4K Televisions: Are they worth it?

[guinness]

I bought a 2016 50" Vizio P series a couple weeks ago, and it's been great so far.

I could've gotten a similar 1080p for less, but 1080p sets don't have HDR, and I figured that even if I don't have a lot of 4k content now, having local dimming LEDs and a bigger TV than I had before (32") was worth it.

When I compare the 4k content on YT vs 1080p, I really can't tell much difference, but comparing compressed data probably isn't the best either.

Didn't hurt that BB had it 20% off, so this new TV cost as much as my old one, but bigger, thinner, more vibrant.

I probably wouldn't get a 4k sans HDR however, eventually the UHD BR players will drop in price too, and I figure you might as well get the most benefit.

 

[aleshemsky83]

4K vs 1080 on YouTube is actually a massive difference, the difference though is mostly bitrate, 4K is allowed to have much higher while 1080 on YouTube still looks really fuzzy on a lot of vids because of its low bitrate

 

[Osprey]

4K vs 1080 on YouTube is actually a massive difference, the difference though is mostly bitrate, 4K is allowed to have much higher while 1080 on YouTube still looks really fuzzy on a lot of vids because of its low bitrate

Comparing 4K videos to other videos that were uploaded in HD isn't comparing apples to apples. You should be comparing 4K videos to HD versions of the very same video. Pull up a 4K video and toggle back and forth between 4K and HD settings. I've done that and the difference isn't that big. I could definitely tell a difference on a 50" TV from 4' away, but that really evaporated as I moved back to a normal viewing distance. Heck, from that distance, even upscaled 480p looked good. There's really not that much benefit to 4K resolution on these "smaller" TVs, assuming that you sit as far away as most of us do. It's more likely that technologies that tend to accompany 4K--like HDR, quantum dot and OLED/QLED--will give more noticeable results for most people, since those aren't dependent on the resolution or size of the display.

 

[guinness]

Comparing 4K videos to other videos that were uploaded in HD isn't comparing apples to apples. You should be comparing 4K videos to HD versions of the very same video. Pull up a 4K video and toggle back and forth between 4K and HD settings. I've done that and the difference isn't that big. I could definitely tell a difference on a 50" TV from 4' away, but that really evaporated as I moved back to a normal viewing distance. Heck, from that distance, even upscaled 480p looked good. There's really not that much benefit to 4K resolution on these "smaller" TVs, assuming that you sit as far away as most of us do. It's more likely that technologies that tend to accompany 4K--like HDR, quantum dot and OLED/QLED--will give more noticeable results for most people, since those aren't dependent on the resolution or size of the display.

480p doesn't look great, reminds me of VHS now, but it depends on the quality of the source material, and how good the upscaler is, I supposed I could compare the DVD and BR versions of Zooptopia since I have both, but to my admittedly bad eyes, 1080p BR content looks great. Even the reviews of UHD BR players say the difference is minor, HDR is nice to have, but I think they basically have to play both versions side by side to really spot it, and as mentioned depending on how far away you sit, you'd either have to sit closer, or have a bigger TV.

But for myself, I'm just happy to have a bigger screen, and to get one with HDR less than $800. The jump in price to 55" or 65" is still too much for me (I wanted to get under $1k).

I'm sure a similar thread will pop in several years, asking the same questions about 8k TV's though. At some point, it's probably just specterbation though.

 

[Commander Clueless]

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

Problem with that logic is you could get stuck in an endless waiting loop.


....although that's not necessarily a bad thing if your current setup is working

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

ZedLed lyfe!

 

[chicagoskycam]

I bought a 2016 50" Vizio P series a couple weeks ago, and it's been great so far.

I could've gotten a similar 1080p for less, but 1080p sets don't have HDR, and I figured that even if I don't have a lot of 4k content now, having local dimming LEDs and a bigger TV than I had before (32") was worth it.

When I compare the 4k content on YT vs 1080p, I really can't tell much difference, but comparing compressed data probably isn't the best either.

Didn't hurt that BB had it 20% off, so this new TV cost as much as my old one, but bigger, thinner, more vibrant.

I probably wouldn't get a 4k sans HDR however, eventually the UHD BR players will drop in price too, and I figure you might as well get the most benefit.

That's strange. The 4K content on Youtube I pulled up looked great. I guess it might depend on the source.

 

[member 51464]

Problem with that logic is you could get stuck in an endless waiting loop.


....although that's not necessarily a bad thing if your current setup is working





ZedLed lyfe!

Honestly, how is projector technology these days? I have been to friends' homes where they did the thing of just putting special paint on the wall and the TV picture quality was amazing.

 

[Commander Clueless]

Honestly, how is projector technology these days? I have been to friends' homes where they did the thing of just putting special paint on the wall and the TV picture quality was amazing.

Projectors look pretty darn good these days, but also come with maintenance. If you have a big TV room, it's definitely a decent option to consider.

