颠覆观视体验的超高清电视

Samsung makes fantastic screens, but the rest of the package is mixed. The sound built into the HU9000 model I tested was anemic, but presumably anybody buying such a big TV would have a sound system. Samsung's 'SmartTV' interface has been improved for switching between live TV and streaming, but still isn't as simple as set-top boxes like the TiVo Roamio.
三星打造出了梦幻级的屏幕，但这台电视的其他方面就参差不齐了。在我的测试中，HU9000内置的音响绵软无力，不过或许购买这么大电视的用户可能还会再配个音响系统。三星已经改进了“SmartTV”界面，便于在电视直播和流媒体之间进行切换；但还是不如TiVo Roamio等机顶盒那么操作简便。

It's true, televisions historically haven't been a great technology for early adopters. Battles over standards and formats have left many in the lurch. Samsung put the TV's brains in an external box that can be easily upgraded. This promises to considerably extend the life of a TV you buy today, if you're willing to shell out $400 or so for next year's 'evolution kit.'
没错，从以往来看，电视对尝鲜者来说一直不是一项伟大的技术。关于标准和格式的争斗把很多人搞得很是为难。三星把这台电视的大脑放置在一个外置盒子内，可以轻松进行升级。这有望显著延长你今日购买电视的寿命，如果你明年愿意花大约400美元购买新的“革命性组件”的话。

Netflix, the first premium service to deliver UHD video over the Internet, has accomplished an impressive feat in making it work over broadband (at no additional cost to subscribers). Some early testers report image quality problems in darker patches, but 'House of Cards' looked fine to me. And Netflix's chief product officer Neil Hunt told me the quality shouldn't suffer as more people get Ultra HD TVs and all try to stream at the same time.
Netflix是最早通过互联网提供超高清视频的顶级服务提供商，通过宽带实现这一功能就是一项赫赫伟绩（而且还不对用户额外收费）。一些早期测试者报告说，颜色较深的地方会有画质问题，但我看《纸牌屋》时没有问题。Netflix的首席产品长内尔・亨特(Neil Hunt)对我说，在更多用户使用超高清电视时，即便所有人同时连接流媒体视频也不会对画质造成影响。

It won't work for everyone because Netflix requires broadband speed of at least 16 megabits to sustain the Ultra HD connection. That may be easy for cable connections like my Comcast hookup in San Francisco, but it's good to find out your own carrier's top speed.
不过这并不适合所有用户，因为Netfliex要求至少16MB的宽带才能维持超高清连接。这个网速对光纤用户来说或许比较轻松，例如我这样使用康卡斯特服务的旧金山用户，但你最好还是查看下自己运营商的最高网速。

As for Netflix's competition, it's not yet clear how much Amazon and M-Go will charge for Ultra HD streaming, or how well they'll work. (Those services weren't ready during my test, and Samsung's TV software can't yet play the Ultra HD content now available on YouTube.)
就Netflix面临的竞争而言，目前还不清楚亚马逊和M-Go会对超高清视频流怎样收费，也不知道他们具体效果怎样。(我测试的时候，他们的服务还没有到位；三星的电视软件暂时也不能播放YouTube上的超高清视频内容。)

Netflix will push UHD because it wants its streaming technology to leapfrog physical media and traditional broadcasters. But expect Hollywood's own UHD content to arrive in a trickle, rather than a tsunami. Most movies and shows today still aren't shot with cameras that record in UHD. While that's changing -- and film tends to be greater resolution than typical high-def -- some directors still prefer the look of shots taken with older cameras.
Netflix会推进超高清技术，因为他们希望其流媒体技术可以领先传统媒体和广播商。但预计好莱坞自己的超高清内容只会逐步提供，而不会全面到位。目前大多数电影和电视剧还都不是用超高清摄像机拍摄的。虽然情况正在不断变化，而且电影通常分辨率要高于普通高清，但一些导演仍然倾向于较传统摄像机拍摄的画面质感。

Today, there aren't even any UHD videogames or major sports coverage. To supplement the streams from Netflix and others, Samsung is selling a $299 add-on device loaded with five Ultra HD movies. Sony has one for $700 with 50 movies. Either way, these feel like extras they should throw in free, like floor mats in a new car.
现在甚至也没有超高清视频游戏或大型赛事播报。为了补充Netflix和其他内容商的视频流内容，三星正在销售一款带有五部超高清电影的额外设备，售价299美元。索尼也有一款售价700美元、内有50部电影的设备。不管怎样，这些额外内容似乎应该是他们免费提供的，就像新车里面的脚垫一样。

Some TV technologies like 3-D have turned out to be gimmicks. But Ultra HD is different because it shifts our perception fundamentally, from the pixels to the pictures. That's why, despite today's challenges, Ultra HD is inevitable on the largest screens in our homes. It's better for movie nights and for displaying text and other information. You just have to decide when you want to make the leap.
3D等一些TV电视技术最后变成了噱头。但超高清是不同的，因为其从根本上转变了我们的感官感受，从像素转向图像。这就是为什么，即便目前存在着挑战，超高清技术也不可避免地出现在了我们家中最大的屏幕上。这能为电影播放以及文本及其他信息显示提供更好的体验。你需要做的只是决定何时进行这一升级。