Is it worth going for a 4K TV at under 50" screen size??

StevieP

StevieP

StevieP

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I was wandering through Curry's yesterday and was quite surprised with the reasonable prices of 4K TV's under 50" screen sizes so it's set me thinking of replacing out Sony 46" set.

I'm very limited in terms of space where the TV sit's so any new set would need to be under 50" (ideally with a "central" stand because it will be sitting on my soundbase - ie. wide "legs" won't fit!)

So my question is, is it really worth getting a 4K TV at that sort of screen size??
 
It would depend on how old the telly you have is. I've said on here before, 4K content is not as common as 1080 content right now and carries the early adopter expense with it (even then, some of it is upscaled content too) 8K tellies are in the pipeline & may make an appearance in the next couple of years. It's been a sort of Arms race with manufacturers to bring out the latest feature since I can remember.

If there's nothing wrong with the telly you have, keep it. It's change for the sake of having the latest when it will be considered out of date in a couple of years.

If you watch telly all the time (I dont) consider it.
 
4k debate has been done to death.

if you even have to question is it worth it then it's not for you.

my next tv will be a 1080p premium panel. i won't buy 4k until it's readily available and that i mean at least 5 free to air 4k channels. by then it's will be worthwhile as currently you need to pay a premium for any content and by the time freeview has switched prices will have dropped considerably
 
Don't get me wrong, I don't need a new TV - but then once I get the upgrade itch it usually get's me in the end! :D

My existing TV is a Sony KDL-46EX723 which by today's standards looks a bit "boxy" with fairly thick bezels - I'd just like something a little smarter looking and if I can get a 4K panel for a similar sort of price then it would be a bonus for the future (especially as providers like Sky are touting 4K content by the end of 2016!)

Space has always been an issue for me but I'm guessing that going from a 46" with a thick bezel to 48/49/50" with a slimmer bezel will be very similar in terms of physical size!

My other issue is that my current TV sits on top of a soundbase that only gives me 55cm x 32cm for the legs/stand to sit on - having taken a tape measure to Currys it looks like this is going to be tricky fit on a bigger set!
 
this is the issue most people buying 4k to future proof or upgrade have no clue how tv's work in terms of picture quality.

you can buy a 4k tv for cheaper than 1080p models? why? the difference in the quality of the panels and electronics driving them.

basically people think why not get a 4K for the same price or less or a little bit more. well the answer is the panel will most likely be inferior to the 1080p one and 99.9% of the content you watch will be less than 1080p anyway.

basically i could show you a 1080p tv for £1200 and a 4k tv for £400. which would I go for? the £1200 1080p tv because it's OLED and pee all over the cheap nasty 4k panel.

resolution doesn't make a great picture. otherwise look at cameras. megapixels doesn't automatically mean best picture quality. you have to look at the quality of the lens, size of the sensor, etc.

basically if you want to upgrade buy a premium 1080p panel.

a premium 4k panel can set you back anywhere between £1500-£5000.

look at reviews on hdtvtest and avforums. you want to buy something that is highly recommended or reference or best buy.
 
I'm not sure I'd be happy buying a £600 4K TV. I would worry about the quality of what I'm getting in paying so little. If I really wanted 4K, I think I would want to spend at least £1200.
 
robfosters said:
I'm not sure I'd be happy buying a £600 4K TV. I would worry about the quality of what I'm getting in paying so little. If I really wanted 4K, I think I would want to spend at least £1200.
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This was precisely the dilemma I faced recently when looking for a new TV when looking for a £500-650 replacement for my faulty Sony W805. Either you get a lower-spec 1080 model for less than that, or a fairly average 4K TV with some decent smart features but varying levels of image quality especially at HD resolutions which is what the majority of anyone's viewing will be.

The fact that you can get a 48" 4K TV from any given manufacturer for £550-600 or £1200 completely put me off the idea of buying a cheaper one. The £700-800 ones seem decent but by that point I was questioning why I was contemplating spending even more money just to get a 'better' 4K TV when I didn't even really want 4K to begin with!

In summary: It's a crap time to buy a new TV at this sort of budget.
 
Thanks for the opinions guys - much appreciated!

Not sure why anyone thought I'd be buying a "cheap" 4K TV (I generally do my homework and know from experience that you get usually what you pay for) but the feedback is welcome nonetheless!
 
