Considering a 4K Ultra-HD TV

[Neutron]

Our 57" DLP is on its last leg so to speak after 7 1/2 years of service so my wife and I are looking to replace it soon. We went to Conn's locally here and saw that they had a 55" LG 4K Ultra-HD TV on sale for $1,999. This is the lowest priced 4K TV I've seen so far in that size.

If it was totally up to me we would get a smaller HDTV (sub $700) but my wife sure surprised me by talking up the LG. She couldn't get over the picture quality (I have to agree with her on that). I'm just not sure on spending that much for a TV. It does 3D (passive) and supposedly will convert anything to 3D on the fly. It has something called WebOS but I wouldn't do anything with the Smart functionality as I've heard people can hack into that. We have the Tivo which does Netflix and other streaming.

Is this TV worth it? I told the guy I'm thinking about it (the wife really wants it) so I'm hoping I can get some more knocked off the price.

What's odd is I'm usually the one going for bells and whistles and my wife's the frugal one. We are in opposite roles on this one.

Its the 55UB8500 model.

 

[mike123abc]

I saw it the other day at Best Buy, I thought it had a great picture. I really liked the passive 3D.

 

[navychop]

Does it have HDMI 2.0 input? If not, I would not even consider buying it, even if they have a promise of "future support."

It would be kinda like buying an HDTV with only DVI just before HDMI came out, and then having HDCP problems. Might need to hold off a bit and control your enthusiasm until a true UHD TV comes out.

 

[teachsac]

It's a really nice set at a really good price. I'd consider it, even though 4K standards are still under development. It has HDMI 2.0 and has HEVC decoders for NF streaming. Whether or not it has HDCP 2.2, I don't know. Not sure of LG's 4K plans. Sony has 4K Video Unlimited and Samsung has their HDD.

S~

 

[navychop]

Is it the 55LA9700? If so, you really might want to hold off. From the web site (Emphasis mine):
"As new sources of content become available in the future, some may require next generation interfaces and LG is planning to make an upgrade available later in the year which will support the latest versions of HDMI and HEVC.* "

*May require a separate purchase and installation. Contact LG Customer Service with any questions regarding the LG 4K upgrade."

And it apparently does NOT support HDMI 2.0.


ON EDIT:

I see I missed the model number. For the correct model, see this link.
It supports HDMI 2.0, if you look into the PDF.

It still says:

"Disclaimer: *4K/UHD content delivery standards still being developed."

 

[teachsac]

Is it the 55LA9700? If so, you really might want to hold off. From the web site (Emphasis mine):
"As new sources of content become available in the future, some may require next generation interfaces and LG is planning to make an upgrade available later in the year which will support the latest versions of HDMI and HEVC.* "

*May require a separate purchase and installation. Contact LG Customer Service with any questions regarding the LG 4K upgrade."

And it apparently does NOT support HDMI 2.0.

He said the 55UB8500 It is HDMI 2.0, and after reading the Owner's Manual, HDMI1 supports HDCP 2.2, and all 4 support HDMI 2.0.

S~

 

[navychop]

He said the 55UB8500 It is HDMI 2.0, and after reading the Owner's Manual, HDMI1 supports HDCP 2.2, and all 4 support HDMI 2.0.

S~

Yes, I was editing my post while you were posting. I left the original part of the post as someone looking at such TVs might also look at that model.

I still think it's premature to buy into UHDTV, as the specs are NOT final, the prices are still, IMHO, high, and the chance of buyer's remorse if something significant changes is still high. Plus, where is the original UHD source material coming from? They haven't even finalized the Blu-ray UHDTV support, and it might turn out to be incompatible with this TV.

 

[Jimbo]

I've been told that Sony is behind the 4k push the most, so I would expect a Sony 4K TV to support most everything 4K .

I would look at the Sony and Samsung offerings ..... they appear to be in the same price range.

 

[Neutron]

My wife really wants this TV. Our primary content will come from streaming and Blu-ray.

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[StevenD]

My wife really wants this TV. Our primary content will come from streaming and Blu-ray.

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I'm assuming you have FiOS. Don't expect to get any 4k streams from Netflix! During weekdays, I usually get 720p, that usually drops to 480p during the say on the weekends. Anytime in prime time, its less than that. I got "1080p Super HD" one time on House of Cards. Never have I seen a 4k stream.

 

[navychop]

My wife really wants this TV. Our primary content will come from streaming and Blu-ray.

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Well, happy wife, happy life.

But will she stay happy, if the next gen BD players don't play nice with this TV? Stay happy with upconverting?


