Finally upgraded the home theater to 4K

[Brad Johnson]

Capitalized on a well-timed sale and some unused Best Buy credits to upgrade the HT setup to 4K. I already have a 4K-ready receiver so a TV and blu-ray player were the only things needed. I decided to wait on an XBox Series X so I had the money to go with a much higher-end player than originally planned. Not the Oppo I lust after, but still very good. The TV I've been eyeballing popped up on a Black Friday sale so I went ahead and pulled the trigger. Dolby Vision and HR10+ are becoming much more common so I really wanted a TV with local dimming. Unfortunately there is a noticeable premium for the feature. The sale covered most of the difference so I was able to bump the budget a smidge and make it work. It's not OLED but you'd be hard pressed to see the difference if not looking for it.

Spent the last two weeks getting everything dialed in. Last night I had a chance to sit down to my first 4K blu-ray, the newly-remastered Lord of the Rings. Wow! I have the original Extended Versions on DVD. This blows them into the weeds. The player also does an admirable job of upconverting standard DVDs to 1080p. If you didn't know better, they look like they were produced in HD. A bit soft, sure, but still a striking improvement. I have a couple more 4K titles coming but it will be a week or so before we have time to enjoy them.

Brad

[K Frame]

I've been eying 4K TVs.

I really like my current HDTV, but it's 12 years old and just doesn't compare to today's models.

I'm also looking at jumping up from my current 42" to a 65 or 70 inch set and throwing in a wireless surround sound system.

[Ben]

I've been eying 4K TVs.

I really like my current HDTV, but it's 12 years old and just doesn't compare to today's models.

I'm also looking at jumping up from my current 42" to a 65 or 70 inch set and throwing in a wireless surround sound system.

I bought a Samsung 4K Qled 55" last year at Costco for $1400. I was there this week and saw the current version, except in 65", for $950. I usually keep TVs for a while before upgrading, but depending on the after Christmas prices, I'm seriously thinking of getting the 65", or maybe even 75", though the latter is pushing it for my viewing space.

[K Frame]

Castle Key bought one of the very top of the line Samsungs for his place last year... 75 or 80 inch...

It can be VERY disconcerting for a couple of reasons...

Watching older shows on it, stuff that you watched on the old Sony Trinitron in 480p, are crystal clear. It sets up kind of a mental dissonance. In one episode of Magnum PI I was streaming Higgins was holding a book. You could read the title on the cover of the book.

More than once when I've been watching a show on it (especially newer shows filmed in HD), the picture will suddenly jump out into 3 D at me. Yep, it's as if the picture comes out of the screen and into the room. 

75" is really pushing it for my house, as well, unless I completely rearrange my living room (which I may very well do).

But, if I do that, I'm going to need to get some new furniture, and if I get new furniture I might as well get new carpet, and if I get new carpet I should really paint, and if I paint...

Holy hell, that new TV is getting expensive!

[Perd Hapley]

So what is a 4K?

[Brad Johnson]

I really really like Samsung but ended up going with an LG. Samsung abjectly refuses to accept that Dolby Vision is winning the HDR war and are doggedly sticking with HDR10+, which they co-developed. It's likely current Samsung sets will be able to integrate Dolby Vision via a future update, but I didn't feel like rolling the dice and LG supports both standards. Insofar as picture quality is concerned, it's a tossup. LG's Nanocell sets have picture quality on par with the Samsung QLED models. I went a 90-Series to get local dimming capability and am glad I did.

Mine is a 65". Anything larger would have been too large for the viewing distance. The only downside is my equipment was configured for a center stand. The new TV has outboard support legs. A couple of 1x12's for a temporary fix.

With the new setup I'm quickly discovering the limits of my main speakers. The mighty Machs are beginning to stagger under the new receiver's extra wattage and Atmos' greater dynamic range. The BIC's I posted in the thread below may be needed sooner than expected.

http://www.armedpolitesociety.com/index.php?topic=63399.0

Brad

[Brad Johnson]

So what is a 4K?

4K video resolution.

Full HD = 1920 x 1080 (vertical lines x horizontal lines)
4K = 3840 x 2160

Wiki has a decent table showing data for each display resolution level.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display_resolution#:~:text=1366%20%C3%97%20768%20(HD)%20has,are%20available%20for%20larger%20notebooks.

Now that 4K is common parlance, I'm seeing full HD referred to more often as 2K. Nice for consistency's sake. Also makes it easier for the general consumer to cogitate the difference.

Brad

[K Frame]

"The only downside is my equipment was configured for a center stand."

Year before last I bought a new stand for my current TV. It won't handle anything larger than a 55", I don't think, but that's not a problem because I've pretty much decided that I'm going to wall hang the new TV and will use the stand I have to hold my gaming systems.

[MechAg94]

I need to look for a 4K Lord of the Rings copy.  I have been trying to collect up older titles (80's action and scifi movies).  I enjoyed the Ultimate cut of the Watchmen.

[Brad Johnson]

I need to look for a 4K Lord of the Rings copy.  I have been trying to collect up older titles (80's action and scifi movies).  I enjoyed the Ultimate cut of the Watchmen.

It just hit shelves. Also, look for a copy of the 4K MIB Trilogy. Getting kinda hard to find but reviewers give them a solid thumbs up. If you can't find the set, the disks are available seperately.

Blu-ray.com has a really good 4K review section. I've been using it to test drive potential purchases before shelling out my hard-earned cash.
https://www.blu-ray.com/4k/

Brad

[Ben]

I need to look for a 4K Lord of the Rings copy. 

Oh man, I need to do that to.

