There were a large number of Ultra HDTVs unveiled at CES, but HD or Blu-ray played on a 4K display “visually is not an enjoyable experience,” contends Technicolor CEO Frederic Rose. “A lot of manufacturers say ‘don’t worry, we have software that can upgrade what you are watching.’ What we see is that it doesn’t work because the chip technology that is used in the Connected TVs is actually not performing enough for what is required.” Technicolor is suggesting an alternative.

“We are looking at how can you upgrade the content in the most efficient and automated way without having to go back to the original master,” Rose said, explaining that Technicolor is developing what the company is referring to as Certified Image Experience. “We are demonstrating another way to basically upscale the content in an automated way and how you can do this in a Blu-ray player.”

Technicolor is allowing CES attendees to examine the capability by viewing content on a split screen. It aims to license its software to chip manufacturers.

Looking beyond upscaling, Rose reported that Technicolor is seeing “a lot more interest” in 4K production with a key driver being availability of 4K camera technology. But for delivering this content to the home, he believes “Blu-ray will be the only way to deliver this in the foreseeable future in an acceptable manner.”

“2013 is not going to be the year of 4K, but you can imagine in 2015, 4Ks being a significant portion of TVs being sold,” he added.

Technicolor is additionally developing a certification program to insure accurate and consistent color on PC monitors, for which it currently uses the moniker “Certified Color Experience.” Rose said this initiative would incorporate Technicolor color science.