Westinghouse shows off 4K TV

While the 4K format has yet to make an impact on the consumer market, budget brand Westinghouse is preparing its D55QX14K TV for release in 2013.

Ty Pendlebury Editor

Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.

Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He majored in Cinema Studies when studying at RMIT. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials

Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.

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Ty Pendlebury

June 27, 2012 4:06 p.m. PT

The Westinghouse D55QX1 features a resolution four times better than existing 1080p. Sarah Tew/CNET

While Westinghouse positions itself as a budget brand, it has shown it's also willing to experiment with cutting-edge technology. The 55-inch is the company's first TV to feature a 4k resolution, and is planned to be released in the first quarter of 2013.

The TV features a Quad HD resolution, which is essentially a consumer version of 4K, and measures at 3,840x2,160 pixels (or four times 1080p).

Interestingly, 3M researcher Dave Lamb recently told CNET that 4K would only have benefits in sizes above 55 inches. Based on a brief demo of mainly static images in an unknown resolution it was difficult to see whether the TV was producing additional detail at a normal seating distance.

The company had the prototype on display at CE Week in New York, and while specifications and pricing are not yet finalized, Westinghouse says it's going to be "affordable."

While Toshiba's 55X3 television was due to be the first 4K released in the U.S. market, the company has told CNET the TV will also slip to 2013.

While cinemas routinely screen movies in 4K resolution, the format has yet to hit the consumer market. There are rumors that Sony is planning to release the Spider-Man reboot on a 4K version of Blu-ray.