For the upcoming Apple TV set, the latest reports claim that Apple is in talks with LG for large, UHD panels.
In Walter Isaacson’s biography of the late Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs stated: “‘I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use,’ Jobs told Isaacson. ‘It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud.’ No longer would users have to fiddle with complex remotes for DVD players and cable channels. ‘It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.’”
According to Digitimes, the display panels that Apple is considering would mean its much-rumored TV sets would come with two screen sizes — 55-inches and 65-inches. The fact that the panels would offer ultra-high-definition resolution (sometimes called 4K) also suggests that the company is looking to the future.
UHD TV is still in its infancy and while a number of manufacturers including LG, Samsung and Sony already sell TVs containing the technology, there is very little native content out there that consumers can enjoy. UHD TV broadcasts are still in the experimental stage, although Japan has pledged that it will be ready to broadcast the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, live in full UHD.
Microsoft’s latest games console, the Xbox One will also support UHD streaming and broadcasts when it launches later this year as consumers on average only update games hardware once a decade, therefore a device needs to remain relevant for as long as possible.
UHD offers images with four times the resolution and detail of current HD content. A still image on the screen is the equivalent of an 8-megapixel photograph, while the contrasts and depths of colors are at a level never before seen on a TV screen. However, much larger images mean transmitting much more data.
Whereas a true HD film will take up 4GB of space (a Blu-Ray Disc) a full UHD feature film could weigh in at 100GB.
