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I'm going to be looking for a new TV within the next month or so. I've been doing a bit of reading about whether or not 4k is a useful feature worth paying for or not. From the limited reading I've done it is being said unless you sit real close there is no discernible difference between 4k and 1080p. What say you?
I can definitely tell the difference if I take the time to polish the bevel on the 4k before moving up in grit (sorry, Wid, someone had to do it:rofl2:). Merry Christmas, and good luck with your tv!
From what I understand there is not much content on TV that is 4K yet although it is growing slowly. If I did not need to replace a TV right away I would wait a years or so. The bonus is that 4K TVs would likely be cheaper by then too. OTH if you get a 4K now you enjoy it sooner what there is of it.
Bob
They keep coming out with new technologies. 4K is almost old hat already and there isn't that much content. You also need a big screen to see the difference. if it was me I'd wait a couple years when the curved screen oled T.Vs get cheaper and that will be the time to buy. In the meantime you can get a big 1028P T.V dirt cheap.
It also depends on the quality of TV that you purchase and its longevity. Most of the TV's that I buy last 10 years or more. So it can be kind of a crap shoot of what technology to buy into. I'm a stingy spender, so I typically buy into older technologies that are proven and kinks have been worked out.
I bought a TV recently and went with a simple 50" 1080 HD TV, with no "smart" (internet capable) features. I went away from the Smart TV's because I stream everything through an Xbox and it would be redundant to pay more to have smart features that are already available to me. However, they just released an xbox that is capable of higher definition. So it can also depend on how you obtain your entertainment and the hardware. Cable services have been working to switch to more digital signals so that they can increase the quality down the road. Although, I haven't really read into the limitations of satellite/cable/over-the-air and their respective resolutions nor the hardware that they offer.
I'll answer with actual experience in a few days :)
We just upgraded From Santa: to Glen & Shan :p
we have upgraded all the other TV's in the house over the last 15 years but the main 55" in the living room has resisted breaking down :)
I bought us a Mitsubishi 55" rear Projection "BOX" back in 2003 and it has work flawlessly, we kept telling ourselves for the past 3 or so years "As soon as it breaks we will upgrade" freaking monster is the energizer bunny of TV's
Well the deal came together I couldn't say no to with Best Buy doing a 0% offer to price match a 70" 4k UHD and the sound bar to match, I have a hard time saying no to borrowing free money :D
We are going to do the full upgrade starting tomorrow so I will let you know, I know it will shame the 55" but we have a pretty good 46" in the upstairs guest room so that will be the real comparison...
Give me a few days and most likely a ton of cussing and I will let ya know hehehe
First time I ever bought a new Electronic Stud Finder too this should be fun Bahahahaha I am foreseeing a ton of little nail holes and a dent in the opposite wall from where I throw it :p
ps: we have ZERO steaming capabilities etc: at the ranch so the only 4K will be from discs, we do have HD Direct so that should be a bit better on the new TV
Some of the earlier smart TV's came with ethernet ports, if it is due to lack of wirelessness. OTOH, some Samsungs can only be connected by buying a separate wireless device.Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
Personally, at "viewing distance" I don't have the room for a screen large enough for 4K screen to make a significant difference (I'd need an 80"+ screen).
If you walk right up to the screen (which is exactly what they do at the stores, and they also turn everything as bright as possible), naturally you will see increased sharpness and smaller pixels. When you look at the screen from your favourite chair, you won't see those pixels on either screen. 4k is nice, but to me at least, it's not worth the $$$. Neither are the *smart* features.... I prefer to use a separate device that I can keep up to date and upgrade when it starts to struggle with whatever it does. You won't be able to upgrade a smart TV, so the solution is to buy a new one... but the old display is still fine, it's just the little sub $100 mini computer inside that needs replacing. Updates are another thing. Manufacturers are notorious for not providing updates. Updates cost money and they want to sell you the NEW thing they make. Just look at cell phones and how most providers don't give you the OTA updates until much later, if at all. And some companies even go out of their way to prevent you from changing the software, so you can continue to use the device.
I have a 1080P now, and I won't upgrade until they include real HDR together with 4K or whatever it is by then. If my TV fails before then, I won't be shopping for a 4K TV unless they've stopped making 1080P.
As dinnermint mentions, connectivity is a big thing for me. I have lots of weird stuff I want to be able to connect to my display, and I choose my TV based on that. Then again, I'm a bit of a geek, and I've been known to grab the soldering iron and modify stuff. I am probably NOT your average consumer.
Regards
Christian
We bought a 55" 4K tv this summer and I can tell when the content is 4K. The light looks like sun light with incredible details and shadows. I can even see dust floating through sun rays on the show. I like it. Most content is not 4K but most movies have either some version of HD or 4K. This is from someone who can barely tell the difference between regular and blue ray.
We have a 10-15 year old 1080p Sony that I can see dust floating through the sun rays in some shows. Those must be shows broadcast in HD.
I think you have to scale the size of your TV and it's output resolution to your normal viewing distance. The closer you view from and the larger the screen the more 4K makes sense.
Bob
I only have bought one TV in my life. That is the small flat screen that I bring with me to meet-ups to connect to my microscope. Other than that, every TV that I have had has been acquired curbside.
I realized a long time ago that any TV that you find at the curb within a couple days of Christmas is a TV that works but got upgraded!
