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4K Roku TV line from Best Buy

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mdram said:
now that you have had it for a while, what are your thoughts?
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For starters, if you're hooking it up to a computer, you'll want a machine with HDMI 2.0 (ex. NVIDIA 9xx-series) in order to get 60Hz @ 4K (according to one review, all of the HDMI ports support HDMI 2.2 & 4:4:4 @ 60Hz). I purchased a Kangaroo PC (basic $99 PC with Windows 10 & an integrated battery), which does not have HDMI 2.0. That means I can either run it at 30Hz @ 4K (mouse lag) or 60Hz @ 1080p (aliased text). The mouse lag kinda drives me nuts (although the picture is great at 4K rez), so I have it at 1080p right now. Everything looks worse (even the wallpaper), but the mouse acts normal, so that's the tradeoff between 30Hz & 60Hz at the different resolutions. But, the computer is awesome...wicked cheap, no noise, integrated UPS, and small enough to stick on the back of the TV with some heavy-duty velcro tape. It's not the fastest machine out there (Atom with 2 gigs of RAM), but you can literally take it out the box, slap it on the back of the screen, and be in business for the same cost as a standalone Win10 license, so that's awesome. Here's a link:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883722001

I have a Logitech compact wireless keyboard with built-in touchpad:

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Keyboard-Touchpad-Internet-Connected/dp/B014EUQOGK

Same deal with the keyboard & remote, just stick some HD sticky velcro to them & mount them on the wall underneath the screen. Here's a pic when I was doing installation: (I had an electrician add an outlet behind the TV, so everything is hidden now)

UXzOdwr.jpg


Quite frankly, it's awesome having a jumbo screen in the kitchen. I can use the Roku to throw on entertainment in the background, or else use the PC to pull up a recipe website, listen to a podcast, watch a Youtube cooking tutorial, or pull up my personal recipe database in OneNote. I have a nice little IKEA table in front of it for dough prep (cookies, bread, cinnamon rolls, etc.) with an outlet for plug-in appliances, so that's really convenient; I am considering a slide-out keyboard tray (so I can use a mouse) for under the dough table because I loathe touchpads, haha. I also really prefer using a keyboard for typed input on things like Youtube, where I'm constantly searching for shorter-length clips. I had carpool karaoke on last night to entertain me while making cookies 😀

As far as picture quality goes, if you are close to it, you will absolutely notice aliasing in 1080p content & in shows with less resolution than that. 4K looks great, of course, but you need to put some distance between you & the TV set for your eyes to compensate for the jaggies. I have a fairly small galley kitchen, so I'm always only standing a few feet away from it, so I do notice it, but it doesn't really bother me all that much because it's not like a main TV that I'm sitting down & watching a full show on, you know? Plus it's on sale for $379, which is an amazing price for a 43" 4K television set with a Roku built-in:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/insigni...-4k-ultra-hd-tv-smart-roku-tv-black/4204501.p

Considering a Roku 4 is $129, you're basically paying $250 for the TV itself, which is a pretty fair deal. Also, both the 43" & 55" have phenomenal image quality thanks to the 4K resolution. My dad had a 50" Coby before as his engineering PC monitor (one of those $399 specials from a couple years ago) & stuff like black levels & dot pitch were horrific. Thanks to the added pixels, not only does text look better (4K res @ 300% zoom - Win10 defaults to that config), but 4K content looks just stellar. Check out the 4K Costa Rica video on one of the sets if you get a chance...the color & sharpness of the snakes are like better than my eyes can see IRL lol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNJdPyoqt8U

I previously had a 17" Android tablet (HP Slate 17) that I used as my Kitchen PC for stuff like the family schedule for the week, recipes, etc., and used my K400 keyboard with that, but when I moved, my new kitchen is super tiny & has zero counterspace, so this is a much better solution - it's permanently mounted at standing height with jumbo text, so I can see it from across the room no problem when I'm grabbing ingredients or following a step-by-step procedure. Also as mentioned in my other post, the speakers are the best I've ever heard on any TV, ever. Fantastic volume & good clarity, no need to add a soundbar or anything unless you want bass (didn't need that in my kitchen).

My DLP is starting to have issues (a couple light but long cracks, flickering screen, fading brightness) & I'm considering replacing it with a 65" Roku TCL for $999. I'm curious to see how 4K looks on a budget 65" model, especially since I'd be sitting much further away than the one in the kitchen. My dad uses his as both a computer monitor & television (chair & desk in front, couch behind) and it works great in that setup...Netflix/VUDU/etc. movies look fine from ~10 feet away on the 55" screen. So convenient to have an input for the PC, but also a simple remote to hop to the Roku apps interface. Plus the PQ is just amazing...that Costa Rica video is just awesome on it. I think the extra resolution & pixel density makes even low-end 4K TV's provide a better picture than just a cheapo 1080p set...
 
yeah, i did the costa rica vid on my sammy 4k, it is amazing
i have it downloaded on a usb drive, with a few others
 
sportage said:
Whats up with VuDu and 4K?
Site claims only a few Vizio sets are supported. And the new 4K Roku.
But I'm finding it al comes down to HDCP 2.2 support.
If the TV supports HDCP 2.2, Vudu 4K does well despite the brand of TV.
2.0? No go.

One really has to be careful choosing a TV if 4K is the goal.
2.0 should be avoided. 2.2 is the current game in town.
That Samsung 2015 with only 2.0 support just won't cut it.
And how long will 2.2 stick around or until that too becomes obsolete?
Is it even worth buying a 2016 TV if one wants 4K UHD?
Click to expand...

