4K video is going to be really cool in a few years.
In a few years, we may see 4K video packages from our television providers and watch sports in 4KTV.
But right now, 4KTV has very little to offer.
That hasn’t stopped Sony from advertising its 4KTVs constantly during the World Cup. During many of the matches, Sony advertisements have been seen around the stadium saying “See More Detail” and “Be Moved” alongside 4K emblems and Sony logos.
It’s impossible not to see the advertisements. It’s also impossible to see 4K video in more than a couple places.
4K, in case you didn’t know, is 3840×2160. It’s called 4K because it’s close to 4,000. The industry standard 4K resolution is 4096×2160, which is indeed over 4,000. The smaller resolution, however, is the standard among today’s 4KTVs.

Sony’s 4KTVs cost anywhere from $3,000 to $30,000. That’s not cheap. If you decide to make that upgrade, you’ll be able to watch four types of videos:
-Certain YouTube videos uploaded in 4KTV
-Breaking Bad
-House of Cards
-Sony’s Video Unlimited Service
Netflix currently streams both of the latter shows in 4KTV. Sony also has multiple 4K videos available through its Video Unlimited download services. Aside from that, your only option for watching 4K videos is YouTube.
Sony, however, is filming three World Cup games in 4KTV, including one game from the second round, one game from the quarter finals, and one game from the World Cup final.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piwTU6c_DSc
That commercial is funny and kind of sad. That poor Brazilian homeless kid could work every day for the next 10 years and probably still not afford anything close to that TV – not to mention that electronics are stupidly expensive in Brazil.
Of course, like all tech advertising giants, Sony isn’t stupid. Two years from now, when there’s no worldwide sporting event and 4K is becoming more and more popular, people may still associate ‘4K’ with Sony TVs and know that they heard about Sony before they heard about any other company.
In case you’re wondering, your internet probably isn’t strong enough to stream 4KTV. You’ll need internet speeds of approximately 20Mbps to smoothly stream 4K footage. Until we all have Google Fiber or other gigabit services in our home, that’s simply not realistic.
We’re a few years away from 4K becoming mainstream, but I personally can’t wait for that $30,000 4KTV to drop in price to, say, $500. I guess I’ll wait until 2025.