4K or not to 4K That is the question

[bluestreak56]

Been doing a lot of research on tv's before the black friday / Xmas sales start as I'm potentially in the market for a new TV.

It will be used in our upstairs "kids" living room where three of us have converted my old bedroom into a lounge with an electric recliner etc.

I currently have a 39" Samsung Full HD set there but previously had a 47" LG Full HD set there too and am looking to get something between 46" and 50" to fit there (freeing up the 39" to go into my new bedroom).

The reason for 46" to 50" is that the sofa is 7 feet away from the set. The room is very bright with 3 double sash windows in it so reflection is a big issue (blackout curtains have been purchased).

Now heres the real question - to go 4K or not. I know its "the future" and that there is content available. I do not intend to use it for gaming, the set will be connected to my PC directly by HDMI so there is the potential to watch 4K content on youtube, netflix, download etc via that.

However the research I have done so far indicates to me that at 7ft back you need at least an 80" screen to get the benefits of 4K. So how much experience have people had with this? Is it worthwhile me buying a decent £700 4k set like this: http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/currys-samsung-ue50ju6800-smart-ultra-hd-4k-50-led-tv-699-2320986

Or even higher as I am worried about the motion blur (as I am susceptible to this) but presumably this would be more than sufficient for football / high paced movies /other sports in terms of refresh rates.

Or do I go for a top of the range 1080P set like this : http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/samsung-ue48j5500-smart-full-hd-1080p-48-inch-tv-2015-model-with-freeview-hd-379-2323491 but only has a PQI rating 300Hz

or this: http://www.richersounds.com/product/tv---all/samsung/ue48j6300/sams-ue48j6300 which has 800PQI but is curved and could cause issues with a viewing angle of over 35 degrees?

PS im not a Samsung snob but I do have a restricted table stand (75cm wide) and the LG legs are spread far apart.. But im open to them. Generally I stay away from other manufacturers but am open minded

So my questions are:

Does anyone have 4K?
Do you think its worth it?
How far away do you sit and how big is your screen?
Does anyone have curved?
Does the viewing angle really degrade at over 35 degrees?
Should I go for the traditional 1080P flat screen highest refresh rate set I can get?

Thanks for any input

 

[ranski]

I just ordered an early 2015 Samsung Series 6 JU6400 Smart 4K Ultra HD LED 55" as I figure prices aren't going to drop much on the 4k's even after Christmas http://www.richersounds.com/product/tv---all/samsung/ue55ju6400/sams-ue55ju6400

review https://www.avforums.com/review/samsung-ue55ju6400-uhd-review.11288

I have a couple of 55" LED's (Samsung) already but keen to see what the noise is all about with the 4K's, albeit content is few and far between at the moment. saying that Sky will be bringing this new box online come 2016 http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/134738-sky-q-everything-you-need-to-know

Worth noting is that Samsung offer the slim line wall mount which is a easy to hang, instead of having to dig out a spirit level and drilling numerous holes http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A9SVPSO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A1LDL4ONDMZFYW

 

[DumfriesDik]

At 7ft thats a tricky one. I like buying the best/latest technology for longevities sake. But an 80" screen at 7 feet sounds pretty daunting to me. The 50" job you linked to looks the business to me.

 

[sars]

Get the 4K, better buy into future technology than get something old

not sure if this will help, never been dissapointed with any of their award winners

http://www.whathifi.com/products/tvs/4k-tvs?f[2]=WHF.is_field_rating_l%3A5

 

[Sae]

I did some digging a while back, narrowed it down to Samsung, go for the best tech you can, I think they are also firmware upgradeable when you get into the higher models which will help future proof

Something like ju7500 or js8500

 

[un1eash]

Don't bother with viewing distances etc. Just get the biggest screen your happy with. I currently sit 6-7 feet from my 1080p 50" plasma and 110" projector.

Check the reviews as some of the cheap tvs are not even full 4k.

