4K source options

[Brian Stirling]

Just picked up a Sony 55" UHD TV and have been using it with DirecTV in1080P and BR videos, also in 1080P. I see DirecTV is expecting to launch a couple new birds for 4K but that could be a while. So, where can you get 4K video now and what are the rollout plans from other providers?


Brian

 

[SickBeast]

Only sony has 4k content and it costs a bomb through their online streaming service. Netflix has a couple of crappy shows in 4k as well but I don't count those. Ditto for the few YouTube videos out there.

Did you honestly just buy a 4k tv without knowing that there is no 4k content yet?

 

[Brian Stirling]

Only sony has 4k content and it costs a bomb through their online streaming service. Netflix has a couple of crappy shows in 4k as well but I don't count those. Ditto for the few YouTube videos out there.

Did you honestly just buy a 4k tv without knowing that there is no 4k content yet?

Excuse me, are you saying thre will never be 4K content? DirecTV will be offering it, perhaps by the end of the year but more likely next year, and the cable companies will begin to offer it as well. My question was about the other options.

When 1080 first came out there was little content and it took a while for the satellite and cable companies to provide the content, but back then there was fewer options through the internet -- hence my question.

Do you honestly care what I buy -- and why? Tell you what, send me a check for, say, $500, to cover 1/3 my cost if you're worried about my spending habits...


Brian

 

[SickBeast]

When 1080p came out we had blu ray discs and you could actually tell a difference at reasonable screen sizes and viewing distances.

I'm not worried about your spending habits, however your logic is flawed if you are only realizing now that there's no content for 4k.

 

[tential]

Excuse me, are you saying thre will never be 4K content? DirecTV will be offering it, perhaps by the end of the year but more likely next year, and the cable companies will begin to offer it as well. My question was about the other options.

When 1080 first came out there was little content and it took a while for the satellite and cable companies to provide the content, but back then there was fewer options through the internet -- hence my question.

Do you honestly care what I buy -- and why? Tell you what, send me a check for, say, $500, to cover 1/3 my cost if you're worried about my spending habits...


Brian

Or... you could return the TV, buy a 1080p TV and he wouldn't have to send you that $500 dollars.

I think it's a valid question though...
You bought a 4K TV without even looking to see what 4K sources were available?

Don't expect widespread 4K content to be available on TV anytime soon though. Maybe a channel here and there but we're not even full 1080p yet. Not many people will broadcast, SD, HD, and 4K.

For Movies not sure what that time table is looking like (Late 2015 is what articles say so probably early 2016 lol).

As for Streaming, well you can stream 4K from sources like NetFlix but given the bitrate of that content, I doubt it'll look better than a Bluray at 1080p.

Best use of 4K right now is a high end gaming rig that's about it. A pair of GTX 980s and you're good to go. Otherwise, not much you're using it for for awhile. Kind of like owning a Porsche but only being allowed to go 30 miles an hour. Basically meh.

 

[Matt1970]

I am sorry to say but I must agree that you are going to be a little disappointed at the availability of 4K content at this time and a 55" is probably barely scratching the surface of the size you need to even notice a difference between 1080 and 4K content.

 

[Bman123]

I just bought a new TV in march and I did look at the 4k sets but there was no way I would spend the money when there is literally no content available. I gladly passed and got a 60 inch 1080p Vizio led TV for less then half the price of a 4k tv. I'll get a 4k set when I can walk in and get a 60 inch for a grand

 

[SickBeast]

I just bought a new TV in march and I did look at the 4k sets but there was no way I would spend the money when there is literally no content available. I gladly passed and got a 60 inch 1080p Vizio led TV for less then half the price of a 4k tv. I'll get a 4k set when I can walk in and get a 60 inch for a grand

There is a vizio 60 inch 4k tv on sale for a grand right now at Sam's club. It even has hdmi 2.0.

 

[Bman123]

When I bought my TV in march they didn't have that model yet and I'm not a fan of being a early adopter due to no content. I only paid $680 for my TV. When 4k content is robust I'll get a 60 inch 4k set but it's way too early for me to sink the money into it

 

[SickBeast]

When I bought my TV in march they didn't have that model yet and I'm not a fan of being a early adopter due to no content. I only paid $680 for my TV. When 4k content is robust I'll get a 60 inch 4k set but it's way too early for me to sink the money into it

You just said that you would walk in and buy a 60 inch 4k set when you could get one for a grand. I showed you one. Now you're just contradicting yourself.

 

[Brian Stirling]

When 1080p came out we had blu ray discs and you could actually tell a difference at reasonable screen sizes and viewing distances.

I'm not worried about your spending habits, however your logic is flawed if you are only realizing now that there's no content for 4k.

Sorry, BR was years after HDTV came out -- years!


Brian

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

When 1080p came out we had blu ray discs and you could actually tell a difference at reasonable screen sizes and viewing distances.

I'm not worried about your spending habits, however your logic is flawed if you are only realizing now that there's no content for 4k.

The reason for his opinion is because at the moment there really is no point to get a 4k TV because of the scarcity of material for it, unless you specifically bought it for a show or movie (or unless you needed to buy a TV anyway, or for bragging rights or whatever). By the time 4k content becomes more popular, and we don't know how far off that time will be, there will inevitably be a much wider variety of 4k TVs and they will definitely be a lot cheaper than they are now.

 

[SickBeast]

Sorry, BR was years after HDTV came out -- years!


