View Full Version : 4k Televisions - Worth it or Not?
So we're finishing the basement and it will be the new TV area. I'll need a larger tv (55"-60" range) for it. Is the new 4K technology worth the squeeze?
I imagine I'll have the TV for some time (5-10 years). It's not a matter of having the money, it's a matter of should I spend it? Is this stuff going to be mainstream soon or is it still so new that it'll take 5 years to get a sufficient amount of programming made? It seems to me that 3D was supposed to be the next big thing but as I see it, it has stalled.
What say you?
I have one of those curved Samsung 4k tvs. I really can't tell the difference most of the time except somethings look so real they look fake if that makes any sense.
Playstation looks awsome on it and it's cool that it's curved.
It may be more worth it in the near future.
The rarity of 4K source material means that almost everything you watch is upsampled from 1080p (or less) to 4K. IME most 4K TVs underperform a good 1080p TV when using the same 1080p source. Revisit when cable and bluray can give you most of what you watch in 4k. 4K TVs will be cheaper by then as well.
What is available in 4K right now:
http://4k.com/movies/
So I guess the difference here based on a labor day sale from my local big box is $100 between non-4K and 4K. Does the TV up-convert non-4K to the higher resolution or does it rely on the source unit (Blu-Ray player, X1 box)?
Im going flat, not curved. I saw them in the store, made me motion sick. I think that's some way out there stuff.
And I apologize in advance. I have read exactly zero on the matter prior to asking questions here.
not yet but prices and size it seems you kinda get 4K in upper models for around the same price so I would go more on what you want than if its needed :)
myself I would go for it because I am a tech nut :)
We picked up a Samsung 65" 3D curve. It up converts all media, games etc. to 4k. Netflix has maybe 2 dozen 4k programs currently, its a start. Youtube is where to go for 4K media right now. It also converts 2D to 3D, not 100% but pretty close depending on the media. We went from a 52" Samsung Series 6, which is still a great set. We have it on craigs now. Audio is lacking on the curve, it lacks the mids and lows, a bit tinny. We have Bose to compensate. I thought the curve at first was gimmicky and it may for some but I do see the advantage at different viewing angles. Very happy with it.
We picked up a Samsung 65" 3D curve. It up converts all media, games etc. to 4k. Netflix has maybe 2 dozen 4k programs currently, its a start. Youtube is where to go for 4K media right now. It also converts 2D to 3D, not 100% but pretty close depending on the media. We went from a 52" Samsung Series 6, which is still a great set. We have it on craigs now. Audio is lacking on the curve, it lacks the mids and lows, a bit tinny. We have Bose to compensate. I thought the curve at first was gimmicky and it may for some but I do see the advantage at different viewing angles. Very happy with it.
65" 3D Curve. I said money wasn't that bigga deal but holy shit dude. Nice!
There's a chart somewhere showing the size of a tv and resolution of a tv relative to how far away you sit from it. If you sit far from your TV, a 4k panel isn't worth it unless you're going ridiculously large. If you sit close, you might be able to tell the difference between a 1080p and 4k TV.
Besides the part about your eye not being able to physically see the difference, there's also the fact that, as many stated earlier, there isn't a whole lot of 4k content.
IMO 4k is best used for PC monitors where the extra pixels can actually matter and some computers can actually game at 4k. No console can natively game at 4k... they have enough difficulty outputting at 1080p and 30 fps.
We view from about 9 or 10 ft to 18ft. The 65 is not too big. As Koshinn said distance is a factor. I also use as an os x monitor for work. The 4k nature clips on youtube are really amazing. Go as big as you can afford. Amazon has the 65" 3d curve currently at about 2.5k, it dropped a couple hundred recently.
SilverBullet432
08-27-15, 21:59
If youve got the money to blow, why not? Id really like a boat :(
I was thinking like 900-1000 isn't that much. $2500 is a whole different league. I don't have that much to throw in.
Amazon has a Samsung 55" 4K flat screen for just under $1k.
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN55JU6500-55-Inch-Ultra-Smart/dp/B00TWFHLI8
Amazon has a Samsung 55" 4K flat screen for just under $1k.
