Videophile Thread

[rcarlberg]

Today I brought home a new Ultra-HD 4k television (8 megapixel Samsung curved screen) and after tweaking the factory presets, which for some reason are always set to "cartoonish" out of the box, I'm now convinced this UHD screen is as far beyond my 2-year old Samsung 2 megapixel HDTV and that unit was beyond my previous Sony Trinitron.

Avatar (Blu-ray) was gob-smacking. The Life of Pi (BRD) was astonishing. Even old movies like The Lion in Winter and Arsenic and Old Lace were up-converted to the point that they looked like hi-def black & white, like Zelig footage or something.

I initially saw Avatar in a 3-D IMAX theatre, and I can seriously tell you it looks sharper and clearer on my new TV. The detail is unfreakingbelievable.

[JKL2000]

What size is the screen?

[ronmac]

Those things are LED/LCD, right?

[Firth]

Today I brought home a new Ultra-HD 4k television (8 megapixel Samsung curved screen) and after tweaking the factory presets, which for some reason are always set to "cartoonish" out of the box, I'm now convinced this UHD screen is as far beyond my 2-year old Samsung 2 megapixel HDTV and that unit was beyond my previous Sony Trinitron.

Avatar (Blu-ray) was gob-smacking. The Life of Pi (BRD) was astonishing. Even old movies like The Lion in Winter and Arsenic and Old Lace were up-converted to the point that they looked like hi-def black & white, like Zelig footage or something.

I initially saw Avatar in a 3-D IMAX theatre, and I can seriously tell you it looks sharper and clearer on my new TV. The detail is unfreakingbelievable.

Avatar in 3D has the issue of depth of field. There is a limitation of how much depth can be maintained at highest focus or resolution. Not a screen resolution issue, it's the amount of data to represent it.

We're these discs you watched 4k?

[Firth]

Those things are LED/LCD, right?

I can't answer this, but AMOLED is now used for 4k sets. Sony 4k is using LED/LCD with quantum dot filtering on the LED backlight (which is blue).

[ronmac]

I just checked. They're LED.

I can't imagine they rival plasma in richness.

[Firth]

I just checked. They're LED.

I can't imagine they rival plasma in richness.

This may:


http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarch...olorprime-tvs/

[ronmac]

^^ interesting. This one was also helpful:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarch...-you-shouldnt/

I don't see anything about refresh rates, though. That's a huge factor with LCD/LED TVs. However, I'm not interested for any reason but curiosity. I am 100% satisfied (in fact, blown away) with my plasma. In fact, I was just remaking to my kids last night about it. It's stunning. I can't see the need for anything else.

[Dave (in MA)]

Why is a curved screen supposed to be better and not just a gimmick from the marketing dept.?

[Brian Griffin]

However, I'm not interested for any reason but curiosity. I am 100% satisfied (in fact, blown away) with my plasma. In fact, I was just remaking to my kids last night about it. It's stunning. I can't see the need for anything else.

This ^, however I'd love to be proven wrong and thus have a reason to upgrade

I need to visit a showroom or two and see what I can see

BG

[Firth]

^^ interesting. This one was also helpful:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarch...-you-shouldnt/

I don't see anything about refresh rates, though. That's a huge factor with LCD/LED TVs. However, I'm not interested for any reason but curiosity. I am 100% satisfied (in fact, blown away) with my plasma. In fact, I was just remaking to my kids last night about it. It's stunning. I can't see the need for anything else.

I have a plasma too, and if you have the last flagship from Panasonic, the new stuff is trying to get that good. Samsung still makes a plasma which increased brightness by doubling pixel density.

For quality LCD/LED, no one talks less than 120 hz update rate. OLED is like plasma, but higher resolution and lower power. Also has the brightness issue that some have with plasma.
No LCD/LED has the natural color my plasma has.

[Firth]

Why is a curved screen supposed to be better and not just a gimmick from the marketing dept.?

Gimmick, and curved hurts off axis viewing, off axis is a strong point for plasma.

[Firth]

This ^, however I'd love to be proven wrong and thus have a reason to upgrade

I need to visit a showroom or two and see what I can see

BG

Bottom line is that Panasonic stopped making the most excellent TV ever, a Plasma, because new technology will offer same performance with less power, weight and cost.