The upcoming SHIELD TV update is supposed to install Vudu running at 4K, but it's still "on the way." Supposedly it's an exclusive for a while too.
 
poofyhairguy said:
No, it has a huge point. 120 divides perfectly by 24 but 60 doesn't. That is the point.

The TV makers via marketing have gotten people confused about 120hz vs frame interpolation (aka the soap opera effect). The latter is pure evil, but the former is a must have for me personally on a LED set. But I am very very picky about pulldown, I can tell if your TV is doing it just standing in front of it for a couple of minutes.
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Indeed. I'm ok with 60 Hz for a regular TV but much prefer (real) 120 Hz for movies. The manufacturers have made it very hard for average consumers to know what has 120 Hz though.

---

So, what's the difference between a 4K Roku TV and a 4K TV plus 4K Roku? Convenience? Cost?

mdram said:
yeah, i did the costa rica vid on my sammy 4k, it is amazing
i have it downloaded on a usb drive, with a few others
Click to expand...
Note that these 4K demo vids look awesome on non-4K displays too. Less detail if you look up close, but awesome nonetheless. (I played some on my non-4K computer screen and they look great.)
 
Eug said:
So, what's the difference between a 4K Roku TV and a 4K TV plus 4K Roku? Convenience? Cost?
Click to expand...

cost from consumer and producer points of views

if the tv has ROKU the manufacturer doesn't have to mess with developing their own smart tv system
 
Eug said:
So, what's the difference between a 4K Roku TV and a 4K TV plus 4K Roku? Convenience? Cost?
Click to expand...

Cost, convenience, quality.

The cheapest 55" 4K screen I've seen is the $399 Seiki model. Add in the Roku 4 for $119 and you're looking at $520. The 55" Insignia Roku is $499, so you save $20 & probably get a better screen to boot.

The convenience is nice. The Roku interface is VERY family-friendly. Now that it's built into the TV, I'd argue that it is the best TV GUI available. It lets you select pre-named "channel" icons for the inputs too, so you don't have to guess at HDMI 1, HDMI 2, etc. Plus, it's all built-in, so no extra wiring or anything. I typically detest smart TV's, but I do like Roku, and I don't feel like 4K is going to be trumped by 8K anytime soon, so it's pretty safe to buy a TV with a 4K Roku built-in. Plus, while I don't want to call it disposable, $499 for a 55" television is a pretty awesome price, and if in several years 8K Roku TV's come out, I wouldn't really feel bad about upgrading again since most higher-end TV's still cost well over a grand, so this is a relatively budget-friendly model for what you get.

Also, the Roku 4 has pretty bad reviews. Last time I upgrade, I chose the Roku 3 2015 models over the 4's due to the problems they were having. The built-in Roku 4K TV's don't seem to suffer from those problems. I've had no issues with either the 43" or 55".
 
mdram said:
cost from consumer and producer points of views

if the tv has ROKU the manufacturer doesn't have to mess with developing their own smart tv system
Click to expand...

Or supporting it...no patches, no updates, no new channels, no programming team required! You sell your core competency & you integrate someone else's for the Smart TV aspect. Great combo imo.
 
Kaido said:
Or supporting it...no patches, no updates, no new channels, no programming team required! You sell your core competency & you integrate someone else's for the Smart TV aspect. Great combo imo.
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Yeah but will they continue to update these TVs?

At least in theory, I kinda like Vizio's approach. No Smart Apps at all. Just casting.
 
Eug said:
Yeah but will they continue to update these TVs?

At least in theory, I kinda like Vizio's approach. No Smart Apps at all. Just casting.
Click to expand...

I don't see why not. They seem update all their devices concurrently, although it's in the same vein as iOS devices...older devices don't get all of the updates, although it's more due to hardware limitations than arbitrary software restrictions due to age. Like I think one of my first-gen Roku boxes doesn't get the VUDU or Amazon channels or something. Maybe due to DRM, I don't remember. Anyway, Roku pretty much just makes Roku stuff, so I'd imagine they'll provide support for an extended period of time for the televisions.
 
Somewhat off topic, but BB had the 39" 1080p Insignia + Roku built-in for sale for $199, so I picked one up to replace the guest room TV. I agree with Kaido that the Roku TV interface is one of the slickest and easiest to use GUI on a smart TV I've seen yet! The only thing I'd knock against it would be the built-in advertising eg. offers that occasionally grace the Roku home screen. For $199, this TV is practically a steal!
 
Beer4Me said:
Somewhat off topic, but BB had the 39" 1080p Insignia + Roku built-in for sale for $199, so I picked one up to replace the guest room TV. I agree with Kaido that the Roku TV interface is one of the slickest and easiest to use GUI on a smart TV I've seen yet! The only thing I'd knock against it would be the built-in advertising eg. offers that occasionally grace the Roku home screen. For $199, this TV is practically a steal!
Click to expand...

Saw that the other day, pretty good deal! The 48" is $349 as well.

fwiw, you get an ad on the right side of the screen on the Roku boxes as well. I have a few Roku 3 boxes & they all have ads. Fortunately they're not too annoying (no sound & I think not really any motion).
 
stopped by and looked at the insignia
it did have a great pic, better than the sony and vizio under it, and almost as good as the samsung next to it

i do beleive its the one i will get, once the other projects are done and it goes on sale

i did notice it seems to be thicker than the others, not a big deal, just noticable
 
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