4k TVs

[Kodos]

Like many on this board, I appreciate good electronics. But when it comes to the jump from my 1080p plasma to a 4K TV, I'm not all that excited. I think regular HDTVs are good enough. I can see waiting a long time to make the jump. Is there anyone out there who has to have it now?

[Julio Riddols]

from what I have seen in the store, 4k is actually noticeably better than HD. The prices are coming down too, almost to that affordable range.. The debate I am having is between a LED bulb projector which can produce an HD image at 100" with a bulb that lasts 30,000 hours vs a 55" 4k TV. My SD projector has been outstanding for movie nights, and as much as I like to watch movies and play games on it, I can imagine upgrading to an HD projector might be amazing. The theater experience recreated at home is very attractive with how easy it is to set up.. But those 4k TVs are incredibly sharp.

[BillJasper]

Already bought one. Got a 50" Vizio 4K in March.

Has a really pretty picture, but I would've went 1080p if I hadn't gotten a great deal on it.

[Easy Mac]

I'm waiting until enough things are actually being broadcast in 4k. I don't watch Netflix enough to invest yet, since that's the only thing I know of that has a decent amount of 4k content.

That being said, I'd say Smart TVs are a worse investment than 4k TVs. There's too many services out there that are only on certain devices and not others. Add in that eventually new services will come out that may not be added to an older TV. To me, it just makes more sense to get a new box every few years that can be added to any TV.

[ISiddiqui]

Like many on this board, I appreciate good electronics. But when it comes to the jump from my 1080p plasma to a 4K TV, I'm not all that excited. I think regular HDTVs are good enough. I can see waiting a long time to make the jump. Is there anyone out there who has to have it now?

Well, I think it's because you (and I for that matter) have a plasma TV. The display on plasma is just much better than LCD and until OLED becomes more affordable (which actually does seem to look better than plasma, finally) there really isn't much reason to switch, esp since much isn't being broadcast in 4k yet.

[Kodos]

Yeah, Smart TVs are a waste. I'll just take a Roku, thanks. :)

I have a 50 inch plasma downstairs and a 50 inch LCD upstairs. The plasma handles sports and things with quick movement so much better.

[BillJasper]

My 4k TV is also a Smart TV. I like that I don't have to fire up a secondary device to watch YouTube, Netflix or Amazon.

[weegeebored]

Well, I think it's because you (and I for that matter) have a plasma TV. The display on plasma is just much better than LCD and until OLED becomes more affordable (which actually does seem to look better than plasma, finally) there really isn't much reason to switch, esp since much isn't being broadcast in 4k yet.Agreed. I still love my Panny plasma which is five years old now. The wife wanted a new tv for the living room. In the store from a normal from viewing distance, I couldn't tell the difference between the Sony 4k and the HD version next to it. She said that she could so, the 4k XBR850b (and the extra $500) it was. Don't get me wrong -- it's a very nice tv, but I would have rather saved the money. And my plasma looks just as good (and better at night and in dark scenes) than the 4k set.

So to the OP, let your eyes (and wallet) help make the decision for you, especially if you are into quality tv displays. I would also mention that the out-of-the-box settings are usually pretty bad, so check out the AVS forums. Some knowledgeable people will post their settings adjustments that will make for better PQ. Personally, I would stick with the Top 3 brands if you're going to buy 4k -- Samsung, Sony, LG.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I'm putting in a home theater right now. I just bought an Optima 1080p projector for my setup. I've done a few test images on the white wall (I have Goo Systems that I will eventually paint the screen on that wall). Even on a primed white wall with a 11 foot x 5+ foot image, it's very nice. I'm very happy with the quality.

[Easy Mac]

DOes anyone else have a problem with the motion smoothing on fairly recent TVs? All of mine are 60hz, so I don't have any issues with mine, but whenever I'm somewhere watching on TVs from the last few years with at least 120hz, my eyes just can't accept the scene motions. Its just TOO fluid for me.

[weegeebored]

DOes anyone else have a problem with the motion smoothing on fairly recent TVs? All of mine are 60hz, so I don't have any issues with mine, but whenever I'm somewhere watching on TVs from the last few years with at least 120hz, my eyes just can't accept the scene motions. Its just TOO fluid for me.The "soap opera" effect? There's usually a setting to reduce it or even turn it off.

[Julio Riddols]

I'm putting in a home theater right now. I just bought an Optima 1080p projector for my setup. I've done a few test images on the white wall (I have Goo Systems that I will eventually paint the screen on that wall). Even on a primed white wall with a 11 foot x 5+ foot image, it's very nice. I'm very happy with the quality.

That's what I'm talking about. Projectors are underrated. I feel like it depends on the value you put in screen size and things of that nature. A flat white wall works as a screen just as well as a specially made screen does from my experience. I've used both and the difference is negligible.

