This is starting to drift off topic but what the heck. 4K (2160p) sets look very impressive in a show room when displaying true 4K material and your nose is 6 inches from the screen. At normal viewing distances (say 12-15 feet) with a typical screen size of 50", regardless of the material, you will not be able to discern the difference between a 1080p set and a 4k set (2160p). The three resolutions you can buy today are 720p, 1080p, and 2160p (4K). You will not find 720p in any sets over about 32" in size. There are various tables/charts on the internet which will relate viewing distance and screen size to the resolution your eyes can discern. Here is one such chart:
http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html
Essentially, the closer you sit to the TV and the larger the screen the more likely you can see resolution differences. As such, 4K (2160p) sets, in my opinion, are not worth the price premium for the majority of viewers. However, I suspect you may find that the vast majority of the set are 4k (2160p) sets within 2 years (except for small, low cost sets) as the major manufacturers transition the majority of their production to the higher resolution 4k sets. Keep in mind that there is very little 4K material available right now. That will change with time but 4K (2160p) material requires much higher bandwidth than current 720p or 1080p material. This will be a challenge for sat and cable providers and also for internet access providers for those streaming video. For example, I believe you need about 25 megabits/sec download bandwidth to stream 4K (2160p) material from Netflix (yes, they have some limited 4K (2160p) material). In the near term, the vast majority of the material will continue to be 720p and 1080p resolution. 4k (2160p) sets can display that material but the 4x increase in the number of pixels isn't being fully exploited (but then again, depending on your viewing distance and set size it may not make any difference anyway regardless of whether the material is 1080p or 2160p).
Regarding the technology, OLED TVs are incredibly expensive and equally impressive. Virtually all other TVs are LCDs. When you see the term "LED", that refers to the source of the back lighting of an LCD TV. The other source of back lighting is CCFLs (essentially fluorescent lamps). We currently have both CCFL and LED back lit LCD sets. They look about the same but LEDs are a better technology. There are also sets with multiple "zones" of LED back lighting. It is easy to get wrapped up in buying the latest and greatest while the incremental improvement in the picture quality is marginal.
From my perspective, a bigger 1080p set is better than a smaller 4K (2160p) set unless you are sitting very close. Use the chart I reference above to help you make an informed decision.
Locally, Sam's Club has good prices on sets and very inexpensive extended warranty that includes home delivery. Sets bigger than 60" can be a challenge to get home unless you have a large SUV or pickup truck. Good luck with your purchase.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fred53
he asks about a new tv...not a flash drive to turn a tv into a computer....
Go with 4k...50-60 inches...the better brands are Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Vizio....they're all mostly led tv's...get one with a 240hz refresh rate at the least...OLED if you can afford it...go to ledtvbuyingguide.com and check out the ratings...if you have to buy local then Bestbuy(about the only good choice for local is your best bet...otherwise look at buying direct from the company, amazon or other reliable online retailers...good luck...oh and you really only need a smart tv if you'll do a lot more than watch tv...but most come as smart tv's now...
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