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Study: UHD Adoption Could Top Early HD Numbers

Dallas – Ultra HD (or “4K”) TVs should follow a similar or faster growth pattern to the rollout of HDTVs within U.S. broadband-connected households, according to new research from Parks Associates.

The market research firm said in its “4K Today: Bringing Ultra HD To Market” report that Ultra HD should parallel or even surpass the rollout shipments of HDTVs, which reached 82 percent of U.S. broadband households after 15 years on the market.

The study predicts Ultra HD TVs will reach mass-market pricing in the next two to three years and top 80 percent of households in approximately 10 to 12 years.

Parks Associates analysts noted that Ultra HD content will initially be delivered via over-the-top (OTT) streaming and download services, with companies like Netflix, Comcast and Amazon already working on 4K-based offerings, “and as 4K traffic increases over the next two years, traffic demands on broadband networks will grow dramatically,” the research firm said.

As a result, operators are aggressively looking into bandwidth-saving technologies, including next-generation video compression technologies.

“4K TV adoption is following the same pattern as HDTV, but prices are dropping more quickly,” said Stuart Sikes, Parks Associates president. “With the increasing convergence in the connected home, innovations such as 4K have implications for a variety of players throughout the home entertainment ecosystem.”

The research firm will discuss new media and licensing strategies, as well as the implications of 4K and other innovative technologies and applications in the connected home, at its 18th annual Connections: The Premier Connected Home Conference, May 13-15 at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront.

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