Is it worth it to upgrade to non HDR 4K TV for price reasons, or better to hold off?

[shinobipopcorn]

You see all these ads for LG and Samsung 45, 55, even 60" 4K sets under $600, yet the HDR sets are in the thousands. Is it a noticeable quality jump for someone who has a 720p or 1080p TV now to upgrade to the format, or is it just more unnecessary pixels at this point?

I've seen example pictures where HDR brings out more detail (the Mad Max shots where you can see the sky in the HDR set and it practically blinds you), and that seems like a very solid investment, but what if you just can't afford it? Do you go half way, or stick with what you have until the prices go down?

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by shinobipopcorn

You see all these ads for LG and Samsung 45, 55, even 60" 4K sets under $600, yet the HDR sets are in the thousands. Is it a noticeable quality jump for someone who has a 720p or 1080p TV now to upgrade to the format, or is it just more unnecessary pixels at this point?

I've seen example pictures where HDR brings out more detail (the Mad Max shots where you can see the sky in the HDR set and it practically blinds you), and that seems like a very solid investment, but what if you just can't afford it? Do you go half way, or stick with what you have until the prices go down?

yep

[MarcinL]

The HDR is the main reason for an upgrade. That is probably the first thing you will notice about 4k movies. Depending on the size of the TV and how far you are sitting away from it it might be pointless to even upgrade to 4K if you are not getting an HDR set.

[fatediesel]

I have an HDR 4K and a non-HDR 4K and the picture quality is no better on the non-HDR TV than any of the 1080P TVs I have. I wouldn't bother upgrading unless you're getting HDR.

[ewsjr]

It definitely is worth it.

[shinobipopcorn]

I'm not sure what resolution the family room TV is... I thought it was 1080p when they bought it, but the picture looks like complete garbage and my 720p that's a good 6 years older than it has much better colors and sound.

Either way, I don't have the physical room for the size of TV I want at the moment, but I was curious if those ads were worth it or not.

[gkolb]

Originally Posted by MarcinL

The HDR is the main reason for an upgrade. That is probably the first thing you will notice about 4k movies. Depending on the size of the TV and how far you are sitting away from it it might be pointless to even upgrade to 4K if you are not getting an HDR set.

Definitely agree with the above.

I mean, you've got to decide what your budget is for a new display, as your first consideration.

2017 Sony, or LG Oled, or 2017 Samsung HDR sets will get the best HDR pictures for you. LG and Sony will also be DV capable (Sony in near future).You will want a DV capable disk player at that time as well.

Dolby Vision will have the most benefits for the displays that have the lower max nits available, as DV will customize the program by scene or by frame to get a best fit on the display capability. These will be TV's with lower price points, although more expensive displays will no doubt get some benefits.

Wish you luck, and save your lunch change!

[Bourne1886]

Yep, if you're thinking of buying a 4K tv get a 4K tv with HDR, there's no point otherwise.

[Dwayne]

Originally Posted by Bourne1886

Yep, if you're thinking of buying a 4K tv get a 4K tv with HDR, there's no point otherwise.

Absolutely. Purchasing a 4K TV without HDR is pointless.

[Number 6]

HDR and the upscaling ability of today's 4K HDTVs makes them a worthy investment.

[jibucha]

we purchased an non-HDR/WCG/Dolby Vision display in October 2014 (no regrets whatsoever)

possibly the most fantastic picture quality (great price) currently is the Sony XBR-49X900E which unfortunately does not have support for Dolby Vision

if $1198 is too much, i would definitely purchase when you can

for what it's worth :: (4K resolution - Dolby Vision - WCG - HDR) all matter 'equally' :: one without the other is nonsense as 'i see it'

lastly, while there is considerable focus on 'high dynamic range' it is 'color' improvement that is most noticeable without exception :: if i had to choose only one, it would be 4K resolution (with/without) WCG or HDR :: however, personally, i require all four as equally important, but that's me

waiting is for bystanders that will be missing a lot along the way

[Pondosinatra]

I'll stick with my plasma...

[shinobipopcorn]

Originally Posted by jibucha

we purchased an non-HDR/WCG/Dolby Vision display in October 2014 (no regrets whatsoever)

possibly the most fantastic picture quality (great price) currently is the Sony XBR-49X900E which unfortunately does not have support for Dolby Vision

if $1198 is too much, i would definitely purchase when you can

for what it's worth :: (4K resolution - Dolby Vision - WCG - HDR) all matter 'equally' :: one without the other is nonsense as 'i see it'

lastly, while there is considerable focus on 'high dynamic range' it is 'color' improvement that is most noticeable without exception :: if i had to choose only one, it would be 4K resolution (with/without) WCG or HDR :: however, personally, i require all four as equally important, but that's me

waiting is for bystanders that will be missing a lot along the way

Well, I have part of the equation started, as my Panasonic DMP-BD605 has started showing its age and begun failing to read discs, so I ordered a DMP-BDT460 to replace it. No DV but it can do 4k if I ever get that far. By then there might be something new anyway.

[jibucha]

nice :: i expect that HD will look better than ever regardless it's not UltraHD content :: of course, you can now try a 4K UltraHD Blu-ray player and 'see what you think' (HDMI 2.0a & HDCP 2.2)
i expect you will enjoy it quite a bit

ps :: i misunderstood :: i thought you had acquired a 4K UltraHD display, not an 'upscaling' HD Blu-ray player
(i was not familiar with that model number, so i searched after posting and then rereading your post; it was clear, but i missed it entirely)

Originally Posted by shinobipopcorn

Well, I have part of the equation started, as my Panasonic DMP-BD605 has started showing its age and begun failing to read discs, so I ordered a DMP-BDT460 to replace it. No DV but it can do 4k if I ever get that far. By then there might be something new anyway.

