4K or Ultra-HD is the future, but it’s a marathon, not a sprint to higher resolutions. And while 1080p TV screens are the norm and mobile screen resolutions continue to climb, plenty of streamed HD content is still distributed in 720p or lower, say executives at ABI Research.
OTT services such as Netflix, VUDU, and M-GO, which exclusively distribute content over the Internet, are more eager to embrace 1080p and Ultra-HD for connected CE devices in order to appear more innovative, according to the findings of ABI Research’s Mobile, Multiscreen, and Cloud Video Delivery.Meanwhile, traditional distributors, with regards to TV Everywhere content, are more likely to settle for 720p as they consider smartphones and tablets the primary targets; continuing to leverage existing pay-TV services as their ‘main’ distribution channel for TVs – OTT operators likewise favour lower resolutions for mobile devices.
ABI Research senior analyst Michael Inouye expects pay-TV operators will seriously consider 4K movie services over IP connections directly to smart TVs, bypassing the set-top box. “This will allow them to compete with OTT providers on feature set before rolling out 4K capable set-top boxes in 2015 to 2017. With the TV Everywhere household user base expanding from four per cent (worldwide) in 2013 to over 20 per cent by 2019, a number of consumers will be ready for these services,” he advises.
According to practice director Sam Rosen, TV Manufacturers such as Samsung and Sony, are doing everything in their power to seed the market with 4K content and services in order to convince consumers to purchase higher priced and higher margin 4K TV sets. “Sony, with its motion picture division, is in a good position and has released a significant amount of remastered content on a download-based movie player. Meanwhile, Samsung in a similar fashion offered early adopters a free USB HDD with two full-length 4K videos and additional 4K clips,“ he notes.
Source: http://cablequest.org/news/technology-news/item/5653-ott-services-see-4k-differentiation-opportunities.html
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