4K Televisions: Are they worth it?

[I Eat Crow]

Hi everyone, feel free to move/lock this thread if it's not appropriate for this area of the boards.

Anyway, it seems as if I'll be moving in with my fiance into our own space, but as working professionals still going to grad school, finances are going to be a little tight with paying rent in addition to tuition costs.

A TV is definitely an essential for any new place. The spaces we are looking at will probably only accommodate no larger than a 55" TV. Would springing an extra $300 or so for a 4K definition TV be worth it? The main uses of the TV will likely be watching sports, regular TV shows, and video games. We don't really have the time to watch movies.

What do you guys/ladies think? Thanks!

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[Frankie Spankie]

I still don't think it's the right time to go 4K. I honestly don't know how much TV is recorded in 4K but I can't imagine it being that much. I'm assuming you have a TV of some kind now, I would just hold onto that for a bit longer until 4K becomes more common. At that point, not only will 4K be cheaper, but there will be more features to them that you'll probably want. There might be a newer version of HDMI or maybe something entirely different like DP.

As for video games, 4K is still a ways away. You need about a ~$1,500 computer to run 4K games at decent framerates. And don't buy into the hype that Sony and Microsoft are trying to build with PS4.5 and Project Scorpio. The technology and hardware just isn't there yet across the industry.

 

[I Eat Crow]

I would go with the TV I already have, except that it's a tiny 20" flatscreen that was a first generation HDTV, and would need to sit three feet away to even see anything. It's time to upgrade

 

[aleshemsky83]

I think 4k is nice but I'm more excited about OLED.

I agree I dont think you will get that much out of buying a 4k LED unless you plan on using and buying a lot of 4k bluray

Thats just from my own research though I do not own one

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

Wait until OLED becomes more common and cheaper.

 

[Commander Clueless]

Depends, I think.

I have a 4K Vizio and it's pretty great IMO, but I also got it on sale for only a bit more than the 1080p version. I think that was worth it.

But if the cost is significantly higher? Just go with a good 1080p.


4K content is still fairly uncommon. Some Netflix original stuff has it, and 4K gaming is really only available through high end PCs right now (but it does look pretty awesome )

 

[Commander Clueless]

Wait until OLED becomes more common and cheaper.

OLED is phenomenal looking, but I'm thinking you'll be waiting a while yet.


Just a guess, though.

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

OLED is phenomenal looking, but I'm thinking you'll be waiting a while yet.


Just a guess, though.

2-3 years probably, minor in TV time. I grabbed Panasonic's last gen of plasmas and am well set up to wait.

 

[Lame Lambert]

I bought one last year and I love it. Netflix content looks great and it does a great job upscaling all content.

 

[chicagoskycam]

Got a 4K 65 inch 4K Sony with this years Superbowl sales. The difference on regular content or 1080P is worth because the tv upscales it.

4K content is available in decent amounts on Netflix, Direct TV, Youtube believe it or not has some of the best stuff. My TV also has two 4K movie aps. Ultra 4K movies/tv and Ultra Flix 4K. Obviously there are currently no broadcasts in 4K yet.

If you need a new display I would make sure it's 4K, no need to rush and buy one yet. My old Sony was a good 7 years old. I use it for gaming and it had a high refresh rate with low input lag.

 

[V13]

Got a 4K 65 inch 4K Sony with this years Superbowl sales. The difference on regular content or 1080P is worth because the tv upscales it.

4K content is available in decent amounts on Netflix, Direct TV, Youtube believe it or not has some of the best stuff. My TV also has two 4K movie aps. Ultra 4K movies/tv and Ultra Flix 4K. Obviously there are currently no broadcasts in 4K yet.

If you need a new display I would make sure it's 4K, no need to rush and buy one yet. My old Sony was a good 7 years old. I use it for gaming and it had a high refresh rate with low input lag.

How much bandwidth does it take to stream at 4k from Netflix ? Is 5mb connection enough to stream without a hitch or lag ?

 

[FLYLine27*]

I've had my TV for 9 years. Had to get it repaired a few months ago for $250. Thinking back I should have just bought a new one then but i'll probably buy a new one around black friday this year.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

2-3 years probably, minor in TV time. I grabbed Panasonic's last gen of plasmas and am well set up to wait.

