Jonathan,
The question is not which format(2k or 4k) is best, but rather, which format is best for your project? The answer, of course, is based on a balance between aesthetic and budgetary considerations.
In your post there is a reference about transcoding. Have you considered all available options than staying with Avid and/or FCP? In case you did not, there are other viabilities to ingest REDcode (.R3D) files, edit, color correct and conform without transcoding. Assimilate Scratch will do all these in real-time (with most modern PC computers). All what you have to do is to transfer REDcode files to a local SATA RAID, e-SATA JBOD or to a SAN array. We do this process with a PC (Dual Intel W5590 @3.33 GHz CPUs, Tyan S7010 motherboard, (2) ATI Radeon™ HD 5870 X-Fired, 48GB Kingston KHX1600C9D3K3/12GX, Non-ECC DDR3-1600 SDRAM [4 Kits]). Please note that we do real-time playback of 4K REDcode files with Assimilate Scratch, all day long with the above system.
http://www.assimilateinc.com/pdfs/ASSIMILATE_white_paper_the_red_color_work...
Unless you ARE planning to open a post-house or you have people lined up with projects ready to go, there is no point in allocating funds slated for the movie production in purchasing computers for post work. With computers and specialized hardware/software applications opens another issue for discussion. "Experience". Experience to perform what is needed to be done, using the hardware/software that you have at hand. Some folks assume that just by purchasing the latest and the most advanced equipment will solve all their problems (at least, for that project). And when they cannot get favorable and timely answers to "their" specific question(s), they panic and do speed reading, rushing to every tech forum looking for solutions. Even though, we are students of the world, one needs to acquire knowledge required for the job before hand. People who run this forum are busy professionals of their own accord. If you happen to ask them, they would say, nothing came easy for them. They had to shed blood, sweat and tears for every bit of experience they received. I am sure they had to sacrifice a lot of time and energy to get to where they are today. They are doing a great service by sharing their professional experiences without any form of compensation. I am truly grateful to each and every person who contribute to this forum by sharing their knowledge and experiences. Thank you gentlemen! After all, there is a saying that "No person is an island".
Outsourcing is a good way to start. If you actively participate in the workflow, you will learn the process, associated workflow aspects, how and what works etc. Once you've acquired this knowledge, you would be able to setup your workflow/post-house without much of a hassle.
That being said, let's get to the issue at hand. Here are some links that might help you.
Does 4K really make a difference?
http://www.cameracinemas.com/content_etc/Why4K.pdf
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Sony 4K: Resolution and determination
Aug 24, 2009
The industry debate over the value of resolution in digital-cinema formats reached a turning point this past June, when Texas Instruments’ DLP Cinema division and its three projector manufacturing partners, BARCO, Christie and NEC, announced that they were developing new 4K technologies. The news came within a few months of top theatre circuits Regal and AMC signing a deal to install thousands of Sony 4K systems, which offer a resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels, compared to 2K’s resolution of 2048 x 1080 pixels.
For our annual special section on digital cinema, Film Journal International went directly to the manufacturers to get their vantage points on 4K vs. 2K.
http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/news-and-
features/features/technology/e3i7bf40443797a443d6b676b97cfa76e62
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How Many "K"s Do I Need
http://www.digitalcinemasociety.com/downloads/HowManyKsDoINeed.pdf
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how many 4K Digital movie theaters in the US?
As of October of 2009, around 2500. That is approximately 50 theaters per state (and growing rapidly).
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And here is an excellent article about "The Quest for Ever-Higher Resolution"
http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/77702
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Good luck,
Neil
"Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else".
Confucius
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