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN55JU6500-55-Inch-Ultra-Smart/dp/B00TWFHLI8
That's exactly the one I was looking at. The local big box has the same price plus I've got a coupon and will get 5% if I use the store credit card (already have one so why not).
Same as the curve except for remote for less and without 3d, which gets little use. Pretty good deal, some big box will price match.
It's ALL about the source - if you have a high framerate 1080p source, a good TV running adaptive interpolation can make it look a bit more impressive, and to be honest a TV larger than 55" running at only 1080p is pretty weak sauce up close.
I've been running 1440p for everything on my computer (doubles as my TV effectively), so pixel density in a good display is everything, but only because I have a really impressive gaming computer under it most of the time, and the bandwidth access of normal TV-like media (Netflix, Hulu, PrimeTV, Vimeo, and YouTube) I'm basically capped at 720p anyway so this is still the perfect resolution.
The benchmark for the next generation of consoles is going to be the ability to run 30fps 4k... which means they'll be expensive suckers, but eminently capable unless totally kneecapped by the operating system and DRM.
It's ALL about the source - if you have a high framerate 1080p source, a good TV running adaptive interpolation can make it look a bit more impressive, and to be honest a TV larger than 55" running at only 1080p is pretty weak sauce up close.
I've been running 1440p for everything on my computer (doubles as my TV effectively), so pixel density in a good display is everything, but only because I have a really impressive gaming computer under it most of the time, and the bandwidth access of normal TV-like media (Netflix, Hulu, PrimeTV, Vimeo, and YouTube) I'm basically capped at 720p anyway so this is still the perfect resolution.
The benchmark for the next generation of consoles is going to be the ability to run 30fps 4k... which means they'll be expensive suckers, but eminently capable unless totally kneecapped by the operating system and DRM.
I'd rather 1080p60 than 4k30 for gaming. I mean I'm at 1440p144 so I'm a bit spoiled, but at the distances most console gamers sit from their tv, 4k doesn't mean a whole lot.
1440p120 with the GPU to feed twice over it is truly amazing - that's how spoiled master race I am. Even XBoxOne looks just 'meh'. The irony is that I'm still at DSL connectivity limited speeds, even with online RTS/MOBA games that's still what's actually noticeably holding me back.
I still think a lot of the practical value is being able to run gorgeous cutscenes, then write worthwhile plots with engaging game mechanics - obviously oversimplified, but being able to pull those three things off means a blockbuster game. I think 90% of the buying populace, early adopters included, seem to have chosen 4k30 over 1080p60, or 1440p60 (the latter being the more logical evolution). The irony that most people with 4k TV's are still piping in signal with HDMI is hysterical to me - then again DisplayPort is going to be a legacy standard since a proprietary mini-DP standard (Thunderbolt) managed to take hold because of disposable income zombies.
I think at this point I'm going 60" 1080p (Samsung UN60J6300). It gets good reviews and is on sale this week for 1199 just about everywhere. There is so little 1080p content let alone 4k that it isn't worth either the massive up charge to stay at 60" or down grade to 55" at a lower cost.
I think at this point I'm going 60" 1080p (Samsung UN60J6300). It gets good reviews and is on sale this week for 1199 just about everywhere. There is so little 1080p content let alone 4k that it isn't worth either the massive up charge to stay at 60" or down grade to 55" at a lower cost.
There's tons of 1080p content. All blurays, a lot of youtube, all of Netflix except some foreign or really old stuff, and xbone and ps4 are 1080p. Also quite a few ps3 and xb360 games are 1080p as well, probably well more than half. 1080p live TV isn't common, but every other use of your TV is saturated with 1080p content.
Yeah fair enough. I really had cable in mind. I barely use my PS3 any more.
With cable, the best source of good 1080p HD content was actually over-the-air PBS stations. Really impressive stuff. Still the case actually - although YouTube stuff deliberately shot in 4k looks fantastic on lower resolutions too.
Quick read worth your time - http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/2/9243941/first-click-don-t-buy-that-new-4k-tv
That pretty much seals the deal. Off to the store this week it is!
Quick read worth your time - http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/2/9243941/first-click-don-t-buy-that-new-4k-tv
Pretty good read, thanks for the link.
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