4K Televisions: Are they worth it?

[Gee Wally]

Don't get me wrong the 850 is a great tv with a very nice picture but I noticed when I was looking at it in Best Buy the black levels can be very soft. This is one of the main complaints about the set along with the sound (which I thought was fine). You will be happy with this tv.

You should not be worried. I'd take Sony any day over Samsung. About the only thing I think that Samsung does noticeably better is out of the box sound. The panels are a bit more attractive from the side, but who gives a **** about the side of a TV? Android TV is also world's better than Samsung's Tizen platform. It's no contest, there, at all. The biggest difference is that, in general, Sony is offering much better viewing angles across the spectrum than Samsung. They are pretty even from straight on, though.

To me, the build quality and lack of panel lottery alone are the two "killer" features that Sony has over Samsung. Add in the platform difference and the difference in viewing angels and I think it's a winner.

Ok. thanks.
I'm not worried about the tv sound I have a hard wired surround system in the room already that the new tv will be connected to.

 

[chicagoskycam]

Don't get me wrong the 850 is a great tv with a very nice picture but I noticed when I was looking at it in Best Buy the black levels can be very soft. This is one of the main complaints about the set along with the sound (which I thought was fine). You will be happy with this tv.

I wouldn't base anything on picture settings at best buy. They typically have the settings jacked. I was between Samsung and Sony when it came down to it. I read reviews between the two on every site I could including real owner experiences at AVS forums. Black levels measured out the same, Samsung had higher input lag. Samsung better sound. For movies I use surround so it's okay.

Also people at BB have no clue what they're talking about. I mean, like it's bad. Mine had 3D and I could never get the glasses I got to pair not to mention these tv's only support certain glasses and 3D content...???? 3D is a waste IMO.

 

[macleod50]

I wouldn't base anything on picture settings at best buy. They typically have the settings jacked. I was between Samsung and Sony when it came down to it. I read reviews between the two on every site I could including real owner experiences at AVS forums. Black levels measured out the same, Samsung had higher input lag. Samsung better sound. For movies I use surround so it's okay.

Also people at BB have no clue what they're talking about. I mean, like it's bad. Mine had 3D and I could never get the glasses I got to pair not to mention these tv's only support certain glasses and 3D content...???? 3D is a waste IMO.

The 850 was in one of their darker "Magnolia" sections. It had nothing to do with the settings being jacked. The 850s blacks were not as dark as the the LGs, Samsungs, and Vizios panels. BB employees are college kids who have no idea what they are selling. I had one tell me that there's no difference between UHD discs and blu ray discs and how absolutely nothing is filmed in 4K right now. I pointed out how Amazon just filmed every episode of The Grand Tour in 4K (which looks amazing). His response, "well who cares about Amazon."

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

I am not in the market right now, but do some 4k TVs come with no frills or are they all Smart type TVs now? It seems like they always charge more for more features that for me, aren't needed. I bought a 55 LG 1080p a couple years ago because it wasn't a smart tv and had 2 HDMI ports, all I really need since I have a receiver and the screen looked really good to me.

It seems now when I look everything is a smart TV.

 

[Kestrel]

I am not in the market right now, but do some 4k TVs come with no frills or are they all Smart type TVs now? It seems like they always charge more for more features that for me, aren't needed. I bought a 55 LG 1080p a couple years ago because it wasn't a smart tv and had 2 HDMI ports, all I really need since I have a receiver and the screen looked really good to me.

It seems now when I look everything is a smart TV.

You're more the kind of person who would probably want to buy into the Haier 4K TV that I've been plugging. I got mine at Costco here in Canada, I don't know what would be the best place to get it there in the US, but this is the TV:

http://www.hhgregg.com/haier-65-4k-ultra-hd-tv/item/65UF2505

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

You're more the kind of person who would probably want to buy into the Haier 4K TV that I've been plugging. I got mine at Costco here in Canada, I don't know what would be the best place to get it there in the US, but this is the TV:

http://www.hhgregg.com/haier-65-4k-ultra-hd-tv/item/65UF2505

Cool thanks I'll have to remember this for the future it's pretty much the exact type of tv I'd be looking for. I've heard of the brand but don't know much about them, good picture?

I'm kinda surprised the smart tv is a selling point these days because I feel most people just go with a roku, Apple TV, Google, game system etc.

