How "Essential" is HDR?

A 100" TV with a viewing distance of 6 metres still has no perceivable benefit of UHD resolutions. It's not about how big your TV is, it's the relative viewing position AND the size of the screen.

well of course , but even so as others have just said 40-50" sets are still the budget end of the market and so the actual quality of the screen (and electronics behind it) are going to be a few generations older than 65"+

at best you are going to get hdr lite (or 8 bit rather than 10 bit) on smaller /older screens which isnt going to show up as much benefit anyway

(edit and no-one will ever be able to watch a 100" screen from that close, their eyes would hurt insanely before too long apart from the fact they would also have to keep on moving their head from side to side to see each side of the screen)
 
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(edit and no-one will ever be able to watch a 100" screen from that close, their eyes would hurt insanely before too long apart from the fact they would also have to keep on moving their head from side to side to see each side of the screen)
What? That's not true. Its more immersive if anything and there is no pain or head moving side to side.
 
Another ** link that says need to sit closer than 13' for 4k benefit on a 100"
(original request was 50", I only commented on 100" following ovi_sjo's comment - 100" would be half a wall for me - crazy size)
I find it surprising too, I thought maybe eye cones at center of vision had higher density, or, like sampling music at higher than 17Khz there could be some similar harmonic benefit.

** google gave link too me in first search results - honest :)
 
Another ** link that says need to sit closer than 13' for 4k benefit on a 100"
(original request was 50", I only commented on 100" following ovi_sjo's comment - 100" would be half a wall for me - crazy size)
I find it surprising too, I thought maybe eye cones at center of vision had higher density, or, like sampling music at higher than 17Khz there could be some similar harmonic benefit.

** google gave link too me in first search results - honest :)
Well I have a 100" screen and I can tell you those articles are wrong. 1080p is the bare minimum I would go for at that size and there is a benefit from UHD. Its not just me others are commenting in the links given that the articles distance numbers are wrong.

EDIT:
That person who wrote that first article on distance to sit away from a TV has said a lot of things that show how little he knows. He recommended a 720p TV over a 1080p as according to him you cannot see the difference which is rubbish. He also said down sampling content doesn’t look any better which isn’t true. 4k down sampled to 1080p looks better then 1080p content its just like when you play a game at high res and down sample it almost always looks better like that. He also seems to think response time doesn’t matter clearly he has no idea about gamers.

EDIT2: The guy in the 2nd link also said 1080p was a waste of time. Do you believe him on 4k? when he was so wrong on 1080p.
 
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Basically if you already have a non-HDR 4k TV (as I do) then, TBH I'd wait for the tech to settle down and for the actual standard to be ratified and certified. If you're buying a new 4k TV now then you'd be daft not to buy a HDR capable set unless you get a really amazing deal.
 
at 6ft?

You are completely nuts if you sit that close to a screen that large for extended time
Why? Its never been a problem, you are mistaken. The nearest part of 1 of my sofas is 6ft away which some people choose to sit at without problems. Granted I normally sit at around 8 foot to 13 foot away depending on mood and which chair I want. Sitting that close is nowhere near as bad as you make out and some people like it. What do you think the ideal sitting distance is for a 100" screen?

Anyway the point is the article is wrong about benefits of 1080p and UHD at a distance. You don't have to sit close to get a benefit, it looks better at a distance as well.
 
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FrankJH - I missed where 6feet got introduced in the dicsussion it was 6metres no ?
if you look at what THX define as an immersive experience it is a 40degree view field which is a distance of 10' for 100", 4' for 42"

but about the max distance to benefit from 4k controversy -
my take-aways from links I referenced
- Widely adopted snell formula gives 13' for 100", but apparently based on 20/20 sight as opposed to better;
- blind testing people have picked a 4K 55" tv at 9' but maybe because 4k screen had better contrast/black's/gamut
- lot of psychology too, because 4k looks better close up we assume it must be better at regular viewing distance.
seems a surprising lack of more extensive studies - that I could find anyway
 
My current to (Samsung JU6400) doesn't have HDR, but it's something that I want. The thing is, I also want OLED, but that is too expensive atm. Also 4K blu Ray players are still at a premium.

I can't decide whether or not spend another grand on a HDR TV now or wait until OLED and blu Ray players comes down to a more reasonable price.
 
My current to (Samsung JU6400) doesn't have HDR, but it's something that I want. The thing is, I also want OLED, but that is too expensive atm. Also 4K blu Ray players are still at a premium.

I can't decide whether or not spend another grand on a HDR TV now or wait until OLED and blu Ray players comes down to a more reasonable price.

I'd wait - 3rd/4th gen OLED with lower hopefully lwoer prices as well should be a sweet spot.
 
I've decided to replace my old 42" HD tv with a cheap and cheerful 40-43" 1080p that will last me a year or two.

I can't find anything I want under £700 with the options I want. everyone is pushing 4K but I have no 4K input yet, I'd love a 1080 + HDR but you can't get it. HDR makes a huge difference when done properly.
 
If you can afford a premium set with HDR then you would be stupid not to get it if you watch 4k netflix/prime, sky q, etc.

If you cant afford it then it isnt essential but you will be left wondering how good your picture could have been
 
facts are still the same though, maybe you missed that part :)

The viewing distances arent going to change that drastically for the point to still be the same

The facts are not the same and viewing distances do change drastically with UHD. A lot of charts say to see the full benefits of 1080p on a 100" screen you sit around 12 feet away. To see the full benefits of UHD on a 100" screen you sit 6 feet away. Half the distance.

http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.png

Another way to look at, is if you sit at the recommend distance for 1080p then you are sitting to far away to get the full benefits of 4k.
 
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