IS HDR worth it?

[gislands]

Hello all,
I am looking to buy a 55 inch or 60 inch 4K TV to replace an old 55 inch HDTV I have. So I obviously want to get the best deal for my money and have been reading about HDR. Does anyone have an opinion on whether right now it is worth it to get a TV with HDR? In the 55 inch range they run about $1,000 or more where as I feel I can find a good 4K for around $600.
As far as what else I am looking for... not much. I have a good sound bar system so the speakers in the TV really won't matter and neither will smart TV features as I have the Dish Hopper 3 and other android boxes for all that. Any advice would be great.
Thanks,
G Islands

 

[gadgtfreek]

I think it is, and my current UHD tv doesn't do it that well. When the movie is done right, it adds a nice effect IMO. I really like the look of stuff like Luke Cage HDR on netflix and Goliath and The Grand Tour off Amazon.

 

[Jhon69]

Hello all,
I am looking to buy a 55 inch or 60 inch 4K TV to replace an old 55 inch HDTV I have. So I obviously want to get the best deal for my money and have been reading about HDR. Does anyone have an opinion on whether right now it is worth it to get a TV with HDR? In the 55 inch range they run about $1,000 or more where as I feel I can find a good 4K for around $600.
As far as what else I am looking for... not much. I have a good sound bar system so the speakers in the TV really won't matter and neither will smart TV features as I have the Dish Hopper 3 and other android boxes for all that. Any advice would be great.
Thanks,
G Islands

If you want HDR there is Dolby Vision that needs a chip in the 4K UHDTV and HDR10 that is a software upgrade.
At www.Rtings.com there are reviews that can tell you which 4K UHDTV's have which features because all 4K UHDTV's do not have both Dolby Vision and HDR10.Good Luck!

 

[Tampa8]

$400 difference is alot of money. I have a 4K HDR TV there are a handful of online streaming shows from Amazon and Netflix that make use of it. Almost nowhere else. (There are always exceptions) Some of that small number does have a great picture when HDR is used, but others I barely see a difference and many will tell you even then it isn't perfected. If there is a standard it was just initiated because there has not been one, and as noted above there are competing formats for it. (Shades of Beta and VHS)
Problem is HDR when done correctly is the best part of 4K because my opinion is 4K is overrated without it.

 

[TheForce]

I think 4K is indeed overrated for a 55" TV. It is barely an advantage with a 65 or 70". Of course if you sit really close ( 3-4 ft from the screen) you will begin to see the added detail but at typical viewing distance, the 4K advantage really shines at 100" wide and higher. Probably the most benefit of a new TV will be an OLED panel with a 55" set. 4k goes along for the bonus.

As for HDR- The advantage is very subtle. It shows up in a properly calibrated TV as added detail in the shadows without compromising true black. It also is seen as detail in the brightest regions without lost color (clipping).

 

[gadgtfreek]

Where UHD is better than sliced bread is, streaming services. Not because its UHD, but because the extra bandwidth they require for that tier. Netflix UHD and Amazon UHD (non HDR) look so much better than 1080p versions. So if you like streaming the UHD side is worth it.

 

[Poke]

Yeah HDR is nice and watching 4K Movies with HDR you can tell the difference now that being said some move titles look better than others but for the most part you can see the difference. The last one I watch one Deepwater Horizon then next Tuesday you have Jack Reacher 2 coming out on 4K then next month you have Arrival and Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk plus Hacksaw Ridge all coming out on 4K...

 

[TheForce]

Last I checked, the bandwidth of the streaming services, including You Tube for UHD was 60Mbs. The really great looking 4K UHD is on disk which typically hits 100-130 Mbs. But all of these are way above the 2K content, especially on streaming.

What I like love about streaming is the low cost and variety of selection at my fingertips. It just doesn't get any better and with UHD, well that just puts a smile on your face. I still long for having the best titles on disk for some real eye candy.

 

[TheForce]

I'm curious who here has HDR on Netflix and what TV model it is? I wonder if you who have Netflix HDR are impressed more by the 60p they do or are you seeing the difference in color with HDR. Also, how do you feel Amazon 4K HDR is compared to Netflix HDR. Amazon 4K HDR is only 24P which makes it compatible with my projector.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Last I checked, the bandwidth of the streaming services, including You Tube for UHD was 60Mbs. The really great looking 4K UHD is on disk which typically hits 100-130 Mbs. But all of these are way above the 2K content, especially on streaming.

