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4k tv worth it?


Jamalisms

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Will only be used in a rec room, streaming and with current DVD / Blueray players. We don't do cable. Tempted to just buy a 1080 but how quick is the trend towards 4k and how quickly will I regret not having it for basic functions like streaming?

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Hahaha. I'm doing ok but no. And I'm doing ok because I don't but shit like a $4,000 tv.   Went to Best Buy to get the TV 9's recommended and they didn't have it in stock or on display despi

I guess my question would be how much can you really save by going with a 1080 as opposed to 4k and if that amount is worth the savings for you. A quick scan of Best Buy looks you might be able to sav

I don’t disagree but if you are buying a new TV right now it makes sense to go 4K because the vast majority of content will be 4K during the usefull life of the TV. 

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38 minutes ago, Jamalisms said:

Will only be used in a rec room, streaming and with current DVD / Blueray players. We don't do cable. Tempted to just buy a 1080 but how quick is the trend towards 4k and how quickly will I regret not having it for basic functions like streaming?


Except for smaller, and/or bare level models, I do not think you can even get 1080 only anymore (probably any TV $300 or more is going to be 4K now.) 

 

Native 4K is noticeably better and HDR is noticeable too if the TV  can get bright for the HDR.

 

The majority of recent popular stuff is in native 4K and HDR for streaming. Pretty much everything that has been released in last few years and even remotely popular, from series to movies, is in 4K/HDR on Netflix and Amazon. I think Apple TV has put everything possible in 4K, and it was (not sure if it still is) up-porting people's libraries  I think (if you owned HD movies online, they get bumped to 4K when you ported them to Apple TV.)

 

 

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I refuse to go less than 50" for the space and prefer 55". I've been told to keep it under $400 but that's as flexible as I care to make it.

 

Obviously that combo limits my options considerably and the real questions are - What do I get if I stick to those parameters, what do I get if I want to move up in price ... and why would I move up in price given the usage?

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5 minutes ago, Jamalisms said:

I refuse to go less than 50" for the space and prefer 55". I've been told to keep it under $400 but that's as flexible as I care to make it.

 

Obviously that combo limits my options considerably and the real questions are - What do I get if I stick to those parameters, what do I get if I want to move up in price ... and why would I move up in price given the usage?

TCL has some options in 55 around $500 for a pretty good TV.  The main thing you will get with higher budget are 1) higher brightness (important for HDR), 2) much larger color pallet (again HDR), 3) motion control (frame skipping in movies, blur on sports.) Upconverting 480 and lower content might not be as good with a lower budget TV.  1080 and 720 upconverting to 4K should be fine (might notice side by side against a higher budget TV but probably not notice watching the one TV.)

 

BTW, here is a listing of the latest Netflix 4K content. I am pasting it to make the point of how much there is:

 

https://hd-report.com/list-of-4k-ultra-hd-movies-tv-shows-on-netflix/

 

