We’re entering a YEAR-OF-UPGRADES as we see more and more native 4K resolution products released. In 2018, the only real 4K stuff was relegated to very high-end staging applications. And, the lower-end stuff was #Fake4K using pixel-shifting techniques to make you feel like you’re seeing 4K, but you aren’t.
But get ready for a plethora of sub-$5,000 4K projectors that will come to you from every major projector manufacturer and a host of 4K accessory products to match. As you consider inventory upgrades, you need to pay careful attention to the REAL 4K specs that aren’t being shared by most manufacturers. Like, for example, does the 4K projector you are looking at handle 10-bit color at a 4:4:4 chroma sub-sampling rate? Who cares? Well, you should. If it doesn’t, it’s likely that a client in the future will notice their logo colors look weird. Or, that the dithering-effect that we haven’t seen since the old VGA-days is all-of-a-sudden back.
No, I’m not saying all of your inventory needs to be 4K 4:4:4 quality stuff but you do need to understand what you’re buying — the bandwidth needed to handle high sub-sampling rates in native 1080p is way, way, way lower than that required to do 4K. A lot of companies are cutting corners and while this may fly in a classroom, it won’t in a lot of live event settings.
There’s a ton of education out there in and around 4K-land,
including my own 4K webinar from last week, but, in the meantime, buyer-beware as these cheap 4K projectors are just that. Cheap.