Shopping TVs...any downside to 4K vs 1080p?

"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78) 07/21/2016 at 10:56 • Filed to: None

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Just a random question that it’s hard to find answers on — it looks like 4k TVs lately have been only about an extra $100-$200 for pretty comparable specs to their 1080p cousins (sometimes there are other minor differences, like 60Hz vs 120Hz). Is there any downside to buying a 4K TV right now, even if I don’t plan to use it for 4K very frequently? In other words, are you giving anything up or will the picture be compromised if I’m using a 4k screen for 720-1080 resolutions most of the time? Would it be better to buy a high-end 1080p vs a midrange 4k TV for similar money? (difficulty: I think 4k is overrated unless you have a GIANT screen; I’m looking at 50"-55" to be viewed from 10'-12' away.)

CaptDale - is secretly British > Ash78, voting early and often 07/21/2016 at 11:00

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I just feel for the money you could get a really really nice 1080p tv that will last you a long time. Do you see 4k exploding in usage before you want to buy another tv? I personally do not. Unless it is a computer screen, I don’t see 4k being used a lot in regular tv until the costs come down to 1080p levels

Aaron M - MasoFiST > Ash78, voting early and often 07/21/2016 at 11:05

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If the price difference isn’t a big deal, then sure, go for it. The biggest disadvantage is that there’s nothing to actually watch in 4K on broadcast, cable or streaming. Even if the price isn’t significant you’re paying for something you won’t be able to use...possibly for years. If you’re committing to not buying a TV again for five years or so...yeah, you’ll save in the long run. If you buy electronics more frequently than that and don’t plan on buying a whole bunch of Blu-Rays you’re literally paying for nothing.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Ash78, voting early and often 07/21/2016 at 11:06

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Stand 6-10 feet away from a 4K tv and a 1080P TV side by side (average viewing distance)... can you see the difference? There’s your answer.

/bought a nice “55 1080P TV for his living room, has a 4K 39" monitor at his desk.

edit: read your criteria for screen size and viewing distance: unless you have better than average vision you will never really see the difference in 4K content at that distance and screen size. Buy a nice Samsung or LG 1080P set (does LG do a 1080P OLED?) with better contrast and features and be happy. I know I am.

Ash78, voting early and often > Aaron M - MasoFiST 07/21/2016 at 11:08

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Good call...our DVD collection is 95% SD, 5% Blu-ray, so I'm actually trying to "leapfrog" HD a bit. UHD players and movies are still crazy expensive. We don't have cable, so at best we're also looking at 95% streaming content in HD, as well. But we're not planning to buy anything for at least 5 years, so that's part of why I'm torn...

Monkey B > Ash78, voting early and often 07/21/2016 at 11:08

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Future proof. Always buy the latest tech and largest you are comfortable with when buying a new TV. Walmart has a 55" Panasonic 4k for $499 that’s a great buy. Panasonic is one of my favorite brands and I’ve encountered less issues with them in my installing days than any other brand aside from Sony. The 50" is $449 which my wife’s friend just bought. I buy Sony if it’s a good sale price, otherwise always Panasonic.

Linky to Panasonic

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Ash78, voting early and often 07/21/2016 at 11:09

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Eh, you can’t really do too much wrong with buying a tv as it will be outdated the second you’re leaving the store.

For Sweden > Ash78, voting early and often 07/21/2016 at 11:10

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If you buy a TV every three years, buy the 1080 model.

If you buy a TV every ten years, buy the 4k model.

Ash78, voting early and often > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 07/21/2016 at 11:10

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Oh, I can definitely see the difference, it's just too modest to matter to me (yet), especially considering the lack of 4k streaming content (and the high price of UHD DVD). I very rarely "early adopt" new tech because of this issue, and our current main TV is only 37" and 720p, so either one would be a huge improvement.

spanfucker retire bitch > Ash78, voting early and often 07/21/2016 at 11:10

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Most good 4K TVs have scaler engines that make 1080p vs 4K content almost indistguishable (Vizio has a really good 1080p scaler for instance). But anything below 1080p looks like shit no matter what TV set you get, honestly. Some are “better” than others - like Samsung’s SUHDTV series or Sony’s X-series of high-end sets - but they’re still objectively trash at anything that isn’t 1080p.

So if all of your content is 1080p, you’ll be fine. If not, well, maybe keep to watching your 720p/480p content on your computer, or on another TV in the house.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Ash78, voting early and often 07/21/2016 at 11:15

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even if you can see the resolution difference, you’ll get more viewing enjoyment from a 1080P set with superior contrast, viewing angle and gamut than from a mid-range 4K set with higher resolution. The LG OLED sets are *MIND BLOWING*, though it looks like all the 1080P sets are curved, which is annoying :p

misfitmascots > Monkey B 07/21/2016 at 11:17

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Exactly this. Sure there isn’t a lot of 4K content right now but everyone knows it’s coming why not be prepared. Not to mention it upscales blu ray.