[shinobipopcorn]

Yes, no 4K TV yet. Maybe around black friday if there are good sales. By the time I can afford a 4K HDR TV I will be able to get a better 4K blu-ray player, and of course can start collecting UHD discs. But since I don't have any of those, this upscaling model should do.

[SPIDERone]

I wouldn't 'settle for something' you don't want if you can avoid it. To be honest though, as much as I love 4K and HDR, I think the parts that have really been the biggest improvements have been in other areas like the display itself.

The difference between an LCD TV and an OLED TV has been amazing. To the point where I'd pretty much take an OLED 1080p over a lower-end 4K LCD.

I didn't get the same feel with 4K/HDR as I did from going from DVD to Blu-Ray.. but there definitely is one, especially on the larger sets.

[worldchmps]

Earlier this year I got a Samsung 6300 40 inch. It's 4k with fake HDR (8 bit panel so it can only adjust brightness). I got it as a bedroom tv upgrade and spent $378 with no tax and free shipping. I felt and still do it was a good buy. The picture is more detailed than my 46 inch Samsung 6300 from 2010. The colors pop more on the main tv but I feel the color is more accurate on the 40 inch. I did have to do plenty of tweaking and looked online but I like where it ended up. The quality is excellent and I'd totally recommend upgrading to a non real HDR tv if it's a bedroom or den tv. I may only watch the bedroom tv a few hours a week so I'm happy with it. Or a main tv I'd definitely only buy with real HDR. So the real question is what is the purpose of the new tv. No reason to spend a grand on a bedroom tv unless you're rich. $400 should be the max for most people. Spend more of your money on the main tv. Don't upgrade that without HDR but in the bedroom or a den or guest room, 4k alone is fine as long as it's from a good brand. I only buy Samsung tv's (yes I get the owners are corrupt and horrible but I want the best Samsung is the best). I haven't gone wrong with Samsung yet in over a decade of buying tv's.

[Gravy4547]

Correct me if I am wrong, but as I see it there is still little content for your 4K tv. Sure you can throw down an extra 300-400 duggets land yourself a 4K bluray player and a few discs, but until DirecTV is broadcasting HBO/NFL in 4K HDR I see really little point in upgrading. You will buy this new 4K HDR set, and the vast majority of the time you will be viewing 1080 material on it.

Would also like to point out that 4K discs look to be 10-15 dollars more expensive than their 1080 counterparts. Which is a smack in the face to us consumers seeing as how it is the same movie. Also I am sure every cable/entertainment provider will have a hefty up-charge for their "4K experience", probably to the tune of an additional 15-25 buck-a-roo's a month. Then, not sure if it is the case now, the price of the first gen 4K Bluray players...300... Three Hundred Smackers! That's just insulting. F-that and F-them.

My advice: Make a study and find out exactly how much 4K HDR material is out there, how much of the limited amount of 4K you will be for sure watching and what premium you will be paying to watch it. If what you will see is worth the price (hint: It's not) then jump in!

[jibucha]

for what it's worth :: we purchased four UltraHD televisions in late 2014

was this purchase for watching UltraHD content :: yes & no

i did purchase the Sony 4K server to test the display picture quality/performance

so, in the time since then, our primary viewing of AppleTV, DVD, Blu-ray HD has been simply outstanding and we have never had any regrets

biggest reason (ours) is that everything (and this includes AppleTV) are significantly improved over simply having an HD display

note :: i consider it a serious disconnect to limit an UltraHD display to 'only' 4K and miss out on the outstanding performance enabled of 'all' video content, regardless whether streaming - SD - HD - DVD - Blu-ray - HDR - Dolby Vision

why wait and miss out on improved performance to all content?

of course, viewing the best quality content is the best in picture quality, or we would not be replacing all our television (4K) with recently released Dolby Vision displays/Blu-ray players

i guess, to each their own

Originally Posted by Gravy4547

Correct me if I am wrong, but as I see it there is still little content for your 4K tv. Sure you can throw down an extra 300-400 duggets land yourself a 4K bluray player and a few discs, but until DirecTV is broadcasting HBO/NFL in 4K HDR I see really little point in upgrading. You will buy this new 4K HDR set, and the vast majority of the time you will be viewing 1080 material on it.

Would also like to point out that 4K discs look to be 10-15 dollars more expensive than their 1080 counterparts. Which is a smack in the face to us consumers seeing as how it is the same movie. Also I am sure every cable/entertainment provider will have a hefty up-charge for their "4K experience", probably to the tune of an additional 15-25 buck-a-roo's a month. Then, not sure if it is the case now, the price of the first gen 4K Bluray players...300... Three Hundred Smackers! That's just insulting. F-that and F-them.

My advice: Make a study and find out exactly how much 4K HDR material is out there, how much of the limited amount of 4K you will be for sure watching and what premium you will be paying to watch it. If what you will see is worth the price (hint: It's not) then jump in!

[Gravy4547]

jibucha does have a point. Depending on your current set, you might see an improvement in 1080p picture quality.

It all depends on your current situation. Going from a 720 or an older 1080 to a 4K would probably offer a decent to good PQ improvement when viewing all material. The 4K would probably have a newer/better processor to boot. If you got a Panny/Pioneer Plasma or a newer 1080, you would probably see much less of an improvement.

My point is that there is really no compelling reason at this time to jump in. Just because the content is not really there and you pay too much of a premium for said limited content. The longer you can hold out, the farther into the future you can push your TV purchase, the better set you will have in the end.

For instance, if my Panny Plasma exploded tonight, then I would probably buy an cheapy-deepy Sony 1080p set to replace it. Just because it is not worth premium price the upgrade to 4K at this point in time.