So where is NTEK... We should be exploding!
4K TVs Explode: New Research Shows Massive Sales Surge
John Archer , CONTRIBUTOR
I write about TVs, projectors and other home entertainment technology.
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
New research and sales analysis out today has revealed that approximately one in every eight North American homes will own an Ultra HD/4K TV before the end of 2016.
According to a report by Strategy Analytics, this eye-catching figure – which equates to more than 11 million North American homes – is the result of rapidly falling prices for 4K TVs and increased availability that’s seen shipments of 4K TVs to the region this year surge by more than 70%.
The Strategy Analytics report also makes the point that North America’s penchant for very big TVs relative to other regions around the world has played a part in Ultra HD’s success there. More than 80% of Ultra HD TVs shipped in 2015 were 50-inch or bigger, at the same time that big-screen TVs which don’t have Ultra HD native resolutions have been becoming increasingly hard to find as manufacturers switch production over to the higher resolution format.
UHD TVs like this Samsung UN55KS9500 will be found in one in eight US homes by the end of 2016.
UHD TVs like this Samsung UN55KS9500 will be found in one in eight US homes by the end of 2016. (Pic: Samsung)
In fact, Strategy Analytics predicts that by 2020 all 40-inch and bigger TVs sold in North America will be Ultra HD – by which time, the report also suggests, almost half of all North American homes will own at least one Ultra HD TV.
The figures reported give North America the highest levels of Ultra HD TV ownership anywhere in the world – though the report also stresses that when it comes to shipments of Ultra HD TVs China is miles ahead of the pack, with as much as 25% of domestic shipments coming from such Chinese brands as TCL, Skyworth and Hisense.
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Looking elsewhere around the globe, Strategy Analytics reports that the Western European UHD TV market also performed very nicely in 2015, shipping more than five million sets on the back of strong demand from Germany and the UK – two countries which became the first outside the USA and China to ship more than one million 4K TVs in a single a year.
So striking are the latest 4K sales and shipment figures, in fact, that the higher-resolution format now appears to be fully established in the mainstream, with the TV industry’s focus already shifting to ‘what’s next’.
The Revenant is leading the picture quality charge of the new Ultra HD Blu-ray format. (Pic: 20th Century Fox)
The Revenant is leading the picture quality charge of the new Ultra HD Blu-ray format. (Pic: 20th Century Fox)
“2160p resolution has almost become a given in the large screen TV market,” says David Watkins, Director of Strategy Analytics’ Connected Home Devices service, “and attention is now turning to other attributes that fall under the Ultra HD umbrella such as high dynamic range [explained here], wide color gamut and high frame rates. A high proportion of mid to high-end Ultra HD TVs sold this year will support HDR which in combination with higher resolution and enhanced color representation will deliver a significant step change improvement to the TV viewing experience beyond resolution alone.”
At the same time, though, Strategy Analytics notes that while the hardware part of the UHD equation is essentially a done deal, the content part certainly isn’t there yet. As Strategy Analytics’ Connected Home Devices Analyst Chirag Upadhyay puts it: “”The uptake of Ultra HD bears many of the same hallmarks as the early days of “basic” HD in that TV manufacturers have been very quick to seed the market with the necessary displays but there is very little in the way of content in order to take advantage of the full potential of the technology.
“In the case of Ultra HD,” Upadhyay continues, “streaming services such as Netflix NFLX +1.29% and Amazon are offering some Ultra HD programming but with less than 10 full time Ultra HD channels operating globally today, most consumers have to make do with generally less than impressive up-converted content.”
These comments do, though, neglect to mention that we now also have Ultra HD Blu-ray players and discs. For more on these check out my reviews of the Samsung K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray player and the Ultra HD Blu-ray discs of Deadpool and The Revenant. Or if you’re thinking of adding to the 4K TV sales tally, check out my reviews of the Samsung UN55KS9500, Sony XBR-65X930D and Panasonic TX-50DX750.
Follow me on Twitter @bigjohnnyarcher, Facebook or read my other Forbes articles via my profile page.
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4K TVs Explode: New Research Shows Massive Sales Surge
John Archer , CONTRIBUTOR
I write about TVs, projectors and other home entertainment technology.
