Top 10 features your next TV must have - article discussion

Thanks Steve, read my mind. A short while ago I contacted AVforums to specify (if possible which 4K sets have a 10bit panel etc. What would be really useful is to have a table of the key features when buying a new set like hdmi 2.0a, 10 bit panel, etc.. on all 4k sets reviewed. The readers would really find this useful (me thinks).
 
Excellent article which I for one really needed.

Typo:
"However we are currently going the biggest changes in the TV industry"

Missing a through or maybe an under
 
Great article. Very useful.


Thanks Steve, read my mind. A short while ago I contacted AVforums to specify (if possible which 4K sets have a 10bit panel etc. What would be really useful is to have a table of the key features when buying a new set like hdmi 2.0a, 10 bit panel, etc.. on all 4k sets reviewed. The readers would really find this useful (me thinks).

Agreed, some kind of future-proofing comparison chart would be really handy!
 
Last edited:
Agreed, some kind of future-proofing comparison chart would be really handy!

Yes, Every review you do from now and ones done recently, would be nice to see a table with this criteria ticked or not, might help people buy the right set, some not ticks might not be a deal breaker for some but at least you would know at a glance, thanks :smashin:
 
A key features table is a good idea, I'll talk to Phil about that, perhaps we can add one to future reviews or do an end-of-year round-up for those picking up discounted models.
 
Very interesting article.

My only issue at the moment is that many cheaper UHD TVs fall down heavily on out of the box accuracy, with brightness and sharpness increased and all sorts of picture enhancement settings turned on - not to mention issues like DSE and back light bleed.

Having seen my brother-in-laws' LG UHD TV, which looked horrific on anything less than UHD content due to all the nasty processing and poor setup, I spent a good few hours setting it up correctly. Same with my 6 Series Samsung UHD. It took a lot of tweaking to get it to meet Rec. 709 within a Delta E of 3 (0.9 achieved) and back light bleed and some DSE is still evident despite optimising brightness, contrast and gamma.

I would actually like manufacturers to concentrate on getting a good and consistent picture before pushing UHD quite so hard. The net result is that they sell a TV that accepts such high quality material that it shows up just how poor the final picture actually is.
 
I'd say that based upon the TVs I've reviewed this year, the out-of the-box performance (and by that I mean after a basic setup) has definitely improved. As for issues like backlight bleed, I'm currently working on an article that address all the limitations of the various TV technologies.
 
A great article thanks and just what I need as I'm presently going through my 10-year TV update cycle.

But while future proofing is very important I'll also be looking at 'present-proofing' and trying to ensure that when I buy a 4k screen its HD and SD upscaling performance comes up to the mark too since, for the time being, a lot of what I watch will be lower than 4k resolution.
 
I'm so keen to buy but I have to keep telling myself another six months is a sensible wait time. Hopefully CES will open the floodgates on panels which tick every box listed in this article.

Then we can start gossiping about PJs :)
 
But while future proofing is very important I'll also be looking at 'present-proofing' and trying to ensure that when I buy a 4k screen its HD and SD upscaling performance comes up to the mark too since, for the time being, a lot of what I watch will be lower than 4k resolution.
That's a very good point, since the majority of the content that we will be watching for the foreseeable future won't be 4K, the quality of the upscaling is vitally important.
 
Was so close to getting a panny CX680 but then read about HDR... so I thought the CX802 would be a good fit, but then read about 8bit vs 10bit panels... perhaps someone as indecisive as I shouldn't be thinking about buying a tv right now.
 
Are there many TVs out there that meet all of these criteria?
 
So what current tv has all the criteria above?

Plenty of high end OLEDs. Ones that don't necessarily tick every box have mooted the possibilities of added functionality in firmware updates. Generally smart TV features, apps and services could be the easiest added at a a later stage. 4K streaming however may depend on onboard HVEC decoding which too could potentially be added as a firmware upgrade to most UHD panels.
 
Excellent article.