Projectors with a higher-than-1080p resolution (since that's the topic of the thread) tend to be bonkers expensive, though...at least from personal experience. We used a couple 1600p projectors at work and they were expensive and not very reliable (keeping in mind they were on constantly). Thankfully, we've swapped to 4K TVs instead. At lot less of a support headache for my group.

 

[member 51464]

Sad. The good news is my current TV, a lowly 720p plasma, still looks great and I can't imagine I'd be in the market for another TV before like 2020 unless something awful happens.

 

[Supermassive]

Honestly, how is projector technology these days? I have been to friends' homes where they did the thing of just putting special paint on the wall and the TV picture quality was amazing.

I don't know about current tech, but my projector from 2011 is still going strong. It's a 1080p display on a 109" screen, non-3D, but it still looks phenomenal from 10-12 feet away. 1080p non-3D is the optimum quality setpoint, imo. I've replaced the bulb twice (replacement bulbs have plummeted in price). It was $1200 all-in back then, $100 in bulbs, best value by far.

The projector paint is an excellent choice if your display wall is smooth. Mine has a ledge around the whole basement so I went with the clunky pull-down screen, but less moving parts (that paint) is always much better.

Having a big screen is very complementary to a strong 7.1 surround sound system as well. Special effects move across the screen and through the whole theater space more naturally. I think a lot would be lost with a smaller flat screen in a big area.

 

[Bjorn Le]

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

Just a guess, though.

Sorry for the bump, but I just bought an OLED laptop and it's orgasmically pretty. I've never seen an image look so good.

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.

Samsung skipped mass produced OLED TVs because they couldn't profitably manufacturer theirs. LG makes a cheaper, and a lesser quality OLED screen while Samsung producers OLEDs for other applications. My laptop has a Samsung sourced OLED. Samsung has invested billions in OLED, they're not going to abandon it. QLED is so far away. The rumours say Samsung will market a QLED TV in 2018 but I can't see it. Early 2020s maybe and I don't think we'll see it common till the 2030s. OLED has been around for about a decade and it's not even ready for the non-ultra high end market yet.

 

[Kestrel]

Got myself a cheap 4k TV a couple of weeks ago, and I don't regret it one bit. It was a cheaper one... a 65" Haier. I could have shaved $80 off what I paid, but staff at the local Costco told me they were not going to get it in, so I ordered it from their website and paid shipping. Still, all in after delivery and taxes, and extending my warranty to 5 years, it was $944. I have the couch a lot closer to the TV than most people would recommend, but having that big screen that close, with that definition, with the lights out, really brings that theater feeling to the home theater.

Apparently the TV's speakers suck, but I'm running the sound off an external amp and good quality tower speakers, so I haven't tried them.

 

[Nemesis Prime]

4k tv isn't worth it unless you're going big, like 65"+

You won't notice any significant change otherwise.

 

[Kestrel]

4k tv isn't worth it unless you're going big, like 65"+

You won't notice any significant change otherwise.

It's not as simple as that - viewing distance is a huge part of that equation.

The quality of the videos that you're going to watch makes a huge difference as well. As much as I'm loving my TV, a good clean 1080p video is much preferable to a 4k video with a lot of compression artifacts.

That said - a good clean 4k video is amazing!

 

[Commander Clueless]

Sorry for the bump, but I just bought an OLED laptop and it's orgasmically pretty. I've never seen an image look so good.

Super jealous. I've only seen the OLEDs in store, but they look amazing.

It's not as simple as that - viewing distance is a huge part of that equation.

The quality of the videos that you're going to watch makes a huge difference as well. As much as I'm loving my TV, a good clean 1080p video is much preferable to a 4k video with a lot of compression artifacts.

That said - a good clean 4k video is amazing!

Agreed, viewing distance makes a big difference - particularly when upscaling from 1080p.

As the owner of a cheaper 4K TV, I believe a similarly priced higher end 1080p TV would have been the better option. Live and learn, I suppose.

Still, 4K Netflix looks pretty awesome.

 

[chicagoskycam]

It's not as simple as that - viewing distance is a huge part of that equation.

The quality of the videos that you're going to watch makes a huge difference as well. As much as I'm loving my TV, a good clean 1080p video is much preferable to a 4k video with a lot of compression artifacts.

That said - a good clean 4k video is amazing!

This - 4K on Direct TV as in movies they upscaled doesn't look any better than 1080P to me. That being said they have stuff on there obviously filmed with 4K camera's that looks amazing.

Netflix 4K is great
Amazon - I'm not really seeing the differences but maybe when the Grand Tour comes out I can tell.

People also need to looks at how well the tv scales other content and whether you will use it for gaming. I sit about 8 feet away from a 65 inch so anything less than good quality is noticable. 480i is unwatchable.

We need some more stuff filmed in native 4K.

 

[FLYLine27*]

This - 4K on Direct TV as in movies they upscaled doesn't look any better than 1080P to me. That being said they have stuff on there obviously filmed with 4K camera's that looks amazing.

Netflix 4K is great
Amazon - I'm not really seeing the differences but maybe when the Grand Tour comes out I can tell.

