Buying a new TV. 1080P or 4k?

[WhiteNoise]

First let me explain. I use a Samsung 40" 1080p TV as a monitor. I love it. No complaints.

I am putting this TV on my racing cockpit (where it used to be anyway) and buying a new 43" TV for my desk.

I'm torn between spending $700 for a Sony 4K set Vs just spending $400 on a good Samsung or Vizio 1080p set.

The TV will be used to watch HD TV from my sat box, HD movies, blu ray movies, ps4 gaming, PC gaming etc...

I sit fairly close to the TV right now...maybe 1-2.5 feet back or so depending on my seat being reclined or up-right.

I think 4K would look better close up BUT since my sources will be outputting 1080p and being up-converted to 4k I wonder if it really makes that much of a difference?

What if I decide to play a game on the PC at 1920x1080? Will outputting 1080p to the 4k set look worse than if I just used a good 1080p set? (as in running the 4k TV at 1920x1080 from the PC)

That is my biggest worry, I don't want my 1080p content to look not as sharp or vivid as it currently looks because it is being up-converted to 4k.


What is your opinion?

 

[theonedub]

I was in a similar situation a couple months ago. Went with a 50" 1080P Vizio (E50-C1) for $350. I think 4K is still too new and lacking content enough to take the plunge. Figure in ~2-3 years we'll get there and I'll buy a 4K set and hand this one down to a family member.

 

[AsRock]

I use a 1080P screen and thought about 4k but decided against it for a few reasons, adaptive sync (freesync ) being one of them the other being while playing games at just 3200x1800 some games are just annoying to play at just that res never mind 4k.

Shit gets so small your straining your eyes to see some things some time's, last game i had this issue was Silent Hunter 5 just makes it a pain. Some games allow the sampling rate to be turned up which is great on power usages were running 3200x1800 you get barely any jaggy's but run the graphics card 50w+ extra were you can just super sample ( with some games ) and get near or as good as picture.

So for me i will most likely go 1080P again if i ever bother.

 

[Ferrum Master]

4k TV is crap, no content, buggy, poor tech, slow, dead pixels etc... And nothing yet single gpu wise to drive it.

Get a mature and cheap 1080p and the saved up money for a solid speaker system.

 

[WhiteNoise]

Thanks guys. This is what I needed to hear. I was so close to buying the 4k for the main reason that I sit so damn close to the screen. I figured it would be a nice improvement. My head is literally 2 feet away if not closer.

But if I buy a upper level 1080p set I might get an improvement anyways. And at the same time I wouldn't have to worry about my GTX980 not being enough to push games properly.

@Ferrum Master I am the audio guy. I have audio equipment coming out of my butt. At my PC alone I have several amps, dacs, and equipment. Speakers are two Hsu Research HB1-mkii's and a Velodyne CT-150 (15") sub. Not to mention several headphones including my beloved Audeze LCD2's.

 

[MustSeeMelons]

Just had to make the same choice, decided to go 1080p for the reasons that Ferrum Master mentioned. Not enough content & my PC would be in trouble in that resolution.

 

[PLAfiller]

After 2 years on a laptop with 1366x768....I'd kill for a higher resolution. I'd say get the 4K, after you check out some reviews for the particular model you have chosen.

 

[CJCerny]

If you need the extra desktop real estate for your PC that a 4k TV would get for you, go for it. Otherwise, I would just stick with a 1080p display.

 

[Ferrum Master]

Well I have to admit... I will never use a monitor smaller than 32inches too at home... I am spoiled... it so much better to work with it. Well it is 2560x1440 and it is already hard to drive in games. At that size it is okayish as it is not way too dense pixel wise and the scaling is as it was. That's my own taste tough.... (albeit my monitor itself is crap, I do not recommend it). Even at my resolution you get irritated watching youtube so often, those damn videos are only 720p... what 4K people...? It is way too fast still... it is just a marketing hype to dispose the stillborn tech.

Well those matters as movies, football(the real European one ) and hockey I use my projector... 1080p... it is really enough... even on 135 inches on the wall...

@Ferrum Master I am the audio guy. I have audio equipment coming out of my butt.

Ahh... I see... from where the nickname White Noise actually comes out

 

[WhiteNoise]

I've settled on either one 40" Sony 1080p LED LCD or three 27" panels for my cockpit. To be honest I'm not sure I want the hassle of dealing with and pushing three monitors in game and I'm so used to using a 40" screen for gaming I know I'd hate going to 27".

So I might pull the trigger today once I make up my mind. I really wanted to get a larger screen, (43" to 48") but tbh my current 40" Samsung is plenty big enough when i sit two feet from the screen. I don't want to be twisting my head around to see everything lol.

 

[WhiteNoise]

Picked up my TV today from my local store. Ended up with this after looking at features and picture quality and reviews:

Sony Bravia 48" LED LCD (KDL48W600B)