Things have now wrapped up in Vegas at
CES. With an event deemed one of the largest consumer
electronics shows in the world, it’s no surprise that manufacturers will be
presenting their top of the line products, what they consider the ‘next big
thing’. It’s again no surprise that we find 4K technology at the forefront.
In this article I’ll aim to round up all the latest 4K announcements,
starting with probably the most exciting and relevant to our readers – cameras.
Cameras
In addition to Sony’s latest 4K camera offering
we covered in a
recent article, we have a new 4K camera from another big
player.
There was much anticipation as to when Panasonic was going to jump
on the 4K train; it was heavily implied through online documentation that it
would come from a micro four thirds mirror camera system, and it has. The GH 4k
camera has been revealed, with little more than what seems a re-labelled GH3 to
look at in a glass box. Confirmed specs are 200mbps intraframe codec recording,
recording to SDXC memory cards and a mini HDMI for live view output. A list of
rumored specs include:
16mp
1/8000 shutter
1mil dot OLED screen
21mm OLED viewfinder, 3,000+
dot.
Time code
200mbps mp4 All-i/100mbps IPB
4k up to 30p
4:2:2
10/8bit output
3G-SDI and XLR adaptor
CES 2013 saw debut of
the
Panasonic HX-A100, a waterproof wifi enabled wearable camera.
This year panasonic has brought the POV cam up to date giving it a 4K boost.
Like the GH 4k, the ‘prototype’ looks very similar to it’s predecessor. We also
don’t have a spec sheet for this, but going by the HX-A100 I’d expect the 4K cam
to shoot up to 120p at 720, reducing to at least 30p for 4K.
Televisions
Next we look at TVs; they’re not a subject we
usually cover as the link with filmmaking is somewhat indirect, but when
ingesting coverage from CES, it’s hard to ignore how many manufacturers have
been investing in the technology. Fake 4K, quad 4K, curved 4K, projected 4K, we
have it all.
Sharp Quattron Plus
This system is the
aforementioned faux 4K; the television transforms HD content 4-fold by create
sub pixels from real pixels. A cost effective way of viewing resolution greater
than HD without hitting the bottleneck of limited 4K distribution. Does it work?
Gizmodo were impressed when comparing it to standard HD side by
side.
Panasonic Life+Screen
Panasonic’s offering combines a Smart TV with the latest 4K LED technology
that they claim to be plasma-level image quality. They’re Life+Screen line
includes screens from 58-65 inches, with also mention of an 85″ 4K LED screen in
the future.
Samsung QUHD 8K TV
Is the whole 4K movement a
little underwhelming for you? Try Samsung’s prototype 8K television. As it’s
name suggests, this quad 4K panel displays a staggering 8K resolution display.
The drawback (besides the astronomical price)? There’s no content that will
truly take advantage of this. The prototype was displaying an image made up of
multiple camera sources.
Sony latest 4K panels and show throw 4K projector
Sony
has bolstered its 4K arsenal with release of two TVs opening up a new XBR X950B
line. These 4K panels come in 85 and 65 inches, boasting features such as 3D,
Wi-Fi, screen mirroring with NFC OneTouch and MHL 3.0.
The more exciting announcement from Sony comes in form of a 4K short
throw projector. This stunning piece of tech takes the contemporary approach of
less-is-more in its appearance; you simply place the projector close to any wall
that can accommodate its 66-inches to 147-inch adjustable display. You’re not
likely to see too many of these about, as the projected list price is under
$40,000!
LG Flexible OLED 4K TV
We’ve seen curved TVs
from
Samsung
in the past, and to be completely honest, without experiencing one first hand
I’m yet to gain an opinion on how effective/relevant these may be for
filmmaking. The price like a lot of revolutionary tech will reserve the format
for premium paying consumer users. I can’t see this affecting how we shoot
anytime soon. CES saw LG present a prototype OLED 4K curved TV; the said
inferior Samsung is not OLED. The LG is 77″ and won’t be available until a fair
bit later on in the year.