Netflix 4k Ultra HD Movies & Series

Title4kHDRAudio

Netflix Original Series

3%√5.1

13 Reasons Why√5.1

A Series of Unfortunate Events√5.1

Abstract: The Art of Design√√5.1

Alexa & Katie√√5.1

Alias Grace√5.1

Altered Carbon√√5.1

American Vandal√5.1

Atypical√5.1

Audrie & Daisy√5.1

Black Mirror√5.1

Bloodline√5.1

Blood on Rome√5.1

Cable Girls√5.1

Chef’s Table√√5.1

Chef’s Table France√√5.1

Chelsea Does√5.1

Collateral Limited Series√5.1

Cooked√5.1

Dark√5.1

Dear White People√5.1

Dirty Money√5.1

Disjointed√5.1

Easy√5.1

El Chapo√5.1

Everything Sucks√√5.1

F is for Family√5.1

Fastest Car√5.1

Fearless√5.1

Flaked√5.1

Friends from College√√5.1

Frontier√5.1

Fuller House√5.1

Girl Boss√√5.1

GLOW√√5.1

Godless – Limited Series√√5.1

Grace and Frankie√5.1

Gypsy√5.1

Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On√5.1

House of Cards√5.1

Jimmy Carr: Funny Business√5.1

Lady Dynamite√5.1

Last Chance U√5.1

Longmire√5.1

Lost In Space√√5.1

Love√5.1

Manhunt√5.1

Marcela√5.1

Marco Polo√√5.1

Marseille√5.1

Marvel’s Daredevil√√5.1

Marvel’s Jessica Jones√5.1

Marvel’s Luke Cage√√5.1

Marvel’s Iron Fist√ √5.1

Marvel’s Punisher√√5.1

Marvel’s The Defenders√√5.1

Master of None√5.1

Medici: Masters of Florence√5.1

Million Yen Women (Japanese)√5.1

MindHunter√√5.1

Nailed It√5.1

Narcos√5.1

Netflix Presents: The Characters√5.1

One Day at a Time√5.1

Orange is the New Black√5.1

Ozark√5.1

Patton Oswalt√5.1

Real Rob√5.1

Requiem√5.1

Rotten√5.1

Santa Clarita Diet√√5.1

Samurai Gourmet√√5.1

Sense 8√5.1

Somebody Feed Phil√√5.1

Stranger Things√√5.1

Surviving Escobar√5.1

The Crown√5.1

The Get Down√5.1

The New Legends of Monkey√ 5.1

The OA√√5.1

The Ranch√5.1

The Rain√5.1

The Standups√5.1

The White Helmets√5.1

The Who Was? Show√5.1

Travelers√5.1

Ugly Delicious√5.1

Ultimate Beastmaster√5.1

Unbreakable: Kimmy Schmidt√5.1

w/Bob & David√5.1

Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp√5.1

Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later√5.1

Netflix Original Films

1922√5.1

A Christmas Prince√5.1

A Futile and Stupid Gesture√√5.1

A Very Murray Christmas√5.1

Amanda Knox√5.1

Amateur√ 5.1

Bright√√5.1

Candy Jar√ 5.1

Chasing Coral√√5.1

Come Sunday√5.1

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny√5.1

Death Note√√5.1

Deuces√5.1

Game Over Man!√√5.1

Hannibal Buress: Comedy Camisado√5.1

I’m Brent Morin√5.1

Jerry Before Seinfeld√5.1

Keith Richards: Under The Influence√5.1

Little Evil√5.1

Marco Polo: One Hundred Eyes√5.1

Mute√√5.1

Naked√√5.1

Okja√√Atmos

One of Us√5.1

On My Block√5.1

Pee Wee’s Big Holiday√5.1

Rapture√ 5.1

Sandy Wexler√√5.1

Seven Seconds√√5.1

Shimmer Lake√5.1

Special Correspondence√5.1

Take Your Pills (Documentary)√ 5.1

The Babysitter√√5.1

The Do Over√√5.1

The Outsider√ 5.1

The Ridiculous 6√√5.1

Theo Von: No Offense√5.1

The Cloverfield Paradox√√5.1

The End of the Fu***ing World√ 5.1

The Siege of Jadotville√√5.1

Tom Segura: Mostly Stories√5.1

The Week Of√√5.1

True Memoirs of an International Assassin√5.1

War Machine√√5.1

What Happened, Miss Simone?√5.1

Wheelman√5.1

When We First Met√5.1

Win it All√5.1

Wormwood√5.1

You Get Me√5.1

Netflix Comedy & Specials

Alan Saldaña: Mi Vida De Pobre√5.1

Amy Schumer: The Leather Special√5.1

Bo Burnam Make Happy√5.1

Brad Paisley’s Comedy Rodeo√5.1

Brian Regan: Nunchucks and Flamethrowers√5.1

Cedric the Entertainer√5.1

Chris D’Elia: Man On Fire√5.1

Dave Chappelle√5.1

David Cross: Making America Great Again√5.1

DeRay Davis: How to Act Black√5.1

Gabriel Iglesias√5.1

Gad Elmaleh: American Dream√5.1

Hari Kondabolu: Warn Your Relatives√5.1

