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4K is now 'Ultra High-Definition,' according to the Consumer Electronics Association

4K is now 'Ultra High-Definition,' according to the Consumer Electronics Association

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CEA follows ITU lead in branding the next era of television

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super hi-vision 1020 stock
super hi-vision 1020 stock

4K TV is on its way, but it might not be called "4K" for long. The Consumer Electronics Association has announced today that 4K will officially be known as Ultra High-Definition, or Ultra HD for short. If UHDTV sounds familiar, that's probably because it's already an international standard. In August, the International Telecommunication Union approved the use of the name Ultra High Definition for both 4K (3840 x 2160) and 8K (7680 x 4320) resolutions.

Now, though, there's a marketing requirement too. In order to use the Ultra HD label, the CEA will require products to have at least one input capable of transmitting native 4K video at 3840 x 2160 resolution without upconverting. Screens will have to have eight million active pixels, with at least 3,840 horizontal pixels and 2,160 vertical pixels at minimum. That's good news for pixel density enthusiasts, though we have to imagine some of them will hold out for the staggering amount of detail you can see with NHK 8K Super Hi-Vision.