Media Room FAQ: What’s the Deal With 4K?

So you’ve decided to upgrade the media room in your Dallas, TX home. Instead of the standard 1080p HD you’ve become accustomed to, you want a video display that truly pops. You want to upgrade to 4K. But now that you’ve chosen to make the move, there are some questions you need answered, like: what exactly is 4K? How do you achieve full 4K picture? In this blog, we’ll answer your questions. Read on to learn more.

See Also: 4 Unique Uses for Your Brand New Media Room

What Is 4K?

By now you’ve probably heard the term 4K so much you might think it’s a standard feature on most TV displays. But actually, 4K has only become popular over the past couple of years. But do you really know what it means?

Also known as UHD, 4K is an image standard that’s four times the picture resolution of 1080p HD. Think of picture resolution like thread count on bedsheets: if 1080p equals 400 thread count, then 4K equals 1600. And, typically speaking, the higher the thread count, the better the quality.

The result is an image that’s so densely packed with pixels you can sit as close as five feet away without seeing any pixilation.

High-Dynamic Range

You may have also heard the term high-dynamic range. It’s a technology frequently associated with 4K, but it’s not quite the same thing. HDR expands the difference between the brightest white and the darkest black, widening the gamut of visible colors on the screen. That means you see more gradients of just about any color, resulting in a far more realistic picture quality. If 4K is like thread count, then high-dynamic range is like silk thread.

How to Get 4K

Once you’ve invested in a 4K video display, you still might not achieve the best picture possible. It all comes down to your component chain. The chain consists of each device that you’ll need to view any type of video content: sources, connections, switchers and display. As you can see, the display is just part of the equation.

First you’ll want to invest in 4K sources. The source is any place generating the signal. This could be a 4K Blu-ray player, media server or video game system. If your source is not capable of generating a 4K signal, you can be sure you won’t be seeing one.

Connections are also extremely important. Many homeowners purchase 4K display and sources without upgrading their cords and cables. Remember, a 4K signal can’t travel over standard HDMI, you’ll need to invest in HDMI 2.0 or better to enjoy uninterrupted signal. And if you plan to distribute 4K signal to other rooms in your home, your integrator can run fiber-optic cables throughout your property.

The cables contribute to your overall bandwidth, which can also include your wireless internet signals. Your bandwidth has to be wide enough to handle the increased traffic of 4K signal. If it’s not, your end result may be interrupted or even non-existent.

Have more questions about integrating 4K display in your Dallas, TX home media room? Contact the experts at DB Media Solutions today!