Smarty-pants know-it-alls will tell you that the downside to Ultra-HD TV is that there’s no content. Yes, the new TVs will show regular HD programming, and even non-HD programming. But the only reason to shell out the big bucks for an Ultra-HD TV is to watch Ultra-HD content.

Broadcast programming won’t be on board in any consistent way for years. The first network to get on board will almost certainly be Japan’s NHK, which won’t begin broadcasting in Ultra-HD until 2016 at the earliest. And if you don't live in Japan, that doesn't help you.

Satellite subscription services in the U.S. view the new technology as an opportunity to win new customers, but it will take some time for them to gain access to Ultra-HD content, too — we'll probably see Ultra-HD satellite content in three or four years.

The first mainstream content media to jump on board will likely be Blue-Ray discs, specially made for the new standard. But even those probably won't arrive until 2014.

While Hollywood drags its feet, Silicon Valley is good to go

Google’s YouTube, for example, supports Ultra-HD-quality content. (To view these on your computer, you'll need a very high-resolution screen, and to change the resolution on the bottom of the video to "Original.")

And, of course, you can roll your own Ultra-HD content with relatively low cost video consumer and prosumer gadgets. For example a company called GoPro recently introduced a $400 sports camera (rugged, waterproof) that takes Ultra-HD video.

There’s something deliciously ironic about the state of consumer electronics, which is that giant Hollywood studios won’t be able to widely distribute state-of-the-art video content for years, whereas you can do it yourself in an afternoon for $400.

It’s also worth noting that TVs these days are used for much more than TV. People increasingly use their sets for high-definition video gaming, videoconferencing, home movie and picture viewing and much more. And most of these uses can benefit from the Ultra-HD standard.

So do you need an Ultra-HD TV?

Well, of course “need” is a funny word to use when talking about high-quality TV sets. Ultra-HD TV is an ultra-luxury item for people who really care about home entertainment. The main advantage is that it nudges your living room closer to being your own personal digital megaplex. It enables you to view very large TVs from pretty close range and still not see any pixelation or distortion.

That’s why it’s no coincidence that Ultra-HD TV sets come with amazing surround sound and other features that duplicate the movie theater experience.

LG Electronics sells an 84-inch screen LED Ultra-HD TV called the LG UD 84LM9600 (first image). The TV supports LG's Cinema 3D technology (funny glasses included), which enables viewers to customize the degree of 3D effect.

LG also claims proprietary electronics that speeds up streaming content no matter what resolution you're watching at.

You can connect to the Internet over your home WiFi network, or use the TV's many standard connection options. LG also provides a "cloud" storage option for keeping your videos and photos on the Internet for downloading to the TV when you want to see them.

Sony has unveiled an 84-inch Ultra-HD TV called the Sony XBR-84X900. Sony claims it can "scale up" regular HD and Blu-ray content to higher resolution than you could see on a regular big-screen TV.

It also supports “passive 3D,” which is close in quality to movie theater digital 3D, according to Sony. It has Virtual 5.1 Surround Sound powered by a 50w amp and 10 speakers!

The TV set is highly connectable to just about any source of incoming vide, with 4 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports and WiFi.

OPPO sells a Blu-ray player called the BDP-103, which does all kinds of neat tricks, especially the upscaling of ordinary HD content to something approaching Ultra-HD quality. It also somehow converts 2D video to 3D.

It can also play Blu-ray discs recorded at 24 frames-per-second faithfully at that frame-rate, resulting in a film-like experience, according to the company.

It plays Blu-ray discs, DVDs and other video content, and plays multi-channel high-resolution audio. It also acts like an Internet-streaming computer, allowing you to stream content from Netflix, Pandora, and other services, supporting all major Internet audio and video file standards.