Psycho Sonny said:
this is the issue most people buying 4k to future proof or upgrade have no clue how tv's work in terms of picture quality.

you can buy a 4k tv for cheaper than 1080p models? why? the difference in the quality of the panels and electronics driving them.

basically people think why not get a 4K for the same price or less or a little bit more. well the answer is the panel will most likely be inferior to the 1080p one and 99.9% of the content you watch will be less than 1080p anyway.

basically i could show you a 1080p tv for £1200 and a 4k tv for £400. which would I go for? the £1200 1080p tv because it's OLED and pee all over the cheap nasty 4k panel.

resolution doesn't make a great picture. otherwise look at cameras. megapixels doesn't automatically mean best picture quality. you have to look at the quality of the lens, size of the sensor, etc.

basically if you want to upgrade buy a premium 1080p panel.

a premium 4k panel can set you back anywhere between £1500-£5000.

look at reviews on hdtvtest and avforums. you want to buy something that is highly recommended or reference or best buy.
Click to expand...

Most wouldn't pay that on here.


How often do most here get a new TV?
 
I bought a 49" 4K TV about a year ago now to replace a 40" Sony LCD one. It's used in my bedroom at the minute so does the job. Maybe if I'd asked on here I'd of ended up with a bigger 1080p one but I wanted 4K as it was new tech and this was the best 4K at my budget. Must be nice for people to have over £1000+ in their back pocket to spend on a new TV every time they upgrade. If it's that easy I'll happily let someone buy me one ;)
 
V F said:
Most wouldn't pay that on here.


How often do most here get a new TV?
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there was a guy on here who bought a new tv every 12 months and went for top end models. he even owned a zt65/zt60 and a oled.

most wouldn't but some would.

i think the average person should upgrade their tv once every 7-12 years depending on their disposable income and how much they care about tech.

maj said:
I bought a 49" 4K TV about a year ago now to replace a 40" Sony LCD one. It's used in my bedroom at the minute so does the job. Maybe if I'd asked on here I'd of ended up with a bigger 1080p one but I wanted 4K as it was new tech and this was the best 4K at my budget. Must be nice for people to have over £1000+ in their back pocket to spend on a new TV every time they upgrade. If it's that easy I'll happily let someone buy me one ;)
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if someone spends £4K on a tv why would they buy you one?

I personally know people who have spent between £2-£3.5K on tv's. IMO they were throwing money away but it's their choice to do so.

the sweet spot for tv's IMO is around £600-£900.

the trick is to upgrade at the right times and buy the right tv in the first place.

you can pick up a premium 50" sony 1080p panel for £450 today if you were quick enough (expired now from tesco direct). same tv £600 at john lewis.

i paid £799 for my £1600rrp plasma brand new from john lewis. also got a brand new £1400rrp sammy plasma for £649. i bought both EOL before new models arrived in late jan/feb.

that is the best time to buy a tv as they try to get rid of stock cheap for the new models incoming in march/april.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
if someone spends £4K on a tv why would they buy you one?
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I was being what you called sarcastic. Of course a £1000 TV is going to better than a £400 one but not everyone is going to have huge amounts of money to spend on a TV, whether they buy a 4K or not. I'm certainly in no position to spend £1000 on a TV no matter how good the picture is hence my offer for someone to buy me one who does have the money and thinks nothing of it ;)
 
They reckon the average person in the UK spends something like 9-10 years of there life watching TV certainly 3 hours or more a day.

For me a good TV is something worth spending a little extra on in particular if you intend to keep it for a long time.
 
maj said:
I was being what you called sarcastic. Of course a £1000 TV is going to better than a £400 one but not everyone is going to have huge amounts of money to spend on a TV, whether they buy a 4K or not. I'm certainly in no position to spend £1000 on a TV no matter how good the picture is hence my offer for someone to buy me one who does have the money and thinks nothing of it ;)
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£1000 is probably average for a tv these days.

I would class <£500 as budget
£500-£1000 as normal
£1000-£1500 as premium
>£1500 as bonkers

So £1000 is nothing special. It will nowadays get you a premium 1080p panel but it's going to be another year or two before it gets you a large 1080p oled.
 
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