OT: Buying a TV. Is 4K worth the money?
I’m buying a 65inch flat screen for football season and having it mounted. Is 4K worth it? I will be getting an LG or Sony because that’s what I’ve had succes with and that’s what I want. Not sure about 4K though. When will sports be broadcast in 4K? 4 years ago I bought a tv and everyone tried to tell me to buy 4K because within a few years that would be the standard. Well here we are and it still seems way away. I’m not really in touch with tv and broadcasting technology. I would appreciate any knowledge and advice from you guys.
Read up on the products you are interested in. There is a lot of info out there. Long story short the price will be dropping on these tv’s as the production of them becomes cheaper.
Everyone always says the price will be dropping. Well, my significant other gave me the ok now, so I don’t want to waste the opportunity before there is a change of mind.
Prices for 4K sets are very reasonable, particularly the high end toys (OLED's) that Sony and LG make. Considering the sophistication of the technology, these sets are not expensive. And all sets are not equal.
AVSforum.com is a good place to do some reading on the topic.
If you read up about the way they are produced there is a new cheaper way that will drastically change the cost.
If if you want to buy now then by all means by now! But just giving you some information that I’ve seen
I always see if CNET reviewed whichever TV I think I want to buy. My understanding is 4K is useless unless you are watching something that is broadcasted in 4K.
Not only does it have to be broadcast in 4k, but it has to be shot in 4k. Very few shows/events are and very few providers can broadcast it.
4K TVs are cheaper now- you need hd upgrade package or just use an antennae or streaming to benefit. I’d get a LG OLED if your spending the money and looking at LG. I have a samsung QLED and it’s different- wish I listened and paid the extra money for OLED - Costco sells the LG.
What do you mean 'different'? Lower quality picture? Different viewing experience?
QLED is a marketing scam by Samsung to make people think they are getting OLED. In reality, it's a totally different technology that doesn't have the advantages of OLED.
So I can still get HD on it right? Meaning if I don’t buy the package I just wouldn’t be taking advantage of the 4K tech? What is OLED?
Yes, OLED is one of the newer technologies, and it's very clear and has great colors (deep blacks, vibrant bright colors). It stands for "organic light emitting diode". OLED's are very nice, but still pretty expensive compared with normal LED TV's.
But OLED is still short of 4K correct?
No. OLED has nothing to do with 4k. In the simplest terms OLED means that each individual pixel on the screen has it's own light source, instead of one back light for all the pixels like a regular LED TV. It makes for better colors across the spectrum.
As far as I know, only LG and SONY produce OLED TVs. Anything else, QLED, XLED, or whatever, are just marketing buzzwords designed to confuse the purchaser by dressing up a regular LED TV as something more dynamic.
Well, Quantum dot are a little different because each pixel has a for of phosphor that glows the appropriate color better than just the LCD color. They are generally better for color reproduction and brightness over standard LCD.
You're right, except that I don't think LG makes any OLED TVs that are not 4K (and Sony buys their panels from LG).
That’s crazy since Samsung is the market leader when it comes to AMOLED screens on phones. You’d think it would apply to their TVs
No. Lg Oled are 4k.
I just went round and round about 6 months ago and bought a Vizio P Quantum 65. My mom bought a Vizio M series 4k for her living room and it is nowhere near the picture mine is.
OLED suffer from burn-in and don't tolerate bright rooms as well as LCD. If you're room is dark and you don't mind the possibility of burn-in in a few years, buy an OLED. Otherwise I would buy a Quantum dot. It's Samsung or Vizio, imo. I think Samsung makes all the Quantum Dot panels.
Vizio just came out with a new PX? Quantum? They're amazing. They're at best buy.
A few months ago I bought a TV. Did lots of research. OLED is a must if you want a great TV. This person saying OLEDs burn out is incorrect. Just make sure it’s never left on. Would also recommend a good sound bar and bass to go along with it. Can get a good combo for around $800.
Not sure you can buy a 65" TV that's not 4K anymore... It's essentially standard now.
You definitely can and they are about $1,500 cheaper.
There are 4K 65" namebrand TVs (Vizio, Samsung) for $800. $1500 cheaper than that is someone paying you $700 to take their TV away.
EDIT: Hell, here is a 65" 4K TV for $600 through Best Buy. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/vizio-65-class-led-e-series-2160p-smart-4k-uhd-tv-with-hdr/6213226.p?skuId=6213226
You get what you pay for. There’s a reason Sony and LG are more. I want it to last at least 10-15 years.
I think if you think there is an appreciable quality difference between Sony and Samsung/Vizio in 2019, you're mistaken but you are the consumer. (When did LG become a gold-standard for televisions?)
Regardless, here's a 65" Sony 4K for $999. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-65-class-led-x800g-series-2160p-smart-4k-uhd-tv-with-hdr/6328561.p?skuId=6328561
Yeah, I have a Vizio that isn't 4k and I don't know how much better it could be than what I've got. Last LG I had lasted about 4 years, which is about 2 years longer than the LG DVD player I had.
The TV experience put the final nail in the LG coffin for me.
I will say my TV is "only" 55". Perhaps larger and 4k would make a difference.
I had 4 Vizio LED TVs in a business setting on 18 hours approximately a day. All the screens died in under 1 1/2 years. Every single one.
It's more than brand. Each manufacturer offers different products at different price levels. High-end LG tvs are generally rated the best of all brands. But LG, Vizio, Sony, and Samsung all sell high-end, pricer tvs with markedly better picture tech alongside lower-priced, still-good-but-not-as-spectacular "bargain" lines.