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
New research and sales analysis out today has revealed that approximately one in every eight North American homes will own an Ultra HD/4K TV before the end of 2016.
According to a report by Strategy Analytics, this eye-catching figure – which equates to more than 11 million North American homes – is the result of rapidly falling prices for 4K TVs and increased availability that’s seen shipments of 4K TVs to the region this year surge by more than 70%.
The Strategy Analytics report also makes the point that North America’s penchant for very big TVs relative to other regions around the world has played a part in Ultra HD’s success there. More than 80% of Ultra HD TVs shipped in 2015 were 50-inch or bigger, at the same time that big-screen TVs which don’t have Ultra HD native resolutions have been becoming increasingly hard to find as manufacturers switch production over to the higher resolution format.
UHD TVs like this Samsung UN55KS9500 will be found in one in eight US homes by the end of 2016.
UHD TVs like this Samsung UN55KS9500 will be found in one in eight US homes by the end of 2016. (Pic: Samsung)
In fact, Strategy Analytics predicts that by 2020 all 40-inch and bigger TVs sold in North America will be Ultra HD – by which time, the report also suggests, almost half of all North American homes will own at least one Ultra HD TV.
The figures reported give North America the highest levels of Ultra HD TV ownership anywhere in the world – though the report also stresses that when it comes to shipments of Ultra HD TVs China is miles ahead of the pack, with as much as 25% of domestic shipments coming from such Chinese brands as TCL, Skyworth and Hisense.
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Samsung UN55KS9500 4K HDR TV Review: Blinded By The Light
HDR Made Easy: A Jargon-Free Guide To The Next Big Thing In TV Technology
Grads of LifeVoice: Pathways To Employment: The Best Investment Society Can Make
Sony XBR-65X930D 4K HDR TV Review
Samsung UBD-K8500 UHD Blu-ray Player Review: A Good Start
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Looking elsewhere around the globe, Strategy Analytics reports that the Western European UHD TV market also performed very nicely in 2015, shipping more than five million sets on the back of strong demand from Germany and the UK – two countries which became the first outside the USA and China to ship more than one million 4K TVs in a single a year.
So striking are the latest 4K sales and shipment figures, in fact, that the higher-resolution format now appears to be fully established in the mainstream, with the TV industry’s focus already shifting to ‘what’s next’.
The Revenant is leading the picture quality charge of the new Ultra HD Blu-ray format. (Pic: 20th Century Fox)
The Revenant is leading the picture quality charge of the new Ultra HD Blu-ray format. (Pic: 20th Century Fox)
“2160p resolution has almost become a given in the large screen TV market,” says David Watkins, Director of Strategy Analytics’ Connected Home Devices service, “and attention is now turning to other attributes that fall under the Ultra HD umbrella such as high dynamic range [explained here], wide color gamut and high frame rates. A high proportion of mid to high-end Ultra HD TVs sold this year will support HDR which in combination with higher resolution and enhanced color representation will deliver a significant step change improvement to the TV viewing experience beyond resolution alone.”
At the same time, though, Strategy Analytics notes that while the hardware part of the UHD equation is essentially a done deal, the content part certainly isn’t there yet. As Strategy Analytics’ Connected Home Devices Analyst Chirag Upadhyay puts it: “”The uptake of Ultra HD bears many of the same hallmarks as the early days of “basic” HD in that TV manufacturers have been very quick to seed the market with the necessary displays but there is very little in the way of content in order to take advantage of the full potential of the technology.
“In the case of Ultra HD,” Upadhyay continues, “streaming services such as Netflix NFLX +1.29% and Amazon are offering some Ultra HD programming but with less than 10 full time Ultra HD channels operating globally today, most consumers have to make do with generally less than impressive up-converted content.”
These comments do, though, neglect to mention that we now also have Ultra HD Blu-ray players and discs. For more on these check out my reviews of the Samsung K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray player and the Ultra HD Blu-ray discs of Deadpool and The Revenant. Or if you’re thinking of adding to the 4K TV sales tally, check out my reviews of the Samsung UN55KS9500, Sony XBR-65X930D and Panasonic TX-50DX750.
Follow me on Twitter @bigjohnnyarcher, Facebook or read my other Forbes articles via my profile page.
Comment on this story
Print Report Corrections Reprints & Permissions
Ads by Revcontent
