CES 2014 was a hotbed of new 4K TVs, and now leading retailer John Lewis has claimed that the high-end televisions will become the affordable mainstream within just two years.
Despite the first consumer available 4K TVs not launching until last year, with price tags edging into the tens of thousands of pounds, the UK retail giant has predicted that a rapid rate of development will see 4K be made available for the mainstream during the next 24 months.
With core TV manufacturers such as Sony, Samsung and LG having all unveiled new 4K TVs at CES 2014 last week, introducing new screen sizes and lower price tags, Kempner has suggested that soon 4K TVs could be no more expensive than modern Full HD offerings.
Highlighting the signs that affordable 4K TVs are on the horizon, he stated: “Interestingly, a number of the smaller Chinese manufacturers, that we don’t sell in the UK, are all showing 4K TVs.”
He added: “If they are producing panels capable of 4K you can be fairly certain that once volume gets up to a suitable number it will be like a switch flickering on. It will eventually be cheaper to produce a 4K TV than a normal panel.”
Reaffirming his predicted timeframe for 4K TV affordability, Kempner stated: “I think that is about two years down the road.”
With current 4K TVs still costing into the thousands, he went on to suggest although growing in popularity, 4K TV sales will still be relatively low this year.
The John Lewis buyer stated: “4K TVs will still be a relatively niche option in 2014. I think a lot of people will be talking about them and there will be a lot of products out there but it will probably represent in volume terms around 100,000 units out of a market of 5 or 6 million units.”
Read More: What is 4K?
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
