ABI Research, a provider of research and analysis for global connectivity and other emerging technologies, in the release of their recent report, said that the 4K/Ultra HD smartphone devices will start to debut in the market beginning next year, reaching 478 million units by 2019. According to ABI Research, at present, the smartphone market's best screens are 2K or "Quad HD".
In an earlier statement on the report titled Mobile, Multiscreen, and Cloud Video Delivery Market Research, ABI expected the growth of the 4K or Ultra HD technology to rise slowly over the next few years on the back of the growth from the over-the-top (OTT) video services which deliver content exclusively on the internet. These channels, including Netflix, VUDU and M-GO are adopting the 4K or Ultra HD resolution for their content as part of their strategy to increase their competitiveness and create an edge for themselves in the content sphere.
According to ABI Research, the edge may not be so apparent in the mobile segment given close proximity of users to their smartphone screens where the shift from the current 720p to the ultra HD may not make a significant impact on the smartphone users' experience. However, ABI Research said that within the user-generated content (UGC) segment, the increased resolution could make a difference and cited the example of GoPro broadcasting that showed that the higher resolution UGC garnered a higher demand from consumers.
“While some content owners and broadcasters have or are preparing to launch 4K programming, video resolution delivered to mobile devices will continue to lag behind screen pixel densities. While mobile device components, such as processor, memory and in some cases batteries, are gearing up to handle 4K, network and infrastructure elements remain challenging. Key video services like several under the UltraViolet umbrella, for instance, still largely distribute content to mobile devices in SD. Content protection and data utilization concerns are part of the issue, but consumers also have not demanded higher resolution video in adequate numbers for services to respond.”
- Michael Inouye, Senior Analyst, ABI Research
“OTT video services will carefully weigh the costs of 4K delivery, the impact on viewing on mobile devices, and the brand halo high resolution services can bring. OTT services will focus first on 4K delivery to Smart TVs, with HD to mobile devices. New connections like wired MHL 3.0 and wireless 802.11ad can help position mobile devices as a hub for streaming high quality video and gaming to TVs. Qualcomm’s acquisition of Wilocity and push of 802.11ad could further encourage OTT companies and TV manufacturers to embrace the technology and bring high resolution video to TVs via mobile devices.”
- Sam Rosen, Practice Director, ABI Research
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