The dispute over "real" and "fake" 4K TVs stems from a lack of unified standards

The World Cup, which is held every four years, is coming soon. Many fans have long been looking forward to the days of drinking beer, eating fried chicken and watching the games in front of the TV. However, recently, the 4K TVs that have been selling well due to the World Cup have encountered a dispute over "real or fake". Yesterday, the reporter learned that there are indeed "real" and "fake" 4K TVs on the market. However, due to the lack of corresponding industry standards in China, this debate on the authenticity of TVs is in a vicious circle of "each party has their own reasons and neither party is willing to give in".

4K TVs are best-selling

There is still more than a week before the World Cup, but the foreplay has already begun. Walking on the streets and in the subway, you can see information about World Cup promotions everywhere, among which large-screen ultra-high-definition 4K TVs are the first to be affected.

4K TV, also known as ultra-high-definition TV, has a screen resolution of 3840 2160, which is four times the screen resolution of full HD TV (1920 1080) and eight times the screen resolution of HD TV (1280 720). High definition is a major feature of 4K TV, but the two major issues restricting its popularity are limited film sources and high prices.

This year, 4K TVs have attracted much attention because this year's World Cup was the first to be filmed with 4K equipment and transmitted with 4K signals. Although domestic TV stations cannot transmit 4K signals at present, some video websites can play 4K World Cup sources this year, such as Youpengpule and LeTV.

Yesterday, the reporter learned from Beijing Gome ( Weibo (18.78, 0.46, 2.51%)) that many 4K color TVs were offered at a special price of about 1,000 yuan off the original price. During the Dragon Boat Festival, Gome launched a special promotion for color TVs for the World Cup. During the three-day holiday, color TV sales increased nearly 2 times year-on-year, among which 4K TVs "harvested" the most, accounting for nearly 40% of holiday sales.

Suning stores also launched experience + promotion activities. According to the person in charge of Suning's procurement and sales, due to the World Cup, the sales of 4K TVs doubled. In order to enhance the atmosphere of the World Cup, Suning stores arranged lawns, goals, billiards, Barcelona sports goods, etc. to create a promotion environment in the atmosphere of the World Cup. Consumers can play billiards with promoters and win promotional gifts.

Is 4K real or fake?

Just as 4K TVs are selling like hot cakes, a debate about "real" and "fake" 4K has emerged in the market.

Is there really a difference between "real" and "fake"? Yesterday, many industry experts and TV practitioners told the Beijing News reporter that "real and fake" do exist. "For the same brand, the price difference of 4K TVs is about one-third. The cheaper ones usually have problems and may not be real 4K TVs." An industry insider told the Beijing News reporter.

A shopping guide at a store told the Beijing News that a "real" 4K TV usually has to meet three requirements: first, the TV screen must be 4K; second, the TV must be equipped with an HDM2.0 interface to transmit 4K picture quality and download 4K videos from the Internet; third, the 4K TV must also have a 4K decoding chip.

"Several conditions must be met, and none of them can be missing. Only then can a TV process 4K signals and play 4K sources, and only then can it be called a true 4K TV. However, many businesses have taken advantage of loopholes in their publicity, and as long as the screen is 4K, they call it a 4K TV." Lu Renbo (Weibo), deputy secretary-general of the China Electronic Commerce Association, told the Beijing News reporter.

Lu Renbo said that consumers can only tell whether a TV is real or fake when it is connected to a 4K signal. "You can't tell by simply looking at the TV screen. Just like a mobile phone, when it is not in use, you don't know whether the signal is good or not. But the reality is that TV stations don't have 4K signals, and video websites have relatively few 4K sources, so it is difficult to distinguish between real and fake 4K TVs in real life."

If the interface and decoding chip can be traced in the manual, it is even more difficult for consumers to distinguish whether the screen is "real" or "fake". Currently, there are "real and fake" screens on the market.

It is said that a "real" 4K screen is a panel that uses RGB color pixels, and the 6.2 million pigment dots are composed of three sub-pixels, which is the mainstream technology in the market. On the other hand, the RGB color pixels of a "fake" 4K screen generally have one more sub-pixel, and other colors are usually used to make an approximate pixel through algorithms or other technical means, thereby increasing the fineness of the image. Among them, RGBW technology has become the main technology used to produce this kind of 4K screen. It is reported that this technology can greatly reduce costs, but the biggest drawback is that the resolution may be only 1920 RGBW 2160, and the image quality is not as good as the RGB in-line 4K panel.

As soon as this statement came out, LGD, which supplies RGBW panels to many color TV manufacturers, was instantly "caught in the crossfire". Subsequently, LGD issued a clarification statement saying that the pixel structure of the RGBW 4K panel technology is to add white sub-pixels to the traditional RGB. In signal processing, through its own unique circuit technology and newly developed circuit accessories, the RGB signal is converted to RGBW sub-pixels, which can also achieve a 4K resolution of 3840X2160. At the same time, the RGBW technology can also improve the light transmittance of the panel and achieve higher picture brightness, thereby saving the extra cost of adding backlight components to increase the picture brightness of the RGB technology.

Yesterday, an industry insider who did not want to be named told the Beijing News reporter, "In fact, almost all panel companies produce two types of 4K panels, RGB and RGBW, and almost all TV brands also have two types of 4K products." In other words, RGBW is a new technology that can also achieve the effects of old technologies and can also accept 4K signals.

Lack of standards leads to disputes over authenticity

"There are currently no real mandatory industry standards, so there will be debate," an insider at the China Electronics Technology Standardization Institute told the Beijing News.

It is understood that there is also a 4K TV standard on the market, which is the "Ultra High Definition Display Certification Technical Specification" formulated by Beijing CESI Certification Co., Ltd. under the China Electronics Standardization Institute. At present, this certification specification has basically been recognized by mainstream 4K TV manufacturers at home and abroad. On the website of CESI Certification (CESI), it will regularly release the "4K Ultra High Definition Certification Bulletin" to announce the 4K TV manufacturers and specific models that have passed its certification. However, this standard is not mandatory in the industry.

"The real industry standard for 4K TVs is being formulated. Currently in the market introduction period, we can only rely on the "Ultra High Definition Display Certification Technical Specifications" as a guide." The aforementioned insider said, "Moreover, corporate products are still in a period of continuous development. The distinction between true and false shows that the products have not yet stabilized. Many technologies say that they can accept 4K signals, but whether they can really present 4K effects after receiving them still needs to be tested, and a real national standard is needed to define it."

How to choose a 4K TV?

Compare image quality: Bring a Blu-ray disc to the store to play it and see how different machines perform on the same video.

Check the configuration: whether the processor model is quad-core or above, whether the product appearance is affixed with the professional 4K decoding chip logo authorized by an authoritative chip manufacturer, such as "MSTAR 901K", "4K X-Reality PRO", etc., and whether the product's blue interface must reach USB3.0, HDMI1.4 or above.

Check the certification: Beijing CESI Certification Co., Ltd., affiliated to the China Electronics Standardization Institute, has formulated the "Ultra-High Definition Display Certification Technical Specifications". On the CESI Certification (CESI) website, it will regularly release the "4K Ultra-High Definition Certification Bulletin" to announce the 4K TV manufacturers and specific models that have passed its certification.

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.