TV upgrade.......feedback on 4K versus 1080P?

jflail2

Hey guys:

I'm pondering upgrading my living room TV to something a bit larger (currently running a very nice Sony 46" LCD, and love Sony's in general.)

I am torn between 4K versus more size. For perspective, I don't think I'd want to go above a 60" screen, and am considering the following TVs:

55" Sony for $1k

60" Sony for $1.2K

55" 4K Sony for $1.8K

Does anyone know if the upconversion to 4K of non-4K content make that worth taking the plunge? Or would my $$ be better spent on just the 1080p models?

Also, does anyone happen to know the difference between the 950 55" and the 850 60"? Is the 55" a better panel?

Thanks.

polrbehr

Depending on your typical usage, going with the 55" 4k will future-proof you at least for a while. Like 10 years?
But I also know that my cable provider still only delivers 720p/1080i to this day; I am constantly reminded of that when I watch my 1080p-capable 67" Sammy purchased over 7 years ago! Not that I don't love its all around PQ, but unless I watch a bluray I'm not taking full advantage of the $2000+ I spent back then.
On the other hand, I know someone who just bought a 65" Sony 4k last month and he swears upconverted blurays look sharper... and he's really into this hobby of ours.


On a totally unrelated topic, what are you going to do with that 46" Sony and where are you located? LOL

jflail2

Thx man. I suppose it would have been helpful for me to summarize typical use. I have about 90 BRD's and do pull them out somewhat regularly. I watch a little TV, but mostly just Better Call Saul, Top Gear and some random shows on Velocity, so I'm not as much concerned about TV.

I do game a good bit, both PC and PS4, and I'd consider adding a better vid card if I did go the 4K route, so I could maximize my PC gaming experience. (My HTPC is connected to my Denon, so PC gaming takes place on the living room PC.)

And to answer your related question, I'm honestly not sure. It's the old Z series (Bravia KDL-46Z4100 to be exact), which had a phenomenal picture when I purchased it, so I may hang onto it. I do have an unopened Sharp 48" 1080p that I acquired from Amazon about a year ago when they had them on sale. I purchased 2, but have yet to start work on my poker room, so the 2nd is just sitting around. One of those 2 would definitely be up for sale if I were to upgrade. Zip= 22901 (central VA.)

gudnoyez

We have a Sony 48" 1080p in the bedroom with a Sony Blu Ray player fantastic pictures on Blu Ray Movies, got the Sony 55" 4K with a Oppo 105D in the Man cave and have done a comparison and yeah the difference is more than noticeable. Even took the Oppo out of the mix and the 4K Sony with the Sony Blu Ray player is still noticeable over the Sony 1080p. The extra $800 is worth it in my opinion.

jflail2

There is a somewhat consistent (and expensive) theme here. Leaning strongly towards the 4K, as my receiver does 4K pass through, but am still open to feedback.

Gonna take a ride to Crutchfield after work tonight to see if I can actually notice a difference/ talk to some folks there. If it's a WOW difference, I may be coming home with a new TV tonight, haha.

polrbehr

You also didn't say how far away the TV would be from your typical viewing spot.
From what I heard, anything over 10-12' away and the 4k "loses" some of the definition and sharpness? Of course it's still there, but when compared to 1080p they will look almost the same. I saw a demo of a 4k Sony in Magnolia (BestBuy) last year and sure enough the 50" screen was positioned about 6' away from the seats.

If you can visit Crutchfield that would be a worthwhile test, I'd be interested in knowing if this is the case,

gudnoyez

Very true our HT seating is positioned a little over 6 feet for our 55" 4k now match that new set your getting with an Oppo and you will be grinning from ear to ear, enjoy yourself making that decision tonight.

jflail2

I think my couch is about 8-9 feet away from my TV. Definitely under 10' though. And that's great feedback, as I've read that 4K allows you to sit even closer, since you wouldn't be able to see individual pixels from 3-6 feet. So while my distance is a bit long, I still am considering the 4K option.

