Remember that argument about content

[Deacon]

Every naysayer against 4k TV has trotted out the point about content as a main reason not to get a 4k set.

I always thought it was really shortsighted and biased because the same people always conclude that 1080p sets are where its at! But the reality is no one broadcasts in 1080p either. Outside of Blu-ray there is no real source for 1080p just like there is none for 4k.

Well we should see 4k Blu-ray by the end of the year!

And now, just like 1080p it looks like providers are starting to produce up scaling STBs that will do 4k

http://bgr.com/2015/08/24/comcast-4k-te ... tribution/

If you remember way back when how long it took providers to respond and start offering HD programming (I remember how excited I was to get 10 channels through Dish), it looks like the response time for 4k adoption is moving much faster.

Sales are increasing at a high rate - http://hometheaterreview.com/4k-tv-ship ... n-q1-2015/

And forecasts are very strong - http://4k.com/news/4k-tv-sales-to-surpa ... 2018-5948/

Prices are also plummeting and we are seeing an increase in 'budget' 4k sets being produced.

Things are looking good for us early adopters.

 

[Barney]

I'm waiting on Vizio's P models due any day now. I just did a walk through at Walmart, alot of TV's on sale, 4K (Vizio M's, Samsumg, ). Target has some great deals on some 4k sets. Reason for sales....making room for the new models due out.
The new P models should have HDR etc. and possible Vizio R models (top of the line) are hinted to be coming this fall.
I'm buying one (Vizio or Samsung, or maybe a Hisense-they bought Sharps TV branch in Mexico-Sharp makes alot of panels for different TV Co's).

 

[Akula]

I've been very pleased with my 4K TV. Content isn't a major issue... for me, this is the kind of upgrade one makes if you're planning to upgrade anyway. I can't see swapping out a 1080p display for a 4K one if you're happy with the existing display. Yes, 4K is prettier, but not so much so that it's worth dropping the cash just for that. However, if you're planning to swap out the TV for whatever reason (broken, want a bigger one, etc.), then yeah, I'd definitely spend the extra few hundred bucks for a 4K if we're talking a primary use set (not one in a bedroom or somesuch). Even without the 4K Blu-Ray, it's worth it.

 

[Barney]

Sams has a sale for a 70" Vizio 4k M70-C3 series for $1698.99
They are out of stock online....see if they have one in your local store.

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/70-240hz-l ... navAction=

Take the add to Best Buy for price match...if they have any left.

 

[yromj]

And then you get stuff like this:

I saw this yesterday at a Fry's. I knew to be leary when it said "Mastered in 4K" and sure enough it is a 1080p disc. No 4K content at all.

John

 

[Towen7]

HUH?

Mastered in 4K? does that mean "film"?

 

[Flint]

Right... so all CDs and MP3s are mastered in 24bit, so they could be marketed as "Optimized for Hi-Rez Audio Systems"

 

[Akula]

And then you get stuff like this:

I saw this yesterday at a Fry's. I knew to be leary when it said "Mastered in 4K" and sure enough it is a 1080p disc. No 4K content at all.

John

Whoever came up with this has no dick.

 

[Haywood]

And then you get stuff like this:

I saw this yesterday at a Fry's. I knew to be leary when it said "Mastered in 4K" and sure enough it is a 1080p disc. No 4K content at all.

John

Paramount Pictures and Monster Cable present...

 

[MatthewB]

A lot of movies are mastered in 4K from the original print negatives in processing then are encoded at 1080p. Yes it is a marketing gimmick but not lying. Most remastered movies are processed at 4K (the latest version of Jaws was done this way). It's like what Criterion did for DVD's they would get the print negative do the processing at 4K frame by frame after cleaning the image from the original. Then aft mastered in 4K output the resolution at 1080p.

The average consumer is going to think its 4K resolution when it's not but just 1080p much like Superbit DVD's.

 

[Yesfan70]

Sams has a sale for a 70" Vizio 4k M70-C3 series for $1698.99..........

That's a crazy price. I was recently in a Electronic Express and saw some Samsung 4k TVs in that size for the same price or a little over. I know they were under 2k. I expected them to be much higher. It seems those sizes were double the price just a few years ago for a 1080p display.


It almost makes me want to replace my 720p projector. 75" isn't big compared to my screen, but it's still a big freaking TV!

 

[Akula]

It almost makes me want to replace my 720p projector. 75" isn't big compared to my screen, but it's still a big freaking TV!

I'm really wondering how long projectors can last, at least for screen sizes under 100". With direct view displays being economically produced and profitably sold at under $3000, why bother with a screen, projector with expensive bulb, and the need to design the room around the display technology (ambient light management, etc.)?

We've already seen regular homes go from having TV sets usually in the 27 or 32" range jump to 40 or 50" sets over the last 10-15 years. Give it that much time again, will 70 or 80" sets be the relative norm?

 

[Batman]

I don't believe a large enough sub-100" projector market exists to hedge any bets one way or another. If someone's room limits them to a 70-80" display then a TV makes sense for all kinds of reasons. But I think a very small percentage of projector owners have screens in that range, I'm not saying they aren't out there, just that there's many more in that 100"+ market where the value and benefits of a projector can be reaped.

 

[Towen7]

I understand exactly what your saying but there's just something different when I'm sitting in front of a 100+" image. I get the math and that sitting closer to a 70" or 80" screen should yield the same field of view but it doesn't feel the same. So, while I'm sure the market for projectors is small and shrinking, I think it'll be around for enthusiast for the foreseeable future.

 

[Haywood]

It almost makes me want to replace my 720p projector. 75" isn't big compared to my screen, but it's still a big freaking TV!

I'm really wondering how long projectors can last, at least for screen sizes under 100". With direct view displays being economically produced and profitably sold at under $3000, why bother with a screen, projector with expensive bulb, and the need to design the room around the display technology (ambient light management, etc.)?

We've already seen regular homes go from having TV sets usually in the 27 or 32" range jump to 40 or 50" sets over the last 10-15 years. Give it that much time again, will 70 or 80" sets be the relative norm?

Forget the sub-100 market, there will be reasonable alternatives in the 120" range in the next five years.

 

[Towen7]

Do most people have wall space for 120" primary displays?
I suppose people may choose to forego the typical livingroom layout and essentially turn them into theaters, but I dont see that being the norm.

 

[Haywood]

Do most people have wall space for 120" primary displays?
I suppose people may choose to forego the typical livingroom layout and essentially turn them into theaters, but I dont see that being the norm.

True, but projectors are not the norm either. I see these very large displays displacing projectors. One of the advantages being that ambient light becomes less of a problem. There is a market for people who want a home theater, but prefer to enjoy it in a more traditional great room or family room setting. I think it is a niche market, but a large enough niche market that it will be addressed.

 

[Batman]

^^ It'll be interesting to see what happens. But I disagree. I just don't see prices for sets of that size decreasing substantially as technology continues to evolve (which it will, we do know that). Take the Vizio 120" reference series. At $120k even if a 3rd generation of that set made it to market and the price decreased by 75% were still talking about $30k. Even at that price that market would be more niche than the projector market. And IMHO I still think there's just something about a projector setup that makes it more like a real theater. And I believe that's why people who buy them prefer them, maybe even more than the value they present for large screens.

 

[Haywood]

Just to play devil's advocate here, it was not too many years ago that 80-inch sets were in that price range and now you can buy a Vizio M80-C3 for under $4,000.

 

[Batman]

I believe the 80-90" range is the threshold where set will always be substantially higher.