The pros (in my opinion):

Almost any reasonable screen size available at no extra cost compared to a TV.

You can still connect HDMI or Chromecast like a normal TV.

Save wall space on the wall opposite your sitting area.

No worries about the screen getting accidentally broken

Very portable. Can be used outside to recreate the "drive in" experience.

Absolutely no worry about "burn in".


The Cons:

Requires some distance to put out a large image.

Will sit behind your seating area generally, this can be an issue for some.

Bulb life requires occasional changing at a slight cost. New LED bulbs last 30,000 hours, which is a huge jump in duration over the 5,000 hour bulbs I am used to. I haven't had to replace the one in my Viewsonic yet though, and it has gone well over 10,000 hours. It has only slightly begun to fade.

Some projectors are noisy, but the newer ones are very quiet.
--

I'm a pretty firm convert at this point. Projectors are awesome for escaping the obscene prices and stupid crowds at a theater. Don't even get me started on the gaming/sports applications.

[cthomer5000]

DOes anyone else have a problem with the motion smoothing on fairly recent TVs? All of mine are 60hz, so I don't have any issues with mine, but whenever I'm somewhere watching on TVs from the last few years with at least 120hz, my eyes just can't accept the scene motions. Its just TOO fluid for me.

Only psychopaths leave that shit on. Turn it off - its in the menu options.

[stevew]

I can't believe plasma TVs are dead. :(

[Solecismic]

I spent considerable time early this year thinking about the whole living room concept.

Should I cut the cable? How would I watch sports otherwise? What channels do I watch (I came up with a package of eight that covers about 98%)?

Before this assessment, I was watching cable using a 32-inch Sony Vega CRT from about 2001, aided with TiVo.

I had the following problems: 32" is not enough for sports broadcasts, the letterbox format the Sony Vega used for HD clips the picture somewhat in every mode, the TiVo only recorded in SD, and I pay for around 200 channels I will never watch.

So I decided I wanted a new 50" Plasma TV. About a year too late. I looked at the LCDs and felt my old CRT did a better job in HD.

I wanted to upgrade the TiVo, but it only has HDMI output. So I switched to a cable DVR.

And given that three of my eight must-haves are ESPN, ESPN2 and BTN, cutting the cord won't work.

I will wait for OLED to come down in price. Maybe by then there will be sports-specific streaming packages.

[Kodos]

BTN is my must-have channel. Can't get a package that doesn't include it.

[CU Tiger]

I can't believe plasma TVs are dead. :(

Much like HD DVD and beta before the superior technology lost to the marketing machine.

We have 8 TVs in our house 3 Plasmas and 5 LCDs. The plasmas are 8, 7 and 4 years old and all look as good as anything you can buy today.

BTW for those waiting on 4k to come down:
Samsung 55-inch 2160p LED 4K Ultra HD TV (Black) for $899.99 at BestBuy (http://www.theblackfriday.com/Samsung-55-inch-2160p-LED-4K-Ultra-HD-TV--Black-/9356.htm)

[cartman]

For LED/LCDs, the back-lit panels IMHO are superior to the edge-lit ones. I've had a couple of friends that are Plasma purists ask if my TV was plasma.

[kcchief19]

I'm waiting until enough things are actually being broadcast in 4k. I don't watch Netflix enough to invest yet, since that's the only thing I know of that has a decent amount of 4k content.

That being said, I'd say Smart TVs are a worse investment than 4k TVs. There's too many services out there that are only on certain devices and not others. Add in that eventually new services will come out that may not be added to an older TV. To me, it just makes more sense to get a new box every few years that can be added to any TV.
This sums up both for my precisely. 4K is great, but the difference between SD and HD is enormous compared to the gap between HD and 4K. You're only going to get bang for your bank on native 4K content, of which there is almost nothing outside nature documentaries. Seems like a ton of 4K content is a long way off too, because there is little to no profit in it. And if you want to stream it on Netflix, there is still compression.

I have a smart TV and it's awful. Takes forever to load and connections are always putrid. Hooked up a Roku to the smart TV and it kicks its ass. More content, smoother interface, quick load time and faster connection.

[MizzouRah]

My wife gets these points from entering lottery tickets into the Missouri Lottery website.. since she works at a gas station, she gets a ton of old tickets. Anyway.. with those points, you can get stuff from their website.. we have a nice vacuum, 32" smart tv, pots and pans, kitchen aid.. and our 43" LG LED TV just came in today.. we have LCD's but this LED is freaking beautiful! I had no idea the jump from LCD to LED would be noticeable like this.

