4k TV's and PC's.

[OzZie]

Hi,

About a fortnight ago my 37" LG 37LH3000 TV died. Had it about 5 years. Was always used via HDMI for my PC, and the occasional TV. Never had HD-TV on it, only 1080p PC. Basically, used it as a large secondary monitor to watch films and TV programmes on. Don't have a games console, but did enjoy playing Fifa/Pro Evo on it via the PC with friends. It was heavily used as a secondary monitor on a daily basis. I don't have blue-ray either, but I am looking at a PS4 around Easter. 3D doesn't interest me either.

Now my lack of knowledge relates to 4k TV's, and whether or not they are worth getting at this stage in their life-span. I've heard there is a lot of debate as to whether or not they are worth getting in any less sizes less than 50-55". Realistically, 50" would be the biggest the room would accommodate, but i've been looking at between 40-49", and anywhere between £500 and £850.

Would I see much benefit with the extra resolution when used with a PC? Would my AMD 6970 be able to cope with one 24" Samsung PC monitor, as well as 4k TV? Would mini-display work for the TV?

What would I be sacrificing by going 4k? Higher input lag? Not as much value as regular HD TVs in the current market/sales?

Taking all of this into consideration, is it really worth spending £650+ on a 4k TV if all i use it for is a secondary screen, with maybe 1-2 hours a week of TV? My only real issue is with input lag, as i'm quite sensitive to this after years and years of PC gaming.

Thanks in advance fellas.
Nathan.

 

[slick rick]

Hi Nathan.

If you wish to game at 4k you need some serious GPU grunt to get it to be playable, multi GPU setup of the latest gen cards really. Vram is very important too with these very high resolutions as modern titles will gobble the available video ram.

If you want 60hz at 4k you would require SLI GTX 970's or 980's as these cards are equipped with HDMI 2.0 which offers 60hz and the full colour gamut. Displayport will also offer this but only Panasonic offer DP input in there high end sets and the TV will set you back ~£1300 for a 50" model.

They do suffer input lag but most sets offer a gaming mode which reduces this.

I hope this helps!

 

[OzZie]

Most helpful Rick.

After a bit more research, i think going 4k really isn't the best option in terms of value at the moment. Sure, they're some nice looking 4k TV's in my sort of price range (although towards the upper end), but considering i'm not using it for Blue-Ray or HD-TV, i think the benefits are going to be somewhat lost. Many folks really emphasising the fact there is little in the way of true 4k content as well. It sort of felt logical to look at the next generation of technology, but I'm thinking that you very much still get what you pay for with these newer TV's.

From a PC standpoint, i've never had multi-GPU's and would never be able to afford going that route, so gaming on a TV via the PC wouldn't be plausible. I though the 4k resolution might look pretty spectacular for desktop/windows use, but I think thats about all it would offer me over a normal 1080p screen.

Now looking at spending less on a regular 1080p screen. They all still have much better specs than my LG, and hopefully I would be able to natively play a few games from my PC on it, as well as a PS4 (if i decide to get one!) I'll get all the on-demand stuff, freesat HD etc which i've not had before. Looking at a few Bravia's, or Panasonics. Samsungs seem to have mixed reviews!

 

[slick rick]

In my personal opinion the only real use for 4k right now is a PC capable of driving it and that is a fairy expensive endeavour. There is Netflix but the content they offer as of now is very limited indeed (Breaking Bad and House of Cards).

This situation will change by the end of 2015 begging of 2016 with the introduction of 4k capable Blu-ray players and Blu-rays but again these will be pricey on first release and movies will just slowly trickle through.

I think if you pick up a decent full HD TV with all the bells and whistles you will get a lot for your money now and still have a great TV that you can enjoy until 4k becomes more mainstream with 4k broadcasts and Blu rays in a few years.