CEA and the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) have formed a new collaboration to help develop and promote Ultra High-Definition (Ultra HD or UHD) televisions and compatible products as well as 4K content for the home entertainment industries.
The announcement came during a conference on Ultra HD held in conjunction with CES Unveiled NEW YORK, which brings innovative technology companies, top media and key industry influencers together to preview holiday sales forecasts, the top technology trends and the latest news leading up to the 2014 International CES.
UHD television is next generation, high-definition display technology. Ultra HD is the closest thing to bringing the 4K digital cinema theatrical experience to the home, offering consumers an incredibly immersive viewing environment with superior picture quality compared to current HD products, according to the CEA.
Through this collaboration, CEA and the DEG are developing key Ultra HD messaging points for use by consumer technology manufacturers, retailers, the creative community and content distributors. These messages will be delivered in a consumer-friendly fashion and are being designed to generate more awareness of Ultra HD and to help drive sales at retail.
“We are excited to join with the DEG to help promote this exciting new technology to consumers and help grow this critical new market. Our individual consumer promotional capabilities, combined with our previous successful collaborations to introduce new home entertainment technologies, provide a promising base for this new effort,” said CEA president and CEO, Gary Shapiro. “Our joint messages will reinforce that Ultra HD means 4K resolution – plus a whole lot more. UHD encompasses not only more pixels but a number of other technical improvements, all of which result in greatly improved picture quality and an unparalleled home viewing experience.”
In conjunction with CEA, the DEG is undertaking a number of 4K content-related initiatives to help in this joint effort. As part of this effort, the DEG will work closely with its member companies to expand the availability of 4K delivery platforms to the home and ensure that a complete 4K workflow exists which clearly identifies the benefits of each platform and helps position it correctly in the market.
“Throughout our history, the DEG’s mission has always been to promote the benefits of new digital entertainment platforms in a seamless and unified manner,” said Amy Jo Smith, president of DEG. “By working closely with CEA on Ultra HD, we can deliver a powerful 4K content message which will help drive this key initiative to both retailers and consumers alike.”
In addition to the messaging and content-focused efforts, CEA and the DEG are exploring additional opportunities to promote cooperatively the wide variety of Ultra HD content platforms that are being developed in order to create excitement among retailers, consumers and the media about Ultra HDTVs and encourage their sales.