On the stand, yeah, I hate how the manufacturers keep switching from a single center pillar to the two legs. When I got my 55" last year, I had to buy a new entertainment console, because the two legs would have been too far apart for my previous stand, which I bought for a center pillar 50".  The new 65" and 75" Samsungs  I looked at this week were both center console. My current stand won't take larger than a 65" if it's two legs.

I would wall mount except that the best place for my TV is the worst place in the living room for a wall mount.

[K Frame]

"I would wall mount except that the best place for my TV is the worst place in the living room for a wall mount."

Yeah, sort of what I'm struggling with.

[HankB]

I have my 65" TV wall mounted, but the way my home is configured, adding surround speakers would be very difficult. So I make do with "3 channel + sub" sound.

[Brad Johnson]

Found a TV stand that would do what I wanted. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CORQRX0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1



On the surface it would seem overkill for my 65" set but I needed the height for my center channel speaker. It's also a heavy sucker, but the substantial increase in weight is from heavier construction and thicker materials. That's a definite plus because this mount, like most others in this general category, has a glass base. I would much rather my expensive new TV not get unexpectedly bounced off the floor because the base shattered. The thicker glass on this larger model helps me sleep a little better at night.

Another upside is SWMBO isn't giving the stinkeye for the redneck-tastic 'milk crate & boards' setup this mount replaced.

Brad

[MechAg94]

Oh man, I need to do that to.

On the stand, yeah, I hate how the manufacturers keep switching from a single center pillar to the two legs. When I got my 55" last year, I had to buy a new entertainment console, because the two legs would have been too far apart for my previous stand, which I bought for a center pillar 50".  The new 65" and 75" Samsungs  I looked at this week were both center console. My current stand won't take larger than a 65" if it's two legs.

I would wall mount except that the best place for my TV is the worst place in the living room for a wall mount.

I got a 75" in late 2019.  I went with the wall mount.  The dang TV is so big and thin, you really need a good stand already.  At some point they are going to figure out how to just make TV wallpaper. 

[K Frame]

That stand might be what I'm looking for for my new TV. Where I want to put it isn't optimal for a wall mount because it's drywall and 1" lath over a solid block firewall and anchoring a wall mount into that might be a big challenge.

The only concern I have would be how it does on carpeted floors.

I'm thinking seriously about a 70 to 75" model, but I'm going to wait to get it because I don't want people coming into my house right now, and to do it the way I want it to be done I need to have not only the TV but some new furniture delivered, as well.

[K Frame]

Something like this might well take care of the stability issue with the stand sitting on carpet...

https://www.amazon.com/Anti-Tip-Tipping-Furniture-Mounting-STAND-SK02/dp/B0741D3HLS/ref=pd_bxgy_2/137-3914735-7414902?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0741D3HLS&pd_rd_r=b0a6d804-0a8c-40b4-b22a-584321bdb768&pd_rd_w=NpfZO&pd_rd_wg=XfSck&pf_rd_p=f325d01c-4658-4593-be83-3e12ca663f0e&pf_rd_r=74KQEY27AZVVE3845XBY&psc=1&refRID=74KQEY27AZVVE3845XBY

[RocketMan]

Would a ceiling mount of some type work in your situation, Mike?

[Brad Johnson]

The only concern I have would be how it does on carpeted floors.

Given the base's size I would expect it to do fine. However, the stand I linked is for desktop use. It's nowhere near tall enough to work as a pedestal-style setup.

I did see a few taller setups during my search, freestander units made to result in cart-height TV locations. Some were simple pole-style mounts while others had integrated shelving.

Brad

[K Frame]

Ah, I missed that it was a table top model. Bummer. Well, it would be usable with my current TV stand, in that case.


"Would a ceiling mount of some type work in your situation, Mike?"

Now that is a VERY interesting concept, something that I had not thought of. Hum... Yes, in fact, that might be the way to go here... Thank you for mentioning that!

[RocketMan]

"Would a ceiling mount of some type work in your situation, Mike?"

Now that is a VERY interesting concept, something that I had not thought of. Hum... Yes, in fact, that might be the way to go here... Thank you for mentioning that!

You're welcome, Mike.  I've had to install a number of TVs and projectors over the years in difficult locations, and ceiling mounts worked where others just would not.

[AZRedhawk44]

4K video resolution.

Full HD = 1920 x 1080 (vertical lines x horizontal lines)
4K = 3840 x 2160

Wiki has a decent table showing data for each display resolution level.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display_resolution#:~:text=1366%20%C3%97%20768%20(HD)%20has,are%20available%20for%20larger%20notebooks.

Now that 4K is common parlance, I'm seeing full HD referred to more often as 2K. Nice for consistency's sake. Also makes it easier for the general consumer to cogitate the difference.

Brad

2K is 2560 x 1440.  1920 x 1080 is HD or 1080p.

Also, it's horizontal x vertical.  Not the other way around.  Just like geometry in middle school.  X,Y coordinates the X horizontal goes first.

[Brad Johnson]

Also, it's horizontal x vertical.  

D'oh! Got my alphabets reversed. My bad.

2K is 2560 x 1440.  1920 x 1080 is HD or 1080p.

Thanks for the heads up.

Looks like it's getting bandied about for both formats. You're right, though. I did a little additional self-education and confirmed I've been using it wrong. The technically correct aspect ratio is indeed 2560x1440. Learn something new every day!

Brad

[Brad Johnson]

Ah, I missed that it was a table top model. Bummer. Well, it would be usable with my current TV stand, in that case.

"Would a ceiling mount of some type work in your situation, Mike?"

Now that is a VERY interesting concept, something that I had not thought of. Hum... Yes, in fact, that might be the way to go here... Thank you for mentioning that!

You can always rock it old school...





Brad

[Brad Johnson]

I'll just leave this here while I go get some bubblegum...



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GNSKGHK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Brad