[Brian Griffin]

Bottom line is that Panasonic stopped making the most excellent TV ever, a Plasma, because new technology will offer same performance with less power, weight and cost.

I have a 50" Panasonic and a 42" JVC, both plasma, and neither showing any signs of "half life" at this point

BG

[Dave (in MA)]

I have a 50" Panasonic and a 42" JVC, both plasma, and neither showing any signs of "half life" at this point

BG

I had a nice 50" 3 or 4 yr old Mitsubishi that just decided to die all of a sudden one day; It's not like the CRT days when you'd see a gradual decline. (and Mitsubishi got out of the TV biz)

[Firth]

I have a 50" Panasonic and a 42" JVC, both plasma, and neither showing any signs of "half life" at this point

BG

The latest plasma have tools to prevent burn in, which was an issue when a lot of video was not full screen.

[rcarlberg]

Why is a curved screen supposed to be better and not just a gimmick from the marketing dept.?

It's mostly a gimmick -- at only 55" (mine) or 65" (the next model up) there really isn't enough screen to immerse you like an IMAX screen, unless you sit uncomfortably close.

However!

The reason I went for the curved screen is entirely different. It eliminates reflections on the screen from lights in the room, and I have a table lamp on my end table. This, in fact, is a huge and little-publicized advantage.

As to LED versus plasma, plasma used to be the undisputed kings of TVs, five years ago. Starting in 2009, however, LEDs began to equal plasmas, and have only gotten better. You should visit a showroom to decide for yourself, but I think these new Samsung UHD sets blow plasmas clear out of the water. I mean, these things are in IMAX territory.

[rcarlberg]

No LCD/LED has the natural color my plasma has.

That is of course user-adjustable.

As I mentioned, factory settings always set the color saturation way too high (everyone looks like they have a John Boehner spray tan) and the sharpness and contrast too high too. By scaling back on those, and raising the brightness just a skosh, you can get entirely natural skin tones.

[ronmac]

This ^, however I'd love to be proven wrong and thus have a reason to upgrade

I need to visit a showroom or two and see what I can see

BG

Showrooms are geared toward selling the products they want to sell. You have to make sure that the set you're looking at has the settings correct, so you can truly compare apples to apples. Plus, in many cases, the signal is spread across so many sets that it compromises image quality.

As to LED versus plasma, plasma used to be the undisputed kings of TVs, five years ago. Starting in 2009, however, LEDs began to equal plasmas, and have only gotten better.

Not from any research I did two years ago, when I bought my set.

I think these new Samsung UHD sets blow plasmas clear out of the water. I mean, these things are in IMAX territory.

I'll believe that when I see it first-hand.

[rcarlberg]

I'll believe that when I see it first-hand.

I was skeptical too. I mean my old HDTV was only two years old. I was determined not to trade up unless the difference was dramatic.

[Firth]

That is of course user-adjustable.

As I mentioned, factory settings always set the color saturation way too high (everyone looks like they have a John Boehner spray tan) and the sharpness and contrast too high too. By scaling back on those, and raising the brightness just a skosh, you can get entirely natural skin tones.

Not really, sorry. OLED and quantum dot LED backlit LCD, perhaps.

[Firth]

It's mostly a gimmick -- at only 55" (mine) or 65" (the next model up) there really isn't enough screen to immerse you like an IMAX screen, unless you sit uncomfortably close.

However!

The reason I went for the curved screen is entirely different. It eliminates reflections on the screen from lights in the room, and I have a table lamp on my end table. This, in fact, is a huge and little-publicized advantage.

As to LED versus plasma, plasma used to be the undisputed kings of TVs, five years ago. Starting in 2009, however, LEDs began to equal plasmas, and have only gotten better. You should visit a showroom to decide for yourself, but I think these new Samsung UHD sets blow plasmas clear out of the water. I mean, these things are in IMAX territory.

There is no such thing as an LED TV. Plasma kicked the ass of everything except Laservision from Mitsuibishi which went off the market 2 years ago.

[Firth]

I was skeptical too. I mean my old HDTV was only two years old. I was determined not to trade up unless the difference was dramatic.

Your new set is not OLED, so it can't equal the best plasma from Samsung.

[ronmac]

There is no such thing as an LED TV.

LCDs are backlit by LEDs, from what I understand. The two labels are mostly considered synonymous when it comes to TVs.

[rcarlberg]

Firth, you need to read up on new technology.