Iliza: Confirmed Kills√5.1

Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy: We’ve Been Thinking√5.1

Jerry Before Seinfeld√5.1

Jim Jefferies: Freedumb√5.1

Jimmy Carr Funny Business√5.1

Jo Koy Live from Seattle√5.1

Joe Rogan: Triggered√5.1

John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City√5.1

Katt Williams: Great America√5.1

Kevin James: Never Don’t Give Up√5.1

Louis C.K. 2017√5.1

Lynne Koplitz: Hormonal Beast√5.1

Marlon Wayans: Woke-ish√5.1

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman√5.1

Oh, Hello On Broadway√5.1

Patton Oswalt Talking for Clapping√5.1

Red Armisen: Standup for Drummers√5.1

Ryan Hamilton: Happy Face√5.1

Sarah Silverman A Speck of Dust√5.1

Seth Rogan’s Hilarity for Charity√5.1

Tamborine: Chris Rock√5.1

The Kissing Booth√5.1

Tom Segura: Disgraceful√5.1

Trevor Noah√5.1

What the Health√5.1

Other Series (subject to expiration)

Better Call Saul Seasons 1-2 (AMC)√5.1

Breaking Bad: Seasons 1-5 (AMC)√5.1

Planet Earth II (BBC)√5.1

The Blacklist: Seasons 1-3 (NBC)√5.1

Video Game High School√5.1

Other Films (subject to expiration)

APEX: The Story of the Hypercar√5.1

Barbecue√5.1

Bad Asses on the Bayou√5.1

Diary of an Exorcist – Zero√5.1

Fireplace 4k: Classic Crackling Fireplace√5.1

First They Killed My Father√5.1

Gerald’s Game√5.1

Godzilla 1: Planet of the Monsters (Animated)√5.1

Groundhog Day√5.1

Madre√5.1

Moving Art: Oceans√5.1

Moving Art: Underwater√5.1

Moving Art: Waterfalls√5.1

Our Souls At Night√5.1

Samurai Gourmet√5.1

She’s Gotta Have It√5.1

Talladega Nights√5.1

True to the Game√5.1

The Davinci Code√5.1

The Holiday√5.1

 

 

Edited by 9 Nines
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18 minutes ago, Jamalisms said:

I refuse to go less than 50" for the space and prefer 55". I've been told to keep it under $400 but that's as flexible as I care to make it.

 

This is a good target.  Right now it is around $650 but TVs usually take a price hit starting in June/July.  I imagine it would be easy to find closer to $500 over the next two months if you watch for it for weekly or daily deals.   You can go to camelcamelcamel.com and look at last year models to get a graph of Amazon prices which will give you an idea of when they take price falls.

 

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/tcl/6-series-2018-r617

 

Best Buy and some other retailers have last year's model of that TV for around $500.  https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tcl-55-class-led-p6-series-2160p-smart-4k-uhd-tv-with-hdr-roku-tv/5878705.p?skuId=5878705

 

Per that review I listed, the 2018 model is just marginally better.  The 2017 one is being cleared so it would probably not go down any - maybe $50 on a special Holiday sell.   It is $500 currently.   If you want to increase budget to $500 and want a TV now, that would be good target.  

 

Many posters on AVSForum (very good video and audio site) were raving about the 2017 TCL P-series.  They were comparing its contrast and local dimming quality to $2000 TVs. 

 

Here is an owners thread:

 

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/166-lcd-flat-panel-displays/2869161-official-2017-tcl-p-series-55p607-owners-thread-no-price-talk.html

 

 

Edited by 9 Nines
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Here is Cnet's review (and there are other professional reviews in the first post of that owners thread I linked) of the 2017 model that is $500 now at Best Buy:

 

https://www.cnet.com/products/tcl-55p607/review/

 

"If you want a 55-inch TV and don't want to pay $1,500 for an OLED, the TCL P series is the one to get.

