# Thoughts on this Samsung 4K TV for viewing video from 4K cam and watching movies, etc.?



## kat.hayes (Jul 10, 2014)

I need to get a new display and am thinking of getting a 4K one from Samsung. I know that there is not a whole lot of content out there right now, though this display will hang on my wall for at least 5-6 years so I'd like to try to future proof it with 4K as much as I can. I do have a Sony camera that shoots in 4K Sony-FDR-AX100 (I can't post links since I am a new member here)so I plan on viewing video from it on the TV quite often. 

The room that it will be in does get some natural light and the TV will be used for DirecTV, sports, Netflix, and Blu Ray.

1.) Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this Samsung 4K TV in either the 55 or 60 inch size:
Samsung UN55HU8550 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD 120Hz 3D Smart LED HDTV
(I can't post links since I am a new member here)

2.) Are there any other TVs in this price range I should consider?


Thanks in advance for any info.


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## davidjschenk (Jan 30, 2011)

kat.hayes said:


> 1.) Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this Samsung 4K TV in either the 55 or 60 inch size:
> Samsung UN55HU8550 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD 120Hz 3D Smart LED HDTV


Hi kat.hayes,

At that size range you're not likely to see any benefit to 4k (not unless your eyesight borders on 20/10). 4k is an outstanding advance for very large screens (100+" diagonal), but offers no advantages that I can think of in normal flat panel sizes.

That's my take on it, anyway.

Yours,

David


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## kat.hayes (Jul 10, 2014)

Hi David,

Are you saying that even at a larger size of 65-70 inches I would not likely be able to see the visual gains from a 4K feed on a 4K display?

Thank you.


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## davidjschenk (Jan 30, 2011)

kat.hayes said:


> Hi David,
> 
> Are you saying that even at a larger size of 65-70 inches I would not likely be able to see the visual gains from a 4K feed on a 4K display?
> 
> Thank you.


Hi kat.hayes,

Not unless you sat quite close to the screen, you wouldn't. For 4k really to pay off, you have to be at a distance from the screen where the individual pixels of a regular 1080p TV are noticeable as squares, not just as undifferentiated tiny dots. Even on a 70-inch screen, that's pretty close in.

Where 4k/UHD (same thing) truly comes into its own is at the very large screen sizes, as I mentioned. I imagine that's why the manufacturers are moving to 85-inch, 90-inch, and even larger panels this year; they need to reach sizes where the UHD resolution can make a perceptible difference in picture quality.

Yours,

David


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## mvision7m (Feb 9, 2013)

I agree with davidjschenk. 

As big as 85" is for any HDTV whether it be 4K or less, it "may" be difficult to fully appreciate 4K's higher resolution over 1080p even at that size unless you sit pretty close to the set which would likely be uncomfortable and/or impractical in most cases. 

I'd say an 85" HDTV is where you "may" begin to see a little bit of the benefit of 4K resolution if any but really, you'll likely need 95" + of screen to truly see a difference between an excellent native 1080p source and a native 4K source. 

In spite of the all of that, I know it's very difficult not to be highly impressed with a lot of the 4K TVs demoed at Best Buy or elsewhere with their hyper bright, detailed and crystal clear images. Of course they're displaying 4K content that was shot solely for the purpose of showing these TVs at their best and that certainly shows in a lot of what I've seen on sales floors. In fact, it serves it's purpose and makes me really want one in my home. Great marketing! It was the same way when good 1080p sets first hit the market and were shown off displaying high quality 1080p source material except that 1080p is very clearly far superior to 480i at screen sizes above 42" inches or so. The difference between 4K and 2K isn't nearly that obvious unless the screen is HUGE. 

If however, you were able to put a 65" 1080p HDTV side by side with a 65" 4K (UHD) TV and display the same exact (shot in 4K) content on both while they were in comparable picture settings/modes and in the same viewing environment, you'd likely have a very hard time seeing any difference in resolution on the 4K set as long as the TVs are of similar quality. 

On top of that, at this time the only benefit to 4K is the higher resolution. There is no other benefit over 1080p HDTV other than the higher pixel count which necessitates a much larger screen than even 65" to fully appreciate. There's no benefit to black level, native contrast, color reproduction or any other parameter of picture quality. 

Future proofing if possible is of course a great idea. A few of the 4K sets I've seen look fantastic in the store with the 4K material used for demo purposes. 

Buying a 4K set isn't really the issue, seeing the benefit of that extra resolution on any screen sizes below 95" is. 

Be sure to do your homework on the sets you're considering and try to choose one that has the best possible upscaler. Also, one that rates highly in all other aspects of picture quality such as native contrast, black level performance, motion handling or any other performance parameters that are important to you, your viewing environment and how you watch TV. 

Anyway sir, best of luck with your decision and your final choice.


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