What Is 4K All About?

You may have seen or heard about 4K by visiting stores or websites that sell TVs and other digital display products. You may have wondered how this technology improves on what exists already or if it’s even a necessary investment. Professionals and consumers have their own thoughts about this 4K trend and the implications it has on the market.

4K is shorthand for the ultrahigh definition video format, which typically displays at a pixel resolution of either 3840 x 2160 pixels or 4096 x 2160 pixels. Since 2010, usage of the 4K video format has seen a steady rise in popularity, with the first 4K disc media and disc players appearing in stores in early 2016. While there is excitement around the potential of the 4K video format, questions of whether it was released at the right time or whether investing in the format is practical, remain unanswered.

Some consumers are very enthusiastic about 4K and what it offers as a new media format. Chris Rearick, a gamer and computer enthusiast, had optimistic remarks about 4K.

“I’d say it adds to the experience. Good 4K has higher depth of colors and PPI (Pixels Per Inch). HDR (High-Dynamic Range) is part of the range of colors. HDR is pertinent if you get a 4K anything.”

Rearick is confident that 4K is the future of gaming.

“I think it’s becoming the standard. 4K is super affordable and I would say at this point you aren’t early adopting; you are just buying the new standard.”

Tihomir Lazarov, a commercial portrait photographer and filmmaker, believes that the release of 4K hardware may have been premature since the average consumer can’t justify the five-figure purchase of high-end cameras.

“In my opinion, the jump to 4K was a bit too early for most low-budget video devices,” Lazarov said. “It seems the winners of that transition are mostly the hardware manufacturers. With benefits come higher requirements for storage and hardware performance. These can only make the camera and computer hardware manufacturers happy, but not your wallet. According to the prophets of higher-resolution videos, 4K must become a standard and that will make videos future-proof with the ever-growing display resolutions.”

However, Lazarov is not entirely against the industry adoption of 4K because there are benefits that a higher resolution such as 4K affords.

“More resolution gives you the freedom to crop in post and deliver in 2K without losing significant quality.”

Some industry professionals have a very different take on 4K. John Brune, video production industry veteran with over 30 years of experience and three regional Emmy awards, provided an interesting counterpoint about the 4K trend.

“To fully appreciate the maximum resolution of a 4K image you need a screen at least 30 feet wide. With monitors as they are today if you sit six to eight feet away you won’t be able to distinguish the difference between 4K and an HD image. Anything larger than 4K is likely to be used for wall-panel screens since typically anything at or greater than an Ultra HD image is beyond human eyesight capacity.”

As a small business owner, Brune doesn’t see 4K as being a practical investment since there is virtually no demand for it in his line of work.

“I don’t have clients asking for 4K. The only people that really care about it are TV and camera manufacturers. I would have to spend twice as much on storage, a new computer, new gear, etc. if I wanted to adopt 4K.”

There are certainly compelling arguments both for and against the tech industry adopting 4K. While the push for 4K products may have been premature, it does have certain advantages and offers flexibility for consumers and professionals alike. 4K is becoming more affordable as time goes on, but that doesn’t make it a sensible investment for everyone in the industry. It’s one thing to buy a 4K TV, but it’s another thing to purchase or finance a new set of equipment for a business. For professionals that don’t have the spending power of a large corporation, investment in a new format isn’t always sensible, despite the advantages it may bring.

Will 4K receive widespread adoption like high definition, or will it merely become a stepping stone to yet another emerging format? Ultimately, it will be up to the average consumer to decide.

Disclaimer: John Brune is the father of the reporter. To avoid conflicts of interest, the reporter is not involved in his father’s business and this article has been through a rigorous editorial process.

 

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Controversy Over CBD Oil Being Widely Sold in Indiana

Since the legalization of Cannabidiol (CBD) oil on July 1, 2018, the cannabis derived products have been popping up on the shelves of gas stations, grocery stores and tobacco shops.

These products span a variety of categories, including vape juice, moisturizers, soda and even animal products. According to Organicfacts.net, CBD oil has been shown to offer various health benefits including the reduction or elimination of cancer cells, pain relief, metabolism balance, mood stability and skin healing.

CBD oil has been a major phenomenon in Indiana since it hit shelves, but there still has been some controversy over the hemp product. CBD oil is one of many compounds found in the cannabis plant which has caused many to question the quality of the products. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is found in marijuana, is what causes a high but is not typically found in CBD oil unless otherwise specified. CBD without THC does not cause a high and in Indiana only .3 percent of THC is allowed in the oil.

In a statement to the Associated Press, IU Health Pain Center Doctor Gary Gettelfinger said there are hundreds of companies that are selling CBD oil, but many could be scammers.

Others don’t see it that way. Rob Coulter, manager at Copper Canyon Tobacco, says, “CBD is not regulated by the FDA. Anybody can sell it, but Indiana has certain revisions. All the CBD products sold in Indiana have to be traceable with QR codes that can be scanned and will show everything that is in the product.”

