New TV: 4K or regular?

[Anonymous]

4k is the professional format and UHD (Ultra High Definition) is the consumer format. Both Netflix and Amazon have UHD content. UHD blu-ray players will be coming out in the next couple months. The biggest advantage to UHD over Full HD is not the extra resolution. The bigger advantage is HDR (High Dynamic Range), expanded color range, and high frame rate (60 frames per second).

That said, if your just going to be watching cable TV I would stick with a Full HD TV for now. If you want to stream UHD content off of Netflix/Amazon or want to purchase a new UHD blu-ray player soon, then you will need a 4k/UHD TV.

[Anonymous]

I know more than the average person about this. I'd go regular. Cheaper, not a lot of 4K content now, standards for 4K TVs are evolving -- yes, they are 4K, but there is more to picture quality than resolution, there is range of colors, etc., and things are happening in the industry this year to make that better as well. Also, for typical viewing distances and screen sizes in a home, regular looks about as good as 4K. 4K someday, but wait a year or two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got a 4K, but it was a great deal on an open box tv at Costco.

Were you planning to get 4K all along or did you just get it because it was a better deal? I'm more curious about the analysis behind buying 4K or not than the ultimate purchase decision.

DH just wanted to get the biggest, newest TV I would let him get away with. We had just saved $1000 by buying a dining set on Craigslist instead of the one we were going to order so he felt like we had money to burn.

[Anonymous]

You'd be surprised at the prices of 4K TVs right now. We had to buy a new TV one month ago. Our nine-year-old plasma TV broke one evening. After spending a long time at Best Buy we decided for a 55 inch Samsung 4K TV. I really wanted the bigger 65 inch TV but could not justify the extra thousand dollars for 10 more inches. Of course now that 65 inch TV is on sale for $500 less. We're liking the 4K content on Netflix and Amazon prime.

[Anonymous]

We got a 70 inch 4K at Costco for $1700. It's really nice (and I didn't care to get a new tv... That was all DH).

[Anonymous]

While I can tell a difference in the picture between our 4k TV, and our older 1080p TVs, I don't know that I care very much. There comes a certain point where the picture is simply good enough. It's actually kind of come full circle where the 4k TV has such a clear picture that some sitcoms look like B movies. It's hard to explain, but I can't say I like it much

[Anonymous]

A bigger difference is the technology behind the screen. LCD with LED backlighting or OLED. OLED will have much better contrast because, when it is black, it is not sending out light, whereas the LCD with be blocking all of the light, and some gets through.

OLED projects the colors, LCD filters so that only the colors get through.

OLED is more expensive, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I can tell a difference in the picture between our 4k TV, and our older 1080p TVs, I don't know that I care very much. There comes a certain point where the picture is simply good enough. It's actually kind of come full circle where the 4k TV has such a clear picture that some sitcoms look like B movies. It's hard to explain, but I can't say I like it much

OP here and I know exactly what you mean. When my parents got their new TV the picture was so perfectly clear you could tell the set was fake. I mean, obviously a set is fake, but the quality of the picture was such that you couldn't really pretend it wasn't.