To HDR or not to HDR

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sxz

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#207457 26-Dec-2016 16:42

Hi Guys,

RE boxing day sales, I can either buy a 40" HDR Sasung Tv for $900 or a 49" Panasonic non HDR 4k TV for $850.

I can't really justify spending much more. Do I need HDR? Does an HDR TV make freeview look beter or will it only make HDR content look better?

Cheers!

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#1695203 26-Dec-2016 17:22

I don't know if non HDR content is morphed into HDR by the HDR tv. But what i have heard is that not all TV labelled "HDR" does proper HDR. Someone could explain ...

sxz

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Ultimate Geek

#1695206 26-Dec-2016 17:34

joker97:

I don't know if non HDR content is morphed into HDR by the HDR tv. But what i have heard is that not all TV labelled "HDR" does proper HDR. Someone could explain ...

yes I have heard this too. I believe it's 8 bit HDR < 10 bit < 12 Bit HDR (aka Dolby Vision). Good luck figuring out from advertisements what kind of HDR a TV has tho!

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#1695208 26-Dec-2016 17:38

Haha and as you said, depends if you have HDR content, use an HDR capable player, and passes through a HDR passthru capable AVR! :) [notwithstanding the HDMI cable that passes it I suppose?]

mcraenz

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#1695320 27-Dec-2016 07:30

If these are your absolute 2 options (And without doing any research) I would say 100% get the 49". I doubt you'd notice any HDR benefit on a lowend TV but will DEFINITELY notice the extra 9"

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sbiddle

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#1695326 27-Dec-2016 08:39

Unless you are viewing HDR content the a HDR TV will make absolutely no difference to picture quality. The only caveat with that comment is that the panel specs of a HDR panel may be slightly better so you may see things such as better black performance on all content on a HDR panel.

To be completely honest I wouldn't buy a 4K panel in that price range unless you really must have 4K for content as they're all going to be very low spec panels . The Full HD panels that are around still are of much better quality.

HDR content does look nice but I'd pick many people who would never actually notice anything different. If you were rich enough to want a true HDR setup you'd also buy an OLED because they're so much superior to everything else.

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#1695328 27-Dec-2016 08:58

The JBHIFI link you have put up is for their Australian website, so Aussie dollar pricing.

Harvey Norman has that Panasonic at $898 though

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#1695344 27-Dec-2016 10:20

HDR content is looking to be more common in gaming, via and Xbox One S or PS4.

Broadcast TV wise I don't see anything happening in NZ for quite a while; Be that 4K or HDR.

The 10 bit colour support does sound good, but it's really really hard to get confirmation of the TVs specs in this regard, especially via sales adverts etc, which focus on size and resolution only usually.

I was keen on the 55" Samsung 4K TVs at around $1,200 on sale but then spotted that they don't offer 10 bit support. Is that an issue though at that price range anyway?

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davisg

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#1697829 3-Jan-2017 10:46

Jaxson: HDR content is looking to be more common in gaming, via and Xbox One S or PS4.

Broadcast TV wise I don't see anything happening in NZ for quite a while; Be that 4K or HDR.

The 10 bit colour support does sound good, but it's really really hard to get confirmation of the TVs specs in this regard, especially via sales adverts etc, which focus on size and resolution only usually.

I was keen on the 55" Samsung 4K TVs at around $1,200 on sale but then spotted that they don't offer 10 bit support. Is that an issue though at that price range anyway?

4k/HDR I agree, we won't see much happening in NZ on broadcast TV or (it appears) Sky TV who have lost the plot with modern technology and seem only interested in dropping the bit rate as low as possible.

But that is not where it is at. Several years ago Ivor Tiefenbrun (founder of Linn Products) recognised that the future for all media is streaming. That future has now arrived. I have had a wonderful holiday period watching Amazon Prime Video and Netflix shows in 4k and HDR and (a few) Dolby Vision on our LG. The Grand Tour on Amazon has absoultely stunning photography -even better than the old Top Gear and it just looks magic.

Sadly we don't all yet have access to proper Internet speeds via fibre but when it happens (and it will happen for many of us during the lifetime of any TV bought today) everything else goes out the window. There is already enough material available legally in NZ via inexpensive Netflix/Amazon (Lightbox is limited to HD) to justify getting this latest technology and I beg to differ with earlier posts and you WILL notice the difference.

PANiCnz

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#1697908 3-Jan-2017 16:32

Supposedly many of the cheaper 4k TV's that advertise HDR are true HDR as their 8bit panels and true HDR requires at 10-bit panel. Someone more knowledgeable than me can probably provide a more technical explanation.

PANiCnz

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#1697909 3-Jan-2017 16:32

Supposedly many of the cheaper 4k TV's that advertise HDR aren't true HDR as they're 8bit panels and true HDR requires at 10-bit panel. Someone more knowledgeable than me can probably provide a more technical explanation.

richms

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#1697912 3-Jan-2017 16:51

There is a difference between 10 bit input and the processing and the panel. So much vauge specs and left out information on tvs at the moment I would just buy cheap and then relegate it to a spare room tv and replace it once all the mess is sorted out.

Its a bit like how all PC monitors take 8 bit video, but most of the cheapies have a 6 bit panel. Never find that dirty detail without really digging into it (or looking at one) and depending on the rate they do the dither its not always obvious from the in store displays on the monitors that some are dirty ugly checkerboard messes when you actually get into real gaming content on them. At least with small 4k displays then any dither will hopefully be small enough to not be annoying from your viewing distance, unlike some of the crap old non HD plasmas that looked aweful at any distance.

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#1697934 3-Jan-2017 17:39

I watched a Linus tech tip video and decided now's not the time to upgrade my tv