If do not watch 4k hdr content, is it still worth buying a 4k hdr display or should I just stick with what I have?

[Stealth3si]

Would it be beneficial to use a 4k HDR TV if none of my content is 4k or HDR?

[Locutus]

From what I've heard, 4k tv's can upscale HD to 4k. It'll look a little better.

 

There's supposed to be a 4k Chromecast coming out in the near future as well, so it would be something to look forward to.

[Fight Game]

absolutely not.

[WhenKittensATK]

If your budget allows for it, why not. I haven't seen HDR in person, but based on the examples posted online it looks good. Can you live without it? Yeah, I'm pretty sure you can. My TV, Vizio M70-C3 4K, looks pretty solid for movies without HDR. 1080p vs 4K is probably not very noticeable. Most tests seem to require less than 5 ft for seating to notice a difference. I sent at least 10+ feet away from my TV. I've seen a few things in 4K, but nothing to brag about and I doubt I would notice any difference. The picture in general is very good for movies. I don't watch live TV or sports.

 

Samsung seems to be consistently at the top. Vizio M-series is more budget friendly, but movie-wise they perform on par with some of Samsung's high-end models at least for 2015 models. There are a lot of tricks that these manufactures pull. You really have to research into them. Some TVs have several different HDMI spec slots on them and the box or product page probably won't even mention it. Not too much of an issue if you have an AV receiver that's 4K HDR compatible. They also might not support all the brand specific video enhancement features and 4:4:4:4 chroma. I'd also recommend a nVidia Shield Console if you're into the whole streaming media thing. It'll perform miles better than the built-in apps on the TV and probably better than most set-top streaming boxes.

 

Check out http://www.rtings.com/for HDTV reviews. They have a selection of articles describing the TV features along with a lot of reviews and category breakdowns to match your needs and budget. 

Edited September 19, 2016 by WhenKittensATK

[Fight Game]

But he said none of his content is 4k or HDR. Paying the premium to get a 4k tv or moniter, and only to simply gain any upscaling is nonsense!

[WhenKittensATK]

But he said none of his content is 4k or HDR. Paying the premium to get a 4k tv or moniter, and only to simply gain any upscaling is nonsense!

 

Future proofing. I don't upgrade my TVs very often, they can last quite a few years. You can get a reasonably priced 4K HDTV at lower screen sizes or with last year's models. It's also not just the resolution. The newer 4K models will have better LED dimming arrays and other features.

Edited September 19, 2016 by WhenKittensATK

[MadMan]

Don't know if you play games or intend on hooking this up to your PC but I did for playing games now the only problem is I want a gtx 1080 as 1 980 ti struggles with most games at 4k...depending on the title I get around 30-40 fps...however doom can get 60 fps at 4k...im just trying to hold off till 1080 ti arrives...I bought a super cheap 4k tv for less than $400 and its 49 inch... https://www.walmart.com/ip/46784936?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227035583546&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=78193585592&wl4=pla-152161471232&wl5=9004842&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=46784936&wl13=&veh=semDoesn't have built in wifi or hdr but its cheap and a decent monitor/tv to game on

[Fight Game]

If you were going to buy a new tv any way, then if you can upgrade to the 4k for a small amount, then maybe... But with these TV's only lasting about 5 years and newer technology constantly coming out, combined with prices constantly dropping, I myself could never justify it. Also take into account how big the screen is, and how far away you are sitting. Depending on these factors, a person may never tell the difference between 1080 and 4k

Edited September 19, 2016 by Fight Game

[Stealth3si]

If your budget allows for it, why not. I haven't seen HDR in person, but based on the examples posted online it looks good. Can you live without it? Yeah, I'm pretty sure you can. My TV, Vizio M70-C3 4K, looks pretty solid for movies without HDR. 1080p vs 4K is probably not very noticeable. Most tests seem to require less than 5 ft for seating to notice a difference. I sent at least 10+ feet away from my TV. I've seen a few things in 4K, but nothing to brag about and I doubt I would notice any difference. The picture in general is very good for movies. I don't watch live TV or sports.

 

Samsung seems to be consistently at the top. Vizio M-series is more budget friendly, but movie-wise they perform on par with some of Samsung's high-end models at least for 2015 models. There are a lot of tricks that these manufactures pull. You really have to research into them. Some TVs have several different HDMI spec slots on them and the box or product page probably won't even mention it. Not too much of an issue if you have an AV receiver that's 4K HDR compatible. They also might not support all the brand specific video enhancement features and 4:4:4:4 chroma. I'd also recommend a nVidia Shield Console if you're into the whole streaming media thing. It'll perform miles better than the built-in apps on the TV and probably better than most set-top streaming boxes.