No major brand makes a serious effort to sell 1080p tvs anymore. 4k tvs at the same level and size are cheaper now than 1080p tvs were a couple of years ago. It's other stuff, like HDR picture, local dimming, and display type that really drive the price differences now.
Samsung has been the #1 ranked LED TV's for over 10 years now LG runs a close second for the last 5 or so years and Sony is well behind them.
There's a standardization war going on between QLED and OLED.
Read more here https://www.techradar.com/news/oled-vs-qled
It's your choice but I ditched Sony back in 2011 when they were buying their LED panels from Samsung and up charging $300 people for essentially the same unit only with a Sony nameplate.
I don't know if this is still true, but Vizio used to buy their parts from LG. According to a friend, who works in the industry (distribution not manufacturing) the Vizio and LG tvs were essentially the same.
The display is what they buy from LG. There are other components that go into TVs including software, speakers and some chips.
If you're expecting your TV to last 10-15 years, you're likely in for a rather rude surprise. Maybe an OLED screen will last that long, as long as you use it sparingly and carefully. OLEDs can wear unevenly because they deliver power to each pixel independently.
A regular LED panel? The backlights are rated for about 5 years of normal use.. and when you go to replace them, you'll find that they cost almost as much as a new TV does.
To answer the question you actually asked: 4K vs non-4K is a visible difference, but the amount of 4K content remains limited, and, AFAIK, there are no current plans for cable systems to launch any 4K services anytime soon. Basically, broadcasters are still upset about HDTV: TV manufacturers convinced everybody to switch, and broadcasters had to pay all of this money for new equipment -- but they're not making any more money. The desire to go through it all again is just not there.
If your intention is to use it to watch sports, rather than to stream something from Netflix, Amazon, or Apple, I think HDTV will suit your needs fine.
In fact, I'd go for a lower-end set and plan to replace it in 5 years, rather than a higher-end set that may not end up matching the way the industry moves.
The other thing I'd suggest is to get as dumb a TV as possible. A lot of the lower-end TVs are subsidized by Smart TV software, which makes their money the same way Google does: turning their customers into their product by selling personal information to marketers. It's very difficult to get a non-smart TV these days, so just make sure that the software on the one you get can be deactivated to as great a degree as possible.
Yeah. This is a very questionable take. There's a reason why Sony has fallen from the top. They overcharged for the same stuff everybody else sold.
The only real question right now is Samsung qled panel or LG OLED panel. I went with a Samsung panel in a Vizio.
You seem set on your brands, but I will just say that my TCL is amazing and was significantly cheaper. Never had an issue, picture is fantastic. Sports in 4K are great.
What providers actually broadcast sports in 4k? Certainly not a feature of the Charter I get, which isn't great even as regular 1080p is concerned.
EDIT: BTW I got a Vizio P series this spring and I would get it again. But TCL (the 6 series, their best option) was a very, very close second and I don't think you can go wrong with it.
Maybe the Amazon Prime streamed NFL game? Even that would be surprising.
I suspect that this comment is actually about upscaling. I'm not a fan -- the "enhance" button doesn't really exist. You can't create details that aren't there in the original. Interpolation can come close, but at the end of the day, it's a guess.
Dollar for dollar TCL is probably the best 4K tv buy.
There's a reason they are phenomenally popular with gamers.
Ummmmmmmm, technology may advance in 15 years and a company will have turned the entire sky into a world-wide broadcast screen to watch for less than cable fees are today..............
If it happens, in my opinion, it will greatly hurt the Drive-In Movie Business.....
I bought this TV a year or 2 ago for $800. Apparently its a "monitor" but for my purposes that didnt matter. Its fine and serviceable. The picture wont blow you away but its good and big which is what I wanted for the basement.
Eli, what the heck are you talking about?
If it's a 65 inch TV, is it safe to assume you will be keeping it for a long time? If so, I would definitely recommend getting 4K so you know you'll be getting the best possible quality for years to come, especially with a TV that large. I honestly don't know how close we are to 4K being the standard, but it will come eventually, so you might as well spend the extra buck now so you don't feel the need to spring for a new TV when it does become standard.
This is where I’m leaning. Just don’t want to get suckered in to something that will never feasible.
I wouldn't worry about getting suckered in. 4k will be the standard, just a question of when. 4k doesn't require any extra effort on the part of the consumer other than buying the TV unlike 3D and VR require. That is why 3D and VR will never be mainstream.
It is definitely feasible. This is not stupid gimmicky crap like 3D TVs. It's a progression of quality that is easily supportable by all the content providers and networks out there.
You literally can't find a 65" TV on Amazon that isn't 4k that's not older than 2018 model...
Samsung has a 98" 8k TV on sale for 70k. Amazing picture quality. I'm thinking about picking up another one for the game room.
Gotta spend money to make money.
Have a buddy who owns his own AV company in Phoenix. Knows his shit. Setup the Timberwolves arena and KG's home. KG's home installation was practically commercial level because of the scope. So he really knows what he's doing to say the least.
My buddy swears by Sony and refuses to install LG products. He admits the LG OLED TVs have a great picture, but they do have more issues that need to be fixed and finding parts and decent service techs to do so is extremely difficult. I can attest to this as I bought one that ended up having banding issues after about 4 months. LG techs tried to replace the panel four different times and none of the new panels ever worked properly. They ended up paying me back for the TV and I bought a Sony to replace it. Couldn't be happier with it.
Yes, 4K is worth it. 4K discs look amazing when my wife and I watch movies at home. 4K player does a great job of upscaling blu rays as well. I can see a big difference in quality.
What do you mean by 4K disc? Does a 4K tv make regular dvds look better or just blu Ray?