[weegeebored]

we have LCD's but this LED is freaking beautiful! I had no idea the jump from LCD to LED would be noticeable like this.I don't want to burst your bubble, but an LED tv is just an LCD with a different backlight -- fluorescent vs light-emitting diode.

[CU Tiger]

LED is just a Liquid Crystalline Display (LCD) with an LED backlight

[MizzouRah]

I don't want to burst your bubble, but an LED tv is just an LCD with a different backlight -- fluorescent vs light-emitting diode.

Not bursting my bubble.. it looks great. Doesn't really bother me it's only a different backlight.. seems it does the trick better than a normal LCD.

[INDalltheway]

OLED is the future, and I can't wait until they are affordable.

[Edward64]

Now that some BF ads are out, anyone have any recommendations on 65+ inch TV that are a good buy?

[Julio Riddols]

Never heard much bad about VIZIO.

[BillJasper]

Never heard much bad about VIZIO.

I have a 50" 4K Vizio. Can't complain.

[CU Tiger]

Vizio has about the highest DOA rate in existence. But for the sets that aren't DOA, they stack up as good as anyone.

Thankfully they have good customer service in the event you hit the lottery.

[Galaril]

We are looking for a new 65 inch tv for the recently finished basement. I am trying to stay under $1200 and would not mind getting a 4K ultra HD TV. Saw some Vizios and older model Samsung 4K Ultra TVin the $1000 range. Will be getting a sound bar and maybe a pair of surround speakers and so need to add that to the cost of the tv. I am not seeing. I have not seen online or at Costco /Best Buy Ay good "deals" on 4ks in the 65 inch space. So, I may just check out Walmart and Target and see what they got. Anyone recommend any 4K TVs?

[Ksyrup]

I recently bought a 4K Samsung for our bedroom, to replace another TV that replaced a TV we sent to college with Caitlin. I didn't buy it for the 4K, but with DirecTV, I upgraded our service and activated the 4K channels (all 3 of them).

Anyway, Friday night's Washington/Stanford game was the first thing I'd ever watched in 4K. Aaaaaaand... to say I was underwhelmed would be putting it lightly. I couldn't tell which channel was 4K and which was FS1 switching back and forth. Is there some sort of setting on the TV I was supposed to activate? I didn't see a difference. If that's 4K, I would never pay extra for 4K service.

What am I missing, if anything?

[sovereignstar v2]

I recently bought a 4K Samsung for our bedroom, to replace another TV that replaced a TV we sent to college with Caitlin. I didn't buy it for the 4K, but with DirecTV, I upgraded our service and activated the 4K channels (all 3 of them).

Anyway, Friday night's Washington/Stanford game was the first thing I'd ever watched in 4K. Aaaaaaand... to say I was underwhelmed would be putting it lightly. I couldn't tell which channel was 4K and which was FS1 switching back and forth. Is there some sort of setting on the TV I was supposed to activate? I didn't see a difference. If that's 4K, I would never pay extra for 4K service.

What am I missing, if anything?


How big is your TV and how far away are you watching it from?

[sovereignstar v2]

I ask because to take advantage of the extra pixels you need to sit quite a bit closer to the TV. The best thing about 4k is HDR and that isn't going to be available in all content and not surprisingly it mixes best with top-of-the-line TVs.

[Ksyrup]

49 inch. It's in our bedroom so we're pretty close to it.

[AnalBumCover]

This Samsung 55" Curved 4K tv is going on sale for $590 at Costco starting this Friday, Nov 17. Is this a good price?

https://www.costco.com/Samsung-55%22-Class-(54.6%22-Diag.)-Curved-4K-Ultra-HD-LED-LCD-TV.product.100384026.html

[sovereignstar v2]

At 49" if you aren't any closer than 6 feet you won't be able to tell the difference.

[CrescentMoonie]

Don't buy a curved TV unless you're the only person watching it. Directly in front is the only great viewing angle.

Hold out for OLED 4k if you can. Then remember that the TV size should be at least half the distance from which you are viewing (8 feet = 96 inches, so minimum TV size at that distance is 48"). Bigger for 4k than 1080p.

[sovereignstar v2]

Hold out for OLED 4k if you can. Then remember that the TV size should be at least half the distance from which you are viewing (8 feet = 96 inches, so minimum TV size at that distance is 48"). Bigger for 4k than 1080p.

I agree about the OLED comment, but I don't think people should totally stress about the viewing distances. That being because nobody will be viewing strictly 4k content - it's just not there yet. For example, I'm watching 4k bluray rips, lots of other 1080p content, and finally 720p streaming TV (PS Vue). I want the theater effect when I'm watching movies, but if I'm too close to my TV when I'm watching PS Vue then it's a bit of a mess.

I would say don't sweat about the numbers, just buy as big as you can afford that also fits in your room.