When I saw the first television commercial for
Sony’s 4K TV a couple of months ago, my initial thoughts we’re “way too
premature”. And I stand by this. 4K content is currently still so niche. We
don’t broadcast in 4K, there’s no 4K disc format, and online content is very
limited. We still don’t even have a standardisation; there are two resolutions
currently in use, ultra HD at 3840×2160, and 4K is 4096×2160. Investment in the
format for end use can easily wait another 18 months.
Netflix’s latest announcement offers reassurance to the format however.
CEO Reed Hasting’s was quoted at CES that all future original Netflix content
will be shot in ultra HD. More news like this will provide relevance to the
format, more desire to own technology that can cater for it.
Monitoring
For filmmaking, I stand by those who consider
4K’s primary uses not for final output. But for reframing, stabilizing, and
downscaling to enhance HD. There’s many that will disagree. Either way, 4K has
arrived and it’s building in numbers. Should we embrace, and get in line for the
latest 4K consumer TV? Maybe not just yet. As filmmakers, more relevance lies in
the form of 4K acquisition, and 4K monitoring. 2013 paved the way for the
former, I’m excited to see more of the latter.
Asus has responded with announcement of a 4K 31.5″ monitor. It offers an
UHD resolution at 3840 x 2160. It’s ultra thin and features dual HDMI for
simultaneous output. Asus has a previous track record for good quality v price
(I own an Asus myself as a result), with a price looking to be $799, one half of
the formula is already complete.
Dell has released a few 4K monitors
now;
The
initial two carried fairly steep price tags ($1,299 for the 24 inch model and
$3,322 for the 32-inch). However their new 28″ display, the 2815Q is a little
more entry level conscious, beating the Asus in price at just $699. Like the
Asus, it will have a resolution of 3840 x 2160 via an anti-glare TN panel. The
usual USB hub, HDMI and mini display outputs are included.
Last is a
release from Lenova. The ThinkVision Pro2840m shadows the spec of the Dell; it
has a 28″ 3840 X 2160 display. It utilizes an unknown panel however is said to
meet a 72% color gamut. The monitor has edge-to-edge glass and features touch
sensitive controls; I’m not overly fussed on this, I can imagine it being a
heaven for greasy fingerprints surrounding your screen.
The next step from these computer displays would be reference monitors.
This category can often make one wince when considering the damage a purchase
can do to the wallet. Naturally, a 4K reference monitor is not going to let you
off lightly.
Panasonic has recently announced a 31.5″ monitor entering
this category. The Panasonic BT-4LH310E is a 2k/4k LCD reference monitor. Here’s
an extract from Cinescopophilia:
“Boasting a 4096 x 2160 resolution
10-bit horizontally-aligned IPS LCD panel with high contrast (1450:1) and 178o
degree vertical/horizontal viewing angles, the BT-4LH310E monitor supports 4K
4096 x 2160, QFHD 3840 x 2160, 2K, HD and SD work-flows.
A true cinema
production tool, the BT-4LH310E supports DCI-P3 colour space, which is defined
by more than 96 percent coverage of DCI-P3, and facilitates digital cinema
workflow with a LUT upload function. The BT-4LH310E can also accurately display
industry standard colour space with 100 percent coverage for ITU-R BT.709, EBU
and SMPTE-C.”
At £28K, this won’t be at the top of many people’s realistic wish list.
But this doesn’t come close Canon’s 40K offering. The
DP-V3010, announced towards the end of last is a 16:10 4K
reference monitor. It has a 30″ 4096X2560 display, providing a 2000:1 DCI
complaint contrast ratio.
With the speed of the industry moving at its
current rate, this article will undoubtedly become out-dated very soon. But with
the doors just closing at CES in Vegas, it seemed only fitting to provide you
with an overview of some of the current/future 4K products we have to look
forward to.
via
Gizmodo/
Appleinsider/
cinema5d
