4k Ultra HD TV

[Stephen]

4k Ultra HD TV

Has anyone got one of these TV's. I know they are good for blu-ray and normal DVD's, but what is the picture like on normal program viewing.

[allatc]

Can't see that they would be much better than an HD TV.

An HD TV picture is made up of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and a standard def picture is 720 x 576, stretched for 16:9 wide screen ratio.

All a UHD TV can do is replicate pixels to upscale the picture. If its a big screen then a UHD tv is going to look as fuzzy as a an HD one.

I wouldn't rush out to buy one until significant numbers of channels are being broadcast in UHD

I'm also reminded of the Specsavers ad. Do you have HD vision ?

[Stephen]

Can't see that they would be much better than an HD TV.

An HD TV picture is made up of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and a standard def picture is 720 x 576, stretched for 16:9 wide screen ratio.

All a UHD TV can do is replicate pixels to upscale the picture. If its a big screen then a UHD tv is going to look as fuzzy as a an HD one.

I wouldn't rush out to buy one until significant numbers of channels are being broadcast in UHD

I'm also reminded of the Specsavers ad. Do you have HD vision ?

My train of thought too allatc. Think I'll look at full HD Tv's instead.

[Mervyn and Trish]

For many programmes I'm not sure even HD makes that much difference unless you have a really huge screen. But then I was raised on 405 lines black and white!

[Silver_Shiney]

We've got a 26". HD set and there is no discernable difference in picture quality between HD and non-HD channels, DVD or blueray. If you're getting a huge screen, it might make a difference but, if not, I wouldn't waste your money.

[Stephen]

We already have a 32" TV but are looking at getting a 40-43" screen. Prices have come down considerably since we brought our current TV many years ago which then cost over £800. You can now pick up a 40-42" TV for as little as a few hundred pounds from Currys.

[Stephen]

For many programmes I'm not sure even HD makes that much difference unless you have a really huge screen. But then I was raised on 405 lines black and white!

Yep, not forgetting the test card

[Manoverboard]

We've got a 26". HD set and there is no discernable difference in picture quality between HD and non-HD channels, DVD or blueray. If you're getting a huge screen, it might make a difference but, if not, I wouldn't waste your money.

That being the case you deffo need a new TV set or to stop watching 70s sit coms

We presently have a full 1081 HD Panasonic Freesat TV with a 37" screen, it is linked to a satellite dish plus a roof aerial through a Panasonic DVD. There are vin ordinaire Freeview Channels plus Freeview HD channels plus Freesat channels. There is a huge difference between each of these.

To the OP I would advise ...

Get a top brand full definition HD TV, not Ultra, and a 4 x LMB linked satellite dish. Two options ;

a) With on-board Freesat plus a Humax HD recording device.

b) Instal the HD package from SKY that includes the HD+ box for recording purposes.

We presently have both of these options, albeit a temporary measure to be able to watch the footy while t'Hornets are in the Prem.

[Silver_Shiney]

We've got a 26". HD set and there is no discernable difference in picture quality between HD and non-HD channels, DVD or blueray. If you're getting a huge screen, it might make a difference but, if not, I wouldn't waste your money.

That being the case you deffo need a new TV set or to stop watching 70s sit coms

Our Panasonic is only a couple of years old and anything bigger would swamp our lounge. As for stopping watching 70s sitcoms, that leaves precious little else worth watching in this day and age

[allatc]

To the OP I would advise ...

Get a top brand full definition HD TV, not Ultra, and a 4 x LMB


A Panasonic TV with both Freeview and Freesat built in is quite a good option. Dish with 2 or more LNBs so you can also connect a satellite PVR (video recorder) at some point.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Ours is a Samsung 40". We rarely watch satellite, having only the freesat channels. We're not sports or big movie fans which are the only things, in our view, which would justify a Sky subscription. We have more than enough on Freeview, including HD options, to keep us going. We also have a digital recorder, though not yet HD. Will upgrade when we replace it.

The reality these days is it would be pretty difficult to buy a non-HD tv, that generally being the base option. But because our BBC regional news is not yet on HD we switch to non-HD for that and often forget to switch back. It's only something like a nature programme that reminds us to switch back. To be honest Phil MItchell is equally ugly in both formats.

The most useful hi-tech feature of our telly is the smart bit, so when I forget to record something we can watch it on i-Player or the commercial equivalents without hunching over the laptop or tablet

[Stephen]

We've got a 26". HD set and there is no discernable difference in picture quality between HD and non-HD channels, DVD or blueray. If you're getting a huge screen, it might make a difference but, if not, I wouldn't waste your money.

That being the case you deffo need a new TV set or to stop watching 70s sit coms

We presently have a full 1081 HD Panasonic Freesat TV with a 37" screen, it is linked to a satellite dish plus a roof aerial through a Panasonic DVD. There are vin ordinaire Freeview Channels plus Freeview HD channels plus Freesat channels. There is a huge difference between each of these.