What I like love about streaming is the low cost and variety of selection at my fingertips. It just doesn't get any better and with UHD, well that just puts a smile on your face. I still long for having the best titles on disk for some real eye candy.

Netflix and Amazon UHD streams are 12 to 16mbps. Most seem to think you need around 25mbps down HSI to be OK. Luckily I now have 200 down so I enjoy with ease.

I think Amazons UHD/HDR is a little better, a lot of the Netflix Marvel stuff is very grainy, where something like Goliath and The Grand Tour is very clean. On my Roku Ultra and Shield (both feeding a LG OLED) all my UHD HDR streaming is 4k/60.

 

[harshness]

As for HDR- The advantage is very subtle.

Perhaps a bigger leap than the perceptible resolution difference over HD.

 

[harshness]

I think Amazons UHD/HDR is a little better, a lot of the Netflix Marvel stuff is very grainy, where something like Goliath and The Grand Tour is very clean.

That may be more a function of "film effect" than a systemic quality issue. Compression schemes don't suffer grain well and a lot of the Marvel content is heavily processed.

Of course if you're comparing the same content between the two services, it is likely that Netflix is taking less care (and/or hasn't re-mastered yet).

 

[gislands]

So let me ask everyone this, is "UHD" a kind of branding for HDR? Like 4K is 4K but UHD is 4K with HDR?

 

[gadgtfreek]

UHD is just 4K and 8K from my understanding. And then they announced UHD Premium which involves bit depth, HDR, etc...

When I say UHD, I really am just talking about 3840x2160, because not all 2160p comes with HDR.

 

[harshness]

Like 4K is 4K but UHD is 4K with HDR?

4K isn't really 4K in the movie camera sense (4096x2160 @ 1.9:1 aspect) so I use UHD instead. I see where Wikipedia is using UHD-1 to refer to 3840x2160 @ 1.78:1 aspect.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4K_resolution

In any event, UHD (UltraHD) is uniquely about the pixel matrix and, perhaps more to the point, the 16:9 aspect ratio at resolutions that are some even multiple of 1080.

The brightness (High Dynamic Range) and color enhancements (Wide Color Gamut) have their own designations and add incrementally to the "zoot" of the TV's features.

 

[charlesrshell]

4K isn't really 4K in the movie camera sense (4096x2160 @ 1.9:1 aspect) so I use UHD instead. I see where Wikipedia is using UHD-1 to refer to 3840x2160 @ 1.78:1 aspect.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4K_resolution

In any event, UHD (UltraHD) is uniquely about the pixel matrix and, perhaps more to the point, the 16:9 aspect ratio at resolutions that are some even multiple of 1080.

The brightness (High Dynamic Range) and color enhancements (Wide Color Gamut) have their own designations and add incrementally to the "zoot" of the TV's features.

zoot?

 

[harshness]

zoot?

For those who were born yesterday (or don't get out of the house much), high zoot is a term used to refer to something (or someone) that is fully "decked out".

"Decked out" is short for fully decorated or featured (all the accoutrements). It is a derivative of the zoot suits of post-prohibition Harlem.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoot_suit

There are many reference tools on this thing we call the World Wide Web. Wikipedia can be particularly handy as can the Urban Dictionary (where many references end up being either to girls, guns, booze or drugs -- the four pillars of sustaining life).

 

[charlesrshell]

For those who were born yesterday (or don't get out of the house much), high zoot is a term used to refer to something (or someone) that is fully "decked out".

"Decked out" is short for fully decorated or featured (all the accoutrements). It is a derivative of the zoot suits of post-prohibition Harlem.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoot_suit

There are many reference tools on this thing we call the World Wide Web. Wikipedia can be particularly handy as can the Urban Dictionary (where many references end up being either to girls, guns, booze or drugs -- the four pillars of sustaining life).

Thanks. I will have to get out a little more.

 

[lakebum431]

I guess I will too. I've never heard the term zoot.

 

[fayrich]

I remember the zoot suit with the reat pleat. Really cool. Especially with the long gold chain hanging down.