• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, July 8, 2014

The next generation of TV technology has been here, there -- but maybe not everywhere.

Ultra HDTV, sometimes called 4K TV -- four times the quality of standard HDTV --  is poised for big expansion, and in four years it could represent 25% of all those TVs that are shipped -- and in theory, sold, to consumers.

New growing markets in China, India, and other countries seem to be the place for obvious expansion -- but not necessarily the U.S.  

But many believe 4K is just a stepping stone to the now-expensive but better quality TVs, coming from new OLED, organic light-emitting diode sets, and other technologies. Still, 4K TVs will get some play in the next few years, with an unusual ally:  second screens. The advent of mobile devices with 4K screens will nudge the traditional big screen to be more accommodating.

So, according to some research, the greater use of this format won’t necessarily mean “The Walking Dead” is produced in 4K, but more about user-generated videos of skateboarding tricks (and accidents) and fancy, though small, mobile 4K-enabled video screens.

Is that enough? One TV set reviewer at CNET believes 4K may be a waste of time -- that the quality, at a typical TV viewing distance, is not all that discernable.  Also, while offering up more pixels/lines, UHD is essentially not so different from the existing HDTV technology.

Remember, critics also warned 3DTV wouldn’t have an universal appeal; a big Hollywood action adventure movie may be one thing, but watching your local newscast in 3D would be a waste of viewing effort.

That said, Japan’s NHK network has already been moving fast down the 4K broadcasting road -- with plans to shift to 8K after that.

Selling better TV technology to consumers ---  as well as TV networks and other distributors -- may be a slow process: Consumers have some memory attached to recent boom and bust TV technologies.