UHD Dreams

The shops are full of TVs capable of the ultimate in high-definition, but there isn’t much to watch yet.

- Peter Griffin

A technology bottleneck means most Kiwis are yet to experience the much-touted ultra-high definition of the latest “4K” televisions. You may have already splashed out $1000-plus for one, but 95% of what you’ll be watching doesn’t make full use of its capabilities.

That’s because cameras, satellites, TV towers and internet connections need to be upgraded to deliver 4K content, and that’s a mammoth task.

Each frame of ultra-high-definition (UHD) video has four times the information of the high definition (HD) we are used to. That means a smoother, more life-like picture. Just type “nature 4K” into YouTube for samples of the best picture-quality 4K smart TVs can display.

Hollywood movies and Netfl ix TV shows are now all shot in 4K and can be seen in that format on streaming services. But the bulk of watching won’t budge from HD to UHD until the free-to-air broadcasters and Sky TV upgrade their networks and on-demand internet services to support 4K broadcasts and streams.