The next big trend in TVs is 4K -- screens with four times the
pixels of today?s 1080p TVs. And whether you?re convinced this
is the next big thing or the next big fad, manufacturers are
hedging their bets and coming out with a wave of 4K TVs for
Fall.
Personally, I don?t know enough about the technology or the
players here to know which of these next-gen TVs to get excited
about, so I asked CNET?s Senior Editor David Katzmaier to reel
off five of the 4K TVs coming out this Fall that he?s looking
forward to the most.
Starting off at #5, the Seiki SE65UY04, a 65-inch 4K TV from
one of China?s No.1 domestic TV brand. The price? $2,999,
undercutting Sony?s 65-inch 4k TV by two grand.
Is it a great TV? We have our doubts, but we haven?t seen it yet.
It?s also not the cheapest 4K TV out there. The same company
makes a 39-inch 4K TV for $699, but to really see the effect of
4K, the larger screen size is critical. So a 65 incher at 3 grand is
a sweet spot we?d like to see the other guys try to match.
At #4: the Panasonic TC-L65WT600. On CNET?s current list of
the best TVs on the market, the first four are made by
Panasonic. They also happen to be plasmas, which this TV is
not.
This guy is a 65-inch LED LCD 4K TV with a price tag of $5,999.
The claim to fame here is that the TV will come with HDMI 2.0
connections out of the box. The other sets sold so far have
promised to be upgradeable to HDMI 2.0, but details are still
scarce. If you want tomorrow?s 4K resolution along with
tomorrow?s HDMI standard, the Panasonic looks like the way to
go.
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That said, for the same amount, you could go with #3: the Sharp
LC-701DU. Like I said before, to really appreciate the benefits of
4K you need a big screen -- and that?s what Sharp delivers. This
is the first 70-inch 4K TV on the market, and also the first to get
the new THX 4K display certification.
But if you?re tempted to go even bigger, well Sony does have an
84-inch 4K TV on the market? for $17,000. Yeah, I think 70
inches is fine too.
#2 is one of the least-expensive 4K TV from a major maker, the
Sony X850A. The 55-inch 4K TV version is priced at $3,500,
here?s a TV you might actually buy. On paper, it looks a lot like
the Sony W900 series, which we already love, only upgraded to
4K.
But one of the best reasons to throw your 4K money at Sony is
content. Sony is the only company out there with a 4K video
player that can access numerous 4K films you might actually
want to watch, today. And the player only works with Sony
products. No company is working harder at getting this
technology off the ground.
That being said, there are good reasons to just say no to 4K.
Aside from the lack of content, and the hefty price, most people
just aren?t going to see the difference until you get to that 70-80-
inch screen size, which are totally impractical for most people.
You want to be blown away by a new TV technology, check out
the new OLED TVs. These things are gorgeous. But because
they?re difficult to make and it?s harder to sell people on screen
contrast compared to the allure of quadruple pixels, the 4K hype
is going to drown out one of the best advancements in the
industry.
But before you get too bummed out, there is one last 4K
contender that I think we should all rally around. At #1: the Sony
VPL-VW600ES -- a 4K projector.
Instead of knocking down a wall in your living room to fit a 100-
inch 4K TV, this makes a lot more sense. Not cheap at $15,000,
but still cheaper than Sony?s 84-inch 4K TV and you?ll get a lot
more screen size for your dollar. HDMI 2.0 out of the box, which
means faster frame rates that can keep up with a Sony?s real
flagship product this Fall, the Playstation 4.
Pair these two up with a nice screen, some Call of Duty, an IV
drip and a bulk pack of adult diapers, and I?ll see you in 2014. If
I?m not eaten by my cats.
CLOSE
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So there you go, five of the most anticipated 4K TVs we?re
looking forward to playing with this Fall. Visit CNET.com for
David Katzmaiers full list, as well as Geoffrey Morrison?s bracing
tale of why 4K is mostly stupid.
Until next time, I?m Donald Bell, and you can find more me over
on Top5.CNET.com.
