When it comes to getting people into 4K Ultra HD TVs, content is king — what’s the point in getting a new 4K Ultra HD set if there’s nothing to watch on it? And while Netflix and Amazon have considerably ramped up their streaming 4K UHD offerings, many experts maintain that broadcast 4K, specifically 4K sports, is the linchpin to a successful transition to the new format. Well, if that’s the case, then the 4K UHD revolution begins … in Canada?
Canadian cable giant Rogers announced today a new plan to get the jump on rivals at home and across the globe with what the company is calling the “world’s largest commitment to live sports broadcasting in 4K with HDR.” And while 4K UHD resolution alone is enough to make any sports fan a little tingly inside, the addition of HDR may be just as significant, allowing the company to bring bursting contrast and color shading to the latest 4K Ultra HD TVs.
Recommended Videos
The rollout, which is set to include 100 live sporting events in 4K UHD, including “every 2016 Toronto Blue Jays home game and over 20 marquee NHL Games,” will be riding along with a new 4K set top box. The service will also be released alongside the company’s new Gigabit Internet pipeline set to debut in select areas in Toronto, with a wider roll-out to 4 million homes by the end of 2016.
Rogers’ 4K UHD broadcasting is slated to land in April 2016, in time for the Blue Jays opening home game.
In total, the company promises to provide 500 hours of live sports, movies, and TV shows in 4K UHD in the new year. Along with the live baseball and hockey broadcasts, the breakdown will include 100 hours of 4K movies and series from Canadian streamer Shomi, along with 4K UHD content from Netflix, aided by the new lightning-fast Gigabit Internet service. In Canada, 4K UHD Netflix titles include Narcos, Marvel’s Daredevil, Sense8, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Gracie and Frankie, Chef’s Table, Bloodline, and House of Cards.
In an effort to ensure all of those Netflix titles make it to Canadian TV sets with the highest picture quality possible, Rogers has also struck a new partnership with the service to link directly to Netflix servers.
“Our partnership with Rogers will make it even easier for Netflix members to watch their favorite shows and films on their TVs,” said Bill Holmes, global head of business development at Netflix, according to the Rogers release. “Members with a Rogers 4K set top box will be able to enjoy Netflix original series in 4K, a more immersive experience with stunning picture quality.”
Today’s move marks a serious commitment to the rising 4K UHD format for Rogers as the company looks to plow past stateside offerings from DirecTV and Comcast, both of which have been talking the 4K talk for sometime now, with little to show for it. As of now, only a few VOD offerings are available in 4K UHD from cable and satellite providers in the U.S., leaving streaming services like Netflix and Amazon as the primary providers of 4K UHD content for most users.
Live sports broadcasting in particular lends itself to the higher resolution, color reproduction, and contrast provided by 4K UHD with HDR. A coveted piece of the 4K puzzle, live broadcasting has raised its head in only small increments, usually in a testing capacity, thus far. If Rogers can accomplish its goal, the service will be far and away the biggest provider of live 4K UHD broadcasts on the global block.
No pricing has been announced for Rogers’ 4K UHD TV service , or the 4K set top box as of yet, but the company’s new Gigabit Internet service will carry a price of $150 per month. Qualifying users in Canada who want to sign up for the services can find out more information on the Rogers home website.
Go ahead and spend the extra $20 on the good Apple TV 4K
Apple has announced two new versions of the Apple TV 4K. Both are good for all kinds of reasons. Better internals. New features. And prices that are much more likely to be competitive, even if they're still a good bit north of what folks are spending on the likes of Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices.
But two new Apple TV 4K boxes -- and the death of the lower-resolution Apple TV HD -- means you've got a decision to make. Which Apple TV 4K is right for you?
New Apple TV 4K tweaks the internals and the price
Apple today announced a new version of Apple TV 4K. It's the third generation of what we consider to be the best streaming device you can buy, and Apple's not really messing with things too much. Same general design. Same general function. But the internals have been tweaked that allow this 2022 model (which follows the models released in September 2017 and May 2021) to work better with more TVs — and to allow for a little more flexibility in price.
Here are the big deals: There are now two versions of Apple TV 4K (or SKUs, for those of you who prefer inside-baseball terms). There's a model that's Wi-Fi only with 64GB of storage for $130, or a model with Wi-Fi and Ethernet with 128GB of storage for $150. For our money, we'd just go ahead and spend the extra $20.
Optoma’s CinemaX 4K laser projectors now have faster response times for gamers
Optoma is expanding its 4K UHD home theater projector line by introducing the CinemaX D2 Series. Optoma says this is an upgrade from the previous CinemaX P2 projector, and the improvements are based on user feedback. The series includes the CinemaX D2, a 4K UHD ultra short throw laser home projector, and the CinemaX D2 Smart, which adds smart TV features courtesy of an included Android TV dongle.
Ultra short throw projectors are ideal for people with limited space in their room as they can cast an image on the screen from small distances. Traditional short throw projectors need at least four feet to eight feet of distance from the screen to be able to produce high-quality images, but not all rooms have this much area to spare. That's where ultra short throw projectors can help. The CinemaX D2 Series, for example, can cast up to 100-inch images from less than a foot away from the screen. If you increase the distance a bit more, you get up to 120-inch images.
The CinemaX D2 Series features 3,000 lumens and a 1,800,000:1 contrast ratio, which, oddly, is a bit of a step down from their predecessor, the CinemaX P2 projector, which offers the same brightness, but with a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio.
The biggest boost this series offers is an Enhanced Gaming Mode that claims "blur-free visuals and low lag" with the help of its 16ms response time in 4K at 60Hz and 4ms in 1080P at 240Hz. The 30,000-hour life span (same as its predecessor) seems to be slightly higher than other ultra short throw projectors in this price range as well. Both D2 models have three HDMI 2.0 inputs, instead of the P2's double-HDMI 2.0 and single HDMI 1.4 inputs.
