But we only hear the voice but never see the "person". What is missing from the 4K industry chain?

Since its introduction, 4K has been one of the hottest words in the video field. Whether it is shopping mall advertisements or media platforms, the concept of 4K has been instilled in the public. However, after a few years, there are still only a few consumers who have truly enjoyed 4K services, even if "fake 4K" is not ruled out. Is 4K just a selling point carefully designed by manufacturers?

This matter has to start with hardware . According to the standards defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the resolution of 4K should reach 3840*2160. In addition, color gamut space, tolerance, sensitivity, etc. are also important indicators of 4K. So can current hardware manufacturers meet this standard?

The answer is yes. Consumers who have experienced 4K devices in stores or other channels can intuitively feel that the picture clarity that 4K hardware can provide is indeed amazing. In the field of television, brands such as Samsung, Sony, LG, Skyworth, Hisense, and Konka have launched their own 4K products. According to Gan Xin, chief content operation manager of Youpengpule, an interactive TV content platform operation service provider, 4K TV accounts for more than 40% of the total domestic TV shipments, and this figure is expected to reach 80% in 2016. IHS, a well-known market research agency, released a set of survey data showing that by 2019, the penetration rate of 4K in the Chinese market will climb to 24%. In addition, the price of domestic 4K Internet TV set-top boxes is less than 200 yuan.

It can be seen that hardware is no longer the key to preventing consumers from enjoying top-level video experience. So, is the problem the network environment ? As we all know, 4K movies are hundreds of GB in size, and transmission consumes a lot of bandwidth.

In terms of network bandwidth, U-PuLe recommends a 20M bitrate for 4K video. According to U-PuLe Vice President Hei Weiwei, a 20M bitrate can guarantee a basic 4K picture, and the visual effect is 25% higher than that of Blu-ray. Can today's network environment support the needs of 4K transmission?

It is reported that in 2015, the number of fiber-optic broadband users in China reached 120 million, accounting for 56% of all broadband users. According to the country's overall strategic goal, it is expected that by the end of 2017, fiber-optic broadband will cover all households above prefecture-level cities and more than 80% of rural communities. This means that by the end of next year, more than 90% of households in the country will be able to enjoy fiber-optic broadband, and the network environment will no longer be the biggest obstacle for 4K to reach consumers.

Although we have both the hardware and the network, the current situation of the 4K industry is still “hearing the voice but not seeing the people”. What is the crux of the problem?

For a long time, almost all 4K promotional videos on the market were similar, and most of them were static landscapes or documentaries. Even different equipment manufacturers used the same 4K film source, which shows the shortcomings of the 4K market.

The lack of truly high-quality film sources is a roadblock to the popularization of 4K in China. However, starting this month, this deadlock may be broken.

On March 8, U-Pop Entertainment formally signed a 4K content introduction agreement with Hollywood's Sony Pictures. The introduction of top international 4K resources can be said to have solved the urgent problem of the shortage of 4K resources in China.

Shao Yiding, Chairman and CEO of Upengpule, told us that in response to the current situation of shortage of 4K film sources in China and the lack of use of 4K TVs, Upengpule established the "4K Research Institute" as early as the beginning of 2014 to provide domestic 4K TV users with a complete set of solutions from content to hardware and software services.

It is reported that the content of this cooperation covers Sony Pictures' best movies and most popular TV series. Shao Yiding emphasized that all video content has been approved by relevant national departments. In 2016, Youpengpule will work closely with Hollywood film and television companies to introduce more 4K blockbusters. At the same time, the company will also directly cooperate with Hollywood companies to invest in the production of 4K content, ensuring quality from material selection, scripts, shooting, production and other links, and continuously providing domestic people with their own high-quality 4K blockbusters.

In the future, through further cooperation with channel partners, 4K blockbusters introduced by Youpengpule will enter Chinese households through pay-per-view and other models, and your 4K TV may soon no longer be a "decoration".

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.