 

[chicagoskycam]

Cool thanks I'll have to remember this for the future it's pretty much the exact type of tv I'd be looking for. I've heard of the brand but don't know much about them, good picture?

I'm kinda surprised the smart tv is a selling point these days because I feel most people just go with a roku, Apple TV, Google, game system etc.

Thing is some of those don't support 4K out so you have to get a new device too depending on how old yours is. Like I was using my Xone for Netflix and Amazon streaming and now I can't.

 

[chicagoskycam]

The 850 was in one of their darker "Magnolia" sections. It had nothing to do with the settings being jacked. The 850s blacks were not as dark as the the LGs, Samsungs, and Vizios panels. BB employees are college kids who have no idea what they are selling. I had one tell me that there's no difference between UHD discs and blu ray discs and how absolutely nothing is filmed in 4K right now. I pointed out how Amazon just filmed every episode of The Grand Tour in 4K (which looks amazing). His response, "well who cares about Amazon."

That has little to do with their settings - they tend to run their displays at very high contrast which is not great for black levels. This a good article for mid priced 4K displays with comparisons between Sony, Samsung and Vizio. I for one don't like the look of the blacks in this comparison for Samsung but it was rated higher in that category. On my C comparison it was a tie. My biggest complaint is motion blur on sports and gaming for Samsung.

https://lcdtvbuyingguide.com/hdtv/best-4k-tv-shootout-compare.html

Keep in mind if you care about the tv aps Vizio no longer supports Amazon streaming.

 

[Kestrel]

Cool thanks I'll have to remember this for the future it's pretty much the exact type of tv I'd be looking for. I've heard of the brand but don't know much about them, good picture?

I'm kinda surprised the smart tv is a selling point these days because I feel most people just go with a roku, Apple TV, Google, game system etc.

Gorgeous picture as far as I'm concerned. It doesn't have HDR, but most movies don't have HDR, and no TV near that size is going to do HDR anywhere near that price at 4K - you might want to make sure you're getting it from a place where you can do an exchange if possible - I have some people complain about vertical banding, but when they swap it, they come away happy.

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

I grabbed a 50 inch Vizio 4K smart tv for $350 on Black Friday from Best Buy for my bedroom. Definitely no complaints here.

 

[Gee Wally]

I hate buying tvs. Too techy for me. I'd rather buy a house or a car and it would be less stressful.

But my 10 year old 52" I got from Circuit City has a vertical black stripe thru it and just doesn't look good.

I went out Black Friday and ordered the 65" Sony 850. It looked good in the store to my eyeballs. I only watch movies, sports and Netflix. Have a blu ray but I've never used it.

Hopefully it works well for my needs.
http://4k.com/tv/sony-x850d-4k-hdr-tv-review-xbr55x850d-xbr65x850d-xbr75x850d-xbr85x850d/

Merry Christmas to me.

Got the C Version in Spring, you will love it.

Don't get me wrong the 850 is a great tv with a very nice picture but I noticed when I was looking at it in Best Buy the black levels can be very soft. This is one of the main complaints about the set along with the sound (which I thought was fine). You will be happy with this tv.

I got it delivered this afternoon. The picture is WOW ! Unbelieavable. The tech guy really did good by me. The store sold me an extra hdmi cord that he said wasnt needed so Ill take that back and save a few bucks. He did something with the optical cables and hdmi cables I had already. Did some adjustments to my home theater that I never knew I had and man it sounds great. He even knew how to reprogram my Acharter cable box to get a better incoming signal that Acharter should have done. Netflix runnung freaking great.

Only thing I wish I could do is shut off the S-O-N-Y name white light on the base. Its a small distraction.

Otherwise this thing looks like a winner. Cant wait to watch the game tonight

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

Only thing I wish I could do is shut off the S-O-N-Y name white light on the base. Its a small distraction.

Otherwise this thing looks like a winner. Cant wait to watch the game tonight

Just throw a piece of opaque tape over it...

 

[chicagoskycam]

I got it delivered this afternoon. The picture is WOW ! Unbelieavable. The tech guy really did good by me. The store sold me an extra hdmi cord that he said wasnt needed so Ill take that back and save a few bucks. He did something with the optical cables and hdmi cables I had already. Did some adjustments to my home theater that I never knew I had and man it sounds great. He even knew how to reprogram my Acharter cable box to get a better incoming signal that Acharter should have done. Netflix runnung freaking great.

