Hate my new 4K TV

[Pinkyblinder]

Last time I bought a TV was about 10 years ago. 26 inch Panasonic and it has fared well. Thought I'd better get on board with the new technology and have got a new 49 inch LG 4K LED TV.

After getting it a week ago I've just unboxed it and set it up.

But despite it being a Which recommended TV I am not that impressed with it. It is humongous for the room and despite spending hours adjusting the settings the picture doesn't seem much better than my Panasonic. Wish I could send it back.

Maybe it's me and I'm not smart enough to appreciate my smart TV. Also I'm paranoid about all the information it will collect about me!

I know that in the grand scheme of things this is trivial, but does anybody else feel sucked into getting the latest technology only to be quite disappointed?

I too thought 4k it was the cost of the tv

I have a 32" tv, can't remember how old it is but at least 5 years, and even on that there's a noticeable difference between the regular channels and the HD channels.

If I'd paid out - obviously not 4k - for a fancy 49" tv I'd want everything to be vastly improved, but to be honest I really don't want a massive great tv dominating my living room so I won't be rushing out any time soon to get one, whatever they cost.

Never bought something and been unhappy with it? So it's a TV, so what? Don't quite get your logic here

Suspect ClaryFray was so keen to impart their very important opinion that they didn't actually bother to read the thread and assumed 4K was the price.
Obviously they live in a straw hut, have only essentials to their name and donate 90% of the their wages to charity,

We bought the same tv, but we bought it because it was cheaper than anything else at the time. I also had a flabbergasted fit when I saw the size of it sat in the living room but I'm so used to it now it doesn't bother me at all.

What a load of old tosh.

Watching and enjoy TV is not just for men

Just to be clear about the specifications.
HD (sometimes called 'full HD' in a TV spec) is 2k - that is 2000 pixels or picture elements on the screen.
4k is twice that - 4000 pixels in the screen.
If the programme you are watching is transmitted in less than 4k, a 4k TV will 'upscale' the picture to appear as 4k on its screen. How good that picture looks depends on the quality of the TV's processing, and not surprisingly the more expensive sets tend to do it better. But it can never look as good as a real 4k signal.

The big advantage of getting a 4k TV is that it is future proof for many years to come. Samsung are introducing 8k sets, at ridiculous prices, but it will be many years before regular programmes will be available in 8k.

gluteus Netflix, Amazon, Apple and the BBC all have 4k streams, as do others. Amazon and Apple have 4k settop boxes, the Firestick and AppleTV 4k. It's not a swizz, it's no different from when blurays took over from DVDs, or DVDs took over from VHS.

I think it is a swizz as there isn't enough content in 4k to justify the overinflated price of this new technology.

BBC have trialled UHD with dynasties and planet earth. I don't know of any other channels?

In order to stream netflix in 4k, you need a 4k set top box. No normal channels are in 4k. You need a netflix UHD account, and not all programmes are in 4k. A handful at most.

In order to watch a blu ray in 4k, the films are £20 - £40 per film PLUS you need the 4k blu ray player.

Plus your internet needs to cope with the streaming in 4k.

There are lots of additional costs. And not worth it for the small amount of 4k available.

It will get better of course, and then the 4k TV's should come down.

They did another swizz with the HD ready TV's, they weren't full HD, just HD 'ready' and there was a big difference.

There's not even many HD channels to watch either. But at least you can stream everything in HD with netflix and similar subs.

The worst part is knowing that in the store, the TV's are running 4k films through them to show how amazing it looks, and fail to mention all the extras you're going to need.

Get yourself a PS4 Pro, a copy of God of War and then it'll be worth it. A good quality TV should make most things look a bit better, even if the 4K content is not as plentiful as you might want just yet.

In order to stream netflix in 4k, you need a 4k set top box. No normal channels are in 4k. You need a netflix UHD account...

Not correct. Many 'smart' 4k TVs have Netflix and Amazon apps so that with a Web connection you can watch 4k programs without any extra box.

GladAllOver - ah yes, that's true.

Go on youtube (through your tv) and watch something in 4k, just type in 4k on the search. It will blow you away.

If you watch non hd channels, they will look worse on your larger screen as the dpi is still the same but has to cover a bigger area.

I think I might be the only person in the world who can't tell the difference between Standard Definition and HD, and I can't see 3D at all, even in the cinema it's 2k for me.

My TV is only about 12 months old as well. I just can't see the difference....

