Amazon and Samsung lead ‘4K’ TV drive

Amazon.com is teaming up with Samsung and other media companies to bring “4K” ultra high-definition television to the masses.

The companies are hoping 4K TV — so-called because they are said to offer four times the resolution of conventional high-definition images — will recharge television sales.

To date, ultra high-def TV has been slow to take off, partly because of the high cost of the new-fangled displays and insufficient content. High-definition television took years to become mainstream after TV prices came down and content became more widely available.