Japan's New Ultra High Def TVs Impressive, Expensive

The TV industry in Japan is pushing ahead with brilliant new 4K displays. But to win the next round of the TV sales wars, it'll take more than being first to market.

Published

8 months ago

Categories

Technology

Topics

Consumer Electronics

People

Kazuo Hirai, Tatsuhiro Nishioka

Places

Japan, Tokyo

Companies

Soni Kabushiki Kaisha, Panasonic Corporation, Toshiba Corporation

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE) (English) REUTERS REPORTER JON GORDON, SAYING: "It seems like just yesterday HD was making its big tech debut, but we're here at CEATEC in Tokyo, Asia's biggest tech fair, and it's all about the ultra-high def. This is new 4K display from Sony. And as you can see, it's a big step up from what we're all used to." So just how much better is the picture on these screens? Well, 4k has four times the pixels of HD, and 16 times that of SD, the format you're watching this video in right now. Sony is not alone with this tech. Toshiba, Sharp and Panasonic are all joining the party with new ultra-high def offerings. Toshiba's chief 4K architect, Tatsuhiro Nishioka. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOSHIBA'S CHIEF 4K SPECIALIST TATSUHIRO NISHIOKA, SAYING: "We believe that over 50 inches, you definitely need 4K. Once you're eyes get used to the 4K, you can't go back to the full HD." The problem with 4K right now is that there's not much content out there, and no real delivery system like Blue Ray or DVD in place. Instead, we'll see existing HD material scaled up, with technology like Sharp's ICC 4K, as well as Toshiba's detail-adding CEVO. But it doesn't just stop with 4K. This beast is 8K, another generation higher. Video on this makes the rest of those screens look like botched painting restorations. The challenge for these next generation TVs will be getting the cost down. Sony's set debuts next month for a steep $20,000 U.S. dollars. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SONY CORP CEO KAZUO HIRAI, SAYING: "The pricing right now is obviously not a mass market proposition, but it's more of our message to the market about the leadership position that we'd like to take." Being a leader though isn't enough. Remember, Japan was first with 3D a few years back. Their TV sets were expensive though, and consumers weren't interested in the first place. The country's tech giants may again be first to market with 4K technology. But in order to win the next generation TV sales battle, Japan Inc. will also have to set a price point that can beat the Korean competition.