As we recently noted in great detail, while 4KTV isn't quite the hype monster 3DTV was, there's a litany of reasons that users shouldn't upgrade to 4K yet -- ranging from the lack of HDCP 2.2 and true HDMI 2.0 compatible receivers, to the uncemented standards related to technologies like HDR. The biggest impedement of course remains the lack of 4K content, with most broadcasters many years away from offering any meaningful volume of 4K content, and most set top players (like Roku or Apple TV) not even supporting 4K yet.
That's not stopping Netflix from pushing the standard all the same. In addition to recently forming the UHD Alliance to help forge consistency among set makers, Netflix is increasingly
filming much of its content in 4K or higher, and is now offering a growing catalog of 4K programs (if you're
willing to pay a little extra for it). In a
new piece at Wired, Netflix makes it clear it sees traditional cable's inability to offer 4K anytime soon as a major potential leg up competitively, as well as a way to nudge more companies toward Netflix's Open Connect CDN:
quote:
The company may also see 4K as a way to push so much data through ISP pipes that its partners have no choice but to sign on to the Netflix Open Connect Initiative, an effort to deliver its shows and movies from machines as close as possible to the viewer. It’s a complicated program, but the bottom line is that Open Connect is a way for Netflix to deliver video without clogging up internet pipes—and without being so dependent on big internet service providers like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T.
Of course that's not entirely true; Netflix found itself at the heart of a net neutrality firestorm last year after the company claimed incumbent ISPs were
intentionally letting peering points congest to force content companies to pay for direct interconnection (the ISPs insist this was just peering disputes as usual). Still, it's pretty clear Netflix sees 4K and HDR (whenever they fully materialize) as a good way to gain an advantage over traditional video players. ISPs in turn will likely see this as a great reason to continue the relentless but slow march
toward usage caps here in the States.