AT4K Upscaling

CalabiYau

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Hi

I have a Panasonic 55FZ800. I am really happy with its IQ.

I mainly use streaming apps. Netflix and Prime from the Tv. And so far Disney and HBO from an old chromecast (1080p)

I am considering to buy an external streaming box but the more I read the more I get confused.

As a cheap one I considered a Firestick 4k, but apparently it doesn't manage properly frame rate with non prime apps.

The ATV4K (or the next one whenever it is released) is a strong candidate. It has every app I use (plus a potential Apple tv app).

Compared to other candidates, it seems to manage properly frame rate (even 24hz with the 14.5 TVOS) and HDR.

But it also upscales all content. So my question is how the AT4K upscaler compares to the panasonic one? 1080p content specifically.

I have read some reports saying that it is terrible. Others acceptable. Others great. Maybe it depends on the TV comparison. How about mine?

The point is that netflix and prime really shines in the internal app and it would be sad to get a worse IQ in order to expand the app catalog.

Thanks a lot!
 
I set mine to output 4K SDR 24p, with range and frame match enabled. This will mean the ATV does any scaling of 1080p content and on my GZ2000, it does a fine job, not that I watch much 1080p content through the ATV. I watched Big Sky last night, and it looked good.

Depending on how much 1080p content you watch, I think it'll become tiresome to keep changing the ATV settings, so the TV does the scaling work but, you may disagree.

Paul
 
Thanks!

I discard changing the ATV setting. So it would be 4K permanently.

Right now I'd say that the 4K/1080p content I watch is about 50/50 as well as a 50/50 HDR vs SDR (all from Netflix and Prime internal apps and somehow this is the proportion)

I have to say that the 1080p content is displayed beautifully in my Panasonic. I don't have any complaint. But maybe if I use a pre-upscaled box then I'll notice a degradation vs internal apps.

Or maybe not. :)

This is the question... It would be ironic spending so much money in a external box and using internal Netflix instead of ATV4K for 1080p content...

Unfortunately Panasonic apps are very limited. No disney plus, no HBO, no ATV+. So eventually I'll buy something to substitute my old chromecast (it is getting more uncomfortable to cast instead of using a remote and also no HDR)
 
I tend to use the TV's internal apps for anything that is available through the TV, and then I calibrate the inputs for the native format of that content. In general, I prefer the TV to perform any scaling/ deinterlacing.
With that in mind, I use the ATV for any apps the TV doesn't provide. So Disney+, Apple TV+, iTunes Movies, Vudu, Movies Anywhere etc... The arrival of Star has kind of bucked the trend as before, the vast majority of content from those apps was 4K HDR. It's no biggy though as I can just perform another calibration for 2160p24 SDR and use that whenever I watch any natively 1080p24 content, the ATV has upscaled.
The ATV 4K is a nice box and bar the Marmite remote, a joy to use. I'd recommend one for sure.

Paul
 
Thanks!

Just one more question. So you use Netflix and Prime from the GZ2000 directly. Have you ever compared its image quality vs ATV4K netflix & prime version?

Have you noticed any difference and this is the reason you use the internal apps or is it just a theoretical approach since internal are expected to work better?

I mean a general comparison not a frame to frame one... Maybe there is theoretical degradation but not seen in normal circumstances.
 
No worries.

I wouldn't say compared, as I've not but, I've certainly used the ATV versions of Netflix and Prime briefly and I don't recall seeing any glaring differences, not that I was looking for them though. The internal TV apps are just more convenient and there's no reason why the ATV's versions should look any different, other than from the possible scaling differences between the two devices, for non 2160p content.

If we're talking theoretical, they all seem to function the same but, I'd have to argue the TV's inbuilt apps will be superior as they don't have to be sent across two HDMI sockets and and down an HDMI cable, as they would with any external device. Although it's all in the digital domain, there are avenues there for data corruption to creep in. This is getting very theoretical though.

I'll add that I think a lot of people get carried away in this area, arguing they want the best possible image quality yet, they don't have a solid baseline to start with. I.e. a calibrated TV. That being the case, there might well be visible differences in how the image looks but, unless your TV is calibrated, it's impossible to argue which is the correct looking presentation. Unless you get elevated blacks or some issue of that kind.

Paul
 

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