4K

Hg80

Hg80

Hg80

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15 Jan 2010
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54
So looks like the price of 4K tv units are finally starting to fall.
Has anyone here got a 4K TV and is there anything you can really do with them?
I have been tempted but not sure if theres anything in the pipeline that will really show the TV off.
I know you can get some re-masted 4K Blu-rays but i think thats about it?

I also know that netflix are going to test 4K in the coming months but i guess it will be limited to the USA for many many months
 
I thought about waiting for 4k prices to fall a bit more, but instead I just got a standard HDTV sooner. There's no-where near enough 4k content readily available yet. I saw a 4k TV in Richer Sounds and it does look phenomenal it really does. But the prices are only going to fall and the tech is going to improve over time. So I'd wait a while longer yet until that happens and there's a lot more 4k content out there to make use of it.
 
this thread seems to be popping up every month now.

4k = no point unless you a pc gamer with a machine capable of playing native 4K at decent FPS.

also prices are falling but still nowhere near "normal" levels.

also content is nowhere to be seen which is readily available at a "normal" price.

4k simply wont be useful to the majority of people for another 5+ years, therefore 9 times out of 10 means don't even bother looking at it tbh, unless you wanna throw your money away.

are there even any 4K channels in the works atm? or even a ETA? this would be the biggest indicator of when the right time to buy 4K is, when there is at least 10 channels to make it worthwhile.
 
yeah thought as much,
Your right about them being phenomenal! I saw one in our local Sony Centre and wow the picture is soooo good and negates the need for 3D technology.
Guess i'll stick with what i've got for a bit longer!
 
Saw the sony 4k set today. Didn't think there was any need for 4k. That was until today. Wow. The level of detail is amazing. Shame there is no content out there.
 
Not seen any 4K yet, Panasonic wont let us have a WT600 even being main dealers :rolleyes:

So we have ordered the LG 55 4K model, Over on Av forums it scores a point higher than the Pan, LG are supplying a stick with 4K content.
 
I saw the 88" Samsung 4K in Harrods a few weeks ago...Want!

I'll wait till they are closer to a grand before i buy. I think i want a projector next anyway.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
4k = no point unless you a pc gamer with a machine capable of playing native 4K at decent FPS.
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Yep, that's the killer really. HDMI 1.4 does 4K but only at refresh rates suitable for movie playback. HDMI 2.0 spec takes it up to 4K @ 60fps, but that's still only video frame rate. It might be okay for console gaming, but for anyone wishing to use a PC for higher frame rates it's still not enough.

Psycho Sonny said:
also prices are falling but still nowhere near "normal" levels.
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Not sure what that means though

What's "normal" levels? Current 1080p TVs stretch from £300 up to almost £5000. 4K is the next evolution up from current top-of-the-range 1080p. So where do you think it should be priced in relation to that: cheaper? :confused:
 
4K is currently nothing more than a marketing gimmick for the television manufacturers, along with some of the high end video camera companies.

The reason why 4K content isn't readily available is because of the cost. To create content in 4K increases your costs substantially yet doesn't generate any further revenue, infact you would likely make a loss.

Even with cheaper productions and broadcast, there aren't any 4K channels. Given consumers currently have to pay a premium for HD, 3D and HD home video, 4K is a long way off even being an option.

I'd save your money.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
Normal means what the average consumer spends on a decent TV. £1k ish
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That really doesn't make sense.

For a start, if the 'spec me' threads are any guide, the average customer doesn't spend £1000 on a TV. It's more like £500-£600 if they're pushing the boat out a bit. This tallys with the products doing battle in the market; the Panasonic and Sony 42" sets. But my gut feeling is that it's more like £350-£400. Look at where Samsung and LG are pitching their prices. Compare that to Amazon's best seller list. The current #1 TV by volume is the 42" £370 Samsung UE42F5000. Fifty inch sneaks in to the top 10 with a Panasonic budget set at £479.That's the "average consumer" market right there. Everything above is those is aspirational.

So, suggesting that 4K will take off when it hits £1000 makes very little sense when the average consumer spends less than half that amount. Price isn't the main driving factor. If it was then there wouldn't be a market for things like the Samsung F8000 and F8500 1080p TVs at up to £2000.

Prices fall and new technology trickles down. 4K will be "popular" in the same way that 1080p is popular now. Not so much by choice but by default.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
are there even any 4K channels in the works atm? or even a ETA? this would be the biggest indicator of when the right time to buy 4K is, when there is at least 10 channels to make it worthwhile.
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Netflix are meant to be working on it and releasing 4 k "soon" what ever soon needs. But you'll need a good intern et connection. Nothing official yet, but other sites saying you'll need between 30-100mb line depending what bit rate and what codecs they use but just like hd, it will take years before theres content worth justifying it. What was HD about 8 years before it was even worth considering.
 
lucid said:
That really doesn't make sense.

For a start, if the 'spec me' threads are any guide, the average customer doesn't spend £1000 on a TV. It's more like £500-£600 if they're pushing the boat out a bit. This tallys with the products doing battle in the market; the Panasonic and Sony 42" sets. But my gut feeling is that it's more like £350-£400. Look at where Samsung and LG are pitching their prices. Compare that to Amazon's best seller list. The current #1 TV by volume is the 42" £370 Samsung UE42F5000. Fifty inch sneaks in to the top 10 with a Panasonic budget set at £479.That's the "average consumer" market right there. Everything above is those is aspirational.

So, suggesting that 4K will take off when it hits £1000 makes very little sense when the average consumer spends less than half that amount. Price isn't the main driving factor. If it was then there wouldn't be a market for things like the Samsung F8000 and F8500 1080p TVs at up to £2000.

Prices fall and new technology trickles down. 4K will be "popular" in the same way that 1080p is popular now. Not so much by choice but by default.
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Bigpig said:
Not a chance. you be lucky if the average consumer spends anywhere near 500..

The average would buy cheap TV's out of tesco
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i did say "decent" tv, therefore things under 42" would automatically be disqualified from the criteria, as would tv's with poor picture quality, etc, etc.

if i said average buyer buying any tv, then yeah it would probably be around the £400 mark, since people buy like 15" tv's and stuff

most people won't be going near 4K at all though and just move straight onto 8K, as by the time 4K content is being pushed on disc and tv channels then 8K will be here i imagine for only a few quid more.
 
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Psycho Sonny said:
i did say "decent" tv, therefore things under 42" would automatically be disqualified from the criteria, as would tv's with poor picture quality.
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That's rather an elitist view, isn't it. I think if you ask most people about their purchase then they'll tell you they think they bought the best TV they can for the money, whatever the budget. These are average consumers. They're not average consumers that pick from a limited range of approved sets at X size and above and with at least a four star review. That's not how the market works.

Psycho Sonny said:
most people won't be going near 4K at all though and just move straight onto 8K, as by the time 4K content is being pushed on disc and tv channels then 8K will be here i imagine for only a few quid more.
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So far it's too early to tell if 4K and 8K will catch the public's imagination. As it stands at the moment there's no real consumer benefit to the UHD formats. Look how long it too widescreen to become mainstream in the same position. What's different now it that the industry has a much higher rate of new model churn.
 
There is really no point of buying a 4k TV at the moment IMO.
I did however see a Muse concert which was filmed in 4k at the cinema on Thursday and it was astonishing!
The sheer detail of the shots is just beautiful and I cannot wait till 4k becomes the norm
 
4K will be used by all the providers as another excuse to charge more for content. Just look at Sky and the HD package, its all a con. It seems daft that 4k TV's are coming online now when I bet less than 25% of all TV watched in the UK currently is in HD.
 
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