Coulter believes that those opposed to the usage of CBD oil are just not properly educated on the topic and that the commotion is all derived from ignorance.

“We get a lot of referrals from doctors actually. It’s a hot topic from both sides of the coin. We have some doctors that will completely turn away patients from it and we have some that are big champions of it.”

Coulter said that whatever view you have the on the products, you can’t deny the success stories.

“One of our workers has a niece that has had seizures all of her life and she’s been on CBD now for about 10 weeks and has had no seizures since. So from a 6-year-old child to the average clientele in their 50s and 60s, CBD oil is making an impact on lives.”

Coulter says young adults seem to be the most open to using CBD oil as a remedy, but they don’t purchase the product as often as other age groups. He finds them to be more interested in other vape products. Consumers in their twenties can have different perspectives on using the cannabidiol.

23-year-old Indiana Tech student Grace Moore is optimistic yet apprehensive about using the product.

“CBD oil shows promising results from testing so far, but hasn’t really been subjected to thorough testing that modern medications should undergo and I think without it, I don’t feel comfortable normalizing its use.”

Matt Connett, a 22-year-old active user of CBD oil and an advocate for its use, said he believes that the oil can not only help with anxiety and other health issues, but he thinks that if something can cause such tremendously beneficial outcomes immediately after its use then the long-term effects will be even better. He doesn’t understand the negative connotation to the products.

“Hemp and marijuana are plants that should be readily available to anyone who wants to consume them. The CBD derives from hemp so it isn’t psychoactive in the same way THC from marijuana is, so I don’t see why people are worried about its safeness.”

CBD oil is currently only illegal in four states, but in 16 states where the product is legal there are currently restrictions and revisions that must be met. Nearly all of this progress towards available access to CBD has occurred within the last year and changes are still being made that would allow for easier access to these products specifically in regards to medical conditions.

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Life of a Server

Friday.

The day most people long for. The start of the weekend, usually much overdue from the long work week. However, for me it’s quite a different story.

At 4 p.m., on a Friday my serving shift begins. I started prepping for the busy night. Cut lettuce, tomatoes, limes and lemons. Filled the cheese, butter, and sour cream. Made sure everything was ready to go.

At 4:30 p.m. I heard the bell that signals the first customers have walked through the door. I assumed it was an older couple, because they tend to eat dinner early.

“I’m going to need beer for fish batter,” the cook said.

Two hours passed and the dinner crowd began to flood in. I walked up to a table.

“May I get you started with something to drink?” I asked.

“Do you have Coke or Pepsi?” the customer replied.

“We have coke.”

“I will just take a water.

I then went to other tables to get more drink orders.

“Two cokes, three waters, sunlight, and a flirtini,” I sang to myself as I walk back to the kitchen.

After all my tables had their drinks, I started taking food orders. One table asked me a question concerning gluten-free appetizers. I let her know we have potato skins, but they are cooked in the fryer so, it just depends on how severe her allergy to gluten was.

“I am highly allergic, so that won’t work,” she said.

I proceeded on and took their dinner order, starting with the woman who had the gluten allergy.

“I will have the lime city sirloin, burnt, very well done,” she said. “And for my sides I will have green beans and the macaroni and cheese.”

I chuckle inside, smile, and go on to the next person at the table.

After that I stepped back to look over all of my tables. In my head, I go over the to-do list. I needed to make salads for table 101. Table 103 looked like they needed refills, and I still needed to take table 111’s order.

“I sat you six at 107 love,” my boss said.

Great.

Ok, I go take their drink orders, refilled drinks at my other tables, and start dinner orders from another.

“I will have the cobb salad, but light on the cobb,” a customer said.

I said alright and started writing it down. The table then began to laugh. I then forced a nervous laugh, because I didn’t get the joke, or maybe I just didn’t find it funny.

Back in the kitchen I had food up. As I read the ticket I realized I forgot to take their salads.

Crap.

Hurry made salads, delivered them, ran back to the kitchen and took their food. As I handed out their dinner I apologized for not getting their salads out sooner, blaming the cook for being too quick tonight. Followed by some more fake laughter.

After that was over I noticed one of my tables had finished eating. I cleared their plates, and asked if there was anything else I could get for them.

“No thank you, just our carryout order and the check please,” they replied.

Crap.

I rushed back to the kitchen and with a soft, sad voice I said the cooks name. He gave me a sharp annoyed look, knowing that good news was not about to come out of my mouth. I then proceeded to tell him the carryout order I had forgot to ring in along with 100 apologies.

Now another table finished eating.

“How was everything tonight?” I asked.

“Oh, it was just awful can’t you tell,” the customer replied as he handed me his squeaky, clean plate.

I move on, drinks, food, refill, clean and repeat for the next four hours.

Finally, the night came to an end. Silverware rolled, tables cleaned, and floors swept. I run my server report, take my cash, and go home. My shift was over, until tomorrow

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