4K, UHD, SUHD, Super UHD and OLED – What Do These Terms Mean?

Whether you’re a gamer, a movie-buff, Netflix addict or just someone who needs music on continually, a television is mandatory for every one of these interests. Apart from being the focal point of your room, a television is one of the most depended upon gadgets for leisure activities at home.

If you spend hours on end glued to it, quite naturally you will want a model that has the best display and high resolution to ensure a pleasurable viewing experience. For those with a plan to trade in your current model for more advanced features, resolution, display, and a sleek appearance, you’ll find the market filled with technical terms that can leave you with questions, doubts, and a sense of being lost.

Is 4K the same as UHD? What is the full form of SUHD? Should you opt for OLED instead of Super UHD? Don’t these questions just sound extremely overwhelming and like a whole lot of jargon? So many of us are not even familiar with what these terms mean and the differences between them.

To add to it, various television brands seem to take these terms and use them in different if not enhanced ways, leaving more room for discussion. We bring you a breakdown of these terms step by step.

Let’s Start With an Understanding of What 4K Resolution Means

Typically, resolutions are understood as high or low using 2 numbers. However, for some reason, 4k seems to have made its way into the list of numbers used to describe high resolution.

Simply put, there are two numbers, one signifies the number of horizontal rows of pixels and the other signifies the number of vertical rows of pixels, for example, 1280 (horizontal rows) x 720 (vertical rows) equals a 720p resolution. Likewise, 1920 x 1080 equals a 1080p resolution which most people would consider a high resolution.

Well, if this is the explanation then 4k must mean 4000+ vertical rows. That’s where things become interesting. 4k actually refers to 3820 x 2160, and is also known as UHD-1. There is also a UHD-2 with specifications of 7680 x 4320, however, this doesn’t include any consumer content on it. Well, no matter what the specifications, the fact remains, once you taste the 4k experience, there’s no looking back. It’s the visual nirvana you will never want to let go off.

Moving on to SUHD, Super UHD and More…

Given the way 4K has been defined and interpreted by different brands to influence the consumers’ mindset during their purchasing journey, you would think there isn’t be anymore.

However, instead of being explanatory and well-categorized it only makes things more confusing. Here is a quick breakdown of the terms and how different brands refer to them for a better understanding.

UHD

Used to describe 4K TV’s with a resolution of 3840 x 2160, since 2014

What brands call their standard 4k displays?

• Samsung:- UHD TV
• Chiq:- QUHD TV
• LG:- 4K Ultra HD TV
• Sony:- 4K Ultra HD TV
• Vizio:- 4K Ultra HD TV
• TCL:- 4K Ultra HD TV

Super UHD/SUHD

Samsung was the first company to use the term SUHD, leading to much speculations over what the ‘S’ stood for Super, spectacular, Samsung, were some of the guesses doing the rounds in the market.

Essentially, this was an initiative to distinguish Samsung’s high-end models through the addition of Quantum Dot display technology. This technology enabled a wider colour gamut for more immersive visuals.

To sum things up, SUHD TV’s, Ultra HD HDR TVs, 4K HDR TVs as well as Super UHD TV’s have a resolution of 3840 x 2160. Soon after LG joined in with their range of non-OLED TV’s named as Super Ultra High Definition (Super UHD) with a richer colour experience.

Once again, because brands choose to name their models differently, if you’re in search of this model, Here’s what you should be looking for with respect to the different brands:

• Samsung – SUHD
• LG – Super UHD
• Sony – 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range)
• Vizio – Ultra HD HDR (High Dynamic Range)

Where does OLED Stand in the Middle of All This?

OLED is a term that refers to a different technology used in a TV. No matter what the resolution of the television, 4K, above or below, they make use of an LCD screen, which employs liquid crystals getting illuminated from a powerful LED backlight.

The LCD screen may be extremely thin and light in weight for brightness and easy mounting. Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) TV’s, on the other hand, are different. They are manufactured in a way where each organic pixel gets illuminated by itself, allowing more precise illumination for detailed colouring without the need of a backlight.

By definition, that is the technical description of an OLED television. Why should you opt for it? Any television with this technology is thin, light, and of course equipped with better colours and better blacks.

Finally, once you have decided on which model you want to upgrade to, it is equally important that you choose to make the purchase from a reliable provider.

Additionally, ensure the provider has a range of brands, models, and price brackets available so that it is easy for you to make a purchase you are comfortable with and proud of.

About the Author: Steven Lam is the owner of Gecko Products, Australia. Gecko Products has a wide variety of TCL smart TVs, Chiq smart TVs and wall mounts available at the most competitive prices in Australia.