4K TVs: 4 Reasons It's Time to Get One and 4 Reasons It's Not

Walk in to any electronics store. The 4K TVs are here. And unlike 3D TVs, this technology is not going to burn out. Eventually, all moderately sized and large TVs will be HD.

But should you get one now?

Let’s look into this. These new televisions offer four times the resolution of a Full HD 1080p TV. That is, instead of a television screen that has roughly 2 million pixels — the little dots that make up the image — these new TVs boast more than 8 million pixels.

And they all show great video.

See David Pogue’s story, 4K TVs Tested: Here’s What to Buy Now.

Photo: Sony

In plain English, ultra-HDTVs — such as this stunning 65-inch Sony Bravia model — display an image so detailed that it’s like peering out of a giant window. Because the picture is so lifelike, there’s also a greater sense of depth — as close to 3D as you can get without wearing those stupid glasses.

But if you’re on the fence, or just planning for future purposes, here are a few different ways to think about your next TV purchase. Agree or disagree? Post your opinion in the comments section.                                                     

Four reasons to buy 4K

They’re gorgeous: Unless you’ve seen them with your own eyes, up close and personal, you can’t appreciate how great-looking these televisions are. Truly, the added resolution (3840 × 2160 pixels) makes a difference you can really see. Look at the faces of people in front of a 4K TV, perhaps at a store, and you’ll see that they’re just mesmerized. While the jump from HD to 4K might not be as dramatic as SD (standard definition) to HD, it’s there, and you can’t miss it. In fact, this added detail means you can see things you might’ve missed with a high-def picture (who knew Brad Pitt had hair there?). Ultra-HDTVs are typically larger, but the idea is that you can get closer to them before you start to see the individual pixel elements. So they’re more immersive.

Price are dropping: Compared to just a couple of year ago when they first debuted, 4K Ultra HDTVs aren’t ridiculously expensive — unless you’re talking a curved 4K TV or one with anOLED panel. It took HDTVs longer to drop down to a mainstream price than it has taken Ultra HD, which is great for the consumer. Competition has driven the price down to below $1,000 on some models; some are as cheap as $499, like a 40-inch model from Seiki. Many of these are lesser-known brands, but even Samsung has some lower pricing for its slightly older 4K models. 

Photo: Samsung

More content than before: As in the early days of HD, 4K content is scarce, but it’s growing. Since there isn’t a 4K disc format (or yet, anyway), most of the content comes from on-demand services, such as some Netflix, YouTube, and Sony Video Unlimited programming. Some manufacturers are giving away hard drives with TVs, packed with 4K movies. Plus, many smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z3, can shoot 4K video, so you can already start your home movies with this added resolution. The 2014 FIFA World Cup was broadcast in 4K for the Japanese market, so perhaps that’s a sign of what’s to come in North America (next year’s Super Bowl, perhaps?).

They upconvert: While 4K TV owners are waiting for more content to justify their purchase, at least all of these fancy new televisions can “upconvert” regular HD to near ultra-high-definition quality. No, despite what the TV makers tell you, it’s not truly 4K quality: 4K ultra-HD televisions can artificially add more pixels to the scene, in real time, for the appearance of added detail. Nothing beats content captured with a 4K camera, of course, but upconversion at least can get you part of the way there.

Four reasons not to buy 4K

Not enough content: While it’s true that there’s more 4K content available now — than, say, even a year ago — there’s still very, very little. Heck, American broadcasters aren’t even pushing 1080p HD, let alone 4K (most stations deliver 720p). So why buy a TV that’s so ahead of the curve? What do you plan to watch on this thing, anyway? The lack of content is the biggest hurdle that 4K ultra-HDTV manufacturers face. Remember the push to buy a 3D TV a couple of years ago, when there were only a handful of movies in 3D? The same fate could befall 4K TV.

Photo: LG

Hard to see the difference on a small TV: As awesome as 4K TVs look, here’s something you might not know: The smaller the television, the harder it is to appreciate the bump up in resolution. Some 4K TVs are 40 or 42 inches, and when they’re viewed side by side with a 1080p HD source, such as a Blu-ray disc drive or a new video game console, it’s not that easy to tell the difference between the two. To fully soak up what 4K ultra-HD has to offer, you need to go big — but your budget might tell you otherwise. On a related note, here’s the most expensive 4K ultra-HDTV we could find: the 85-inch Black Ultra HD 4K LED 3D TV from Sony (model # XBR-85X950B) is more than $20,000.

Prices will continue to drop: The price of admission to 4K has dropped considerably over the past two years, but 4K still comes at a premium. For example, Samsung’s top-of-the-line noncurved ultra-HDTV (model # HU8550) costs $3,000 for the 65-inch model, while its flagship 1080p LED TV (H7150 Series) costs $2,000 in the same size. While 4K TVs are coming down dramatically, they’re going to continue to drop well into this year and beyond. Even a $1,500 ultra-HDTV today will likely be $800 at Costco a year from now. Perhaps it pays to wait until there’s more content, too.

Obsolescence, longevity, and practicality: What if 4K is a fad instead of the true successor to HD? It’s not likely, but it could happen. If so, what are you going to do then? No one wants a $3000 doorstop. And many journalists, including me, have already seen 8K TV at the Consumer Electronics Show, so maybe it’s smart to skip a generation. Or what if 4K TVs don’t last as long as HD? They haven’t been around long enough for us to know exactly, and early reports of OLED-based TVs question their longevity.

Marc Saltzman is a technology journalist, broadcaster, and speaker who has been covering gadgets and games since 1996.