I'll report back after my trip to Crutchfield. And you're going to have to leave some money in my pocket gudnoyez, as I need to buy a fridge as well. But if you have a nice Oppo BRD player at a nice price.......I'm all ears, haha.

scotvl

DSkip wrote: »

If gaming is your forte, the 4k might be the way to go.

This

polrbehr

gudnoyez wrote: »

now match that new set your getting with an Oppo and you will be grinning from ear to ear, enjoy yourself making that decision tonight.

Now ^^^that^^^ part I can heartily concur with, even though I don't own a 4k TV.
My "entry-level" BDP-103 reached out from the screen, grabbed me, and said "See, I told you I was worth $500".

If Crutchfield beckons, I would leave work early if I were you.

JimKellyfan

Make sure to get HDCP 2.2 compatible stuff, as this is the new handshake between equipment. If you have one piece that is not HDCP 2.2 then you may not always get a 4K stream even on a 4 k TV. HDCP 2.2 is the latest anti theft that will disappoint the early trigger pullers on the 4k stuff. I am a fan of Sony as well, but am happy with my Samsung 20 and 55 inch. Also, I would say try and get quad core processor if planning to use TV apps. Then you gotta make the 3D decision. Hey or Nay.
Good luck

JimKellyfan

Also while you are at it, make the HDMI 2.0 plunge on all connections. Amazon is best pricing on that I have seen. I will be getting the 26 awg myself soon.

gudnoyez

So yeah wondering how that visit to Cruthfield go?

jflail2

Here as we speak, and I think I'm leaving with a 65" 4k Sony. Buy once cry once I suppose.

Remeasured my seating and its actually about 11 feet, so I'm gonna need to go a bit bigger than 55", especially for 4k.

And yes, great call. The TV is indeed 2.2 hdcp compliant. I hadn't heard of that until yesterday, so I'm glad I came in to talk to these guys. Will report back with final details soon!

gudnoyez

Good for you the Sony is better than the Samsung or the LG in my opinion and obviously yours also, did you think so to when you did the comparisons. Keep us updated all the 4k models since 2014 are 2.2 compliant. Excited to hear more about your new Sony.

jflail2

Taking off work a little early on Monday to pick it up. I did end up going with that 65" Sony. The picture blew me away, and the sales guy said they don't calibrate them there anymore, so I should be able to dial it in even better.

Thanks man, I'm super happy with the choice. I swear that Z series Sony I have still looks as good as any 1080 LCD out there. It's just too small at this distance, so it'll end up wall mounted in the poker room I think.

gudnoyez

Good for you and yeah the Sony 4k does have an awesome picture make Avatar the first 3D movie you watch absolutley unreal for sure. I'm jealous now mines only a 55' keep us informed after you get it.

tonyb

I was in BestBuy the other day getting some printer ink and spent some time with all the 4k sets they had on display. The Sony XBR 4k sets easily had the best picture of them all. Also the most expensive of them all too, but the difference in price was easily seen.

jflail2

You know, I didn't even have 3d in my equation when I started looking, but now that I'm getting a model with that feature, I'm going to feel obligated to have at least a few 3d BRDs. So Avatar is a great rec. I need a few others, so any 3d fanatics, please let me know which films are the top of the 3d food chain.

And this is the model I chose in the end:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_15865X850B/Sony-XBR-65X850B.html?tp=60890&nvpair=FFBrand|Sony

I feel a 4pm exit from work coming on tomorrow, hahah.

gudnoyez

Make sure your Blu Ray player plays 3D discs if you don't have one that does Sony has good ones for about $130 bones, I think your new Sony deserves the best since you already bit the bullet I'm sure Crutchfield has them. Oh you only get two pair of glasses which unless there are only two of you your Good to go.