Only thing I wish I could do is shut off the S-O-N-Y name white light on the base. Its a small distraction.

Otherwise this thing looks like a winner. Cant wait to watch the game tonight

you can shut it off in the menu

 

[Bjorn Le]

Sony announced their flagship TV today at CES. It's the Bravia A1E, and it's OLED. Sony's officially moved on.

 

[guinness]

Sony announced their flagship TV today at CES. It's the Bravia A1E, and it's OLED. Sony's officially moved on.

Probably still couldn't afford it, and I just bought a 4k HDR set this year, but I'm always up for more competition...and eventual lower prices.

 

[Bjorn Le]

Probably still couldn't afford it, and I just bought a 4k HDR set this year, but I'm always up for more competition...and eventual lower prices.

LGs 55 inch 4K HDR OLED starts at $2500 and goes up into the five figures for a 77 inch so so I expect it'll be in that range. If Sony's 77 inch comes in under five figures (it almost certainly won't however) I'd consider buying it. Sony is apparently sourcing the screen from another branch in the LG conglomerate so I'd expect the Bravia to be a little more than the LG which essentially will be its only competitor until Samsung gets their ass in gear.

 

[Jussi]

So apparently curved screens were not that big of a hit and are being phased out of production.

 

[Jussi]

LGs 55 inch 4K HDR OLED starts at $2500 and goes up into the five figures for a 77 inch so so I expect it'll be in that range. If Sony's 77 inch comes in under five figures (it almost certainly won't however) I'd consider buying it. Sony is apparently sourcing the screen from another branch in the LG conglomerate so I'd expect the Bravia to be a little more than the LG which essentially will be its only competitor until Samsung gets their ass in gear.

Is it this one: http://www.gigantti.fi/product/tv-j...t-4k-suhd-tv-ue55ks7005xxe?scid=EXT_SNM_HINTA

 

[Bjorn Le]

Is it this one: http://www.gigantti.fi/product/tv-j...t-4k-suhd-tv-ue55ks7005xxe?scid=EXT_SNM_HINTA

No that's a Samsung and it's not OLED. Pretty sure it's this one.
http://m.bestbuy.ca/defaultpage.asp...etails.aspx?ajax=true&sku=10425941&lang=en-CA

 

[Jussi]

No that's a Samsung and it's not OLED. Pretty sure it's this one.
http://m.bestbuy.ca/defaultpage.asp...etails.aspx?ajax=true&sku=10425941&lang=en-CA

Sorry got mixed up. I just noticed a couple of Finnish stores selling that model and the other one is selling it 300 euros cheaper.

Not necessarily a 4K issue but I've noticed some Samsung LCD tvs seem to have issues with aspect ratios. My mother has one and a friend has one and neither seems to find 4:3 ratio automatically.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

So apparently curved screens were not that big of a hit and are being phased out of production.

Because they are stupid gimmicks.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Update on the LeEco TV I bought during Cyber Monday/Black Friday:

Picture still looks good. Have been very happy with the TV for the price. Need to sit down and do some calibrating, though, at some point. Out of the box wasn't awful but it has some room for improvement. Main area where it's a bit subpar is black levels. The HDR and 4K content looks great on it, though. It's shocking that the TV was $300 for what it gives the user.

 

[Kestrel]

So apparently curved screens were not that big of a hit and are being phased out of production.

I always thought they were kind of gimmicky. I get that under certain circumstances - ie seating positions - that they can give a better viewing experience. But I've also heard quite a bit about how they give a worse viewing experience if you're not in the viewing sweet spot. Certainly not something I would have paid a premium for.

 

[Commander Clueless]

I'm not surprised they are ditching curved TVs.


To me it always made more sense for computer monitors than TVs (disclaimer: I own a slightly curved widescreen monitor ) because in order to benefit from it you need to be perfectly seated directly in front of it. Anywhere on the sides and the curve actually tends to be a bit of a detriment.


That said, in my experience the curve isn't a huge factor anyway.

 

[Gardner McKay]

Anyone know something about Haier?

A store around my area has a 4k curved 49 inch (IIRC), tv on sale for $399.

If not, any one have any recommendations for a TV that is 50 inches or bigger? My plasma is starting to kick the bucket. The burn in has gotten to be really bad in some areas and the color is fading.