innovations that took place in the virtual world prior to the 4K, were quite in sync with the existing technologies. With 4K, the entire setup has to change, right from creating 4K content to its broadcast. And while the TV brands may have come up with displays boasting of 4K compatibility, the truth is there is no easy 4K content around to feed those display panels.
And that’s not just me saying it; the industry experts feel the same. Sharing his insights at the recently concluded Canon Middle East panel discussion on ‘The Rise of 4K in Live Production: Opportunities and Challenges’ in Dubai, Paul Atkinson, the Pro Video product specialist from Canon Europe said, “Every major TV manufacturer has a range of 4K television sets. The ability to watch 4K is there. The ability to film in 4K is quite obviously there. But the middle part of transmitting and outputting 4K in the most effective manner right to the homes of people still remains to be fine-tuned. Delivery of 4K is a big challenge at the moment”.
Delivering 4K content to homes is a challenge due to bandwidth issues. The bandwidth required for 4K content is enormously huge (at least presently), along with the need for proper transmitting system and of course the huge storage spaces required to the mammoth sized 4K files (mind you, a 4K movie could be well exceeding 50GB in size).
A rare few channels boast of 4K content these days. However what they very well know and the audiences mostly don’t is the fact that the 4K content is transmitted downscaled to full HD, due to all the above mentioned reasons (or hurdles). What is compressed 4K content any more than just a marketing gimmick then?
With the availability of DSLR cameras and even smartphones supporting 4K video recording, it has become easier and more affordable to shoot 4K content. With its ultra high resolution 4K also gives the advantage of playing with how the final output will be, with enough leeway in the edit to reframe shots and/or stabilise shots. But still the content would have to be compressed to full HD for the lack of a powerful system that could complement 4K streaming.
Majority of TV channels refrain from telecasting 4K content simply because there is not enough space to accommodate enough 4K content to run 24x7. Creating 4K and then compressing it would mean it will just be the same as full hd, with viewers hardly noticing any difference; all that extra pre and post production rendered meaningless.
Another big industry that I feel is not going to adopt 4K for years to come is the TV news industry. The massive file size of 4K content is not at all conducive to the fast moving workflow of news business. And definitely no news agency would want to go bankrupt using the expensive satellite time to try and stream footage back to the newsroom for output, just for the love of 4K.
4K is even making its entry into the CCTV segment. And though the 4K CCTV has prime advantages like enhanced resolution and more details, but all this could only be valid if the optics are of matching quality. Again makes no sense at the moment as the incurring costs are beyond practicality.
According to Paul network visual solutions need suitable optics, encoders, transmission, recorders and faster computers and most importantly, 4K displays to enjoy the glory of more pixels. “It may take another 5 years before 4K CCTVs make for a feasible option,” he noted.
And here comes the killer. While a large part of consumers is yet to digest 4K, Tech-Moguls are already talking about the 8K Super Hi-Vision. While 4K is four times the resolution of Full HD, 8K is sixteen times Full HD, and four times of 4K Ultra HD (please spare – already too much on the plate).
4K will definitely be the next big thing in the consumer markets. It will become a commonplace just like how HD is today and manufacturers would use and develop technology and products that support 4K. But as of now the 4K ecosystem does not exist. As Paul puts it, the 4K systems need to be carefully planned so that optimal use could be achieved from its higher resolution. “System design must be seriously considered,” he says. Another big truth at the moment is that consumers are happy with the full hd resolution. Better to let them savour it instead of pushing them for something that might be the best in future, but currently does not make for too good an experience. That’s good for the market players too. If the customers get fed up with the 4K in the beginning itself, they might never love it again.
They better hold the horses and create a solid platform first to make it commonplace.