Simply put, no other TV offers this level of picture quality for this cheap a price. At just $650 (price in 2017), or $600 for the Best Buy variant (see below), the TCL P costs hundreds less than the 55-inch Sony XBR-X900E, for example, but its picture is just as good -- and in many ways, it's better. It also earned a higher picture-quality score than the much more expensive Samsung Q7 QLED TV."

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25 minutes ago, Jamalisms said:

What's the P series have that this one doesn't? I almost bought this one earlier just to be done with it.

 

TCL 55S405 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED TV (2017 Model) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MTGM5I9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_VSGcBbW5VC728

Here is a a side by side comparison of both at Rtings.  https://www.rtings.com/tv/tools/compare/tcl-p607-vs-tcl-s405/450/449#usage*4854!threshold*0.1

It is a drop down that you can do on any sets they have reviewed.

Based on the side by side, they seem to be very similar TVs with the P series having noticeable better performance in 1) night-time/darker room/movie watching and 2) HDR presentation. 

If you are watching most of your TV content in a daytime light or in bright lit room, the S405 would be a better buy but if you are watching in darker room*, the P would be worth the $125 more. Also, there is a lot of HDR content on Netflix and Amazon.  If you will be using Netflix or Amazon much, the P series would be worth the $125 as it would be able to perform in HDR (and again, there is a lot of HDR content.)  I have seen neither of those TVs, but based on the many TVs I compared last year, that S405 would not be able to show much noticeably difference in HDR (it does not get that bright nor have the color capacity of the P series, both of which are needed for HDR) whereas the P series has enough color and brightness to make you think "wow" when you first started watching HDR content. 

 

*In a darker room, the S405, with no/limited local dimming, is going to have blooming/light patches in dark scenes lowering the picture qualities in those scenes (that limitation in contrast make the picture not look as sharp and pristine in those scenes.) Also, it is not going to get bright enough to show HDR peak brightness in scenes, so HDR content is probably going look the same as non-HDR video of the same content on it.   In brighter rooms, and/or bright scenes in the content you are watching, you would not notice that limitation, nor the lower performance of HDR content  as much. 

Edited by 9 Nines
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Here are some good picture shots, from the rtings review of those two TVs,  to give you an idea between those two TVs compared against each other.  These pictures were probably taken in a near black room with control lighting to show extreme example.  The more light in a room, the more these two picture would be closer in how they looked. 

 

In dark room, with darker content,

 

the S405 will be like:

 

s405-uniformity-large.jpg

 

 

While the P series would be like:

 

p607-uniformity-local-dimming-large.jpg

 

AS shown in those pictures, the S405 is going to look a little blotchy in its contrast, more blue than black in dark and high contrast content and a little washed-out in colorful content vs the P series when watching in a dark room. In a brighter room, you would not notice those difference as much, if at all, as they do not show up as much when ambient room light is higher. 

Edited by 9 Nines
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4K isn’t immediately a big deal. Down the road the content will become more prevalent. If you need to buy a new TV then it makes sense to just get one. If you don’t need a new TV then you could just wait. 

 

If you buy a 4K TV just make sure it has HDR as well. 

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Let me state and ask again:

 

I just don't care about picture quality beyond what I already have in a 1080 ... so....

 

Is a cheaper 4k worse than my Samsung plasma from 4-5 years ago because it's so defined but lacks some hardware and there's blur or distortion?

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Can't answer your question, but go 4K. It's better for contrast, which is probably the best indicator of picture quality. I've been slowly replacing my 1080 sets with 4K sets and even with 1080 content, they look better. 

 

Now, I cant wait for good 4K projectors to come down to < 2K so I can replace my Sony VPL-HW40ES. 4K with HDR on 120" screen... Can't wait! 

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10 minutes ago, Supdawg said:

Can't answer your question, but go 4K. It's better for contrast, which is probably the best indicator of picture quality. I've been slowly replacing my 1080 sets with 4K sets and even with 1080 content, they look better. 

 

Now, I cant wait for good 4K projectors to come down to < 2K so I can replace my Sony VPL-HW40ES. 4K with HDR on 120" screen... Can't wait! 

Which 4k have you been getting, price point wise?

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