• by Wayne Friedman , January 6, 2015

LAS VEGAS — Want to sell more 4K TVs, lure in major TV producers, and most importantly, strike some strong consumer interest? Forming an alliance to establish some standards is a good way to go for some TV manufacturers.

One of the bigger initiatives coming into the Consumer Electronics Show here has been the start of the UHD Alliance (Ultra High Definition) featuring prominent TV makers: Samsung Electronics (a leader for the group), LG, Panasonic, Sharp and Sony Visual Products.

Major TV producers have signed on Walt Disney Studios, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Homes Entertainment. Two TV platforms/distributors are also on board — DirecTV and Netflix. Big technology companies include Technicolor and Dolby.

The group states: “The Alliance is also focused on helping consumers benefit from a seamless, integrated and high-quality Ultra-HD ecosystem from end-to-end. Premium Ultra-HD content and devices will be clearly identified so consumers can easily recognize them in-store.”

Hyunsuk Kim, president of visual display business at Samsung Electronics, said: “The Alliance will encourage the development of high-quality UHD content while distinguishing TVs that provide the most premium UHD viewing experience.”

Going into the event, major TV manufacturers have made a concerted push to sell 4K TV sets with substantial price discounts.