68 replies to this topic

[Mike in STL]

Fios has two 4K channels that are almost always off air. Occasionally show some sports.

All the streaming services have a lot of 4K content.

The 2021 LG OLEDs are currently on pretty great sale. 77" C1 model can be found for $2200 or so. Fantastic TV.

So weird. Like they are selling 8k TVs but can’t even get 4K cameras at more than what, one sporting event a week, maybe?

$2200 is over my budget. Best Buy has a Vizio 75” QLED Class M7 (???) for $900 that has my eye.

[Nigel Tufnel]

DirecTV has one permanent 4K channel, and one channel that sometimes shows sports - any MLB playoff game on Fox, a couple of Masters channels, etc.  DirecTV is kind of doomed, so I doubt they'll add much 4K beyond that.

 

Some of the newer TV's have ATSC 3.0 tuners built in.  They can theoretically receive 4K signals with an antenna, but I don't think any stations are actually broadcasting anything in 4K yet.

 

So, yeah, the streamers have the best 4K content.

[Mike in STL]

So basically I can get a 4K tv with the apps built in and skip the Apple box for streaming cable in 4K which is pretty much non existent.

Thanks guys.

[You Play to Win the Game]

4K is for movies and even some high end TV shows which will stream that way through their apps. But yeah, it’s basically non-existent for live TV. They’ll also pick games that will have less viewers because they don’t have the bandwidth for it. Like there were a couple playoff games in 4K last year, but neither of the Championship games or the Super Bowl.

[CantonJester]

So basically I can get a 4K tv with the apps built in and skip the Apple box for streaming cable in 4K which is pretty much non existent.

Thanks guys.

 

The advantage the streaming devices have (Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, et al) is that their products are far better supported than their TV-specific counterparts. For example: Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Paramount, et al will all run better on a streaming device than they will on a TV that hosts the app. 

[NewMarketSean]

I didn't experience that.

 

For streaming apps I was running a Fire Cube with my Samsung QLED TV and HBO Max 4K/UHD programming was down-converted into some god awful resolution. Might have been an issue specific to the Fire Cube but when I started running the HBO Max on my TV it looked like it should. I've been using the TV apps ever since.

 

Now, it may be a TV by TV basis. I helped my sister set up a new LG TV last night and after an hour of fooling around with the TV apps and finding out she couldn't download DirecTV Now on her TV she put the Fire Stick back in and is running all her apps through that.

 

To me it just seems silly to buy new a $500-$3,000 TV and use a $30 Fire Stick that may be a year or two old (or even older) to use your apps.

[Mackus]

So weird. Like they are selling 8k TVs but can’t even get 4K cameras at more than what, one sporting event a week, maybe?

$2200 is over my budget. Best Buy has a Vizio 75” QLED Class M7 (???) for $900 that has my eye.

 

$800 for a TCL 75" for Prime Day.  It toggles between $800 and $900 so not an insane sale, but a well-reviewed mid-range / budget TV.  Similarly solid review grades as the M7 from rtings.  Hisense is another that gets good reviews and is in the $800 range.

[DuffMan]

About a year and a half ago I got a 75 inch Vizio for our living room and I have been very happy with it.

[NewMarketSean]

It's insane how cheap TV's have become. Spent $190 on a 42 inch Vizio to watch O's games on my deck a few weeks ago. It's a better TV than it has any business being.

[Mackus]

Yep, best product you can find yourself in the market for. Excellent quality at all price points.

[Nigel Tufnel]

Just noting that DirecTV currently has a 4K British Open channel - it shows holes 11,12, and 13.

[Pedro Cerrano]

I *think* Fox Sports does their college football and NFL in 4k? I don’t have the 4K package with YouTubeTV so I wouldn’t know.

[Biggsy]

If you're in the market for a new TV. Go to Rtings.com. They torture test every popular TV brand and give a legitimate 1-10 rating for every use of a TV (gaming, movies, sports, 4k, pc monitor and mirroring)

I've used it every time I've been looking. They do a great job of giving you the best bang for your buck TV's.

