Is it worth it?

[game junky]

I am a videophile - I have been an early adopter of most display technologies and video formats. I love movies (have over 1300 movies total between DVD, BD & HD-DVD) and I like to see the best quality possible when possible. Unfortunately, I am in IT so I don't make a ton of cash.

My question - for those of you that have a 4k TV, is the quality difference really worth it? I have watched demos at BB and both display models image quality looked really clean and vivid, but I don't think that I can justify $3k for a 55" TV.

I have had a 46" 1080p 120Hz LCD Samsung for about 5 years and it's been great - warm colors, good refresh rate for sports/gaming, wasn't crazy expensive. Should I wait for more native 4k content or 4k sports broadcasting in the US before I pull the trigger?

Just wondering what the communities thoughts are on how good the video quality is and whether price of the display or the volume of available content is what is holding most folks like myself back.

 

[Wolfshadw]

I don't have a 4K HDTV (I'm in IT also, it's why I'm here at Tom's) so I can't say what the quality differences are. What I can say is that the majority of the content you view (say, 98%) isn't 1080p and over the next few years, less than 1% of the content you view will be 4K content, If I had $3K to spend and a spare room, I'd be looking at a $1500 projector, a $500 surround sound system, and $1000 in theater furniture, cooking appliances, and a popcorn machine.

Oh wait a minute!!!

Seriously though, If you're a videophile and have a room at least 20'x10' that you can convert into a theater, that's the route you want to take. Here's what I have in my living room (small apartment/single male):

Epson Powerlite Hone Cinema 8350
Onkyo HT-S3200 5.1 Surround Sound
Elite Sceens 140" manual pull down screen (can't seem to find a link)
HTPC with Blu-Ray drive/software and Ceton InfiniTV4 TV Tuner card (see specs in my signature block).

This is what I use for my Netflix HD subscription, as well as watching live sporting events. Full 1080p/i/720p content on a 135" screen, I don't even go to the theaters anymore. A breakdown of the costs:

HTPC: $800
Surround Sound System: $300
Projector: $1000
Manual Pull Down Screen: $150
Home Theater Furniture (a.k.a my recliner) $200
Accessories: $50 (cables and such).

If you've got $3K to spend right now and the room, this is the route I'd suggest. 4K will wait. 5-10 years down the line is when you should be looking to upgrade to a 4K projector to replace your current 1080p projector.

-Wolf sends

 

[ssddx]

no, it is not worth investing in 4k technology just yet.

unless of course you hook up your television to your computer and play games in which case it MAY be worthwhile since the games can be rendered in 4k!

sure 4k video feeds look superb over 1080p however we wont be seeing many 4k feeds for a good long time. just think about how long 1080p has been the common standard and how we still do not have all content as 1080p. there are some sources which are still 480p or 720p!.

so i say give it a few years unless you hook up to the pc for gaming.