Is it Time To Finally Dump my Pioneer Kuro For 4K?

[ICEBERG]

Hey guys

I had my 60" Pioneer KURO for a very long time now (7 years i think). Was wondering if it is time to upgrade this beast? With xmas coming i bet there will be good deals coming up on TV's.

The KURO may have been far ahead of its time in terms of picture quality, but i feel that it's now far behind the times in its features. They looked really good even when they weren't fully calibrated. They were the darling of the HDTV market.

So is it worth going 4K yet? Do you think plasma set still beats the pants off any LCD-based set? My only concern with the new 4k Tv's are sources are extremely limited.

Any input is great.

[yellowsnow]

Prices on 4k TVs have come down a lot. I'm eyeing the Samsung KS8000 65" this blackfriday. If prices are close to $2k, I might bite. Make sure you get a 4K TV that has HDR support.

In terms of content, it's fairly limited still, but gaining a lot of ground. Netflix has 4k support, but you need to upgrade to their $12/month plan. If you're into gaming, PS pro is coming out this month, that will have 4k support for some games, no 4k Bluray support yet though.

[ICEBERG]

Here is an old picture of the beast..

[ICEBERG]

Originally posted by yellowsnow
Prices on 4k TVs have come down a lot. I'm eyeing the Samsung KS8000 65" this blackfriday. If prices are close to $2k, I might bite. Make sure you get a 4K TV that has HDR support.

In terms of content, it's fairly limited still, but gaining a lot of ground. Netflix has 4k support, but you need to upgrade to their $12/month plan. If you're into gaming, PS pro is coming out this month, that will have 4k support for some games, no 4k Bluray support yet though.

Thanks for the input. I will look into the model. But seems pricey at almost 4 Grand?

[spikerS]

No. I still wouldn't jump to 4k yet.

There isn't enough offerings out there yet to do it. As long as you are happy with your TV, everything that is out there right now is 100% compatible with it. I am all for early adopting, but until there is more offerings for 4k signals, I would just be frustrated that I have a 4K TV and can barely use it.

And if the TV you have right now is working just fine, maybe this time next year would be a better time to make the switch?

[ICEBERG]

Originally posted by spikerS
No. I still wouldn't jump to 4k yet.

There isn't enough offerings out there yet to do it. As long as you are happy with your TV, everything that is out there right now is 100% compatible with it. I am all for early adopting, but until there is more offerings for 4k signals, I would just be frustrated that I have a 4K TV and can barely use it.

And if the TV you have right now is working just fine, maybe this time next year would be a better time to make the switch?

That's what i was thinking also. Maybe to wait another year. The only reason my upgrade bug came out is that i was at BestBuy looking at some 4K tv's the other day and Talking with one of the sales guy pumped me with the new displays. I know he wants make a sale but i didn't want to make any impulse buying decision.

[revelations]

You basically answered your own question by stating that 4k is still limited.

Even though I work in the Tech industry, I never jump (or promote jumping) into large-scae, new technology without having a need to use it.

Having said that, my brother watches YT 4k 60fps videos all the time and it does look amazing on his UHD set - although, unrealistically so as the human eye cannot discern distant objects that well.

[Xtrema]

Wait another year unless your stuff is dead.

Last year was 4k starts to be attainable.

This year is 4k with HDR.

In the meantime OLED panels is not common, so there is no huge leap in picture quality.

Meanwhile there are few contents. There is no gaming consoles that will do 4k gaming for another gen or so.

[msommers]

The KURO is such an amazing panel!! When Planet Earth II comes out and you can use the new Oppo, that's when you upgrade!!

But I'd wait a bit.

[Bytem3]

Your Kuro still has better blacks and overall PQ

I was at a Samsung dealer show a few months ago and they spoke not once of black levels and instead spoke of their brightness capabilities required to meet HDR spec

Oled is a contender but burn in is an issue.

Next year with Panasonic offering oled here we should see pricing get more competitive

[blownz]

I would still wait as well. When Panasonic announced ~3 years ago they were getting out of Plasma, I immediately went out to buy a new 65" VT model. Best $3K I have ever spent. I really wish Plasma's would have lasted longer and that they would have been made a bit bigger (70-75") but I will keep this until there is something clearly better for under $5K.

The latest 4K TV's only look good with still images. Motion still isn't as good as a good Plasma. Hold out a bit longer.

[Buster]

I had to leave mine at the old house when I move this year. New LCDs, 4k or otherwise are still not as nice to look at as old plasmas.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Buster
I had to leave mine at the old house when I move this year. New LCDs, 4k or otherwise are still not as nice to look at as old plasmas.

That's the problem and why I need OLED prices to come down and panel size to go up.

[ZMan2k2]

The display standard for 4K is still evolving. A year ago, they didn't need HDR, and now, to play any 4K content, HDR is a must. Not sure what's next, but there could be something. And, 4K broadcast content is limited to mostly Toronto Blue Jay and Toronto Argonaut home games. The Olympics this year was 4K for some sports, but not all.

IMO, 4K will be like 3D, a niche market. I can't see too many major broadcasting networks shelling out the cash for 4K cameras for all their major shows for a long time, until the price of those cameras comes down quite a bit. Until then, it's a few sporting events, and UHD Blu Rays.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Can you do a projector? Better blacks than Kuro and brighter than any LCD, plus you can pick your screen size. You could even pick up a cheap projector that outperforms many TV's to tide yourself over until 4K is more mainstream. With Planet Earth 2 out soon in 4K I think 4K sales will see a bump.

I also have a plasma TV and I will be keeping it until it dies, then I will repair it if possible. Still looks better than $4000+ LCD's.

[ICEBERG]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Can you do a projector? Better blacks than Kuro and brighter than any LCD, plus you can pick your screen size. You could even pick up a cheap projector that outperforms many TV's to tide yourself over until 4K is more mainstream. With Planet Earth 2 out soon in 4K I think 4K sales will see a bump.

I also have a plasma TV and I will be keeping it until it dies, then I will repair it if possible. Still looks better than $4000+ LCD's.

No, i can't do a projector. The setup is in the bonus room of the house where i have no hook-up for it. But thank you for all the reply guys. Looks like i will wait another year before upgrade or if it dies within the year then i will replace it. I am surprised that this thing is still going strong after 7+ years. I replaced two Sony LCD TV's so far within that period in the family room.

[msommers]

I really enjoy my Panasonic plasma as well. It's been a real bitch moving as much as I have but I enjoy it.

[Neil4Speed]

I love my old Samsung Plasma too. It was a "Bargain plasma" towards the end of the product cycle but the Blacks are just amazing. I want to keep this TV forever.

[msommers]

Curiosity bit so I searched if it's even possible to find the last Panasonics made in their highest line. Turns out you can, for a modest $8000 USD for a "like new" model

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...condition=used

[b_t]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Can you do a projector? Better blacks than Kuro and brighter than any LCD, plus you can pick your screen size. You could even pick up a cheap projector that outperforms many TV's to tide yourself over until 4K is more mainstream. With Planet Earth 2 out soon in 4K I think 4K sales will see a bump.

I also have a plasma TV and I will be keeping it until it dies, then I will repair it if possible. Still looks better than $4000+ LCD's.

What projector is it with the good blacks? I thought projector black levels are like 98% a factor of quality light control and not so much the projector..

I've got a Panasonic 50" plasma but I used it for gaming too much and it's basically ruined now. sucks! Same model in good condition sells for like $2K USD ... that's waaaay more than I paid for it