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4k tv vs 1k tv

U

UaVaj

Golden Member
looking to buy a 50"+ TV in the next few days.

4k tv are price reasonably competitive with 1k tv.

is there any reason(s) not to get the 4k?


note: at the moment. 95% of the viewing content will be 1k or less.
please advise. also smart-tv is not a serious consideration - since a htpc will be connected to it.
 
technically a normal 1080p tv would be 2k based on their stupid naming convention

1920*1080 is 2k
3840*2160 is 4k

just get a normal 1080p set and wait. current 4k TVs are not worth it.
 
It really depends on your viewing distance. Unless you sit relatively close to the tv, you probably won't notice the difference.
 
Unless your eyes are good enough to resolve the increased resolution AT YOUR VIEWING DISTANCE then you might find yourself paying for something you cannot actually benefit from. Then again, many bought 1080P displays that were so small and their viewing distances so great that it was a joke.

Its all about marketing the bling. Shiny, shiny bling. "Why I have a 4K TV" said the guy legally blind. Perfect customer.
 
UaVaj said:
is there any reason(s) not to get the 4k?
Click to expand...

Do you watch anything other than 1080p?

4K = 3840x2160
1080p = 1920x1080
720p = 1280x720
DVD = 720x480

Do you watch Youtube or compressed-encoded downloaded movies? Old VHS or DVD movies? Streaming movies via Netflix, Vudu, Amazon Prime? All of those are going to be upscaled. Even if you're watching a digital DVD movie, you're stretching that 720x480 format all the way up to 3840x2160. That's probably going to look like watching Youtube fullscreen, haha.

I wouldn't go with 4K for my main set. I have a 1080p television for daytime viewing and a 720p projector for movie nights. The 720p is great because HD still looks good downscaled from 1080p to 720p, but everything else we watch (80's movies & such) still looks pretty decent since it's not being super-upscaled.
 
How much "+"? like +5" or +20"?

You can pay for 4k if it does not cost more than 10% extra compared to HD. 10% justifies the cost of bragging rights, anything more is a pure simple ripoff, specially as they have not come out with HDMI 2.0 on all of them yet and programming is limited to none
 
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You would have to be pretty close to a 50" set to notice the difference between HD and 4k. In all likelihood you won't be able to see a difference.

Like others have said, I'd pick up a 51" plasma before they're all gone. They'll likely bet the best TV sets you can get your hands on at a reasonable price for the next four or five years.

4k has all sorts of issues with media support and cabling. When there's a cable that can do 4k @ 60Hz or better and wide access to 4k content, then I'd think about it.
 
thanks to all who chimed in.
leaning toward a 1k tv.

the size question.
50" is the absolute minimum.
60" is the target.
60"+ is for a deal to hard to pass.
 
They make a 60" of that same TV. Couple hundred $ more.

Model: PN60F5300

Get it, before they are gone. I am almost hoping my circa 2006 42" LCD upstairs dies so I have an excuse to get one.
 
giantpandaman2 said:
You would have to be pretty close to a 50" set to notice the difference between HD and 4k. In all likelihood you won't be able to see a difference.

Like others have said, I'd pick up a 51" plasma before they're all gone. They'll likely bet the best TV sets you can get your hands on at a reasonable price for the next four or five years.

4k has all sorts of issues with media support and cabling. When there's a cable that can do 4k @ 60Hz or better and wide access to 4k content, then I'd think about it.
Click to expand...

By that time 8k will be just around the corner 😛

Id just stick with 1080p. No content = why waste your money.
 
TheAdvocate said:
They make a 60" of that same TV. Couple hundred $ more.

Model: PN60F5300

Get it, before they are gone. I am almost hoping my circa 2006 42" LCD upstairs dies so I have an excuse to get one.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Hoard plasma while you can as picture quality value is about to jump off a cliff.
 
The cheap Seiki 4K TVs are garbage. Much better off with a good 1080p TV, like the Samsung linked above.
 
I hear you guys about scooping one of the last plasmas. Saving up for a Samsung F8500. After that is gone you'll be stuck shelling out 5,000+ for a smallish OLED for good picture
 
Even if you have 4K content and sit close enough to your TV to "notice" extra detail it's not like the extra detail is really going to improve the image quality as much as the contrast difference between a compromised LCD and a high quality plasma screen would. Who cares if you can see the droplets of sweat on people's skin.

