Sigma Shows Off New 4K x 2K Ultra HD at CES

Sigma Designs, provider of system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for home entertainment, connectivity and converging multimedia delivery, today announced that it will demonstrate a 4K x 2K digital TV platform on a 55" inch screen at the Las Vegas Hotel Suite 2921 at CES 2013. This next generation Ultra HD display technology (UHDTV) is four times the resolution of today's high-definition televisions and is using Sigma Designs' MEMC/FRC (Motion Estimation Motion Compensation based Frame Rate Conversion) technology. Sigma's MEMC/FRC converts low frame rates to 120Hz or 240Hz frame rate by removing film judder so that content is displayed with smooth motion and high picture quality.

According to the December 19, 2012 report by Strategy Analytics the UHDTV market is "expected to surpass the 1-million-unit mark in 2015." Several TV OEMs have recently announced first generation 4K x 2K LCD television sets which set the trend for larger deployment; however the current available units are price inhibitive. Sigma's 4k x 2k digital TV platform is intended to provide a competitive solution to help make UHDTVs more affordable to the mass market.

Sigma Designs, a world-wide recognized leader in MEMC/FRC picture quality, is applying its core video processing technology and strength to develop 4K x 2K FRC devices to offer the best performance solution in the market while reducing the total cost of these TV sets. Sigma will demonstrate 4K x 2K MEMC and Super-resolution technology with 120Hz 4K x 2K panel at CES.

"Television screens have been constantly increasing in size, which in turn increases demand in display resolution to maintain the same pixel density and sharpness," said Mustafa Ozgen, vice president and general manager home multimedia for Sigma Designs. "4K x 2K is the next resolution in the display and video processing technology curve for increased TV dimensions and increased picture quality, and Sigma has the best technology to power it."

This new technology is expected to enable TV OEMs to offer a new class of premium products which can shorten consumers' replacement cycle of previous generation LCD TVs that they purchased several years ago.

"We expect the 4K x 2K to become the new standard for high quality home entertainment by stimulating the TV industry and changing the way consumers look at high-resolution picture quality," Ozgen added.