To the OP I would advise ...

Get a top brand full definition HD TV, not Ultra, and a 4 x LMB linked satellite dish. Two options ;

a) With on-board Freesat plus a Humax HD recording device.

b) Instal the HD package from SKY that includes the HD+ box for recording purposes.

We presently have both of these options, albeit a temporary measure to be able to watch the footy while t'Hornets are in the Prem.

Steady on Moby, there's only so much cash release from Er in doors purse

To be honest I find there's enough knocking about to watch without having the need for Satalite TV/packages.

We already have a Panasonic DMR-EX89EB-K Freeview+ 400GB HDD DVD Recorder connected via a HDMI cable which performs well enough for me.

As for these new curved TV's, I don't get what they're all about apart from costing a fortune

[Stephen]

Ours is a Samsung 40". We rarely watch satellite, having only the freesat channels. We're not sports or big movie fans which are the only things, in our view, which would justify a Sky subscription. We have more than enough on Freeview, including HD options, to keep us going. We also have a digital recorder, though not yet HD. Will upgrade when we replace it.

The reality these days is it would be pretty difficult to buy a non-HD tv, that generally being the base option. But because our BBC regional news is not yet on HD we switch to non-HD for that and often forget to switch back. It's only something like a nature programme that reminds us to switch back. To be honest Phil MItchell is equally ugly in both formats.

The most useful hi-tech feature of our telly is the smart bit, so when I forget to record something we can watch it on i-Player or the commercial equivalents without hunching over the laptop or tablet

[Ray Scully]

Went to collect my new spectacles from Specsaver the other day( there are other companies that supply spectacles) and on trying them on and being delighted with the result exclaimed " you have saved me £500" the shop person seemed a little surprised and asked who was going to charge be £700+ for glasses. "No you don't understand I said, I don't think we will have to buy a new Telly now"

Ray

[Stephen]

Went to collect my new spectacles from Specsaver the other day( there are other companies that supply spectacles) and on trying them on and being delighted with the result exclaimed " you have saved me £500" the shop person seemed a little surprised and asked who was going to charge be £700+ for glasses. "No you don't understand I said, I don't think we will have to buy a new Telly now"

Ray

Not needing new glasses I'll stick with the new telly option Ray, and we don't intend spending anywhere near £700+, at least that's what the boss tells me

If it weren't for the fact that the speakers are knack**ed in our current TV we would probably stick with it for a bit longer. Yes, we could over come the problem with a sound bar, but they're not far off the price of a new TV. Well, that's my story to the good lady, and I'm sticking to it

[Mervyn and Trish]

You can get a lovely 22 inch second hand very cheap Stephen

[towny44]

If you want to see the difference between SD, HD and UHD, I would choose a cheap and nasty offbrand, my BIL has an ordinary cheap and nasty HD one, but you can tell the difference when its on HD.
Mind you even then the picture is well inferior to even SD on our Panasonic 42" smart LED, but we struggle to see any benefit on HD, even with my new specsavers glasses.

[Stephen]

You can get a lovely 22 inch second hand very cheap Stephen

Have we changed subjects Merv

[Mervyn and Trish]

It's okay, size isn't everything

[Stephen]

If you want to see the difference between SD, HD and UHD, I would choose a cheap and nasty offbrand, my BIL has an ordinary cheap and nasty HD one, but you can tell the difference when its on HD.
Mind you even then the picture is well inferior to even SD on our Panasonic 42" smart LED, but we struggle to see any benefit on HD, even with my new specsavers glasses.

At the end of the day towny, all I'm after is a good size screen, picture and sound. And as most are now smart TV's, that'll be a bonus.

[Mervyn and Trish]

It goes against the grain, but I have to agree with Towny, for at least the third time this year! There's a reason cheap tvs are cheap. I'd definitely go for a good brand, such as Samsung or Panasonic at 40-42".

Towny will pop round to explain it to she-who-must-be-obeyed and negotiate release of the requisite funds.

If he get's admitted to A&E in the attempt at least you'll have a decent tv to watch between visiting him with grapes.

[Stephen]

It goes against the grain, but I have to agree with Towny, for at least the third time this year! There's a reason cheap tvs are cheap. I'd definitely go for a good brand, such as Samsung or Panasonic at 40-42".

Towny will pop round to explain it to she-who-must-be-obeyed and negotiate release of the requisite funds.

If he get's admitted to A&E in the attempt at least you'll have a decent tv to watch between visiting him with grapes.

Samsung was the brand I had in mind Merv. I've recently subscribed to 'Which' on the one month trial solely to research they're reviews on TV's, and Samsung are well up there in the ratings.

[Mervyn and Trish]

We've been pleased with ours.

[qbman1]

For many programmes I'm not sure even HD makes that much difference unless you have a really huge screen. But then I was raised on 405 lines black and white!

"Ooh look, here comes Daddy Woodentop" !!

[Stephen]

Don't forget 'Little Weed'