Ash78, voting early and often > Monkey B 07/21/2016 at 11:17

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Thanks for the link — I use SlickDeals a TON and people there obsess over waiting on TVs like that Panny to drop to, say, $399...but I'm looking at something for 5-10 years and don't worry about an extra $100 or so. I've also had a great luck with Panasonic over 20+ years — phones, TVs, stereo equipment, etc. They're my go-to brand for most things.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > Ash78, voting early and often 07/21/2016 at 11:19

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There’s nothing wrong with future-proofing if the price difference isn’t a deal-breaker. It does mean though that you’d want to spend a bit more on something with a solid brand and reputation, so your extra money doesn’t get flushed down the toilet in 18 months when your offbrand TV starts losing pixels.

Ash78, voting early and often > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 07/21/2016 at 11:20

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Yeah, I think a lot of OLED companies are still obsessed with the IDEA of being curved, so they do it. I'd love a flat OLED, 120Hz, with great viewing angles, even if it is 1080p. Great advice.

WiscoProud > Monkey B 07/21/2016 at 11:22

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I completely agree with future proofing. I will say that I'm a Samsung guy though. Not the cheapest, but I always have a great picture.

Ash78, voting early and often > Aaron M - MasoFiST 07/21/2016 at 11:22

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No worries, I’m only really considering Sony, Panasonic, LG, and Vizio. I currently have an Insignia (Best Buy) with an LG-sourced panel, and it's been fine for 5+ years. But it's 37" and 720p, plus we're getting ready to wall mount something, so a bigger TV is definitely in order.

Monkey B > Ash78, voting early and often 07/21/2016 at 11:32

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The 50" dropped to $450 since my wife’s friend purchased. If it goes another $50 I won’t have any self control and it’ll be in my bedroom. I came close but my 8 year old 42" Panasonic plasma still works great. Only downside is it heats the room a bit if watching for a few hours.

Even at list price it’s not a bad buy honestly. Sure, it might not be the top of the line, but I guarantee most can’t tell the difference. I’d rather buy the cheaper one and use the rest of the money for a professional ISF calibration. I haven’t had my 60" Sony done yet...I used to do my own with a disc and was satisfied. But newer TV’s have an insane amount of picture settings and I haven’t looked at the set up disc options in years.

One last note, if you don’t know. Never judge a picture at the store. The settings from factory are set to sun equivalent brightness and contrast to stand out on display with 25 others in a brightly florescent lit store. The closest factory setting I’ve found that compares to calibration is usually “cinema” which I tend to use until calibrating.

Monkey B > WiscoProud 07/21/2016 at 11:35

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The brand I had the most issues with. Another thing I never liked was the insane amount of models they produced.

gawdzillla > Ash78, voting early and often 07/21/2016 at 11:49

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4k might matter at 65 inch +

its just a gimmick at for anything under 50

i am still rocking a 720p 50" in my living room lol

WiscoProud > Monkey B 07/21/2016 at 11:50

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They do produce an insane amount of models. I typically buy the top end “JS” group, so that may explain my different experience. I haven’t owned any of the lower end ones.

DynamicWeight > Ash78, voting early and often 07/21/2016 at 12:05

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Many people will say that if your content isn’t also 4k or 1080 or whatever screen you’re looking at there is no point. I haven’t found this to be true. In my experience it’s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. Most likely a 1080p signal will look better on 4k than on 1080p. Nerds will disagree with me. Vehemently. Doesn’t change my opinion.

The only reason you might not want to is you’ll get spoiled. Even on my 1080p plasma, I can’t watch DVDs anymore. They’re goddam terrible compared to Blu Rays.

Elumerere > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 07/21/2016 at 12:23

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This.

The best camera for movies out there these days has been 2k (Arri Alexa) up until very recently, while the competitors all went 4k, 6k or more. This applies to watching content as well.

Contrast, color rendition, how the highlights and shadows are clipped/rendered is way more important than simply resolution.

Thomas Donohue > Ash78, voting early and often 07/21/2016 at 12:38

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The only 4K content you will likely see in the next few years will be streaming/content...not broadcast. You will be watching upscaled HD/1080p most of the time, so make sure the up-scaling looks good. Personally I returned a 60" flat-screen 4K Samsung because upscaled FiOS 1080p looked awful, worse than my 9 year old Sony it replaced (4k was great). I went with a 55" Vizio 4K that looks fantastic from any source. I also got a curved Samsung 4K for my gaming room, and the upscaling is perfect on that one.

Basically, make sure you can return whatever you get. Read up on calibration, it makes a huge difference.

FYI - Dell has a 60" Vizio 4K w/Google Smartcast built in for $799, but you get a $300 Dell gift card with it. So after tax, that’s about $575 for a 60" 4k screen. (the gift card is only good at Dell.com, but they sell everything there)

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdet…

Ash78, voting early and often > Thomas Donohue 07/21/2016 at 13:49

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Thanks...I've had my eye on the 55" Vizio for $550 (with $200 Dell GC). That's about the biggest I can mount over the fireplace and not look too crowded.

Frank Grimes > Ash78, voting early and often 07/22/2016 at 15:47

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i went to bestbuy for the first time in 5 years maybe and they had a freaking awesome looking OLED tv. I dont know if it was 4k but the image and color and blacks were amazing.