Brian

HDTV was 720p. The ps3 has been out since 2006 and it pretty much coincided with the release of 1080p TVs. And like I said, 1080p actually made a difference. That is the key.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Or... you could return the TV, buy a 1080p TV and he wouldn't have to send you that $500 dollars.

I think it's a valid question though...
You bought a 4K TV without even looking to see what 4K sources were available?

Don't expect widespread 4K content to be available on TV anytime soon though. Maybe a channel here and there but we're not even full 1080p yet. Not many people will broadcast, SD, HD, and 4K.

For Movies not sure what that time table is looking like (Late 2015 is what articles say so probably early 2016 lol).

As for Streaming, well you can stream 4K from sources like NetFlix but given the bitrate of that content, I doubt it'll look better than a Bluray at 1080p.

Best use of 4K right now is a high end gaming rig that's about it. A pair of GTX 980s and you're good to go. Otherwise, not much you're using it for for awhile. Kind of like owning a Porsche but only being allowed to go 30 miles an hour. Basically meh.

Well I have one content source right now -- my own video at 4K.

Streaming will be difficult given the bitrate but the newer versions of BR should have more than enough storage for a 4K movie so I expect we'll see that happen sooner or later.

In addition, upscaling 1080 to 4K will make video look better -- perhaps only a little but my own eyes tell me the current 1080 source looks better when upscalled to 4K. Now upscalling in't the same as true 4K but...


Brian

 

[SickBeast]

Upscaling does not improve picture quality. That is a myth.

 

[Railgun]

Redray is another potential source.

Else, get a hero 4 black and go nuts.

 

[tential]

I mean the largest issue is that the 4K sets out right now, most have a flaw or two that will be fixed in 2015 models. Why get a set to maybe watch 1-2 video sources when you could get the updated model (rather than being a beta tester now) and be in a much better position.

I mean at least you didn't get it within the first weeks of release though as numerous people reported issues with backlight's not being even or other types of PQ issues.

I just don't see the cost to benefit return kicking in til 2015 which in that case, might as well get a 2015 model or get a 2014 model heavily discounted. p

Well or like I said pick up a pair of GTX 970s/980s/R9 290xs and have some fun gaming at 4K resolution.

At that point at least you'll get some use out of the 4K resolution but even then you'll run into tons of trouble shooting issues as you try to get in game HUDs to show up correctly (The Witcher 2 is impossible to play at 1080p on an HDTV without comfy couch mod, can't even imagine if that mod can handle 4K as even at 1080p with the mod on I struggle to see the HUD.

Edit: The point many of us are trying to make is that you aren't getting much if any bang for your buck currently.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Sorry, BR was years after HDTV came out -- years!

And that is the danger of early 4k.

When Blu Ray finally hit, all those people with first gen HDTVs were left in the cold. Why? Because Blu Ray rallied around the piracy preventing HDMI, which early HDTVs lacked. So it turns out anyone with those early HDTVs wasted their money.

Any 4K TV without a HDMI 2.0 port is in the same boat. Without HDMI 2.0 you can't even drive a 4k interface at speeds that seem smooth. All pre-HDMI 2.0 4K tvs existed so early adopters could take on a lot of bad products to help get this industry off the ground, just like all those HDMI-less HDTVs.

You haven't said what TV you have. I hope it has HDMI 2.0 ports.

I personally won't buy a 4K TV until the 4K content delivery standard for disks is certain. Just assuming current Blu Ray technology is enough or will get used seems like a very good way to get screwed in this whole deal. Only assume you can buy what is on a shelf.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Upscaling does not improve picture quality. That is a myth.

No it can happen. It is NOT happening unless OP has a monster PC hooked up with MadVR tweaked PERFECTLY, but I have seen it it can happen.

Any situation where its just a plain old Blu Ray player playing a plain old Blu Ray is WORSE than playing that same content on a 1080p TV. You have to throw real power to make upscaling worth it.

 

[tential]

No it can happen. It is NOT happening unless OP has a monster PC hooked up with MadVR tweaked PERFECTLY, but I have seen it it can happen.

Any situation where its just a plain old Blu Ray player playing a plain old Blu Ray is WORSE than playing that same content on a 1080p TV. You have to throw real power to make upscaling worth it.

How hard is it to setup madVR with XBMC "perfectly"?

I feel like a 4770k + HD7950 is enough for madVR but I just don't know how to actually use it.

 

[poofyhairguy]

How hard is it to setup madVR with XBMC "perfectly"?

I feel like a 4770k + HD7950 is enough for madVR but I just don't know how to actually use it.

Here is a good link:

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?PHPSESSID=il701nn9gjluh81vmok5kbqsf1&topic=80253.0

The best MadVR filter for 4k is Jinc3+AR, but it will seriously hurt a GPU.

 

[s44]

You haven't said what TV you have. I hope it has HDMI 2.0 ports.

This year's all do. But the limiting factor is actually HDCP 2.2, not HDMI 2.0.

One issue is that the only chip that can process HDCP 2.2 doesn't have the bandwidth to do 4k full chroma at more than 30hz. This shouldn't matter for movies, though, since 24fps is the legacy format of all legacy formats.

Next year's sets and AVRs won't have this problem.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Next year's sets and AVRs won't have this problem.

Won't we know what sort of 4K optical disk standard we will have next year too? Seems like 2015 is the year of 4k.

 

[edro]

Well this thread answers my question.
I'm sticking with non-4K for my new TV.

 

[brainhulk]

When do you guys think we will get cable and tv broadcast in 4k?

When are they going to come out with a sub $5k 4k projector?