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Thread: HD 4K and soon 8K some home truths

  1. #1
    Join Date: Nov 2010

    Location: Chorley, Lancs

    Posts: 2,734
    I'm Mike.

    Default HD 4K and soon 8K some home truths

    As some of you know i work for a professional AV integrator, recently at an event one of our hardware suppliers was giving a workshop on HD 4K transmission and the short comings of higher resolutions.

    The workshop itself was long winded and droned on a bit, however one thing that was interesting was the difference between HD and 4K, they had set up 2 i 55" Samsung screens, the same models just on the older HD and the other the 4K, both fed identical content just one in HD and the other 4K, the question they put to us was which was which, i was sat about 3 meters away and couldn't really tell the difference and the room of about 20 people was split almost 50 / 50 as to which was which, it was when you got much closer around a meter away that you could tell.

    What was being demonstrated was screen size / resolution and viewing distance ratios, simply put the smaller the screen the closer you need to be to be able to see the difference between HD and 4K and in most homes unless you have a very big screen 75" or larger or you sit 2m or less away from your tv, you're hard pressed to tell the difference.

    So why bother with 4K or 8K when it's released, well the picture quality is better, but as i've said you're only going to see that on a very large screen or if you sit incredibly close, the sort of people this actually benefits are draughtsmen using CAD and people that need to take accurate sizes from a image on a display, or when you need to display a very large image 75" or larger and the viewer is relatively close to the screen.

    At the end of the day our tv's are getting larger, i'm actually considering buying a 84" screen myself (the kids think i'm mad) so i will see the benefit of 4K, but for most folks a 55" screen is more than big enough, to these people i would say unless you're in the market for a new tv, stick with what you've got, as i've said 4K and 8K when it's available do give a more detailed image but from normal viewing distances not as obvious as you might think. In reality moving up to 4K or higher helps manufacturers sell tv's, there's always someone that has to have the latest tech, but for the rest of us my advice for what it's worth is get 4K when you need a new tv not because you think you need 4K.


    As the late Colonel Sanders once said
    "I'm too drunk to taste this chicken!!"

  2. #2
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,848
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    Since my TV is "state of the ark": a Mitsubishi 18" CRT, I'm looking at modern flat-screen OLED TVs. But what exactly is the difference between HD and 4K? HD talks about 1080i. Is that the number of lines, and is 4K also the number of lines, or is the number of pixels?
    Barry

  3. #3
    Join Date: Nov 2010

    Location: Chorley, Lancs

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    I'm Mike.

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    1080 refers to the amount of horizontal lines in 16:9 format, 4K is 4 times the resolution, in reality though 4K tv isn’t actually true 4K that’s why they put UHD next to the 4K logo, 4K tv is actually more like 3.5 K if that makes sense Barry.

    OLED refers to the light source being used, modern LED tv is actually still an LCD display with the light being produced by an LED light source, if you’re looking for a new TV get a back lit rather than edge lit display, they’re a bit bulkier but give a better more even image.


    As the late Colonel Sanders once said
    "I'm too drunk to taste this chicken!!"

  4. #4
    Join Date: Jun 2011

    Location: cardiff

    Posts: 266
    I'm Tristan.

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    I'm itching to get oled but I know that the cost doesn't justify the upgrade from my Panasonic plasma / humax / onkyo receiver.

  5. #5
    Join Date: May 2016

    Location: Notts

    Posts: 2,741
    I'm Geoff.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Barry View Post
    Since my TV is "state of the ark": a Mitsubishi 18" CRT, I'm looking at modern flat-screen OLED TVs. But what exactly is the difference between HD and 4K? HD talks about 1080i. Is that the number of lines, and is 4K also the number of lines, or is the number of pixels?
    Roughly speaking 4k is four times the resultion of HD: i.e. double the number of pixels vertically and double the number horizontally over standard hd.

    One of the best purchases I ever made is my AOC 32" 4k PC monitor. The resolution is fantastic thought the availability of superb 4k content online can be a distraction when I should be working. The ability to dial down the uv levels is also more restful on the eyes.

    Geoff

  6. #6
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

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    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    Thanks Mike.

    I normally sit and watch about 2 metre away from the screen, and since the normal acceptance viewing angle of the human eye is ~ 45 degree, should I go for a 65" screen?
    Barry

  7. #7
    Join Date: May 2016

    Location: Notts

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    I'm Geoff.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Barry View Post
    Thanks Mike.

    I normally sit and watch about 2 metre away from the screen, and since the normal acceptance viewing angle of the human eye is ~ 45 degree, should I go for a 65" screen?
    This may be helpful https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-big-a-tv-should-i-buy/

  8. #8
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,848
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sherwood View Post
    Thanks Geoff.
    Barry

  9. #9
    Join Date: Nov 2010

    Location: Chorley, Lancs

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    I'm Mike.

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    Mate I’m looking at getting an 84 inch screen So I would say bigger the better, I sit about 4m away from my tv though, in any normal home 55 inch I would say is the sweet spot of sizes though.


    As the late Colonel Sanders once said
    "I'm too drunk to taste this chicken!!"

  10. #10
    Join Date: May 2016

    Location: Notts

    Posts: 2,741
    I'm Geoff.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Barry View Post
    Thanks Geoff.
    If you went for the midpoint between the two methods at a viewing distance of 80" that would approximate to a 55" model (i.e. 80 * 0.7). I have been considering upgrading my TV and 55" seems also to be the sweet spot with regard to price for 4k models.

    Geoff

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