By Mike Snider , USA TODAY
LAS VEGAS — 4K TVs had a coming-out party here five years ago. Now, the ultra high-definition format is hitting its stride.
4K Ultra HD televisions have experienced a successful slow burn since the first units went on sale in October 2012. Then last year, consumers embraced the TVs, which display four times the resolution of standard HDTVs. As prices fell, they bought about 10 million 4K LCD TVs, according to the Consumer Technology Association, which puts on the Consumer Electronics Show that runs here through Sunday.
CTA anticipates another 15 million 4K LCD TVs will be sold this year, driving the installed base of 4K TVs to 34 million or more, meaning as many as one in four U.S. households potentially could own one by the end of 2017.
Helping drive the uptick: more content to watch and lower prices for TVs. DirecTV, Amazon, Netflix and other streaming services have increased the amount of 4K video content they deliver. Plus, consumers are shelling out for a surprisingly resilient source of movies — super high definition movie discs.