I Needed four you can get the Sony glasses off their website should you need more. As far as 3d movies Family Video has a lot of 3d movies to rent thank God or I would go broke buying them. I only own a few 3d movies Avatar, Gravity, the Hobbit series, the new one comes out tuesday those hAve the best 3d effects. Report back once you get that bad boy hooked up.

jflail2

Good point Gud. My PS4 now supports 3d brd play back, and my pc should as well, but I'm wondering if I'll still need to up my game a little. I have the old ps3 that played just about every format, but can't remember if it did 3d or not. Crutchfield had the Oppo Darbee edition sitting out, but I can't justify paying 1,300 for a brd player.

gudnoyez

Your good to go Sony product to Sony product , my daughter uses her play station for 3d movies not sure but I think it's a PS3. 4pm tomorrow can't come soon enough can it, bet it's the first Monday of work you have ever looked forward to

Conradicles

Congrats on a sweet TV.

tonyb

Nice TV bro, congrats. Just a FYI....an OPPO 103 Darbee came up for 535 somewhere, now if I can only remember where lol.

jflail2

Working from home today to expedite the process since I live 5 minutes away from the store. Come on phone call........

And LOL, thanks Tony, but I have officially dipped far enough into the kitty for a while. I was planning on keeping it under $2k for the TV, so any extra fun money is now gone for a few mos. But worth it in the end.

N yes, my old PS3 (bedroom rig) used to sound like an F-16 taking off when it was running at max capacity. The newer one I have downstairs does not. I'm probably going to end up using the PS4, unless the PS3 does the job much better.

jflail2

Yea, I think it's gonna be PS for the win for a while there. TV is sitting in the back of my truck in the driveway. I can carry the weight, but it's too d@mn wide, so I'm going to have to have a friend come over and give me a hand. Should be up and running by 3PMish!

jflail2

I need a dolly actually. Not sliding this badboy on the ground tho. I'm too finicky for that, hahaha. My buddy's taking a 1/2 day to play some golf, so he's gonna come give me a hand prior to hitting the links. I suppose that's good anyway. I don't see much work getting done once this thing is up and running.

jflail2

And the one thing I'll note for anyone else looking at upgrading, is that the suggested screen size for distance X or Y is larger for a 4K b/c the pixels are much tighter. At 11-12 feet, I should have honestly considered a 70" 4k screen, but would then need to buy a new TV stand as well.

mantis

I feel the 55 inch no matter what the resolution you pick is to small. I suggest going 60-65 range. Why go small if your gonna spend the money, spend it and go bigger. Yo don't buy new TV's each year so spending a little more is wise.

4k is the way to go no matter what. Better picture and it's where the industry is going. I would not buy a new 1080p set now.

As far as brands go , I gotta agree with all the Sony comments. IMO they are making the very best looking sets. I have not calibrated a 4k TV yet so I'm not sure how they will dial in but they as LED's in the past get closer to perfection then any other brand.

Now another consideration is Panasonic LED 4k sets. By far better then everyone else other then Sony but it's close. Again didn't ISF one yet but when I do I'll post results.

By looking at the 2 different brands Sony is a winner to me strongly followed by Panasonic. LG is a contender but not in my game. Samsung is all the way out so far I wish they would go out of business. I hate all of their stuff. Effin fake looking pop up video bull crap nasty Brain washing junk , Eff Em.

ken brydson

mantis wrote: »

Samsung is all the way out so far I wish they would go out of business. I hate all of their stuff. Effin fake looking pop up video bull crap nasty Brain washing junk , Eff Em.

Tell us how you REALLY feel...LOL!

tonyb

The thing to watch out for in these 4k sets is the processing. Motion blur is still problematic with the cheaper sets and nothing bugs me more than motion blur watching sports.

If you notice, any store displaying 4k sets has slower motion stuff playing. Throw a hockey game on, a football game and see how it does before walking out the door with one.

I would disagree Dan on the 1080p sets. I'd still hit on a plasma set. 4K material is far and few between still and the upconversion they do on 1080i cable broadcast is hit or miss as far as picture quality goes. Some look better, some worse, depends on the set.

Plasma I know I'm getting a stellar picture with no motion blur. Remember....3d was the wave of the future too, not so much anymore.