People also need to looks at how well the tv scales other content and whether you will use it for gaming. I sit about 8 feet away from a 65 inch so anything less than good quality is noticable. 480i is unwatchable.

We need some more stuff filmed in native 4K.

What about the app Netflix from the Amazon Firestick?

I'm going to be buying a new TV this november and I want something good since it will probably last 8-10 years...definitely something over 60 inches. My current 52 inch is up to 10 years.

 

[Bjorn Le]

Super jealous. I've only seen the OLEDs in store, but they look amazing.

Don't be jealous of how much money I spent

Normally I have a tinge of buyers remorse when I drop so much money on something, but it's really worth it. Of course if you want it, you need to buy a top trim model of an ultrabook (and in Canada, literally the only OLED on the market is the X1 Yoga, which is probably the best one but still, not many choices). I'm not sure when they'll trickle down to lower end models, Apple probably won't have an OLED laptop until 2019.

 

[chicagoskycam]

What about the app Netflix from the Amazon Firestick?

I'm going to be buying a new TV this november and I want something good since it will probably last 8-10 years...definitely something over 60 inches. My current 52 inch is up to 10 years.

Your 4K will come with aps built in so you don't need the firestick. Amazon has 4K on there but I have not been impressed with it like Netflix.

 

[aleshemsky83]

480p doesn't look great, reminds me of VHS now, but it depends on the quality of the source material, and how good the upscaler is, I supposed I could compare the DVD and BR versions of Zooptopia since I have both, but to my admittedly bad eyes, 1080p BR content looks great. Even the reviews of UHD BR players say the difference is minor, HDR is nice to have, but I think they basically have to play both versions side by side to really spot it, and as mentioned depending on how far away you sit, you'd either have to sit closer, or have a bigger TV.

But for myself, I'm just happy to have a bigger screen, and to get one with HDR less than $800. The jump in price to 55" or 65" is still too much for me (I wanted to get under $1k).

I'm sure a similar thread will pop in several years, asking the same questions about 8k TV's though. At some point, it's probably just specterbation though.

It really depends on your television. I would actually say the better your tv the bigger the difference. I have a crappy old Sanyo HD tv and I seriously can't tell the difference between bluray and DVD for a lot of movies. I also can't see anything during most nighttime scenes.

And thats why I'm excited about HDR, I've heard its a real game changer in that regard. Its much easier to see scenes that are taken in high light and low light. Netflix also has a lot of HDR content too so its not just bluray stuff.

Also, I'm pretty sure 480p is dvd resolution. It looks fine over HDMI. But obviously, 480 over online streaming looks horrendous.

 

[Commander Clueless]

Don't be jealous of how much money I spent

Normally I have a tinge of buyers remorse when I drop so much money on something, but it's really worth it. Of course if you want it, you need to buy a top trim model of an ultrabook (and in Canada, literally the only OLED on the market is the X1 Yoga, which is probably the best one but still, not many choices). I'm not sure when they'll trickle down to lower end models, Apple probably won't have an OLED laptop until 2019.

Oh, trust me I know. I've spent far too much on my monitor, but I love it so...hey.

Ain't no OLED, but I did opt for the 21:9 widescreen...which, may I say, is awesome.


On the other hand, I did go a little cheaper on the TV, picking up a 4K Vizio. Nothing against Vizio, mind you - it's a solid TV.

 

[chicagoskycam]

FYI - The Sony 4K I bought has access to your playstation stuff through an ap on there. I would guess basic games, aps and movies/TV. I'm an Xbox guy though but I got it due to the low input lag.

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

With Scorpio coming out I'll be evaluating my 4K options a bit sooner than I hoped, anyone know if anyone besides LG/Samsung/Vizio are producing OLED 4K sets? I have issues with each of those brands and don't trust them.

All of them have been known to provide customer data to 3rd parties on devices being used, content viewing habits and more. LG has been found monitoring home Wi-Fi network activity. Samsung has been injecting advertisements into apps, which may not be a huge deal but I won't support a company like that.

The LG ones look gorgeous, just wish they were made by Panasonic...

 

[chicagoskycam]

With Scorpio coming out I'll be evaluating my 4K options a bit sooner than I hoped, anyone know if anyone besides LG/Samsung/Vizio are producing OLED 4K sets? I have issues with each of those brands and don't trust them.

All of them have been known to provide customer data to 3rd parties on devices being used, content viewing habits and more. LG has been found monitoring home Wi-Fi network activity. Samsung has been injecting advertisements into apps, which may not be a huge deal but I won't support a company like that.

The LG ones look gorgeous, just wish they were made by Panasonic...

Right now LED's are still beating OLED's in refresh rate, motion blur and brightness. For gaming and the price I would wait till they catch up or save money on an LED. That will change as new models come out but LED conintues to improve as well. I'm not a fan of Vizio at all.

The 3rd party stuff is interesting. My Sony has no ads, I have no idea if they are tracking stuff. It's an android TV.

 

[Neely2005]

If you're buying a new TV right now why wouldn't you get a 4K TV?