I never had heard of a 4k TV until now. I suspect it will be a while till I find one at the curb...
:tu :tu :tuQuote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
Bob
I guess I'm a little like Ron-My bedroom tv is probably 15 years old; it was a 24" with the built-in VHS and DVD players back when that was a thing. It still has a pretty good picture, will upgrade if and when it breaks. My "main" tv in the den is a32" Dynex that I got on sale for probably $299 or something years ago. My son bought us a $30 Chromecast for it some years ago for Netflix movies. I haven't had cable since the boys were little and we cut the cord. I just put a high-gain digital antenna on the chimney, pointed it at the mountain-top transmitters about an hour North of here, and get most of the channels I care to watch.
What I still find amazing is that even the cheapest, low-end POS tv's now have a picture quality that is stunning compared to even the high-end console tv's (think $700 wooden Magnavox or similar) from when I was growing up in the 70's. I walk into Best Buy, Costco, or even WalMart, stroll casually past the tv's, and am just floored by what you can buy for just a few hundred! So even when I do upgrade, I'll probably buy whatever is the cheapest "nice" tv I can stream stuff to.
Merry Christmas all regardless of what tv you watch (thanks to Utopian-I may drive around the neighborhoods the next few days to see what I can see!).
Im cheap as heck when it comes to spending money on myself. I usually spend a lot of time researching what is best within what I'm willing to spend, then I spend a lot more time comparing how much I want it to how much I need it. By the time I decide to actually get something something newer and better comes out so the whole process starts all over. I think about 90% of the time my TV is on is only to have background noise. The other 10% is spent watching cartoons. God I miss Saturday morning cartoons.
I went out shopping and picked out a new tv. Didn't go with 4K, just didn't see a big enough difference to justify the extra cost. Picked up a 55" Sony Bravia LCD 1080P smart tv.
I sense an impending roadtrip from Rochester, MN...Quote:
Originally Posted by Wid
Please give a days notice before you put the old one out.
I just got a 60 inch 4K. I have Direct TV to connect to it which does broadcast some 4K stuff but you need a newer receiver to utilize the signal. I had a 46, wanted a 65 but settled with the wife on a 60. First time I ever heard her say "it's too big." Anyway, I paid $600 with tax and delivery. I think it has a little better picture than the one it replaced.
Seems kinda cheap for a 60" 4 k. Tc
That's real cheap for a 60" 4K, I was wanting a 60" too but couldn't justify the extra cost. The Sony I bought came in a 60" but was $150 more.
I have just upgraded, from a LG 42" HD ready TV (5 years old) to a Panasonic 50" 4k TV, for me I can tell the difference, most my content in through sat box, and TV ariel, (Yes I know no 4k content their by HD channels do seem better on the new TV)
The football (scoccer) really seems better to me, so I am happy with the upgrade, I understand that technology cnahges quickly and 4k has been out awhile, but its more than enough for me now which what I am using and doing.
Over a month later I finally found the time to put in the new system
Yeah there is a huge difference from the old Mitsubishi we haven't upgraded to a 4k player yet, still looking for one.
This was a complete upgrade, Sound and all so to us after 15 years it was quite a difference..
Now compared to the newer 46" in the spare bedroom is was as huge of a change but still noticeable
We found everything at a good price so we are pretty happy with the system
ps the Electronic Stud finder was a huge success Zircon HD55 I got at Home Depot for less than $25 and worth every penny..
We picked up an LG OLED curved 55" recently after a fair bit of research, and it is, hands down, the best picture I have ever experienced in person...
4K TV's offer more colour over traditional 1080p HD flat screens, but still use "pixel sets" to achieve the mixed colors. They still use individual red, green, and blue pixels, at various intensities to achieve all the colour shades.
Organic Light Emitting Diode displays like the LG use diodes that can actually change colour individually. This means 3 to 4 times the sharpness of an organic LED over any other display, HD or 4k type. The new Quantum LED by Samsung is similar to OLED in its design btw.
Add to that the whole TV weighed only around 40 lbs, hung on the previous Samsung wall mount, has wired, and wireless network tie ins, a remote that acts like a virtual mouse, by gestures, and takes voice commands as well as typed input for searching.
Also has 3D output using passive polarized offset images instead of the flicker, or shutter glasses that nvidea pioneered and Sony utilized in the late 90s. I didn't like those as the strobing affect left you a little headachy.
These passive ones filter the images without dimming the images or causing judder of any kind. Avatar in 3D, a three hr movie, watched the whole thing without ill effect and the depth of field awareness was truly awesome, and immersive.
Anyway, on sale, in CDN funds, it cost $2500, regularly $4000, and to me was worth every penny. We stream movies from android as well as have full cable service up here and even though the size is the same as its flat screen predecessor, our enjoyment has gone up.
I recognize the increased sharpness, and blacker blacks. Am almost distracted on tv shows by how sharp they are now. It up scales normal streams and because of its different use of the actual led array, everything looks better, not just 4k content.
Bigger size would be bigger for sure, but the advantages in OLED are experienced at every size, not just the 80" screens. Don't get me wrong, that size would be awesome in a bigger room, but my den is only 13' deep so 55" was plenty for the space.
Anyhow, there's my long winded, first hand review. 4K unto itself, is a small step foward in display upgrade, but OLED, or Quantum, that's where the wow factor will get you.
Good luck.