Ultra HD Premium: The standard that wants to take the stress out of your next TV purchase

A not quite so universal standard

In an ideal world, UHD Premium would reduce consumer confusion, but of course this isn't an ideal world. The UHD Premium badge can only be used by companies who are active members of the alliance, meaning a non-member like Yamaha who produces AV receivers is unable to use the badge despite its AV receivers meeting the specification.

Making matters more confusing is the fact that Sony, a full member of the alliance remember, is opting to use its own 4K branding over the UHD Premium badge.

Sony 4K HD

UHD Premium was supposed to stop people from having to scour the small print of a TV's specifications to work out if it's actually backwards compatible, but it looks like until the UHD Alliance addresses these issues then consumer confusion is set to remain for some time yet.

What's more troubling, is that if standards surrounding color depth and HDR don't end up being adopted by manufacturers, then they might not make it into people's homes, and TV and film producers might not see any value in supporting them.

And then even savvy consumers with UHD Premium sets won't be able to enjoy the benefits that the standard brings.

UHD Premium has a long way to go

The UHD Premium specification was created with a single purpose, to get everyone from TV manufacturers, to broadcasters, to video streaming services, onto the same page and allow them to use new technologies without having to worry about users being able to understand them.

But the result in its current form is a standard that seems to be adding more confusion than it's solving.

Hopefully one day buying a new TV will be as simple as checking for the UHD Premium set that best meets your needs, but as the specification stands we're a long way from that point.

Jon Porter

Jon Porter is the ex-Home Technology Writer for TechRadar. He has also previously written for Practical Photoshop, Trusted Reviews, Inside Higher Ed, Al Bawaba, Gizmodo UK, Genetic Literacy Project, Via Satellite, Real Homes and Plant Services Magazine, and you can now find him writing for The Verge.