Televisions Thread: Almost cheaper to build your house out of TVs than wood

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Televisions Thread: Almost cheaper to build your house out of TVs than wood

matrim1985: Apr 9, 2013

KakerMix posted:

I have a some questions about 4k TVs.

1. Is there issues in running resolutions beyond 1080p over HDMI? I've dealt with this issue with computer monitors before yet all the 4k tvs I see all have HDMI as their primary way to display information. I assume there isn't an issue but there is a weirdness there that I'd love clarification on if anyone knows.

2. The upscaling that 4k TVs do, does it negatively affect the image quality of say a 1080p image or do these TVs automatically upscale everything?

3. I currently have a media center PC connected to our plain-jane HDTV and it works well. Are there any issues in using a media center PC with a 4k television? Will I be able to run the native resolution of the TV on a PC over HDMI?

I also know that 4k TVs aren't 'worth' it right now but we might be able to get one at a killer price that makes it worth it. If there are any issues with the media center PC portion I'll happily settle for standard HD.

1) HDMI 1.4 is fast enough to transmit the 4k signal, but only at 30fps. HDMI 2.0 allows for 4k at 60fps. Some 4k TVs have HDMI 2.0, most of them however are still 1.4. Do your research.

2) The upscaling does work, just not as well as they would lead you to believe (at least from personal viewings). The TVs try to upconvert all content to 4k and you only really see an improvement if your watching something in 1080p, and even then its hardly there. If your lucky to see one running a blue-ray you'll see what I mean.

3) This I am not sure on. You might want to run the signal at 1080p instead of 2160p. Two reasons for this. One is the HDMI 2.0/1.4 issue. If your comp has HDMI 1.4 then no question, run it at 1080p and let the TV upconvert. Secondly, even if you have HDMI 2.0, your movies are still only 1080p (you might be able to find some 4k movies online but good luck). If you run it at 2160, the computer won't upconvert the movie, and the TV won't upconvert a native signal, so you would be left with a 1080p movie on your 4k TV. If the TV gets the 1080p signal however, it will try and upconvert it. You will need to test this out though. I have no way of testing this my self so this is all just theory.

I personally am curious about the Sony 4k Media Server and if it can run on a non-sony TV. Every time I ask someone in stores they can never seem to give me an answer as to why it only works with Sony TVs.

Edit: Learned some new information and adjusted this post accordingly.

matrim1985 fucked around with this message at 11:30 on Mar 10, 2014

# ¿ Mar 10, 2014 10:51

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# ¿ May 8, 2024 16:22

matrim1985: Apr 9, 2013

GreenNight posted:

That wouldn't carry sound. If possible do straight HDMI. Most newer cards have that standard.

I have seen digital DVI send sound. It was a DVI to HDMI cable however.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2014 12:38

matrim1985: Apr 9, 2013

big mean giraffe posted:

Was it from a computer video card DVI to HDMI on a TV? Because that's totally different.

So digital DVI will carry sound if your video card supports that. In general you would need an ATI card as only the newer NVidea cards that I have seen do audio. If its a DIV-a port then its an analog signal and wont carry sound.

If the TV has DVI it might take the sound into it but your right that HDMI is your best bet.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2014 19:28

matrim1985: Apr 9, 2013

crm posted:

Ok, I need 2 TVs

One needs to be 60" and just be a solid all around TV. Also need to be aesthetically pleasing when turned off. My wife likes the grey/silver bevel of some of the Samsung models.

Also looking for a really big one, maybe up to 80", that should excel at sports.

I've got rokus and surround sound setups, so smart tv and fancy sound isn't that important. Don't really care about 3DTV either, but wouldn't be opposed to it on the bigger of the two.

Any recommendations?

The sharp displays go into a low light emmision wallpaper mode when you turn them off. You can use your own photos with it and it looks nice.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2014 12:58

matrim1985: Apr 9, 2013

MMD3 posted:

So it sounds like the general consensus around here is that UHD's aren't worth it yet. I'm in the market for a new 60-65" Samsung and it looks like the price dropped on their UHD's a bit since the 2014 lineup was announced.

Are the other features in their 8500 or 9000 series worth paying a bit of a premium even if UHD content doesn't begin showing up for another couple of years?

I guess the way I'm looking at it, it's been about 7 years since I purchased my last tv and I'm not anticipating having to go larger than 65" anytime soon given the size of the room I'll be putting it in. I'd be mad at myself if I spent $2000 on a decent 1080p tv and then 2 years from now 4K content is available and I have to go shopping for another tv. I'd rather just enjoy the benefits of higher definition and better local dimming.

I'm also thinking I should go check out these new curved displays to see what all the fuss is about or if they're really just gimmicky.

Don't buy a 4k TV just yet. Its not worth the money yet. The price will come down a lot over the next couple years. If you want something cutting edge get an OLED screen. I think they look better then the 4ks anyways.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2014 07:39

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# ¿ May 8, 2024 16:22

matrim1985: Apr 9, 2013

Smart should not be the desiding factore for getting a TV. How many inches, and picture quality are the most important things. Pay attention to the black levels, watch for brightness around the edges of the screen, how true to life are the colors (is flesh over saturated?). You can calabrate a TV when you get home but only so far.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2014 16:10

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