Technology Tuesday: Meet 4K, AKA Ultra HD

4K, also called “Ultra HD,” has four times the resolution of current high-def broadcasts. The format doubles the pixel count in both directions, which can result in a much sharper picture at larger screen sizes. While 4K TVs made headlines at CES, there is currently very little native 4K content, leaving the super-sharp TVs upconverting lower-resolution video most of the time. However, Eutelsat, a French-based satellite provider, has just begun broadcasting in 4K on a demo channel.

Eutelsat’s says 4K doesn’t require any modification to its systems, although if you’re a customer you’ll obviously need a 4K TV and the 4K-capable receiver to see the broadcasts at full resolution (Eutelsat says “some terrestrial systems” won’t be able to handle them).

The channel is intended to serve as a showcase for the new format, so presumably the programming will consist of various demo reel, but no full-length 4K content. Eutelsat also hopes the rollout of 4K will accelerate plans to create a compression standard for the format.

Energized by all the 4K news coming out of CES, the race is clearly on make the format a reality. Sony has also begun answering the question surrounding 4K content, implementing plans to provide its 4K TV customers with several movies as well as a content distribution system this summer.

Bear in mind, however, the extra pixels of 4K won’t make much of a difference at smaller screen sizes. If viewed at normal viewing distances, today’s 1080p TVs are already so sharp that the human eye can’t discern individual pixels. The benefits of 4K are clear only for larger screens.