4K TVs: 9 Reasons You Should Buy One -- And 9 More Why You Shouldn't

Forbes - Like it or not, 4K (AKA UHD) TVs are coming. In fact, they’re already here. Recent sales data from Europe, for instance, shows that 17 per cent of all TVs sold in the UK in September carried the necessary 3840×2160 resolution, with this percentage rising to 40 per cent in the 50-59-inch category, and 57 per cent in the above 60-inch category.

The question is, should you care? Does 4K genuinely enhance your TV viewing experience? Or is it just another marketing tool designed to make you upgrade your TV again sooner than you wanted to?

Here I take a look at the many pros and cons of the current 4K/UHD TV world to help you decide if 4K is for you.

4K Pros

1. 4K pictures have more detail

The most obvious benefit of TVs with native 4K resolutions is that their pictures have more detail and sharpness. After all, their 3840×2160 pixel counts equate to four times the resolution of the full HD pictures most of us are used to. Every hair on people’s heads, every leaf on every tree, every blade of grass on a football pitch, every star in the sky… every everything, in fact, snaps into focus on a good 4K TV in a way you just can’t get with an HD set. So long, at any rate, as you’re feeding your 4K TV a good-quality native 4K source – more on this in the Cons section.   Read More

Hands on with the massive Samsung UN-85S9 85-inch 4K TV

CNET - The UN-85S9 is massive, and massively expensive. At a special event in LA, we got to spend some time with it, watching 4K, Blu-ray, some test patterns ... even DVD

This thing is huge. There's just something about a TV this size that dominates a room. Even a big room. It plays tricks on the eyes, in a way, as your brain isn't accustomed to seeing a TV of such girth.

The UN-85S9 isn't just massive in size (85 inches, 189 pounds), but massive in price ($40,000) and resolution (Ultra HD "4K," of course).

I got to spend some time with it, and here's what I found out.

As you might have noticed, from the lack of "review" in the title, this isn't a full review. We only had limited time with the TV, and it wasn't at the CNET labs. Also, my name is not David or Ty. I did have access to a variety of equipment and test gear, though, so consider this a mostly-there-but-not-quite-full review.

Big

My "TV" at home is a projector on a 102-inch screen, and even I think this is a big TV. There's something about the presence of a device-of-unusual-size that is impressive. The easel design for the stand, which I thought looked odd at best, weird at worst, at CES, actually sort of works. It makes the TV look even bigger, and makes it look different from your average television. That makes sense for something this price.

Like Samsung's OLED and a few of its other new TVs, the UN-85S9 comes with the OneConnect box, an external input box where you connect all your sources, and then a single cable goes to the TV. Honestly, I like the idea. I think for most people it would make setup easier. More importantly, with HDMI 2.0 immanent, it's a lot easier to replace a OneConnect box than cracking open a TV and replacing the input board (or more).   More

This plasma TV has the best picture ever tested - The Panasonic VT60

 

CNET Editors' Rating

4.0 stars - Excellent

$2,200.00 to $2,599.99

The good: The Panasonic VT60 produces the best picture quality of any TV we've ever reviewed, equal to or better than our in-house Pioneer Kuro reference; exceedingly deep black levels and excellent shadow detail; well-saturated colors and excellent skin tones; industry-leading sound quality; extensive features including touch-pad remote, voice control, and onboard camera.

The bad: Extremely expensive; forthcoming ZT60 might have even better picture quality; worse bright-room picture than that of the Samsung F8500; somewhat humdrum design; camera is limited, and facial recognition is a gimmick.

The bottom line: The Panasonic VT60 has one of the best pictures of any TV we've ever reviewed, but it's soon to face some tough competition.

Read the Full Review

You want the best plasma TV? It's one of these

CNET - The first kind of flat-panel TV to hit the market more than 10 years ago, plasma displays have come a long way since then. They're much more durable now, and the burn-in bugaboo is pretty much a thing of the past. Plasma TVs are not generally available in sizes less than 42 inches, and their picture quality in the best models still outperforms the best LCD picture quality--although the gap is closing. However, plasmas are much less efficient than LCD TVs. Check out plasma versus LCD for more information. 

