Five things you should know before you buy a 4K television

Some of Canada’s biggest telecom companies have been putting loads of money behind 4K technology in hopes of ushering in a new era of TV viewing.

But just because they believe you need a 4K TV in your home — and a beefed-up cable package — doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll do you much good.

Here’s what you need to know about 4K before you decide to buy:

— How must does it cost?

Most 4K televisions — sometimes called Ultra-HD TV — cost at least $1,000 and can top out around $3,000.

— Will I notice a difference?

Not without a 4K television in your house, and even with that installed the benefits are debatable.

Most viewers who own TVs smaller than 55 inches probably won’t see a difference in 4K picture quality, according to a report from digital video and audio mastering firm THX.

On a technical level, 4K is leaps beyond the 1080-pixel resolution of most high-definition consumer televisions.

While a 1080p TV has a resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels, a 4K TV offers a resolution of roughly double that level, or about 4,000 by 2,100 pixels, which is nearly the quality projected on the screen at your local movie theatre.

— Why would I want a 4K television?

Electronics manufacturers are looking for new ways to prop up dwindling sales of flat-screen TVs. After several years of unsuccessfully pushing 3D TVs as the next wave of technological innovation for consumers, their attention has pivoted toward 4K.

If you own a big enough screen, the differences in overall image quality can be stunning. On a baseball field every blade of grass is visible, and on a human head every hair follicle is detailed. Whether you’ll find that valuable as a viewer might be debatable.

— When can I see 4K in action?

Aside from your local electronics store, the first broadcast will be Sportsnet’s National Hockey League game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs in Ontario this Saturday.

After that, Rogers has committed to 4K resolution on Sportsnet for another 19 NHL games, 81 Toronto Blue Jays home games. A separate 4K feed of Sportsnet will be made available to other cable providers, the company said.

Bell is making its own foray into 4K content with the broadcast of the Toronto Raptors home game on Jan. 20 and further commitments to 4K programming on its TSN channels this year.

— What if I’m not a cable and satellite subscriber?

You can catch some Hollywood movies on special Blu-ray discs remastered in 4K, but you’ll require a 4K Blu-ray player, which costs around $150.

Netflix offers a limited selection of 4K content to stream, including most of the in-house series and films, like “Jessica Jones” and “Narcos.” A small group of Hollywood films are also in the higher definition, including “Ghostbusters” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” All of this is only available when you upgrade your Netflix package to $11.99 per month.

Shomi, the streaming video partnership between Rogers and Shaw, will offer more than 100 hours of 4K entertainment, though a timeline for that rollout hasn’t been announced. Bell’s Discovery Go streaming video service on Samsung’s Ultra HD TVs also has a lineup of Ultra-HD titles.

Streaming 4K video may also require you to upgrade your Internet to a faster and more expensive package.

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