To 4K or Not to 4K… that is the Holiday Question

Published 2018-12-03

‘Tis the season for Holiday cheer and, of course, shopping. If your own shopping list includes a television, you’re sure to find yourself in an electronics store (or an equivalent online space). If it’s been more than a year or two since you last went television shopping, you may be surprised to find that most TVs today include 4K/UHD (Ultra High Definition). Without getting into aspect ratios, pixels, and other minutiae that really isn’t needed to be understood unless you’re a videophile, what exactly does it mean to be a 4K/UHD television? Let’s answer this question by first looking at the last major change in television definition – the evolution of standard definition to high definition televisions (HDTV). Most TVs in circulation today are indeed HDTV, which at the time of their introduction was a fourfold improvement in resolution. Your eyes didn’t need to quantify it – it was easy to notice the stark difference between standard definition and HDTV. Is the jump to 4K a comparable one to the evolution from standard to HDTV? Actually, and not entirely coincidentally, 4K television displays are offering an almost four times improvement of resolution versus traditional HD. It’s hard to wrap your head around how HDTV could be that much better, so you may have to stop by an electronics store to see for yourself how 4K/UHD improves color and sharpness of picture. Indeed, 4K/UHD appears to be the widely accepted “next generation” of TV – but do you need or “have to buy” a 4K TV today? You may not have a choice. Most TVs you buy off the shelf include 4K capabilities. Fortunately, even with 4K, televisions are becoming more and more affordable. However, available programming today isn’t dictating that you need to run out and get a 4K TV. The amount of 4K content is still limited as the main networks are not broadcasting in 4K. Here is what is available in 4K today:

Original programming on streaming services including Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube
Movies available on Amazon, Apple, etc.
The Sony PS4 and Xbox game consoles

If you’re a FairlawnGig customer and streamer (if not, you should be!), what are the bandwidth requirements for streaming 4K on your new TV? Fortunately, all FairlawnGig customers have a service level that exceeds and easily blows away the 25 Mbps minimum required Internet connection for streaming on a 4K television. In a home with “standard” Internet service, a user may find their 4K television not working, buffering, or limiting the rest of household members’ ability to do anything but watch the 4K content. FairlawnGig supports all of your needs when it comes to Internet access. The needs you have today as well as the needs you’ll have in the future will all be supported by FairlawnGig’s future-proof fiber. This Holiday season feel free to purchase for you and your loved ones all of the Internet-required electronics you can find. With a FairlawnGig Internet connection you can run each and every one simultaneously on your FairlawnGig connection!