The two main challenges facing them are their price and the lack of native 4K content.

Sony hasn't announced a price for its XBR-84X900 TV, but LG Electronics' 4K TV will cost about US$22,000 when it starts to roll out in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America starting in September.

The lack of content also has to solved before the 4K format can take off.

Movies are already shot or the analog film scanned to accommodate 4K, but when they will be available to consumers in that format remains to be seen. Broadcasters would have to upgrade their whole production and distribution infrastructure before TV shows can be broadcast in 4K. At present, on-demand distribution over fiber networks seems to be the likeliest option.

Sony intends to get around the lack of native content by having its TVs upconvert HD content such as that on Blu-Ray Discs to 4K format on the fly. It's the same process HDTVs use to display standard-definition images on high-definition screens.