4K for non-streamers

[fmw]

I had to replace my TV which was acting up with a new one. The new TV is 4K of course as they all are. In order to watch 4K I would need to get a new receiver and a new DirecTV box. The reason it is hard for me to decide whether or not to do that is that we live in the country, have metered internet so I I cannot stream. I think the 4K opportunities are limited without streaming. In my situation would you go through the trouble and expense of converting the system to 4K or just content myself with HD. Thanks for any thoughts on the matter.

 

[}Fear_Inoculum{]

Do you have/collect any 4K physical media? I recently started to collect again after years of only streaming. I wasn't sure it was worth the upgrade, but after watching a few movies on my new UHD player, it was definitely worth it just for the picture/sound quality alone.

I started by writing a list of movies I'd like to own, and would actually watch more than 1 time. Once that list hit over 100, I figured it was worth it (I've bought 10 UHD disc's now, and have another ~150 on my list).

Streaming is great for convenience, but doesn't do the sound/picture any real justice. There are tons of movies/media available in 4K now.

At the end of the day, only you can decide for yourself whether or not the cost of upgrading justifies the amount of usage you'll get out of doing so. I've gone down the rabbit hole myself, but I'm still not 100% convinced I'll get my "moneys worth". Only time will tell.

 

[j_garcia]

Tough one. The TV can scale to 4k but it won't be quite the same as native 4k. You would need a 4K player and receiver that supports it or a player that has 2 HDMI outs, one for audio and one to the TV to avoid upgrading the receiver but the receiver would need to support the audio formats as well.

 

[fmw]

Tough one. The TV can scale to 4k but it won't be quite the same as native 4k. You would need a 4K player and receiver that supports it or a player that has 2 HDMI outs, one for audio and one to the TV to avoid upgrading the receiver but the receiver would need to support the audio formats as well.

I wouldln't get excited about upscaling. It doesn't increase resolution. It just adds pixels here and there. I think the picture is comparable to the old HD TV. Nothing exotic but competent HD.

 

[j_garcia]

I wouldln't get excited about upscaling. It doesn't increase resolution. It just adds pixels here and there. I think the picture is comparable to the old HD TV. Nothing exotic but competent HD.

Onboard upscalers are not good in most TVs. Those in 4K players are pretty good usually though. Older BDs look good on my Oppo 205.

 

[lovinthehd]

Since your streaming is limited seems to me it might be worthwhile getting a 4k disc player....if you really want 4k content. If you're done collecting discs, then I'd just not worry about it much. My situation is a bit different, I have a 4k player but no 4k tv (yet), but that wasn't why I got the player, it just came with that capability....I don't see a lot of 4k films I want to purchase either (especially a slight upgrade from regular bluray) nor do I trust our internet provider with being able to reliably provide 4k streaming (it can barely keep up with 1080p) so no hurry to get a 4k tv in any case.

 

[fmw]

Since your streaming is limited seems to me it might be worthwhile getting a 4k disc player....if you really want 4k content. If you're done collecting discs, then I'd just not worry about it much. My situation is a bit different, I have a 4k player but no 4k tv (yet), but that wasn't why I got the player, it just came with that capability....I don't see a lot of 4k films I want to purchase either (especially a slight upgrade from regular bluray) nor do I trust our internet provider with being able to reliably provide 4k streaming (it can barely keep up with 1080p) so no hurry to get a 4k tv in any case.

My streaming is non existent. I think I agree with you. The TV handles HD just fine and it looks great. If I could rent 4K discs I would consider a player but DVD.com has only HD discs. I don't buy discs. Thanks for the comment. I think I will view the new TV as a replacement and continue on.

 

[j_garcia]

I bought my 4K player and started buying 4K discs ahead of upgrading my TV too. It was maybe 6 months.

 

[lovinthehd]

My streaming is non existent. I think I agree with you. The TV handles HD just fine and it looks great. If I could rent 4K discs I would consider a player but DVD.com has only HD discs. I don't buy discs. Thanks for the comment. I think I will view the new TV as a replacement and continue on.

I still get some blurays from dvd.netflix.com, but they are definitely down in numbers and many new releases are just dvd now....

 

[fmw]

I still get some blurays from dvd.netflix.com, but they are definitely down in numbers and many new releases are just dvd now....

It is a substitute for streaming which is unavailable to me.

 

[lovinthehd]

It is a substitute for streaming which is unavailable to me.

Why is that?

 

[fmw]

Why is that?

I live in the country. The only available internet service is satellite. It is metered so video exhausts the available bandwidth quickly. Also it is slow enough that streaming slows to a crawl making it worthless. I do enjoy watching the deer feeding in the hay field with my morning coffee but fast unlimited internet isn't one of the benefits of living where I do. I don't have acceptable cell phone service here either. No natural gas either but virtutally no crime or noise. We rural folk need to give up some of the benefits of city life. We do it gladly.

 

[lovinthehd]

I live in the country. The only available internet service is satellite. It is metered so video exhausts the available bandwidth quickly. Also it is slow enough that streaming slows to a crawl making it worthless. I do enjoy watching the deer feeding in the hay field with my morning coffee but fast unlimited internet isn't one of the benefits of living where I do. I don't have acceptable cell phone service here either. No natural gas either but virtutally no crime or noise. We rural folk need to give up some of the benefits of city life. We do it gladly.

You said it was a substitute unavailable to you when I asked about disc rental.....you already mentioned you have difficulty streaming (I used to have dsl, I live in the boonies, too...but now we have decent cable service)

 

[fmw]

You said it was a substitute unavailable to you when I asked about disc rental.....you already mentioned you have difficulty streaming (I used to have dsl, I live in the boonies, too...but now we have decent cable service)

I rent DVD and BD discs. They are a substitute for streaming. That is what I said. I assume you live in a more populous boonie than I do.