4K gaming and viewing review

Strange thread title, the op called the thread "4K gaming and viewing review" and then decided not to do any gaming at 4k
 
Back from NAB, 4K is the new 3D, but it seems that it's future is brighter and longer..

Netflix started to Stream 4K and Sony is gearing up their effort to push 4K as well..

FMP-X10_front.jpg


https://blog.sony.com/press/28213/

Now it's just a matter of short(?) time before they push it with the PS4(k), with added support for USB storage it could make the PS4 the next cheap highend HomeTheater player in line with the the PS3..
 
Back from NAB, 4K is the new 3D, but it seems that it's future is brighter and longer..

Yeah I never had any faith in 3d gaining traction, but 4k will happen if anything because eventually all panels will be 4k at some point. 4k camera gear is already out and cheap, I've already snagged a Sony AX100 4k video camera for just $2000 which is amazing to get this kind of hardware so fast and so cheap. My main problem with 4k tv's though is that I *hate* the motion blur on led tv's, I'm just too used to plasma tv's which I find infinitely better. Given that plasma is dead means motion blur can't be avoided on 4k since they seem to all be lcd based, and that may be a deal breaker for me until some new tv tech comes out that is better than plasma. I'll get a 4k pc monitor though once they stop hacking them together and provide a true 4k input like hdmi 2.0 or a newer rev of display port that doesn't stitch multiple smaller images together.
 
My main problem with 4k tv's though is that I *hate* the motion blur on led tv's, I'm just too used to plasma tv's which I find infinitely better. Given that plasma is dead means motion blur can't be avoided on 4k since they seem to all be lcd based, and that may be a deal breaker for me until some new tv tech comes out that is better than plasma. I'll get a 4k pc monitor though once they stop hacking them together and provide a true 4k input like hdmi 2.0 or a newer rev of display port that doesn't stitch multiple smaller images together.

Those new cheapish TN-panel 4k-monitors, at least the Samsung model (probably sister models too) don't stitch two 1920x2160 portions anymore. It's the first single tile 4K monitor and others should follow soon. For serious work you might want an IPS-panel though. I've read some comments about that Samsung, and people have been quite positive about it, saying it's a lot better than typical TN-panels. In any case better stuff should follow soon.

Motion blur can be totally eliminated on LCDs. Even my two something year old ASUS VG278H monitor can show basically zero motion blur, when you enable backlight strobing. Newer monitors have even better implementations. Problem is IPS-tech doesn't seem to go high enough refresh rates to properly get it done so some advancements are still to be done, but to my eyes plasma flickering looks really bad too.
 
Yeah I never had any faith in 3d gaining traction, but 4k will happen if anything because eventually all panels will be 4k at some point. 4k camera gear is already out and cheap, I've already snagged a Sony AX100 4k video camera for just $2000 which is amazing to get this kind of hardware so fast and so cheap. My main problem with 4k tv's though is that I *hate* the motion blur on led tv's, I'm just too used to plasma tv's which I find infinitely better. Given that plasma is dead means motion blur can't be avoided on 4k since they seem to all be lcd based, and that may be a deal breaker for me until some new tv tech comes out that is better than plasma. I'll get a 4k pc monitor though once they stop hacking them together and provide a true 4k input like hdmi 2.0 or a newer rev of display port that doesn't stitch multiple smaller images together.

You should sample the a7s, make a test case with that and the ax100 and see what sells the best.

Afaik the consoles will never see 4k games because they are limited to 24hz on their hdmi, 2d shooters in 4k on a pj would have been awesome though :)

But I expect 4k video services
 
The lousy blacks and contrast of LCD and projectors has me hankering for OLED or something ahead of more resolution. More resolution is good only for massive FOV (which is nice, but rarer chance to implement). OLED and pure blacks is good for all screen sizes. But we can't even get a small 7" OLED tablet yet, let alone larger TVs (at a sane price).
 
Panasonic claims their LCDs are every bit as good as the plasmas that they stopped making.

If you go to the shopping centre and see working PANASONIC TVs, their high models, 47 inch for instance, you will see that not only they claim it, but it is in fact true. The high quality of the image is there.
 
You should sample the a7s, make a test case with that and the ax100 and see what sells the best.

I'll be getting an A7s as well but to record in 1080p since it needs an external recorder to record in 4k. The AX100 nicely replaced my NX30, and the A7s is meant to replace my full frame VG900 because I need full frame for another website for it's particular look, dof, low light ability, etc... So the two camera's will be complimentary.


But I expect 4k video services

I want to switch to 4k for gaming, but I'm just not happy with any of the tv's I'm seeing so far. I don't know if I can handle the downgrade from plasma to get the upgrade to 4k resolution.


Panasonic claims their LCDs are every bit as good as the plasmas that they stopped making.

I dunno, I see so many led tv's like on my current trip in Montreal where all friends and family have various Samsung, Sharp, LG, etc led tv's and I just don't like them compared to my plasma. I even bought an led tv of my own, a 60" LG because I need to get two more tv's for a new film house that I bought, so I figured I would move my 8 year old 50" Panasonic 720p plasma (the old ones with the large gray/black bezels) to the film house and keep the new 60" led in our current house. But imagine my surprise when I find that I like the image of my ancient plasma tv not only to be better, but also sharper even though the plasma is just 720p! Aside from the led's poor blacks and non uniform display it's that motion blur which just kills it. I disable all image processing which helps. but it's still not enough alas. I just saw that Fry's has a 60" LG plasma on sale for $699 so I think I will get that for our house and move that "new" 60" led tv to the film house.