This list I think is mainly aimed at high end TVs which would have all of these features and it's good to know what to look out for or to seek clarification, as most TV manufacturers usually don't advertise these specs to the public, presumably to hide their lack of desired spec.

I'm a bit confused about the wider colour space standards. It seems from this article that movies in cinema uses DCI colour space which is lower that Rec. 2020, the ultimate standard for 4K home cinema.

Wondering why cinema movies don't use Rec.2020 which has the widest colour space. Or have I got it wrong way round?
 
Excellent article, thanks.
Lets hope that all manufacturers agree on a single set of specs.
 
Last edited:
I've had my venerable kuro 600 krp for 7 years now, and still enjoy the picture very much

Seems to me that this whole 4k UHD malarkey still has some way to go before it all settles down, so I'm not in a rush to buy though I am tempted

It's also a bit annoying when apparently manufacturers are talking about 8k and prototype models are showing up at expos , makes you think 4k might be very short lived
 
Excellent article, informative, helpful-especially to enthusiasts & high-end TV hunters with a good home-cinema set-ups. Priceless information for anyone wanting a future-proof set.

I just feel theres always that "something" that manufacturers feel they need to hype to keep sales up.
So what I am saying is the TV, along with the AVR seem like they need yearly upgrades if anyone wants all the features available, incl. compulsory features at the current time...

Off course we all know there is only so much advice available at its particular time until the "next big thing"... Still a great article regardless. :)
 
Wondering why cinema movies don't use Rec.2020 which has the widest colour space. Or have I got it wrong way round?
Although the recommended maximum colour space for Ultra HD (both broadcast and Blu-ray) is Rec.2020, no one actually uses it in either film or TV production and there are no displays that can even reach it. The current standard for the cinema is DCI/P3, which is wider than Rec.709, so it makes sense to adopt that standard until film/TV production eventually moves to Rec.2020, although that probably won't be any time soon.
 
We would have slight borders with native 4K DCI standards on a native 16:9 UHD screen, is that right?
No getting away from the pesky things on TV. I could be wrong as I am not 100% sure...
Can they get Anything right at home...
 
If we always waited 6 months then nobody would buy a TV. The next tech is always in reach but sometimes you have to weigh up with what you actually need to what you actually desire.

I have a Samsung H5500 in my living room and it fulfils everything the family requires anything I add this is just fluff. I have a Panny plasma in the cinema room which could do with better smart functions and a slightly larger screen but again a H6400 would probably meet these requirements.

Although this is my personal view it comes from years of chasing the rabbit and wondering did I actually need that. In respect to my G15 I would have been better served with a G10 and felt I wasted cash.
 
I've had my venerable kuro 600 krp for 7 years now, and still enjoy the picture very much

Seems to me that this whole 4k UHD malarkey still has some way to go before it all settles down, so I'm not in a rush to buy though I am tempted

It's also a bit annoying when apparently manufacturers are talking about 8k and prototype models are showing up at expos , makes you think 4k might be very short lived
I really don't blame you, why people say full HD Kuro is in the stone-age I cannot understand yet, when you possibly have a better quality picture than most mid-range UHD sets. Most of us gauge our PQ in a dark room, so the last Kuro KRP sets must look amazing...still.

I hope 8K is not the "next big thing" until at least the year 2020... I also think the manufacturers sensed a natural snowball effect with resolution going forward for years...You know 4K-8K-16K & so on. We will find out sooner anyways...
 
good read and saves allot of research if you have not looked into tv tech for a while, nice one steve :beer:
 
Was so close to getting a panny CX680 but then read about HDR... so I thought the CX802 would be a good fit, but then read about 8bit vs 10bit panels... perhaps someone as indecisive as I shouldn't be thinking about buying a tv right now.
I am in a similar situation, I want a to move up from my Panasonic 42" Plasma to a 65" as our new place has stacks more room. Was thinking about the CX802 as well, but having second thoughts. For one, the stand is fixed and is too wide to sit on my 120cm stand.not adjustable like the Sony. The Sony is great but crippled by Android issues and poor processing/mem specs. I think I will have to be patient and wait for a little longer.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom