my country lacks 4K TV standards: low-cost panels flood the market

As early as 2014, the China Household Electrical Appliances Association pointed out that so-called "fake 4K TVs" using RGBW panels appeared on the market. Since the resolution of these panels could not reach 3840 2160, it caused a lack of consumer trust.

4K Chaos

The rapid increase in demand for UHD TVs is closely related to their ultra-high resolution.

The reporter learned from insiders in the panel industry that the resolution requirement of 4K panel is 3840 2160 full RGB pixels, which is equivalent to 4 times the FHD (Full-HD) TV panel. It can solve the problem of uneven dynamic images and improve color vividness.

The "K" in "4K" is the first letter of the English word "kilo", which stands for thousand. 4K is 4 thousand, which means there are about 4,000 pixels in the horizontal direction. For the sake of convenience, 3,840 pixels are called 4K. UHD (Ultra-HD) TV refers to a TV with a screen resolution and pixel count that is 4 times higher than that of an ordinary FHD (Full-HD) TV. Here, its pixels are composed of three sub-pixels RGB: red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and these three primary colors are matched in different proportions to display various colors.

However, as panel manufacturers rush to capture the market with low prices, TV panels using RGBW (RedGreenBlueWhite) have appeared in the domestic market, which adds white sub-pixels to the RGB color standard. The core of this technology is to improve brightness while reducing RGB pixels. RGBW can reduce the number of backlight components, thereby reducing costs.

However, the "price" of reducing costs is that the addition of white sub-pixels results in a shortage of the original RGB effective pixel count, a reduction in the brightness of colors other than white, and uneven color rendering. In particular, when displaying lines, circles with clear boundaries, etc., the picture is not clear enough.

In April 2014, the China Household Electrical Appliances Association pointed out: "In order to save material costs, fake 4K has appeared on the market. Although the number of sub-pixels is the same as 4K, it is not true 4K, so consumers should be careful when purchasing." The way to distinguish is: "Fake 4K can be identified by eyes. Fake 4K has blurred colors. If you look at it with a magnifying glass, you can see white lines."

After testing and comparison, it was found that although the RGBW mode TV is also marked as 4K (3840 2160), the actual resolution is only 3/4 of the 4K resolution (2880 2160), which can only reach the 3K standard.

It is understood that currently UHD TVs from foreign brands such as Sony, Samsung, and Hisense all adopt the RGB mode, but some domestic brands still use RGBW panels.

In fact, at the DisplaySearch China Flat Panel Display Conference in 2014, a panel manufacturer executive told reporters that at the time, such near-4K panels accounted for nearly a quarter of the market, and that near-4K panels could save an average of $10 to $20 in costs.

Judging from the panel ex-factory price, the price of 3K products is about 15% lower than that of 4K products. If they can be sold at the 4K price, manufacturers can obtain additional profits.

The battle of standards

As to whether RGB or RGBW is the real UHD TV, there are two completely different views in the electronics industry: one view is that RGBW is a technological innovation, and the other view is that such products are actually "fake UHD".

Supporters of RGBW believe that although there are differences in performance, the "RGBW mode" can provide consumers with low-priced products and help promote the development of the UHD TV market.

Critical industry insiders believe that because the actual number of pixels of RGBW is insufficient, the resolution is only 3/4 of the 4K resolution. Such variant products should be called 3K TVs. If the variant 3K is sold at the price of 4K, it is suspected of deceiving consumers.

An industry insider told reporters that while many manufacturers are focusing on improving the imaging quality of 4K TVs, some manufacturers are also aiming to increase shipments with the idea of ​​small profits but quick turnover. The entry of near-4K panels into the market will lower the quality image of domestically produced 4K panels in the global market. Restrictions on near-4K panels will be a war of attrition, but it is necessary to do so for the sake of a healthy market environment to avoid bad money driving out good money.

In fact, the standards for 3K UHD TVs have also sparked discussions abroad, but now the argument that RGBW is not equal to UHD has prevailed.

In March 2014, the German Association of Electrical Engineers (DE) tested UHD TVs using RGBW panels and concluded that they did not meet UHD resolution standards. The US Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the European Association of Home Appliances (DE, DigitalEurope) also believed that non-RGB sub-pixels should not be included in the resolution. DE launched a related certification mark to issue a certification mark for true 4KUHD TVs.

It is reported that China is one of the countries with the largest sales of RGBW. The reason for this is closely related to the lack of 4K TV standards in China.

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.