4K HDTVs, streaming gadgets were the stars at Future Shop's home theatre showcase
Thursday, August 15, 2013 at 7:46AM 
Text and Photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
4K or Ultra HD is the big buzzword in home theatre and possibly the biggest leap in technology since we went from standard definition to high definition years ago. Future Shop's home theatre showcase, held yesterday in downtown Toronto, exhibited some of the latest technology and content coming in home entertainment.
Sony was first on the list, the company is heavily invested in 4K as a whole ecosystem and doesn't just have a new line of HDTVs but also makes the 4K cameras as well as a lot of the content that is shot on 4K cameras (including many feature films like Will Smith's After Earth).
Sony demoed the movie Ghostbusters on two 4K TVs. The first was playing a Blu-Ray that was upscaled on the 4K TV while the other was a remastered Blu-Ray that was redone in 4K and the result was dramatic with the remastered version showing more depth and greater detail. A number of classic films are getting similar treatment so while it will take time for 4K content to arrive, it is definitely coming soon.
What we learned from Sony was that for 4K HDTVs one needs to sit close to really enjoy the full impact of the high definition picture. Speaking to other journalists at the event, the consensus was that 4K HDTVs that are larger than 65" are more impactful and really show off the technology much better than smaller sets which might require you to sit really close to get the full experience.
Samsung showed off its upgradeable Smart Evolution HDTVs which can presumably turn a 2012 model into a 2013 model in terms of capabilities and features with the purchase of a sub $500 add-on. This upgrades the core CPU, RAM, and possibly other capabilities. While an interesting concept, the benefits of such an upgrade might escape most consumers who will wait years to buy a whole new HDTV for a bit more money. The reason most people buy new HDTV's is because they want slimmer, larger and newer looking devices.
As for LG, they demoed the 3D capabilities of their HDTVs with dual-play technology that can take split screen games and make them full screen games for user through a unique feature and glasses that show only the respective player's screen by using their glasses. Ideal for first person shooters, racing games and multi-screen games, the demo worked in that you could only see your half of the screen when wearing the Kanye West inspired glasses but there was a lot of ghosting and some artifacts on that particular game that made it difficult to concentrate.
Aside from HDTVs and home theatre sound systems, we also got a demo of the Roku set-top box which is one of the best ways to view Netflix as well as over 500 channels of Internet content on any HDTV provided you have a wired or wireless Internet connection. Streaming set-top boxes are providing an alternative to cable tv and an increasing number of cord cutters, who are people who cancel cable subscriptions to rely on streaming content, are looking to these solutions.
Belkin also showed off their range of WeMo WiFi devices including cameras, light switches and various items that can be controlled via the Internet with an iOS app. Which, while not exactly home theatre in nature, does speak to the connected home, which is an increasingly important aspect of consumer technology.
So, 4K or Ultra HD is definitely the next big thing in HDTVs but the content isn't there yet. Many of the TVs we saw 'upscale' the quality and try to cheat the eye into seeing more pixels than there actually are but you can spot the difference easily. Let's hope 4K and Ultra HD content matures and becomes more prevalent than 3D did in the past years, since that key technology really didn't evolve much.
The good news is that as sizes of 4K sets are decreasing, prices are becoming more competitive. While a year ago, Sony introduced the first 4K HDTV, now the competition is moving in and trying to differentiate their offerings which will drive prices down even lower.
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