4k TV - to curve or not to curve

I have been checking out the latest TVs post the past couple of months. I planning on upgrading to a larger screen size, 70+.

I have narrowed my choice between two Samsung tv's.
Curved 79un9000
Flat 75un8550

The 9000 has the better features and little better picture, but I'm not sold on the curve screen.

Anybody own a curved t.v. that could provide any input, unexpected pros or cons..

 

I would like to know too. These curved tvs are pretty cool tech..but is there really any advantage?

 

Just to let you know. 4K tv sounds cool. But we still broadcast most shows at 720P. Some at 1080. 2K and 4K are quite some time away. We don't even use 4K in theaters. We use 2K. Now with Red camera's shoot 5 & 6K. The only advantage will be you'll have a TV that can handle 2K and 4K playback. It will be years before we are broadcasting anything like that.
In our editing suites. We mostly run Panasonic professional series TV's. These tv's have a more cinematic look. Where some of the LCD's just look too crisp and give no dimension to the shot. They are not all that different from normal ones, they just have more input options.
If you watch a lot of sporting events, more than movies. Go with Samsung. They are very clear and crisp tv's.

 

If you go curved, you will get bowing around the edges if you don't sit right in front of the TV. When the TV is off though, they look mighty impressive.

 

Personally, I think a curved TV for the home is a gimmick...

Only time a curved screen works is for a theater setting, where the screen is massive (whole wall) and everyone looks straight at it.

 

that is kind of my feeling.. But samsung put their best features in the curved 9000 over the 8550,so that is the reason im considering it..

I do know that the 4K content is limited now. But I do want to go for a larger screen and i might as well get a 4K being that is the case, even thought material is limited to what samsung provides plus what netflixs will do, which isn't a lot..

I did like the new sonys in the 55/65 versions, but the larger ones don't work for me.

i own a 3 year old samsung now, which i have been happy with

 

I have a Samsung curved 65"HU8500 in the UK which I think you call the 9000. I too wanted their top spec TV and liked the quad multi-screen and the one-connect box was only available for this model which was a prime reason for doing it. the one-connect effectively means on cable out of the back of the TV an its 3m so all the boxes sat and blu-ray can be hidden away. I have effectively de-cluttered my lounge and got rid of the TV furniture and the whole room looks a lot bigger.

We too do not have broadcast 4k although Samsung provided an external hard drive with a few old movies in 4k. netflix here is starting to add more 4k content. The 4k or UHD as Samsung call it is actually most impressive in upscaling from blu ray or HD TV. the result is amazing and there is genuinely little difference between the upscaled to UHD and the 4k films. This is way more impressive that my old 60" Sony which was HD.

And so to the curve, I'm not sure I agree it is 'more immersive' (if thats a word) as Samsung claim, however, the reflections on the screen are less and the viewing angle is also very impressive (this was a concern raised by early reviewers but actually side on you do see more of the screen. Where the curve really does score is the design factor, the curve looks beautiful and visitors to the house are wowed by the curve (when the TV is off)

here the price for screen size is the jumps with a £500 on top to switch to the curve but it does have the high spec and the one-connect box.

 

I bought a Sony curved screen a couple of months ago and am very happy with it. Viewing from all angles looks great. 3D is really impressive and jumps off the screen.

That said, I bought it for football, so we'll see how it performs later this evening.

 

Even though 4K is not broadcast, at least LG TVs (if not the rest) are pretty good at upconverting them with their algorithm. Plus, with LG's passive 3D, you can finally watch their 3D in 1080 rather than cutting your lines in half to show both images at the same time for 3D. That's the main draw for that imo (I don't like active 3D).

 

I ended up going non curve, un75hu8550, and I'm loving it. Football is fantastic on it.

 

The whole point of flat screen tv is to save space. A curved tv does away with that again. It's a stupid marketing gimmick.

 

Samsung has a bendable 4K TV that will become available sometime next year.
Here is a video of one being demoed at CES 2014 >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWEDtFjjJEY

 

Wow. That's cool, even if it's gimmicky.

 

I have been researching this too. I've read reviews from trusted sources and from what I have gathered, the curved TV is a failed design. Besides being ugly on the wall, why would you want to seriously inhibit your view?

 

Curved for projection makes sense since you gain lumens. Otherwise is simply a design you are paying for. Unless you just pops with the decor, I have a hard time seeing the reason to even consider one

 

A data point:

The radius of the curve is 4.2m or 13.8 feet.

That's the distance you should be from the TV.

Matt

 

I've been eyeing a couple of them and am having a difficult time justifying a curved TV for the living room. As Smiles mentioned, you have to sit a given distance directly in front of the TV to get the best results from it, anything else and you're going to end up with distortion and or not the desired effect.

It seems like an awesome technology, just one that may not really be around in the next few years I feel.

 

What do you mean "distortion"?

The curved TVs that my wife and I have seen in person have not had any noticeable defects from any distance or viewing angle. In fact, when comparing flat/curved side by side, we would have to say that the picture is better on a curved screen from a wider range of viewing angles.

The curves also significantly reduced the glare coming off the screens.


We aren't "really" in the market for a TV right now, but we certainly will be considering a curved screen once we are ready to pull the trigger.

 

Just got a flat panel 65" Sony 4k and it is awesome. The curved didn't justify the extra cost for me.

 

How did you justify getting any 4k content in the near future?

Matt

 

1. the tv upscales all picture as best it can to 4k
2. Sony has over 30 movie titles in 4k
3. Netflix is broadcasting in 4k
4. see this thread and how I was able to get the TV anyway:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/technology/464113-best-buy-warranty-new-4k-tv.html

 

I work in the Home Theater Department at a major retailer so I get to play with all the new stuff. IMO the best picture is hands down the LG OLED which is still a 1080 and only available in 55'' curve. We understand an OLED 4K/UHD 65" is on the way. --Price reflects the technology. Again I look at them every day and I purchased a UHD 65” curved Samsung. I did not opt for the 3D capable model. The TV has no distortion, It up-scales the DTV/HD signal with spectacular clarity and a standard blue ray disk looks so much better then it looked on my plasma. 4K content is becoming more available thru providers like Netflix. And the best thing is my wife loves the picture.

 

Yeah, I think the LG 65" 4K curved OLED is the EC9700. LG 65EC9700: 65" Class (64.5" Diagonal) UHD 4K Smart 3D Curved OLED TV w/ webOS? | LG USA

I've been waiting for 5+ years for an OLED TV that can display passive 3D images at 1080 quality. It takes 4K displays to show 1080 passively as half the pixels show one image while the other half shows the same image slightly differently (right now my 47" 1080 LG 3D TV cuts the image quality enough to notice a drop when in 3D mode).

Too bad it's like $12k! LOL. Given how the tech sector sees exponential drop in prices with time, it should be more reasonable to buy in a few years. Til then, the 47" has to do...it's only a year old anyway.

 

My buddy just got a new 4K tv. Not sure what brand but it looks pretty amazing. I've perused the curved screens when walking through Costco. I don't really get the point either. My old Saumsung plasma is still holding up well. I'd be willing to bet the 4K's will start dropping by Christmas.

 

They already have started to drop. I picked up a 55" 4k TV for my bedroom (Samsung UN55HU8700). After having it for a month, the curved offers no benefit. It does look neat from an aesthetics stand point however.