One note: The Alliance hasn’t actually set in stone which format terminology will be used, so we’ve used ‘4K’ in this post.<\/em><\/p>\n Since it’s inception the TV manufacturers\u00a0and Hollywood studios have had very different opinions on how to utilize 4K\u00a0video and how to distribute it. In an effort to bring these differing opinions together, Samsung announced a\u00a0partnership between\u00a0industry elites,\u00a0dubbed the ‘UHD Alliance’,\u00a0<\/strong>at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). This alliance will work together to standardize the use of major elements of 4K\u00a0technology including terminology and deployment systems.<\/p>\n The list of participants is pretty significant with Samsung, Panasonic & Sharp bringing a manufacturing\u00a0perspective, while Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, DirectTV & Dolby bring a video production perspective. Sony is the only member to be a part of both sides of the\u00a0alliance, as they have a foothold in both manufacturing and video\/film production. While there is no word on the initial actions and steps the alliance is taking, the common consensus is that they will address the misconceptions around 4K\u00a0and UHD.<\/p>\n Leading to a lot of the confusion has been the switch from characterizing resolutions based on width rather than\u00a0height (as was the case for 1080 & 720). Since both 4K<\/span>\u00a0and UHD have the same width factor of 2160 you can see why they’ve become interchangeable in our lexicon. In fact we began labeling UHDTV as 4K<\/span>, even though UHDTVs have resolution below the industry standard 4K<\/span>\u00a0resolution(4096 x 2160). In fact, if you Google search “4K resolution” you’ll get this…<\/p>\n Wait… what… I thought 4K<\/span>\u00a0was 4096 x 2160? That’s not\u00a0confusing\u00a0(sarcasm).<\/em>\u00a0This is\u00a0another example of the terms 4K<\/span>\u00a0and UHD being used interchangeably.<\/p>\n So, let’s sort through the mess. We’ve compiled all of the resolutions that have anything to do with 4K<\/span>\u00a0and UHD in the table below<\/strong>. Here we give you the format name, resolution, aspect ratio and pixel count.<\/p>\n First off is DCI, the Digital Cinema Initiatives<\/a><\/strong> group. This group was formed in 2002 and consists of MGM, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, Walt Disney and Warner Bros. At the onset of digital cinema in the early 2000’s they came together to establish standards for the film industry and have continued to do so (you’ll see the\u00a0standard 4K<\/span>\u00a0format below).<\/p>\n Now, lets look at Ultra High Definition Television<\/strong>. This format is governed and defined by the International Telecommunication Union<\/a> (ITU) with the first manufactured UHDTV being the\u00a0T220 production monitor by IBM in 2001. From this point on, TV manufacturers\u00a0have used the UHDTV standard for consumer televisions. However that has changed in recent years with some manufacturers\u00a0releasing TVs that showcase the native DCI 4K<\/span>\u00a0resolution.<\/p>\n WHXGA<\/strong> is apart of the hyper extended graphics array. This format terminology is used more for developers of display technologies, so it’s not as important to consumer and content producers as DCI 4K<\/span>\u00a0or UHDTV. As of today, there are no monitors that can display WHXGA. However several of the digital and production cameras we use on our productions can capture at this resolution.<\/p>\n For consumers, standardization is a huge win. This eliminates the confusion around\u00a0what product to buy. This is also a huge win for filmmakers and video producers, particularly in\u00a0feature film and television. There will be a de facto format that everyone will adhere to.<\/p>\n If you’re a filmmaker or video producer who produces mostly for web or mobile, you may be thinking “4K isn’t a big deal to me”. That’s changing too.<\/p>\nIndustry Leaders\u00a0Unite<\/h2>\n
![\"UHD](\"http:\/\/pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2015\/02\/UHD_Alliance_1.jpg\")
\n<\/a>Image Courtesy of Clubic.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/a>Image Courtesy of Clubic.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nLet’s clear the air in terms of resolution and aspect ratio…<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n
\n \nFormat<\/th>\n Resolution<\/th>\n Aspect Ratio<\/th>\n Pixels<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n DCI 4K Cinemascope (Cropped)<\/td>\n 4096 x 1716<\/td>\n 2.39:1<\/td>\n 7,028,736<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n DCI 4K (Flat Cropped)<\/td>\n 3996 x 2160<\/td>\n 1.85:1<\/td>\n 8,631,360<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n DCI 4K (Native Resolution)<\/td>\n 4096 x 2160<\/td>\n 1.90:1 (19:10)<\/td>\n 8,847,360<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Ultra High Definition Television<\/td>\n 3840 x 2160<\/td>\n 1.78:1 (16:9)<\/td>\n 8,294,400<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Ultra Wide Television<\/td>\n 5120 x 2160<\/td>\n 2.37:1 (21:9)<\/td>\n 11,059,200<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n WHXGA<\/td>\n 5120 x 3200<\/td>\n 1.60:1 (16:10)<\/td>\n 16,384,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n 4K, UHD…what\u00a0does this all\u00a0mean?<\/h2>\n