 

Check out http://www.rtings.com/for HDTV reviews. They have a selection of articles describing the TV features along with a lot of reviews and category breakdowns to match your needs and budget. 

The Sony XBR55X810C is the cheapest one I have found that has the features I want but no HDR. I would get it if it is on sale for around $600-$700. For $1400 the Samsung UK55KS8000 is the cheapest future-proof TV I have found that has the extra features I want.

 

Don't know if you play games or intend on hooking this up to your PC but I did for playing games now the only problem is I want a gtx 1080 as 1 980 ti struggles with most games at 4k...depending on the title I get around 30-40 fps...however doom can get 60 fps at 4k...im just trying to hold off till 1080 ti arrives...I bought a super cheap 4k tv for less than $400 and its 49 inch... https://www.walmart.com/ip/46784936?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227035583546&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=78193585592&wl4=pla-152161471232&wl5=9004842&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=46784936&wl13=&veh=semDoesn't have built in wifi or hdr but its cheap and a decent monitor/tv to game on

Yes I do, but I game at 1080p for performance reasons (unless the 1080 ti does 4k at 60fps for most games.) I also watch PC movies on it.

 

If you were going to buy a new tv any way, then if you can upgrade to the 4k for a small amount, then maybe... But with these TV's only lasting about 5 years and newer technology constantly coming out, combined with prices constantly dropping, I myself could never justify it. 

If I were going to buy a new tv any way, then it would have to be a modest amount because of the features I need . Aside from that, I would choose between affordable non-HDR vs premium HDR future-proof.

 

My TV is almost 4 years old. I think I will hold on to it for another year or so and check the market again then.

 

Also take into account how big the screen is, and how far away you are sitting. Depending on these factors, a person may never tell the difference between 1080 and 4k

I sit too far away from a 55" so I would buy a new TV more about the HDR/WCG than screen resolution.

[Waco]

We have a few 4K screens in the house, and so far, only Netflix's "Stranger Things" has been watched in 4K.

 

70" downstairs with the home theater and HTPC?  LOVE IT.  Even at 8' away or so, the features offered in modern 4K sets are better than modern 1080p sets.  Local dimming, motion blur compensation, jutter reduction, etc.  Totally worth it.

 

40" on my desktop - doesn't do 4:4:4, but still 100% usable as a PC monitor at 60 Hz.  Games in 4K are awesome, and games that don't run well you can dial back to 1080p with basically zero loss since it's a nice linear scale.

 

55" in the great room - probably doesn't do much, but when the price difference is so little, the ability to stream 4K when wanted is totally worth it.  Not being able to see aliasing or pixels when watching 4K content, as rare as it is, is amazing.  Upscaling never adds detail, but it definitely can reduce aliasing with the right algorithms.

I'm biased, but I'd vote for a decent 4K set over a "great" 1080p set just for the principle of it.  If it's going to be around 4-5 years, you may as well upgrade now.

[Stealth3si]

We have a few 4K screens in the house, and so far, only Netflix's "Stranger Things" has been watched in 4K.

 

70" downstairs with the home theater and HTPC?  LOVE IT.  Even at 8' away or so, the features offered in modern 4K sets are better than modern 1080p sets.  Local dimming, motion blur compensation, jutter reduction, etc.  Totally worth it.

 

40" on my desktop - doesn't do 4:4:4, but still 100% usable as a PC monitor at 60 Hz.  Games in 4K are awesome, and games that don't run well you can dial back to 1080p with basically zero loss since it's a nice linear scale.

 

55" in the great room - probably doesn't do much, but when the price difference is so little, the ability to stream 4K when wanted is totally worth it.  Not being able to see aliasing or pixels when watching 4K content, as rare as it is, is amazing.  Upscaling never adds detail, but it definitely can reduce aliasing with the right algorithms.

 

I'm biased, but I'd vote for a decent 4K set over a "great" 1080p set just for the principle of it.  If it's going to be around 4-5 years, you may as well upgrade now.

Yes the features are important and glad to know they are worth it. If I am going to upgrade to HDR, I have found Vizio P55-C1 to be an alternative to the Samsung UN55KS8000 but only if either are on sale for $1000 or less.

 

Is your HTPC a desktop PC or multiple streaming devices (apple, roku)?

[Waco]

HTPC is a full PC, the 55" has an Amazon Fire TV stick and a Chromecast (plus the built-in apps that can stream 4K).