Need help with 4k TV purchase

[arbiterrecon]

So I am browsing 4K Tvs for black friday sales and I noticed a good bunch but I would like to get high quality one, so what do I look for. I know that it has something to do with back lighting but where would it say that on the specs? all i see is LED
should i get 120 refresh rate over 60?
I will be close to the TV screen as i use it for mostly gaming and computer monitor.

https/www.walmart.com/ip/Philips-55PFL5601-F7-55-4K-Ultra-HD-2160p-60Hz-LED-Smart-HDTV-4K-x-2K/54510025

here is an example of one i saw,

what are good brand names for quality TVs?

 

[captaincharisma]

Phillips is a low end brand. the top brands to look for these days for TV's are Samsung and LG. some other good brands are Sony, sharp, and Toshiba

 

[Natsukage]

Hello.

If you have a reasonable budget, you have to look out for a few things. Response time, refresh rate. And if possible, input lag time.
Reponse time: How fast the tv can turn from white to black. Usually in the 4-8ms, which is visible and creates ghosting in games when moving left of right.
Refresh rate: A higher refresh rate blurs and ghosts less even if the response time is higher. 120hz is better than 60hz. 240hz is better still. But response time is more important for games.
Input lag time: How much time it takes for when you do something in the game for the TV to respond. It has to be under 40ms for you to no realize it's there. Check online ratings for that.

I highly suggest getting a brand name TV, such as LG, Samsung, Sharp or Panasonic. Philips isn't too bad either, but not the top.

If your budget is really high, I suggest going for OLED. (not LED LCD) OLED eliminates everything you actually need to look out for, such as refresh rate, response time, etc. Because it simply cannot blur when you move, unlike LED(lcd). Absolute best for gaming. But pricey. ^^;

 

[photonboy]

1) 120Hz/240Hz
These are mainly meant for sports. They artificially add frames. 120Hz adds one fake frame per real one. It adds a lot of latency so is not suitable for gaming, and is not suitable for movies either since it changes the perceived motion blur.

120Hz is also required for 3D, but that doesn't change the above.

2) Samsung, Sharp, LG, Sony are my main choices

3) Look at CUSTOMER FEEDBACK (don't use Amazon as it mixes different models).

4) A good 1080p HDTV might be better than a slightly lower quality 4K so do your research.

5) *You likely should game at 1080p.
I don't have a 4K HDTV, but from my understanding you can't change the resolution of individual games using an HDTV. Thus you are forced to game at 1080p or 2160p, and there's not much that can handle 4K for gaming properly in PC.

6) If possible, get a quality one that also supports HDR (High Dynamic Range) though I don't know if that's possible for budget models.

7) 2xHDMI inputs seems common too for cheaper/medium priced HDTV's. I consider THREE inputs the minimum. You can buy switchers but that's a hassle.

I hope this helps.

 

[photonboy]

Update:
OLED?

That's very, very pricey and not currently recommended for gaming I believe due to potential burn-in.

I know you also said "pricey" but why even mention it when he's looking at cheap 4K HDTV's?

*Anyway, again look at the USER comment scores. If they don't exist, or are low then simply IGNORE. I'd also ignore if there are too few comments which might mean the model hasn't been out long thus we don't know about failure rates.

 

[Natsukage]

He never said "cheap" 4k tv though. ^_^

If you didn't use a lag-free Plasma or OLED for gaming, then what else is it to be used for? Never burned in a Viera plasma even after years of gaming and PC use. Burn in only happens if you're someone who likes burning in your eyes as well: just lower the contrast, and there's no problem. Modern OLED's have all sorts of burn in protection.

But yeah, the OLEDs are still quite pricey...way too pricey. But for someone like me who still sees motion blur on high end 144hz 1ms gaming monitors....I can't exactly recommend anything else than a replacement for Plasma.

 

[photonboy]

size?
People with 20/20 need to sit closer than about 1.5x to benefit. That's actually pretty unlikely. There is some confusion on this though, because the video processor can sharpen or otherwise alter the content in a way that looks slightly different from normal 1080p input so people swear it's better.

Walmart.
They commission cheaper versions, so the quality isn't comparable to models in some other stores. I get pretty nervous seeing a $250USD 4K HDTV.

Pro reviews?
Also, take the EXACT model you are looking at and find other reviews if possible.

EXAMPLE:
https/www.walmart.com/ip/Samsung-UN49KU6500FXZA-49-Curved-4K-UHD-Slim-LED-TV/52024991

Looking at comments, specs, and price that's where I'd start and then compare other models to it. For example:

a) 4K
b) good reviews/comments
c) 3xHDMI input (2x is common)
d) HDR
(HDR means better video for new content that supports it such as the PS4 Pro for some titles and upcoming movies)

What about CHEAPER?
I suspect you'll find something that will frankly piss you off. Maybe a quality issue, or sluggish processor (for the media section).

It's also CURVED which I don't care about. I read about this, but in general it seems to be pointless but doesn't usually hurt either. In my experience, curved mostly benefits ULTRAWIDE 21:9 monitors when sitting really close.

 

[photonboy]

He never said "cheap" 4k tv though. ^_^

If you didn't use a lag-free Plasma or OLED for gaming, then what else is it to be used for? Never burned in a Viera plasma even after years of gaming and PC use. Burn in only happens if you're someone who likes burning in your eyes as well: just lower the contrast, and there's no problem. Modern OLED's have all sorts of burn in protection.

But yeah, the OLEDs are still quite pricey...way too pricey. But for someone like me who still sees motion blur on high end 144hz 1ms gaming monitors....I can't exactly recommend anything else than a replacement for Plasma.

- no big deal, but I based the pricing on his HDTV link. OLED is way out of most people's price point.
- My dad has Plasma too. What's the point? For the deep blacks (native contrast ratio). Most people with Plasma's do not game, though yes the low response time is great for that.
- Plasma and OLED do have protection built in. One is called "pixel shifting" but the companies still recommend not using it for static images so I can't predict what will happen with a specific model, thus I can't recommend it.

Anyway, it's pretty much a non-issue for Plasma since it's dead, and for OLED because it's too expensive. I know there are now OLED monitors out (or at least a laptop) so the issue is getting sorted out.

So again, glad it works for you but I won't recommend anything if it's not officially supported (or I have the same model and can verify it).

 

[Natsukage]

Samsung's KU series is actually some of the best you can find atm. ^^

But yeah, plasma's dead, and OLED isn't getting much cheaper. Still would recommend a used 2007+ Plasma over a <300$ 4k "No-Name" TV though. xD

The "you get what you paid for" applies to all those 4k TVs with prices too low to be true after all.

Also, another thing to look for:

Warranty. Try to get at least a 3 year warranty plan if it's less than 1/5th of the TV price...it helps on the long run. ^^ Never know when you get a bad model nowadays, with internals completely changing every few months. Better safe than sorry, especially with a large investment like a 4K TV.