I was always a samnsung guy. After I found their site, I saw they had the LG C1 models rated higher. I went to Best Buy and they had a floor model, open box 55 inch LG OLED C2 model for only $890. (it's normally around $2000+) That TV has blown my mind. Never had a TV with such clarity. Even standing way off to the side, you can see everything in 4k. I have it in my sunroom, and even on the brightest days you can see the TV clearly, which was a huge issue with my older LCD TV.

[Old Man]

Just noting that DirecTV currently has a 4K British Open channel - it shows holes 11,12, and 13.

Its golf, does it really matter, if its 720 DPI, or 4k?

[Mackus]

Its golf, does it really matter, if its 720 DPI, or 4k?

 

Yes, absolutely.  Golf benefits from an improved viewing experience more than any other sport. 

 

The more scenic the show, the more its improved by enhanced resolution.  Westerns are probably the best thing to watch in 4K because it makes the scenery really pop to an amazing level.  Nature shows and documentaries also are hugely improved the better your picture gets.  Watching golf is far more about the environment than every other sport.  Wide shots of the course and the surroundings and the background behind the golfer are integral parts of a golf broadcast, compared to almost nothing but the on-field action is in any other sport.  So golf is inherently going to benefit the most.  Its also the sport with the least amount of motion, so you don't have constant action and less need to worry about judder.  Even on an amazing TV with great resolution and good refresh rate, you're still going to have some judder effects when there is lots of motion on screen.  Content is almost always shot at 24 fps which doesn't natively scale to 60 Hz refresh rates.  Does better with a 120 Hz TV which you can get at the higher end of the market.  Golf largely avoids this problem since the only thing moving fast is the club and not the players.

[Nigel Tufnel]

HBO Max will start streaming Game of Thrones in 4K HDR with Dolby Atmos sound starting in August.

 

Game of Thrones Coming to HBO Max In 4K HDR - The TV Answer Man!

[Nigel Tufnel]

If you're in the market for a new TV. Go to Rtings.com. They torture test every popular TV brand and give a legitimate 1-10 rating for every use of a TV (gaming, movies, sports, 4k, pc monitor and mirroring)

I've used it every time I've been looking. They do a great job of giving you the best bang for your buck TV's.

I was always a samnsung guy. After I found their site, I saw they had the LG C1 models rated higher. I went to Best Buy and they had a floor model, open box 55 inch LG OLED C2 model for only $890. (it's normally around $2000+) That TV has blown my mind. Never had a TV with such clarity. Even standing way off to the side, you can see everything in 4k. I have it in my sunroom, and even on the brightest days you can see the TV clearly, which was a huge issue with my older LCD TV.

 

Do you play video games on that TV?  I've read that OLED TV's can have burn-in problems, although I think the risk is minor.  And I also used to have my XBOX hooked up to a plasma TV and never had any issues.

[Mackus]

Burn-in risk is really only for things that are always left on with the same crawl.  So like bars or airports where the same channel is on all the time for not just hours but days on end.  Video Game screens will change often enough that its not a concern.  The LGs specifically default to a very aggressive screensaver as well.  After something like 30 seconds of no motion it kicks on.  Wouldn't catch crawls or logos, but does prevent any issues from pause or home screens.

 

I've got the CX.  

[You Play to Win the Game]

Burn-in risk is really only for things that are always left on with the same crawl.  So like bars or airports where the same channel is on all the time for not just hours but days on end.  Video Game screens will change often enough that its not a concern.  The LGs specifically default to a very aggressive screensaver as well.  After something like 30 seconds of no motion it kicks on.  Wouldn't catch crawls or logos, but does prevent any issues from pause or home screens.

 

I've got the CX.  

I mean, if I had a plasma back in the early 2000's, I'd definitely have a Call of Duty HUD map burnt into that junts. 

[Biggsy]

Do you play video games on that TV? I've read that OLED TV's can have burn-in problems, although I think the risk is minor. And I also used to have my XBOX hooked up to a plasma TV and never had any issues.

I dont play on that one. I play on a Samsung QLED though and haven't had any burn in.

Like it was just stated, my LG goes into a burn-in screen saver mode if the same screen is left on for too long. Burn-in really only occurs if you have the same, or similar images on the screen for long periods of time.