Black Friday Series – 4K HDTVs

This will be my first post for Black Friday and Cyber Monday in an attempt to assist you in buying the right technology for you!

4k HDTV.  Sounds like a large number and obviously, when numbers are large it indicates better right?  So when going out or staying in this Black Friday and Cyber Monday you may be looking for a TV.  How do you differentiate between the 3 different HDTVs though?  720p vs 1080p vs 4k.  I will explain the difference in a simple way and then give you some options and what to look for come Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

From http://www.rtings.com/

If you look at the above picture, you can really see the difference in numbers.  Something very important to note is that the 4k TVs display at a 4096 x 2160 OR 3840 x 2160 resolution as compared to the 1080p that displays at 1920 x 1080.  You may also see 1080p referred to as 2k.  4k is designated Ultra High Definition or UHD and 1080p and 720p is designated as High Definition.

You might be asking yourself what the point of this post even is, it seems pretty obvious that the larger resolution would be better.  However, you need to look at the whole picture.  Look at the following graph:

From http://www.rtings.com

You can see that the quality of the image is not just based on the resolution but rather it is a fine equation between screen size, viewing distance, and resolution.  For a 1080p TV, a viewing distance of 6 feet is the optimal distance for a 45 inch TV.  To put this in perspective, think about how the picture would change if you sat right in front of the TV you have currently.  It would probably look a little grainy and blurry.  As you back away from the TV, certain things start to blend better.  4k TVs, since they have such a high resolution are better for larger screens: 50 inches and higher.  That isn’t to say you couldn’t use 4k on a smaller TV but you wouldn’t get the full benefit.

Looking purely at the stats, it becomes clear that if you have a 46 inch TV or lower, you will want to go with a 1080p resolution because it really wouldn’t benefit you as the viewer unless you were wanting to sit 5 inches away from the TV.

Another factor we need to look at is price.  The price for 4k TVs at this time is upwards of $5000 for a low end 50 inch 4k TV.  At that price, you could get a really nice 50 inch 1080p TV.

The final factor is the use of 4K in media.  Most Bluray and Most Games do not currently utilize 4k, nevermind normal cable television.  Even the next gen consoles do not support 4K (however, they potentially could in the future).

My verdict is that 4k TVs are not yet worth the money.  So little actually supports 4K right now that with the money you spend on a 4K TV, you could be purchasing a top of the line 1080p TV.  As an example:

LG 55″ 4K TruMotion 240hz LED-LCD HDTV 55LA9650 is going for $3499.99 vs the LG 55″ Class 1080p 60Hz SMART LED TV – 55LN5600 going for $699.99.  (Prices from Newegg.com as of the posting of this blog post)

So what TVs should you be looking for this coming Black Friday and Cyber Monday?  Not 4k HDTVs.  Even on sale, these gigantic HDTVs are going to be thousands of dollars and for normal folks it’s a large investment.  However, the following are some of my suggestions for 1080p TVs to look out for!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889354256 – Samsung 5500 46″ Class (45.9″ Diagonal size) 1080p 120Hz LED-LCD HDTV – UN46F5500AFXZA

For a person looking for more of a deal, take a look at Vizio.  In the past, Vizio TVs have been “cheap”, however, their current models are actually very good.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA25V0PM7426 – Vizio 47″ Class (46.96″ Diag.) 120Hz LED-LCD HDTV M3D470KDE

If you have any specific questions feel free to comment below or email contact@echtek.net