 

Panasonic TC-PST50 series

With flagship-level picture quality for a midlevel price, the Panasonic ST50 series sets the value standard among videophile-grade TVs.

Price: $1,258.99 - $1,599.99 (check prices)

4 stars Outstanding  

Read full review

 

 

Panasonic TC-PVT50 series

The Panasonic TC-PVT50 series represents the pinnacle of current flat-panel TV picture quality.

Price: $1,839.00 - $2,499.99 (check prices)

4 stars Outstanding 

Read full review

 

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The only $299 TV with smart apps - Vizio E320i-A0 Review

CNET Editors' Rating

3.5 stars - Very good

The good: The Vizio E320i-A0 32-inch LED-based LCD TV is a superb value, bringing Smart TV and solid picture quality in the same price range as many small TVs with neither. The Smart content selection is excellent and responsiveness was very good. Image-quality highlights include relatively deep black levels and good color. With its thin bezel, the set has a more compact, sleeker look than competitors.

The bad: The Vizio's picture falls short of some entry-level TVs', with subpar shadow detail, and shows some discoloration in dark areas. Its Smart TV interface design seems a bit dated.

The bottom line: For people seeking integrated Smart features, the Vizio E320i-A0 is the strongest value we've seen yet among 32-inch TVs.

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Sony's stellar LED TV better than 4K? - Review of the Sony XBR-65HX950

(Credit: Sony Electronics)

CNET - Forget that 84-inch 4K monstrosity grabbing all the headlines. If you've been holding out for the best Sony TV of 2012, this is probably it.

Yes, the XBR-HX950 is smaller and lower-resolution, and yes, it's still extremely expensive at a beginning list price of $3,500. But I expect it to have better picture quality than the 84-incher, along with just about every other LED TV.

Before I get into the reasons why, allow me to indulge in a (recent) history lesson. Last year the Sony XBR-HX929 was hands-down the best-performing LED TV on the market until the Sharp Elite came along. Due largely to their use of full-array local dimming the two sets were quite a bit better than the next-best alternative (Sony's own NX720) and also cost a lot more. Compared with the Elite, however, the XBR-HX929 is a relative bargain -- its 55-inch size currently sells for around $2,000 less than the smallest Elite, a 60-inch model.

At CES in January, Sony's TV announcements conspicuously omitted mention of a successor to the XBR-HX929, which the company continued to describe as "current" -- until now. The XBR-HX950 previewed here replaces the HX929, and according to Sony offers some improvements. We expect it to beat the 2012 HX850 in picture quality, at least equal the HX929, and perhaps challenge the 2011 Elite (Sharp has yet to announce any successor).

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Review: Sony Bravia KDL-55NX720

 

CNET Editors’ rating

3.5 stars Very good

The good: The Sony KDL-NX720 series produces deeper black levels than any edge-lit LED-based TV we’ve tested. It evinces relatively accurate color, has a uniform screen for edge-lit LED, and can properly handle 1080p/24 sources. It has a beautiful, thin-profile exterior design with flush Gorilla Glass, it has built-in Wi-Fi, and its Internet suite includes numerous streaming services and widgets.

The bad: The expensive KDL-NX720 shows some blooming artifacts and crushes detail in shadows, and its image deteriorates more noticeably than usual when seen from off-angle. The design of its menu and Internet services is lackluster, and Sony does not include 3D glasses. Its 3D image is poor, with significant crosstalk, flicker when dejudder is turned off, and extreme intolerance to head tilt.

The bottom line: Albeit expensive and plagued by 3D image issues, the beautifully styled Sony KDL-NX720 has better picture quality than most other edge-lit LED-based LCD TVs.

Read the Full Review!