Why business should take advantage of 4K video today

MONDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER 2018


While most of the attention on 4K video tends to focus on consumer-level products, the real benefits are in fact to be found in applications for business – and nowhere do businesses need better video systems than in the realm of facilities management.

 

With better video, everything from enhanced audio-visual presentations, to improved security surveillance and better displays at sports shows and exhibitions are possible. And the time for 4K video in your facility is now.

 

That’s according to a leading United States expert in the audio-visual (AV) field. Jeff Murray is visiting New Zealand this September to present at the Facilities Integrate exhibition in Auckland. A Certified ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) instructor of 18 years, Murray is highly regarded in the AV and integration industry as one of the world’s most knowledgeable figures when it comes to distributing 4K HDR signals reliably around the home or commercial environment.

 

“The problem with video is that it hasn’t ever gotten even close to matching human vision,” he points out. “But with recent advances such as HDR and OLED, we’re getting a lot closer.”

HDR is High Dynamic Range, a feature noticeable in newer-model smartphones; it reproduces a greater dynamic range, which is the contrast between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks.

 

OLED, or Organic Light Emitting Diode, allows thin screens to produce enhanced dark shades. Combined with 4K resolution (which increases the number of pixels on a screen, to at least 3840 × 2160), this means better visuals – and a bridge between the capability of the human eye and representations of reality on a screen.

 

Murray points out that for stadiums hosting live sports games, museums and exhibitions, and any number of facilities including theatres, live shows and more, video screens are part and parcel of the modern experience. “One of big problems with video is when there is dynamic action, artefacts and distortions are introduced to the picture. That inhibits the quality of the experience for those who aren’t viewing it directly; this is the gap between the eye and video representations.”

 

These issues are being driven out with the newer technology and he says major institutions in the United States are practically universally adopting 4k technology owing to the advantages – institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Museum of Modern Art, and sports stadiums.

 

However, he adds that in a commercial facility, distributing a 4K HDR signal requires specific expertise and tools. That’s because the bandwidth required to distribute a very large video file is exponentially greater than that used when, for example, streaming a YouTube clip.

 

“The bandwidth is an order of magnitude greater. You’re talking gigabits per second; it is one thing to send a signal like that three metres in the home, but when you’re distributing it in a stadium, you need to run it 70 or 100 metres from a centralised rack. And that’s impossible without the right tools.”

 

On his visit, Murray will discuss the emergence and advantages of 4K HDR, the applications for the technology, the advantages and limitations of compression, and the inevitable march of progress (‘You’d be crazy to buy 1080p now; soon, you’ll only have 4K on the market,’ he notes, recommending strongly that organisations prepare for newer formats now).

 

Facilities Integrate is the trade-only event for people who make buildings smarter, safer, and more efficient. Attendance is free for pre-registered delegates or $25 at the gate and the show takes place at the ASB Showgrounds on 25 and 26 September 2018. For more information and to register for free entry, visit https://www.facilitiesintegrate.nz

 

Media contact:

Leandri Smith – The Mail Room Communications

027 365 9003 | leandri@themailroom.biz