4K UHD TVs...got one? Considering buying one? Read this...

[Julian]

So I've been in the hunt for a new TV for a little while and was seriously considering a 4K TV as their resolution is really impressive when you look at it up close. But that is the issue raised in a number of articles....you never look at a TV that close, so the resolution is wasted.

Here's a good article from CNET:
"Why 4K UHD TVs are still stupid"

Forbes:
"Should I buy a 4k TV?"

Both articles make compelling arguements why going to 4K resolution is pointless in most viewing situations. So I am now seriously considering a good 1080P 65" TV for half the price....

What are your thoughts?

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Th 4ks are very impressive and you can tell a difference when placed side by side with a HD. However, most of our homes TV watching areas are in brightly lit rooms with windows and supplied by non HD cable channels at times so a lot of quality is lost right off the bat. If you are a complete theater/audiophile geek then it's worth the price of admission. At this stage in the 4k game I would stay away for a few years until the cost goes down.

 

[sstegh]

I am now seriously considering a good 1080P 65" TV for half the price....

I have a 73 inch mitsubishi dlp sitting in my basement doing nothing. You want it?

 

[OperationROL]

I didn't know @JetBoatPilot had a new model of Thrust Vectors!

 

[Murf'n'surf]

I didn't know @JetBoatPilot had a new model of Thrust Vectors!

There's one in every crowd!! :smile

 

[dbrunone]

Even if you get one, where are you going to get 4K content? The only think I know that does 4K is the new gopro camera

 

[txav8r]

Ha Ha...I just bought, or rather my wife bought for my BD, a Sony XBR70X850B. It is a 70" inch 4K, and I can tell you without a doubt, it is tremendously better than standard HD 1080P. The Sony actually has a converter to upgrade standard HD to a pseudo 4K, and it also converts 2D to 3D if you use the glasses. We have a LCD 50" in the bedroom that is 1080P and a 1080P DLP, the DLP is now retired. The difference between both of these and the 4K is remarkable. You may not note the difference unless you compare side by side. But even comparing a Visio and a Samsung 4K next to the Sony, it wins hands down. This is an impressive TV. It sold new for $5500 for more than a year. The new models come out later this year and it is currently selling for $3999. You can buy for $2744 through a non certified online seller, and believe me, I checked that path out very thoroughly...and walked away from it. Basically, you can buy the online sellers extended warranty, but he claims you can get Sony to stand behind the set if something goes wrong in the 1 yr manufacturers period...but I am convinced you can not. Go check them out!

 

[txav8r]

Netflix and directv are ready to stream 4K content. But I didn't buy it for the 4K...I bought it because at standard HD levels, it is superior, and ready for 4K when we get more of it. Netflix is ready now, so are 4K dvd's on blue ray.

 

[txav8r]

I read those articles @Julian prior to purchasing mine. The dates on most of the stuff I read was dated 2012.

 

[Julian]

Th 4ks are very impressive and you can tell a difference when placed side by side with a HD.

The point being made in the articles is that at your normal viewing distance you can't see the difference. That you'd be better off focusing on a tv's contrast ratio or refresh rate. The obsession with resolution is a sales ploy that seems to be working well. I looked in the stores, and sure enough, it is very hard to tell the difference when viewing from 6-8' - your normal family room minimum distance.

This chart sums it up....at the 65" size I'm looking for, I'd have to sit 6' or closer to be able to notice the difference.



@Bruce Thanks for the offer....but I'll pass....my entertainment center will only take a 65" TV.

If I had room for an 80" TV, I think I'd go UHD....but that would be one expensive TV!

 

[dbrunone]

Streaming 4K with Netflix requires a 25mbps connection. Basic cable internet is typically 15, but I wouldnt be surprised if you need 50+ to make it work properly. That's a lot of data...

 

[txav8r]

You can stream something that requires 50mbps with enough time. I can't stream anything...but I can record it on my 2TB Genie and watch it 4K when I want to. It is the same for me with anything streamed...it is choppy, unless I record it and watch later. A typical 4K movie is 20GB's.

 

[Bruce]

I have a 4K monitor on my desk and am very happy with it. I occasionally watch 4K videos on Youtube.

As for TVs, currently there is almost no content. Netflix 4K content requires a stable and consistent 20 Mbps connection. That is not available to most of the country.

I will upgrade to 4K TV when content is available. With 4 times the data of 1080P the satellite and cable companies will either have to find more efficient ways to deliver the content or reduce the number of channels they are delivering to deliver 4K to us.

 

[txav8r]

Julian...go look and compare them. The Sony comes in...

• 4K Ultra HD TVs: XBR Series
• Sizes 49”, 55”, 65”, 70”, 79”, 85”

 

[Bruce]

Also 4K is only supported via HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2. Very little equipment supports either of those standards.

 

[txav8r]

Again, no 4K streaming direct at this point IMO...but you can get the full movie if you just record it...in 4K, it will just record at the rate your ISP provides, but you get full content.

 

[Julian]

Julian...go look and compare them. The Sony comes in...

• 4K Ultra HD TVs: XBR Series
• Sizes 49”, 55”, 65”, 70”, 79”, 85”

I've looked at them all. Of course all the stores I've been in keep the 1080P models away from the 4K models so you can't look at them next to each other. The 4K tvs sure are impressive when you stand 3 feet from them.....but I'm not sold yet.....

That said....since the last 50" TV I bought was 10 years ago....I'm inclined to spend $2700 vs 1700 just so I don't regret it later... but the technical specs sure make it hard. I worked in the TV business for 8 years and have a degree in TV production....and what I did was edit and perform quality control on our broadcast images (for WGN TV)....so I'm no slouch when it comes to image and audio quality...

 

[Bruce]

@txav8r, are you using RVU to view the 4K content on your 4K TV? Is the programming guide terribly slow?

Or do you have the TV connected to the Genie with a HDMI cable?

 

[Speedling]

I had a 110" 1080 p projector at my old house. You could see the difference in 720 to 1080 from 15-20' away no problem. I think that in my case I would love the 4k. New house has no room for the theatre.... yet, so no point in it. Cable TV is actually almost annoying because when we find a channel, we feel like we need to scroll down to see if it's in HD or not.

 

[txav8r]

I am new to it @Bruce , we just got it hooked up day before yesterday. I have not watched any 4K content as of yet, as I haven't renewed my netflix membership again. But yes, I have it hooked via HDMI from apple tv to the sony and from my genie to the sony with hdmi as well. The standard format in HD is better than my 2 year old LCD 50" by a large margin. It up converts standard def to a better format...don't ask me how they do it.