High-resolution 4K TVs are hardly new. They’ve been around for a few years — and each year, marketers say this is the time to buy one.
Not so fast, says Brian X. Chen — even this year.
These new TVs face a classic dilemma. In order to take advantage of the brilliant picture, the creators of television shows, movies and other programming must make their content in higher definition. But the equipment to make that content in 4K is expensive, and really, what’s the point, if no one has a 4K TV?
There is also the price of the TVs themselves. The cost of 4K TVs has dropped significantly in the last couple of years. But the price of these machines is still not cheap — starting at $1,000, and going many times higher — particularly when compared with a HD TV.
Of course, that isn’t slowing the companies marketing them, including many at the International CES this week. Some year, they will probably be right.