LAS VEGAS – As we noted earlier this week, a number of major consumer electronics manufacturers and content providers representing roughly 35 companies announced at CES they have agreed on a new set of standards for premium Ultra-HD content and devices in order to ensure everyone has access to the best home entertainment. Alas…
The UHD Alliance says it wants to ensure consistent messaging to the public about the benefits of 4K UHD. It also wants to avoid, at all costs, the same consumer confusion which plagued the launch of 3DTV and Blu-ray.
The problem is, this “alliance” doesn’t seem to be much of a team judging by some of the announcements here at CES.
The UHD Alliance’s members made a big deal here that after a year of negotiating with each other they had finally agreed on a UHD Alliance certification process that would permit members to slap a “Ultra HD Premium” logo on products and content that met the new criteria.
But on the same day as the announcement, UHD board member Sony announced its own “4K HDR” logo which will appear on its products, instead of extolling the virtues of High Dynamic Range (HDR) in products that are certified by the UHD Alliance. Sony’s move can only raise more questions among consumers about how that company's HDR is different. In a press release, Sony said it was launching the new logo “in order to clearly convey to consumers that – with these TVs – they are assured of next-generation, emotionally compelling visual experiences.”
Sony now says it’s uncertain whether it will even seek UHD Alliance certification for its products. So much for striving to avoid consumer confusion for a new product category.
With most consumers not having a clue what HDR even is, it’s more likely that the alliance will have to rely on beleaguered sales staff at big-box electronic stores to clear up the confusion.