I'm in a similar situation (not plasma, but my current TV is still pretty damn good). I'm waiting for OLED 4K to be cheaper and, with how fast the TV market moves, I don't think I'll be waiting more than 2-3 years for that to happen.

How much bandwidth does it take to stream at 4k from Netflix ? Is 5mb connection enough to stream without a hitch or lag ?

I've got a 20mb connection and I still have occasional issues with HD...I can't fathom 5mb being good enough for 4K.

 

[vdB]

Hockey needs to be in 4k asap. Only a selected few games a year get em

 

[chicagoskycam]

How much bandwidth does it take to stream at 4k from Netflix ? Is 5mb connection enough to stream without a hitch or lag ?

You need a min of 25MB down for Netflix 4K and Ultra HD 4K AP. I have 50 so I have not had an issue yet. Also, I have no data cap from my provider which I understand some do.

https://help.netflix.com/en/node/42384

 

[aleshemsky83]

You need a min of 25MB down for Netflix 4K and Ultra HD 4K.

And your processor has to actually be capable of it.

A lot of media boxes right now can't stream 4k. The current PS4 and Xbox one also can't do it.

 

[chicagoskycam]

And your processor has to actually be capable of it.

A lot of media boxes right now can't stream 4k. The current PS4 and Xbox one also can't do it.

That's true but most 4K tv's are smart tv's with the aps built in. I can't imagine a 4K tv without Netflix built in. Your point stands though, when I purchased my 4K tv I stopped using my Xbox as an output as Direct TV outputs 4k and the Xbox can't handle it. My Sony TV also has access to your Sony gamer profile(Playstation Now) and any movies, tv shows and games you have without going through your console.

 

[Suxnet]

OLED is phenomenal looking, but I'm thinking you'll be waiting a while yet.


Just a guess, though.

Well, after OLED will come HDR, so might as well just wait for that.

 

[Osprey]

If you can't go larger than a 55" TV, then 4K probably isn't worth it. That's about the minimum size to see a difference from a normal viewing distance. On top of that, your interests (sports, TV shows and games) aren't where you're going to be able to utilize 4K for quite a while. Last, but not least, if you don't have the time to watch movies and finances are tight, then my guess is that paying extra per month for the fastest internet so that you can even stream at 4K probably isn't a priority for you, and, if so, then having the capable TV won't do you much good. It sounds to me like a good HD set at a good price is more suited to your needs right now.

 

[chicagoskycam]

^ agree on size and viewing distance. Buying a 43 inch and sitting 10 feet away is not going to do much for you.

I guess a couple of providers in Canada are putting out a ton of sports in 4K this year. My guess is the NFL will get on board by 2017.

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

Well, after OLED will come HDR, so might as well just wait for that.

OLED is a type of screen technology, HDR has to do with light and dark levels in the image itself. OLED is the next big tech for tvs and has been well worth the wait based on some of the ones released so far.

What you want is a UHD OLED TV once they are down under 2k new. I will be waiting until closer to 1k like I paid for my last generation plasma.

 

[chicagoskycam]

Decent 65 inch OLED's are like 6k right now, some more like 7k. I'm guessing about 3 years before I'm ready for that.

There are also 8K tv's coming out this year

http://www.wired.com/2016/01/8k-tvs-coming-to-market/

You can always be on the waiting list for the next best thing when it comes to technology. Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and make the best decision. Will 4K become the standard or just another format in HD line ups. The announcement of Scorpio makes 4K a worthwhile investment for Xbox users.

 

[Osprey]

Well, after OLED will come HDR, so might as well just wait for that.

After OLED comes QLED. That might be the real next big thing. OLED has a few big problems: it's not as bright as LCD and it's quite expensive. QLED is brighter and much cheaper. It's also twice as power efficient and can be used in flexible displays. Samsung appears to be skipping OLED TVs and going straight to QLED TVs, planning to launch them in 2018. OLED has a nice head start, but QLED could blow it out of the water in a few years.

 

[vdB]

What's after QLED? That's what I want.

 

[Osprey]

What's after QLED? That's what I want.

RLED, of course. Don't you know your alphabet? Eventually, we'll get to ZLED, which you funny Canadians will pronounce as "zed led."