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[Neutron]

Yes we have FiOS but she wants to cut the TV side and keep Internet.

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[Neutron]

Will I need to change out my hdmi cables on my Tivo and PS3 for 3D or 4K?

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[teachsac]

No. They should work fine if they're high-speed.

S~

 

[navychop]

It is the ports themselves that must be HDMI 2, as well as the cables. Current, recent, HDMI is capable of 3D. UHD workarounds have been demonstrated that use two current HDMI cables but this is not something you would normally do at home.

I don't believe TiVO or the PS3 can really support UHDTV, although there will be some claims of workarounds that might sorta work.

Real world is, [ on edit- UHDTV as passed thru ] HDMI 2 has not been finalized, released or incorporated into any consumer products. But there are companies jumping the gun with claims, that really boil down to "the display is UHD but the inputs really aren't (no [finalized UHD/HEVC THRU] HDMI 2) so we're upconverting, or providing a contraption that we can send and periodically refresh with new movies in UHD that aren't a standard and probably won't work with any other TV nor will you have a true alternative for a UHD source."

There is more to HDMI 2 or UHD than resolution - there's color space, for one. And will producers utilize the extra capabilities?

I will look into this and post again.

On edit - had to take phone call and did not proof above- misspoke. HDMI 2 ports ARE out there, coming out now. It is the full UHDTV specs that are not quite done. Something about questions about HEVC coding, IIRC.
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[teachsac]

No such thing as an HDMI 2.0 cable. I use Highspeed HDMI cables with 4K without any issues. Only 1 cable is required. Only two cables are needed if you pass through an AVR that doesn't support 4K.

Neither the PS3 nor the TIVO support 4K. However, I love the 4K scaling on my 850. Really observable difference between it and a standard 1080p set.

S~

 

[tigerfan33]

Only thing I would add don't regret getting a small tv. If you have the $ and space go big.


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[dangue]

At this point, I would say that it's impossible to know what the future holds in terms of standards development and this particular TV's ability to meet future requirements. So, I'd approach it from a different angle:

Are you planning on keeping your next TV for another 7.5 years regardless of whether it's this one or a cheap 1080p model?

If so, I would roll the dice and get the 4K version since at least it has a chance of providing you 4K into the future. If you go with the $700 panel and don't plan on replacing it in the short to medium term, then you definitely won't have 4K for however long you keep it.

If instead, you could see yourself buying he 1080p TV today and replacing it in a year or two once 4K is more standardized, then using it as a bridge seems like a good way to guarantee you'll have 4K well into the future. The $700 investment now would likely even be at least partially offset by price decreases in 4K TVs over the next couple of years.

I for one wouldn't be happy buying a 1080p TV today if I knew I wouldn't be replacing it once 4K is more widely adopted. I imagine that in a few years watching 1080p will be like watching 480p content today (tolerable but not preferable). I definitely can't imagine using a 1080p TV into the next decade.


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[mike123abc]

A good question to consider is when you think you will need another TV. Perhaps the bedroom TV could use an upgrade in a few years and this one could migrate. I believe it will be another year, maybe 2 before the 4K TV really works its kinks out, and is like 1080p is now. So, if you think you might need another TV in a year or three, all this does not really matter. This TV could work great with anything 4k that comes out or could have an unknown compatibility issue that could crop up because of some standard "refinement". You will also enjoy the better picture for a few years while the standard shakes itself out.

 

[navychop]

No such thing as an HDMI 2.0 cable. I use Highspeed HDMI cables with 4K without any issues. Only 1 cable is required. Only two cables are needed if you pass through an AVR that doesn't support 4K.

Neither the PS3 nor the TIVO support 4K. However, I love the 4K scaling on my 850. Really observable difference between it and a standard 1080p set.

S~

Yes, HDMI cables are not properly labelled HDMI. 1.2 or 2.0 etc. and when found to be labelled so, the seller is informed to correct the error. I should have said high speed. Yes, there are older cables out there that will not support high speed.

Yes on AVR, which I would expect most UHDTV buyers today to be in to. Final specs and HDMI 2 will result in a single cable solution that fully supports.

You still need a UHD source to get full effect, otherwise you are just upscaling. It can be better, but it won't be the full banana. Unless cash is no issue, or WAF dictates, I can't see buying the "almost" solution, when all will likely be settled within a year or two, and prices will continue to decline. Then, buy with confidence, and move the 1080 TV you buy today elsewhere.

Until a Blu-ray source is available - possibly under a different name - and I knew it would work with the TV, I wouldn't take the chance. Lotta money we're talking about here.


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