Cnet once cited a research bureau that empirically found that most people care more about a high contrast ratio and color accuracy than about resolution. The difference between the already very high 1080p resolution and 4K is especially redundant.
 
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giantpandaman2 said:
You would have to be pretty close to a 50" set to notice the difference between HD and 4k. In all likelihood you won't be able to see a difference.

Like others have said, I'd pick up a 51" plasma before they're all gone. They'll likely bet the best TV sets you can get your hands on at a reasonable price for the next four or five years.

4k has all sorts of issues with media support and cabling. When there's a cable that can do 4k @ 60Hz or better and wide access to 4k content, then I'd think about it.
Click to expand...

I see the difference in 4K on a 55" at up to 8 feet. I mostly game on mine, so it was worth it. With videos, there's practically no high quality 4K content out there. Netflix for instance is heavily compressed and nowhere near the quality a 4K Blu-ray would be, so not a good way to judge 4K quality.
 
Rdmkr said:
Even if you have 4K content and sit close enough to your TV to "notice" extra detail it's not like the extra detail is really going to improve the image quality as much as the contrast difference between a compromised LCD and a high quality plasma screen would. Who cares if you can see the droplets of sweat on people's skin.

Cnet once cited a research bureau that empirically found that most people care more about a high contrast ratio and color accuracy than about resolution. The difference between the already very high 1080p resolution and 4K is especially redundant.
Click to expand...

-And add in the fact that 1080p material (aka 99% of what we currently have) looks worse on a 4k display (I don't care how crazy you upscale it, content always looks best at its native resolution)

-And add in the fact that the new consoles that we will live with for 6+ years only have the power to do 1080p

-And add in the fact no solid platform for 4K distribution for new releases (aka a 4K Blu Ray) exists yet

-And add in the fact that cable and satellite providers barely provide 1080p (and often its compressed to hell)

Put all together, and honestly no one should be being 4K TVs right now unless all you plan to do is game on it with a $2000 PC.

Sad part is that nerds like those on this forum are used to judging things on specs: "This Seiki has twice the resolution as the Samsung plasma so it must be better." You can't do that with TVs, closest you can come to it is judging based on black levels (something the plasma wins every time).

I get if someone is a gamer and they want a 1080p Sony set just to game on for the low input lag, but anyone else who cares about picture quality for TV and movie viewing needs to buy a Samsung plasma this year and thank the gods they got a shot at one before they go away.
 
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UaVaj said:
thanks to all who chimed in.
leaning toward a 1k tv.

the size question.
50" is the absolute minimum.
60" is the target.
60"+ is for a deal to hard to pass.
Click to expand...

Your viewing distance should be atleast 1.5x the diagonal of the TV. For a 60" TV you should be atleast 90" away from the TV.
 
I am willing to lay money that all the Samsung 8500 and 5300 will be gone in the US from all the retail outlets by Labor Day. Samsung claims that plasma production will run till NOV this year. I am hearing that Samsung is not accepting any re-orders on the current plasma line and the current plasma production will be held aside to honor the warranty on existing sets.
 
Raincity said:
I am willing to lay money that all the Samsung 8500 and 5300 will be gone in the US from all the retail outlets by Labor Day.
Click to expand...

They are already starting to sell out. Some people expected Panasonic to be available in March and got screwed. Get them while you can!!!!
 
poofyhairguy said:
They are already starting to sell out. Some people expected Panasonic to be available in March and got screwed. Get them while you can!!!!
Click to expand...

I have both so I am set. Will probably pick up another 51" 5300 as a spare this payday to have a backup. I have a 2008 768P Panny plasma that's still going strong in the bedroom. Everybody is waiting for OLED to come down. I don't see it happening. Those who want premium will pay the price even if its around 10K as these guys still continue to push 4K LED down our throats. Our happy medium is now instinct.
 
Anubis said:
technically a normal 1080p tv would be 2k based on their stupid naming convention

1920*1080 is 2k
3840*2160 is 4k

just get a normal 1080p set and wait. current 4k TVs are not worth it.
Click to expand...

You're very wrong. 1920x1080 is 1K. 4X1080P=4K. It's four times the pixels of 1K, which is 1080P.
 
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