4k news_news 26/03/2015 17:44 Page 4
4K set for 50% of
US homes
l Sub 50-inch Ultra HD TVs
will become more widely
available in 2015 and the sub
50-inch category will account
for the majority of Ultra HD TV
shipments globally by the end
of 2016.
l Wide colour gamut
technology and high dynamic
range support will be built into
premium Ultra HD TV displays
in 2015 creating a more
discernible price tier structure
he USA will emerge as
the leading market for
4K or Ultra HD TVs in
terms of household
penetration by 2020 followed
by the leading Western
European markets, Australia,
South Korea and China.
According to Strategy
Analytics' Connected Home
Devices (CHD) report Ultra
High Definition TV Displays:
Global Market Forecast,
T
demand for UHD TVs is
soaring worldwide as entry
level price points drop well
below $1000, model
availability expands and
consumers seek out the next
best technology as they
upgrade their ageing flat
panel TVs.
Other key findings from the
report include:
l Shipments of 4K/Ultra HD
TVs grew 633% in 2014 to reach
12.1 million units with Asia
Pacific accounting for 75%
followed by North America
(12%) and Western Europe
(11%).
l Global shipments of Ultra HD
TVs will more than double in
2015 to 27.5 million units and
more than 100 million will be
shipping annually by 2018.
l 60% of all Ultra HD TVs
shipped globally in 2014 were
50-inch or larger in size, while a
quarter of all 50-inch and larger
TVs that shipped were Ultra HD.
in the market.
David Watkins, service director,
connected home devices, said that
Ultra HD would become the
standard resolution for virtually all
large screen TVs within three to
four years' time and would
penetrate further into smaller
screen sizes as manufacturing
efficiencies improve.
“As we saw with the transition
from SD to HD, it is the TV
manufacturers who are leading the
Ultra HD charge although
significant steps are being made on
the delivery infrastructure and
content production parts of the
value chain. As the inevitable price
competition eats into the ability of
the TV vendors to make any
meaningful profit from selling
Ultra HD TVs, many brands are
adding support for wider colour
gamuts and high dynamic range in
order to differentiate their models
and charge a premium over
'standard' Ultra HD models,” he
advised.
6 EUROMEDIA UHD 2015
4K set sales to
grow 700%
F
indings from research and knowledge-based
specialist Futuresource Consulting has announced
its latest 4K report, reviewing the progress in the
broadcast, video, and display industries,which notes that
although TV set sales are expected to rise close to 700%,
the window for 4K may be short lived.
According to Futuresource, with the 4K industry gathering
pace, a sustained flow of 4K content will be critical to the
long term success of 4K. While disc playback of 4K content
will not be a possibility until late 2015, OTT (Over the Top)
video services are driving early roll-out of 4K video services
with several now available in the market. Several further
propositions are set for launch in 2015/6 from both
standalone providers and traditional pay-TV platforms.
As with HD and more recently 3D, 4K consumer
technology is ahead of the rest of the content chain and the
consumer electronics industry is marketing 4K capable TVs
“With 8K on the horizon,
there is speculation as to
whether the window for
4K will be short-lived.”
and creating an
audience.
4K sets are
expected to ship
11.6 million units
in 2014, up 699%
year on year, with
China accounting for over 70% of worldwide demand (versus
84% in 2013). By 2018 100 million sets are forecast to ship
per annum, when ownership will exceed 20% in leading
markets. Falling premiums and 4K in smaller screen sizes
will drive 4K adoption, while consumers will want to futureproof for 4K content when it becomes available, upscaling
will help consumers justify their purchasing decision in the
short term.
“We are seeing several 4K video services now available in
the market, driven by over-the-top (OTT) video services, and
we are beginning to see signs that broadcasters support will
be forthcoming,” commented Sarah Carroll, Director of sales
and marketing, Futuresource Consulting. “However, with 8K
on the horizon, there is speculation as to whether the
window for 4K will be short-lived.”
With the backing of the consumer electronics, television
and motion picture industries, Futuresource believes that
there is a positive commercial scenario for consumer 4K,
although realistically this is likely to take at least three to four
years to develop.