WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.360 Dude, where's my 4K TV? I mean, sure, you can go out and buy a 4K TV set for cheap, 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:10.960 but if you subscribe to cable or satellite, there just isn't that much 4K content available 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:15.600 despite the astronomical monthly bill. All the major streaming services, though, 00:00:15.600 --> 00:00:19.800 offer a fair amount in 4K. And heck, you might be watching this YouTube video 00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:27.080 in 4K on a TV right now. So why is it so tough for traditional TV to be in 4K? 00:00:27.080 --> 00:00:30.400 Maybe we should answer this question with another question. 00:00:30.400 --> 00:00:34.760 Who cares? Don't get me wrong, 4K is objectively better 00:00:34.760 --> 00:00:40.160 than standard HD, all other things being equal. But a huge reason we don't have 4K everywhere 00:00:40.160 --> 00:00:45.280 is because the traditional content providers simply don't think there's enough demand for it. 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:49.480 In fact, the CEO of Sinclair Broadcast Group, which operates the second largest number 00:00:49.480 --> 00:00:54.320 of TV stations in the United States, has called 4K an incremental benefit. 00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:58.560 That's not a big driver for demand. And although many of us tech lovers 00:00:58.560 --> 00:01:01.640 might cry foul over this take, there are lots of people out there 00:01:01.640 --> 00:01:06.680 that just don't see much of a difference, especially if they sit far enough away from their TVs. 00:01:06.680 --> 00:01:10.880 Instead, broadcasters are interested in getting 1080p 00:01:10.880 --> 00:01:16.080 at 60 frames a second feeds to us, especially for revenue generating sports events 00:01:16.080 --> 00:01:22.280 where the high frame rates can really make a difference. HDR also seems to be a bigger focus for content providers. 00:01:22.280 --> 00:01:26.160 As they believe the brighter colors and higher contrasts of an HDR picture 00:01:26.160 --> 00:01:30.320 makes a bigger visual impact on the average consumer than switching to 4K does. 00:01:30.320 --> 00:01:33.560 But the lack of 4K content isn't just a function 00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:36.840 of the perception that consumers don't care about it. 00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:39.880 It's actually surprisingly difficult for broadcasters 00:01:39.880 --> 00:01:43.360 and networks to even produce 4K content. 00:01:43.360 --> 00:01:47.120 But hold on, you can shoot 4K 60 video on a phone these days. 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:50.300 So why is it so hard for these big money studios? 00:01:50.300 --> 00:01:53.880 The content that's hardest to produce in 4K is actually the same content 00:01:53.920 --> 00:01:57.680 that's keeping cable and satellite TV afloat financially. 00:01:57.680 --> 00:02:01.660 Live events, like sports. Unlike movies and TV series 00:02:01.660 --> 00:02:05.220 that are often easier to access on a non-cable streaming service, 00:02:05.220 --> 00:02:09.360 live events require lots of expensive, specialized equipment. 00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:14.680 Even though both live events and other content like movies are commonly shot with 4K cameras, 00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:19.080 live sports require additional lenses that can shoot fast action at a distance, 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:23.880 long strips of costly active wiring, and an entire production truck 00:02:23.880 --> 00:02:28.160 that has to be outfitted with gear that can quickly sync, edit, and transmit 00:02:28.160 --> 00:02:33.280 all that 4K footage to be broadcast. Add it all up and that's many millions of dollars 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:38.400 that broadcasters simply do not want to sink into what they perceive to be a marginal improvement 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:42.080 over standard HD. Even if we're not talking about live events, 00:02:42.080 --> 00:02:46.440 shooting shows or movies in 4K also require additional infrastructure for editing, 00:02:46.440 --> 00:02:50.920 reviewing, and managing all that content. Newer streaming services like Apple TV 00:02:51.040 --> 00:02:54.840 got started with 4K in mind, but legacy television networks 00:02:54.840 --> 00:02:58.600 have to make larger investments in 4K to get it out to the consumer, 00:02:58.600 --> 00:03:03.480 replacing gear that's working perfectly fine. There are also still technical restrictions 00:03:03.480 --> 00:03:08.160 even if a network does have 4K content ready to go. 00:03:08.160 --> 00:03:14.280 Although a cable network can get you gigabit internet these days, the portion of the pipe that's reserved for digital cable 00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:20.240 already is quite crowded and 4K takes up much more space than typical HD channels. 00:03:20.280 --> 00:03:25.040 So having a wide range of 4K offerings might force providers into cutting more channels 00:03:25.040 --> 00:03:29.560 than they're willing to stomach. But what if you just got a few 4K channels 00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:35.720 over an antenna and stream everything else? Well, the new ATSC 3.0 standard for over-the-air TV 00:03:35.720 --> 00:03:38.720 is 4K capable, but that doesn't mean the stations 00:03:38.720 --> 00:03:41.960 that use it are broadcasting tons of actual 4K content. 00:03:41.960 --> 00:03:47.080 And TVs that support aren't quite ubiquitous yet. So bottom line, it may still be a while 00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:51.240 before 4K is everywhere. But the good news is that we've been doing 4K here 00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:57.120 at TechWiki since 2014, baby. Though we have no plans to launch a cable TV channel yet. 00:03:57.120 --> 00:04:01.720 So thanks for watching guys. If you liked this video, hit like, hit subscribe, and hit us up in the comment section 00:04:01.720 --> 00:04:04.960 with your suggestions for topics that we should cover in the future.