 

[tomscott]

Only thing is your not really future proofing 4K is just a stopgap for 8k most 4K TVs only have 30fps support whereas 60 will be round the corner. Add little support for 4K... Curved TVs too they work best at closer proximity like a computer display for better viewing angles for it to work effectively in a big room you need much bigger than 60" to make it worthwhile if anything if you are anything but dead centre to the tv the viewing angle is worse! Just a gimmick for the living room.

As for the difference the eye sees from 10-12ft 1080 vs 4K... Difficult to see huge difference.

The main reason to buy a newer tv would be for the better panel technology - contrast and black point.

I would honestly wait a while and see how the market reacts, HD is widely supported and 4ks isn't by the time it is the technology will have become more mature.

For example canon is already brining out 8k broadcast cameras and almost completely skipping 4K. 4K is almost to fill the gap to sell more products.

 

[un1eash]

I'm also holding of upgrading to see what happens with oled.

 

[PerryGunn]

If you're buying into 4k to future-proof yourself, I'd go for an OLED set (ideally an HDR-capable one) as it's the only TV tech I've seen that can beat the PQ of a good plasma screen

 

[nightyard]

LG OLED tvs are dropping in price now and I suspect they were be attractively priced in the new year.

you will be looking at like £1000 though for the 55" 930v model. (only 1080p but the images are extremely sharp)

OLED far superior to 4K for picture quality in my opinion (I wouldn't consider 4K really that viable for another couple of years minimum)

I've spent £3000 on a new tv in the past and now I usually just buy second hand top of the range tvs in the sub £600 bracket (usually they are 2 years old, immaculate condition with 3 years warranty left and cost around £2000 on release)

avforums, ebay and gumtree is where I find my TVs ( takes alot of looking to find the right one at the right price...as with everything though I suppose)

 

[Mister T]

Screen is too small and you'll be sitting way too close for it to be worth bothering with 4K IMHO.

You could pick up something like a Panasonic TX-50CS520B for around £500 will save you £200 over an entry level 4K set.

 

[Nictrix]

I think its funny when comments say 50" and sizes like that are too small.
Remember when you were young?
Our main tv was a 28" box and we had a b&w portable 12" in our room.

 

[PerryGunn]

Remember when you were young?
Our main tv was a 28" box and we had a b&w portable 12" in our room.

a 12" portable TV... in your room....

....LUXURY!!!

 

[Sae]

I think its funny when comments say 50" and sizes like that are too small.
Remember when you were young?
Our main tv was a 28" box and we had a b&w portable 12" in our room.

Lol, I remember when our tv was a 28in... but the screen was only 12in, it only had 5buttons, when there were only 3 channels, when you switched it off the screen turned grey and a glowing ball appeared in the middle

 

[bluestreak56]

Cheers guys I had a good convo with the LG expert at curry's pc world yesterday and perhaps the entry level 4k sets if under £500 for 48-50" is worth it. Otherwise I'll try and go for the best panel I can find on a 1080p set

 

[un1eash]

You might want to check out http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk as some of the cheap LG 4k tvs are some of the worse they've tested.

 

[buzyg]

Good logic there. I would wait on the 4k. The infrastructure is not there to support it, so still a gimmick at the moment. :roll: 1080p has a very solid base, hence it's going to stick around for a long while yet.

 

[Sae]

Cheers guys I had a good convo with the LG expert at curry's pc world yesterday and perhaps the entry level 4k sets if under £500 for 48-50" is worth it. Otherwise I'll try and go for the best panel I can find on a 1080p set

Btw, what did you go for in the end?

 

[Hilly30si]

I bought a Pannasonic 4K 65" and it's superb. Even normal full HD looks a little better. 4K is coming but slowly. 4K players are due this Spring as is Sky's 2t Super HD box. Just remember you will need a minimum of 25mb stable connection to stream from Netflix Amazon etc

 

[bluestreak56]

Cheers guys I had a good convo with the LG expert at curry's pc world yesterday and perhaps the entry level 4k sets if under £500 for 48-50" is worth it. Otherwise I'll try and go for the best panel I can find on a 1080p set

Btw, what did you go for in the end?

LG 49UF850v - It was down to £650 at currys and quidco were offering a further 13% cashback at the time..