Man I thought oled was supposed to be available and affordable by now :(
 
If you go to the shopping centre and see working PANASONIC TVs, their high models, 47 inch for instance, you will see that not only they claim it, but it is in fact true. The high quality of the image is there.

The shopping center is hardly the right place to judge a TV.
They can pimp LCD up as much as they want, the technology will always have limitations I just cannot stand, after being the owner of a good Panny Plasma, which at this point I hope will survive for 10 years or as long as it takes for OLED to mature and be both cheap and visually impressive.
 
I'll be getting an A7s as well but to record in 1080p since it needs an external recorder to record in 4k. The AX100 nicely replaced my NX30, and the A7s is meant to replace my full frame VG900 because I need full frame for another website for it's particular look, dof, low light ability, etc... So the two camera's will be complimentary.

I want to switch to 4k for gaming, but I'm just not happy with any of the tv's I'm seeing so far. I don't know if I can handle the downgrade from plasma to get the upgrade to 4k resolution.

I dunno, I see so many led tv's like on my current trip in Montreal where all friends and family have various Samsung, Sharp, LG, etc led tv's and I just don't like them compared to my plasma. I even bought an led tv of my own, a 60" LG because I need to get two more tv's for a new film house that I bought, so I figured I would move my 8 year old 50" Panasonic 720p plasma (the old ones with the large gray/black bezels) to the film house and keep the new 60" led in our current house. But imagine my surprise when I find that I like the image of my ancient plasma tv not only to be better, but also sharper even though the plasma is just 720p! Aside from the led's poor blacks and non uniform display it's that motion blur which just kills it. I disable all image processing which helps. but it's still not enough alas. I just saw that Fry's has a 60" LG plasma on sale for $699 so I think I will get that for our house and move that "new" 60" led tv to the film house.

Man I thought oled was supposed to be available and affordable by now :(

Right now the Sony 4K projector is out of the gaming world, it has way to much lag :(
I am seriously considering skipping PJ upgrade until there is a payable PJ with acceptable lag, 4K screams for gigantic screens..

About that a7s, the autofocus is very smooth and effective, should make the old challenges of DSLR video history, i think Blackmagic, and Ninja(?) introduced plenty of 4K external recorders.
 
About that a7s, the autofocus is very smooth and effective, should make the old challenges of DSLR video history, i think Blackmagic, and Ninja(?) introduced plenty of 4K external recorders.

Alas they didn't put their best auto focus system in the A7s, it's in the A6000 :( The external 4k recorder would bring the price of a complete 4k A7s setup to about 5k, and it's also a bit too much of a rig setup for what I need. I really need built in 4k recording...but the A7s may still be good for me as a backup camera, and a tripod based 1080p low light shallow dof camera.
 
I think the tech industries are mostly driven by empty promises. Every new tech promises to be out soon and offer better for cheaper. Such promises are, by and large, complete bollocks to be ignored. Like a decent estimate. Someone estimates a job to take 6 months and $1 million? Budget 12 months and $2.5 million. New TV tech coming out in a year with better picture quality and cheaper displays? It'll be out in 10+ years (if ever) with extremely expensive, niche displays.

OLED screens were going be printed straight onto plastic just like using an inkjet printer some fifteen years ago. I'm sure those promises secured lots of funding...
 
There were actual industrial problems and work to remedy them, even though your grim account is accurate.
There are enormous investment in LCD production, the volumes have grown a lot in the hundreds of millions made by very few companies just like DRAM or hard drives. We're in a very different world that in old times where every country including USSR, East Germany, West Germany etc. could make CRTs. Sheer volume of investment, production, refinement draw the cost extremely low and results in inertia.
It's a safe bet to say over 80% of TV panels will be LCD 1080p for many years to come.
Hell we can't even find a cheap 1600x900 laptop due to these "market forces" at play.


We're tragically stuck to 60Hz input too, on computer and laptop monitors (mostly.)

Now big size OLED HDTVs are a commercial reality, even lighting panels but of course all of that costs umpty dollars so an OLED utopia may happen with time.

A while ago I stumbled upon this bottom of the barrel (but elegant feature set and form factor) phone with stolen radio chip, which has OLED (but very small and monochrome with a twist). Better dressed up models are about $50 with shipping on ebay.
http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?page_id=3107

So it's possible that OLED takes the very bottom market of smallest displays for small electronics, at least I don't see that as a bad thing. That's the farhest possible from 4K TVs though.
 
I remember buying a PC mag back around 2005 and it hyped up OLED displays and said they would be cheap and readily available by 2007.

Sorry for the GIF, but it seemed necessary to convey the lols.
 
I remember buying a PC mag back around 2005 and it hyped up OLED displays and said they would be cheap and readily available by 2007.

Sorry for the GIF, but it seemed necessary to convey the lols.

On mobile phones, they are readily available, high quality and relatively cheap ;)

But yeah I can only hope they will be ready for large screens by the time my plasma dies.
 
They're not that readily available. At least, looking for OLED tablets there are very few. I love my Nexus 7, but its screen is so inferior for Netflix than my 4" S3 Mini. Even Samsung's flagship tablets don't use OLED. And OLED without naff Pentile matrices are even rarer. I think we've a long way to go to get decent mainstream OLED TVs. It was some years ago that Sony released the first small OLED. 2007 the 11" XEL-1, so sayeth Google. And with the push to 4k, surely more focus will be on higher res LCD than OLED.
 
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