Television - Can 4K help the industry stop losing money?

Unlike Analog to Digital, just at the same time as Flat Panel technology was launching - 4K and OLED will not enjoy this same opportunity. No one is telling you your current set is no good. The difference in the picture unless you finally have room for over 100 inch screen in your home is not going to be the difference you saw with Analog to High Definition. Same issue with OLED being a little more thinner than current Flat Panel, and not much of a savings boost from LED to OLED just as LED is not much of a savings over LCD as we see now.

How does this save the industry from giving away TVs below the cost to develop and sell this technology? I don't see an answer here, just more of the same.

JZ

• August 14, 2012, 10:42 PM

’4K’ Video: A Hope for Japan’s Electronics Makers?

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By Daisuke Wakabayashi

Associated Press

Sony chief Sir Howard Stringer showed off the company’s new 4K home projector during the 2012 International CES in Las Vegas earlier this year.

These are dark days for the electronics industry in Japan. Sony Corp. is working to regain its mojo (and profitability after four straight years in the red), while Sharp, which once ruled Japan’s television market, is now facing a cash crunch that has raised questions about its long-term future.
The opportunities to script a comeback also appear grim. Smartphones are dominated by Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., the tablet market is ruled by Apple, and the television sector is a dog-fight that leaves nearly everyone awash in losses. So where can Japan Inc. turn to for a hope for brighter days?
One possibility is “4K” technology. The “4K” name refers to the number of horizontal pixels, about 4,000, in the image, which is four-times the resolution of today’s high-definition video. Projectors using 4K technology are already used in many movie theaters, allowing super-sharp images even on a massive screen.
Sony is a leader in 4K technology. It produces everything from the image sensors used in cameras that capture the ultra-high resolution videos to the 4K projectors that display the images. A Sony F65, the world’s first commercial camera that can take 4K video, is being used for the filming of “After Earth,” an upcoming science-fiction movie featuring Will Smith. It will be distributed by – yes you guessed it – Sony.
The company’s executives have said it is currently developing a 4K television although it will not be the first to market with one. Toshiba Corp. uses a 4K display in a glasses-free 3-D television it released last year, but the 55-inch model sells for about 780,000 yen, or about $10,000, in Tokyo.
Similar to how high-definition video helped to spur a new round of television sales, Sony and others are hoping that 4K may provide consumers with new incentive to upgrade their TVs.
Sony Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai has said one of his areas of focus will be to find ways to adapt the company’s most expensive technologies geared for business customers for consumer applications. This also means finding ways to reduce the price of the new technology to a level palatable to the mass market. Mr. Hirai has pointed to 4K as a prime example of his efforts.
Japan’s technology firms have tried this before. In 2010, Sony, Panasonic and others aggressively promoted 3-D displays with the hopes of revitalizing the television market. Even with the growing availability of 3-D movies, the technology received a lukewarm response from consumers. The lack of 3-D content and the need to wear special glasses stunted the growth potential of 3-D. While 4K will not require special glasses, it may need to overcome the same shortage of content problem as 3-D.
Corrections & Amplifications: The “4K” name refers to the number of horizontal pixels, about 4,000, in the image. An earlier version of this article did not clarify that the figure referred to the number of horizontal pixels.