- Joined
- Nov 9, 2010
- Messages
- 5,654 (1.15/day)
| System Name | Space Station |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel 13700K |
| Motherboard | ASRock Z790 PG Riptide |
| Cooling | Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420 |
| Memory | Corsair Vengeance 6400 2x16GB @ CL34 |
| Video Card(s) | PNY RTX 4080 |
| Storage | SSDs - Nextorage 4TB, Samsung EVO 970 500GB, Plextor M5Pro 128GB, HDDs - WD Black 6TB, 2x 1TB |
| Display(s) | LG C3 OLED 42" |
| Case | Corsair 7000D Airflow |
| Audio Device(s) | Yamaha RX-V371 |
| Power Supply | SeaSonic Vertex 1200w Gold |
| Mouse | Razer Basilisk V3 |
| Keyboard | Bloody B840-LK |
| Software | Windows 11 Pro 23H2 |
I don't know about UK HD broadcasts over cable, but I've seen HD broadcasts over cable here in the NW part of the US, and even on the worst cable service in the area, it definitely looks as HD as over the air HD does. That said, basic cable is atrocious. There's far too many 480i channels, and I don't consider them HD, even though they call them that.
The thing with 4K in general is though, it is not being launched in preparation for TV broadcast support like regular 1080p HD was. So currently you only get the benefit of 4k via 300 or so 4K Blu ray movie titles, some 4k streaming content on Netflix, 4k YouTube videos, some other sites that offer 4k videos and streams, and of course video games.
There are many new movies being offered in 4k now though, and the starting price for them has dropped to around $25. Plus many of them have HDR as well, so HDR is as big a feature in new TVs as 4k, maybe even bigger. Also, HDR is only available on 4K TVs, making it one of the biggest selling points of 4k sets.
I'd go as far as to say I feel one of the main reasons VA type panel TVs are making a big comeback is they have much higher contrast ratio than IPS, so they support HDR better. Sales on 4K movies so far are also better than expected, and I have a feeling a lot of that has to do with HDR.
Also, the main benefit of 4k is for larger screens obviously. The difference is most noticeable on 50" and up TVs. That said, regarding 4K Blu ray players and movie discs, there is no doubt going to be a different format war this time around. While Blu ray clearly won over HD-DVD last time around, streaming is big enough now to eventually knock off the hard disc market, much like Steam knocked off retail disc games.
So, in summary, 4K is most appealing to people with larger screen TVs, those interested in HDR content, and those interested in 4k gaming, which obviously takes hefty GPU power. I'd say those interested in Blu ray movie discs as well, but it's hard to say how long those will survive. Once everyone gets 25-50 MB or better ISP speed, discs will quickly become obsolete.
Even our crap cable company in my area is now offering a 12 month promo on 100 MB speed internet for $30 a month. And even if that speed drops to 50 MB at peak usage hours, that's still plenty enough to stream 4K content. My biggest gripe about it though is unless you pay $10 a month more for 800 GB data usage, or $20 a month more for unlimited, you only get 400 GB worth of data, which is roughly 6 4K movies worth. And that also means the regular non promo price jumps up to $90 a month for unlimited, and that's if you buy vs rent your modem/router.
This all paints a scenario of 4K adopters needing to have deep pockets, or spend their last dime on their home entertainment. At least on the west coast anyway. The east coast seems to have much better ISP prices. My guess is it's due to a denser population, which means more customers per field equipment used.
The thing with 4K in general is though, it is not being launched in preparation for TV broadcast support like regular 1080p HD was. So currently you only get the benefit of 4k via 300 or so 4K Blu ray movie titles, some 4k streaming content on Netflix, 4k YouTube videos, some other sites that offer 4k videos and streams, and of course video games.
There are many new movies being offered in 4k now though, and the starting price for them has dropped to around $25. Plus many of them have HDR as well, so HDR is as big a feature in new TVs as 4k, maybe even bigger. Also, HDR is only available on 4K TVs, making it one of the biggest selling points of 4k sets.
I'd go as far as to say I feel one of the main reasons VA type panel TVs are making a big comeback is they have much higher contrast ratio than IPS, so they support HDR better. Sales on 4K movies so far are also better than expected, and I have a feeling a lot of that has to do with HDR.
Also, the main benefit of 4k is for larger screens obviously. The difference is most noticeable on 50" and up TVs. That said, regarding 4K Blu ray players and movie discs, there is no doubt going to be a different format war this time around. While Blu ray clearly won over HD-DVD last time around, streaming is big enough now to eventually knock off the hard disc market, much like Steam knocked off retail disc games.
So, in summary, 4K is most appealing to people with larger screen TVs, those interested in HDR content, and those interested in 4k gaming, which obviously takes hefty GPU power. I'd say those interested in Blu ray movie discs as well, but it's hard to say how long those will survive. Once everyone gets 25-50 MB or better ISP speed, discs will quickly become obsolete.
Even our crap cable company in my area is now offering a 12 month promo on 100 MB speed internet for $30 a month. And even if that speed drops to 50 MB at peak usage hours, that's still plenty enough to stream 4K content. My biggest gripe about it though is unless you pay $10 a month more for 800 GB data usage, or $20 a month more for unlimited, you only get 400 GB worth of data, which is roughly 6 4K movies worth. And that also means the regular non promo price jumps up to $90 a month for unlimited, and that's if you buy vs rent your modem/router.
This all paints a scenario of 4K adopters needing to have deep pockets, or spend their last dime on their home entertainment. At least on the west coast anyway. The east coast seems to have much better ISP prices. My guess is it's due to a denser population, which means more customers per field equipment used.
Last edited by a moderator:
