CES 2017: LG Offer Up 4K Speaker…Whatever That Means

While there’s at least some consensus over what qualifies as a 4K TV, there’s a little more ambiguity when it comes to the sound market.

So much so that LG have tried to pass off their new SJ9 soundbar as “4K High Resolution” when they revealed it at this year’s CES in Las Vegas.

The company says that “The SJ9 supports 4K Pass-Through to deliver pristine sound without compromising image quality, ensuring a perfectly synchronized audio and video experience.”

Their argument: If you listen to two channels of 24-bit/96kHz audio, you end up with a data stream of more than 4,000kbps. 24 x 96,000 x 2 = 4,608,000 bits per second.

It’s a branding misstep that’s already been criticised by tech journalists covering CES, with The Verge saying that “such a thing as a 4K speaker cannot exist. Except it does now, because LG has no respect for the sanctity of language or the usefulness of consumer-friendly tech taxonomy.”