The picture is becoming increasingly clear. 4K resolution is here and it’s going to become a growing part of the video wall controller and video wall processor market for the security sector, writes Steve Murphy, pictured, Managing Director of Control room audio visual product company eyevis UK.
Much is being said about the fact you can buy domestic TVs for sale with 4K – the successor to high definition – even though there is extremely little 4K content about. What is all the fuss about? Two words: ‘Image quality’.
In technical terms 4K Ultra HD delivers four times as much detail as 1080p Full HD – that’s eight million pixels compared to two million pixels. With that detail comes more depth. Given that there are no 4K TV channels, although Netflix started 4K video streaming last year – just why are consumers buying them? It may be so they can keep up with – or even get ahead of – the Joneses.
However, in the video wall controller market and for security projects in particular, 4K is proving to be much more than a vanity project.
We’re already seeing demand for it in our control room and network management centre work and in a number of recent key contracts eyevis UK has successfully delivered. And 4K content – in the form of graphics – is already being displayed through the video wall controller that eyevis UK has delivered for one of the country’s largest utility companies.
The use of 4K technology also plays an important role in our work with BAE Systems and the delivery of our industry-acclaimed Netpix Video Wall Controller as part of the aerospace giant’s Typhoon flight simulator project. Here 4K technology and content is providing the tools needed to train the pilots of the future. So it is clear the demand is growing for video wall controllers and video wall processors that are 4K ready, as organisations look to the future.
And increasing numbers of them are already starting to use graphics and displays in 4K definition in their control rooms. Another thing we are seeing as part of this change is an increase in small personal video walls rather than desktop displays – all made possible by 4K definition. That’s not to say we will see companies stripping out their existing control centres just to bring in new 4K video walls and visual display solutions.
Companies aren’t usually like individuals when it comes to keeping up with the Joneses. However, we are expecting organisations looking to ensure that their systems are capable of taking 4K content as they replace or refurbish their video wall controllers, control rooms and network management centres as part of their planned investment. And technology watchers turns to what happens beyond 4K.