I think it is a swizz as there isn't enough content in 4k to justify the overinflated price of this new technology.

BBC have trialled UHD with dynasties and planet earth. I don't know of any other channels?

In order to stream netflix in 4k, you need a 4k set top box. No normal channels are in 4k. You need a netflix UHD account, and not all programmes are in 4k. A handful at most.

*In order to watch a blu ray in 4k, the films are £20 - £40 per film PLUS you need the 4k blu ray player.

Plus your internet needs to cope with the streaming in 4k.

There are lots of additional costs. And not worth it for the small amount of 4k available.*

Most of this is factually incorrect. I had HD Netflix , Netflix recognised I know had 4k and gave me and instant up-grade for an extra pound or so a month.
More and more 4k content is being released.
The reason for 4k isso that TVs can be larger without looking pixelated.
49/50 inch is considered the smallest a 4k TV should be to be worthwhile.

4K TVs are a bit of an illusion,a bit like superfast broadband.

3D needs to be broadcast in 3D and you need to wear the special 3D glasses to see the 3D effect. There are not many 3D films/content available. The technology is still developing

Most of this is factually incorrect. I had HD Netflix , Netflix recognised I know had 4k and gave me and instant up-grade for an extra pound or so a month. More and more 4k content is being released.

Nothing I've said is incorrect. You need to buy extras in order to get the 4k experience. OP will need Netflix (as you've just said). She will also need a juicy internet to cope with the streaming. I already said more and more content will come, but if she's just watching TV, 4k isn't going to look any better. Blu ray 4k films ARE £20-£40 and the players are also very expensive. OP wanted to know why her TV didn't look great, and the answer is you need extras and you need to run 4k through it. That's all.

At least you have enough broadband width to know you don't like it! We can't use any of the smart tv facilities because of the awful Norfolk broadband.

we love all our 4k tvs

downstairs is a 80 inch
3 bedrooms have 65

all got fire sticks with amazon,netflix all the demands,wwe,disney kodi

and all have a now tv stick each with the full package

and yes this was a boastful post

Thanks everyone for the responses and suggestions. Life took over and I wasn't able to catch up with this thread before.

I did say before that I know it's a trivial matter compared to other things.

I think all or most of the new TVs from the major brands from budget to high end are 4K smart ones.

As my last TV was nearly 10 years old I wanted the new one to be as future proof as I could afford. Definitely didnt spend anywhere near £1k or above. Those expensive OLED screens did look gorgeous though.

I made the mistake of ripping the plastic wrapper/bag the TV was in plus there are always lots of protective film and strips that are impossible to put back on neatly. I swear the manufactuers do this to help retailers avoid having to accept returned goods.

So I will now have to keep the TV. I will, as some have suggested look at websites mentioned to see if calibrating the settings help.

I think the lesson I have learned is not to get what I think I should want but to go for what I actually want. Hope that makes sense! .

Thanks again.

Yes, that makes perfect sense.

That pretty much how a lot of modern marketing works really though, making us think we need these fantastic sounding gadgets when in actual fact we might not need, for our particular purposes, something so high tech or futuristic.

I have this with my mobile. I have a really good, read cheap, deal with sky, which suits me down to the ground because I don't use much data and keep within my, by most people's standards, very low monthly allowance; it definitely wouldn't suit most people but for me it works perfectly.

Will definitely be doing my homework when my current tv dies.

We have a new smart TV. I hate it. It takes longer to switch on and find something to watch than the old ‘steam’ TVs that had to heat up.

Turn on TV. TV immediately starts shouting as DH has left it at improbable volume. select app. Press wrong button. Go back to start. Repeat. Repeat again. Finally get into app to see an overwhelming choice of stuff to watch. Panic. Turn off tv and go and do something else.

No one talks about what they saw on tv last night any more, or waits to see what happens in next week’s thrilling episode. I would be quite happy if our TV was nicked!

The formula is designed to sell massive TVs, can't recall the details though.

The size formula will be making assumptions about what resolution you watch. The best sites will tell you what you need for each of SD, HD or UHD. Sounds like OP has sized for HD but is watching SD. She needs to change what she watches.

My £1500 LG Oled looked crap on sport until I turned off all image processing options. Movie/cinema is usually the best default option for picture settings.

Zombie thread!

Banjax I was just about to say the same thing, I also thought 4k was the cost of the TV, technophobe that I am. I miss the good old days when you just used to smack the top of the TV if the picture was a bit fuzzy!