4K gaming and viewing review

Over the holidays I picked up the 65inch Sony 4K set that doesn't come with speakers and has active 3D vs passive. I have no need for either. My goals were simple. PQ benefits over my calibrated Pioneer Kuro 151.

The Sony set: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/65-clas...9066831831&skuId=1912267&st=sony 4k&cp=1&lp=3

I have 4 video sources going into an Onkyo receiver and then to the HDMI port of the TV.
Sources:
Xbox One (gaming and blu ray)
HD DVD player. HD-A35 the final flagship model by Toshiba
Motorola Comcast HD DVR
AppleTV latest gen as of this post

I then found a few post calibrated settings from AVSforum and home theater mag. I used these as a baseline to come to a picture that worked for me.

My viewing distance is 13ft away.

Resolution:
Static resolution is the area where the 4K Sony shines beautifully. Give it static or slow moving images and the resolution bump is beautiful. BluRay's and HD DVD's that do not contain a lot of action look great. For gaming, AutoVista in Forza 5 looks phenomenal. Even thought these are 1080p sources, the upscaling to 4K is a very noticeable benefit. Unfortunately, this is where the set starts showing major limitations.
Once motion is introduced the effects of 4K start to diminish rapidly. By the time you're dealing with fast paced action or games, the Pioneer actually seems to preserve the quality better. This set is simply not able to keep up with fast motion while preserving resolution quality.

Panel response:
In Game mode, the response time seems fine as the panel auto enables and grays out "maximum panel speed" option. You still have options to adjust other settings to turn the PQ. I'd say the Plasma and LCD are close enough to work well. Remember though, as above, when action fast the resolution on the LCD actually seems worse.

Off axis viewing:
If PQ is of any concern and at the cost of this set, it should be! then you best sit dead center or slightly to the sides to get the best out of it. Horizon and vertical off axis performance to me, is unacceptable. I'm often watching TV from an angle while at my desk and it's not a possibility with this set. The Pioneer plasma wins this hands down.

Gaming impression:
Forza 5 = Looks great in autovista but when racing, the resolution benefits are not noticeable.
Killer Instinct = The IQ is cleaner when the action is idle but drops off quickly once you start fighting and landing combos
Battlefield 4 = surprising nice bump in IQ which is preserved better when you're outdoors. Once in CQB and quick movement, the benefit disappears


My recommendation for now would be to wait for the 2nd gen of 4k displays. What good is a bump in resolution if you lose most of it when things start moving on the screen? Next year should also hopefully give us the BluRay 4k format along with HDMI 2.0 throughout the component range. The biggest thing to look for is a bump in panel speed which will preserve the benefits of 4K. Off axis can be subjective based on your viewing requirements but that's another area needing massive improvements.

 

I'm going to return in and see what the 2014 sets offer. There is certainly a lot of room for improvement. Since I never hook up my PC to the tv, it's honestly not a viable use case for me.

The screen coating is different but the viewing angle issue remains on both based on what I observed in the store. It's just a lot more pronounced in the house where the lighting is a bit more controlled.

Sony already came out with a firmware update that provides 2.0 support but there seems to be a slight difference in the color bit depth they support, 4:2:0 vs 4:4:4. Info is still a bit vague but check out the avsforum thread for more details.

If you're getting a killer deal then by all means take it! But I'm limited to retail pricing which means I best wait for the next version.

After you get yours let me know what settings you are using and maybe you'll find some that preserve motion resolution without having the soap opera effect or other artifacts.

I held off on the 4k media server because I first wanted to make sure it's viable for 2k which would be 99% of my viewing for the foreseeable future.

 

Sony's 4k is the best out right now based on all my research and had the set worked out for me, it's the only brand with a 4k content server available.

 

Our only hope is samsung and lg on that front.

Sony and Panasonic dissolved their oled partnership.

I have seen the samsung oled in person. It's truly in a league of its own. The biggest issue with the oled was motion resolution but from a black level and color reproduction perspective, it's like a NFL All-Star vs high schooler.

75inch 4k oled with better motion resolution is my ultimate dream.

 

It's 43ms in game mode and 140ms otherwise.

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/kd55x9005-201312273528.htm

 

Impulse is causing flicker. I'll try clear and clear+. One of them reduced light output by a decent amount.