10 best 4k TV's of 2017
“TECHNOLOGY MAKES THE WORLD A NEW PLACE”
(SHOSHANA ZUBOFF)
Nobody today is ignorant to the fact that technology has a pivotal role in our lives. It basically refers to bringing tools together that ease tasks and inventions, exchanges information, connects people, and whatever you imagine today, technology is the key element.
One of the wonders of technology is a “Television”. What a life would be today without a television where television is no longer limited to entertainment. It’s a medium that improves the world, triggers imagination, encourages education, and raises curiosity. Television is the invention of many contributors in late 19 and early 20 centuries. Individuals and corporations competed around the world to devise a device that superseded previous technology. Many were constrained to capitalize on the invention and make profit, while some sought after to bring a change to the world through visual and audio communication technology. It’s a telecommunication medium that works by transmitting moving images in monochrome or in color and in two or three dimensions and sound. It advances from mechanical to electric, color, digital, smart TV to 3D, LED, OLED, plasma and HDR.
As if 3D, LCD, LED, OLED and plasma were not confusing enough, we have seen rise of new HDTV technology called 4K. 4k TV/ ultra HD TV’s have been on the top of the cliff and it is becoming a common standard for quite long time now, however due to high price points it will still take some time to be as prevalent as 1080p screens. If you are reading this review then you must have experienced 4k TV If not at home then presumably at the cinemas. It is the right time you should plunge into the stream of incessantly advancing technology to enjoy the essence of something out of the world.
With four times the resolution of HD displays, 4K having 8 million pixels offers a massive improvement in picture quality over existing HD resolutions. The clarity and quality of a picture is attributed to the amount of pixels a TV contains. 4K has total resolution of 3840 pixels by 2160 slightly smaller than cinema screen resolution. There are smattering 4K Ultra HD TVs that use OLED screen technology. The biggest benefit of 4K TV is that small objects on the screen have more detail and sharper text. Images appear richer and more lifelike. High dynamic range HDR is a new feature of 4K Ultra HD sets, which is reference of dexterity to deliver more colors, more contrast levels and increased brightness.
Let’s have a sneak peek into some of the renowned 4K TVs:
Samsung KS9500 range:
Samsung helps you to discover a wide range of home appliances with leading technology including tablets, TVs, home appliances and more. Samsung has presented stunning 4K TVs but it has one-upped its own older models with 2016 SUHD lineup and the KS9500 is up to the mark. It is one of the terrific pieces of 4K TV technology across the board. It delivers wonderful peak brightness and excellent contrast. It is a real powerhouse when it comes to HDR, contrast, color and brightness. Its edge-lit curved screen appears to be aesthetic appeal to some users. It has built-in 10-bit color, advanced DCI-P3 color spectrum coverage and 1100+nit(cd/m2) peak brightness level. Black levels have the capacity to go as low as 0.015 nits and even lower if local dimming is activated. It gives deeper black and purer white shades for images because of more dimming blocks and a PQI 2x of Precision Black. The SUHD line has incredibly improved this New Year. Its HDR display augmentation technology improves dynamic range and color saturation in all video sources. It also up scales native SDR 4K video. Nano crystal display outstandingly creates 64 times more rich colors than UHD. Its price is $1999.99. It is “UHD Premium Certified”.
Pros:
Great for HDR content movies
Can get very bright and has very low reflection
With low input lag, it’s a great gaming TV
Great sound
Cons:
Loses picture quality at an angle
Some black light blooming in dark scenes
Curved screen wont suit all
LG OLEDE6 series:
LG has a one-year vanguard on most of its competitors when it comes to “Smart TV”. LG has launched a new generation of 4K OLED display. This year, LG has offered better High Dynamic Range and a wider color gamut accommodating with DCI-P3 space. These OLEDs are also “UHD Premium” certified. The OLED E6 series features picture quality intrinsically similar to that of the G6 series, and also features Picture On Glass technology (though it’s not as slim as the G6). It uses a crystal back glass backing and an incorporated sound bar designed by Harman Kardon, passive 3D and a premium remote control. The sound bar delivers 2.2-channel 40W arrangement. webOS is the first TV operating system that implement multi-tasking. Launch of first webOS-powered TVs in 2014 by LG was certainly a fresh breath of air. It has a faster process mingled with webOS 3.0 making the user interface fell pretty smooth and snappy. TV also offers sound delay settings allowing you to add negative and positive milliseconds delay to the sound. LG is one of the smattering manufacturers that offer this kind of flexibility. Owed to its OLED display panel lighting technology, it can deliver total black levels perfectly. It costs $5497.00
Pros:
Almost no motion blur in sports and videos games
Due to perfect black it features infinite native contrast ratio
When viewed from the side, it portrays excellent picture quality.
Cons:
Brightness depends on content and is not as high as other HDR TVs
Prone to temporary image retention after displaying static images.
Picture noise issue
Sony KD-75XD9405:
Sony is one of the most reliable electronic manufacturers. It is serving the world for a long time with its breath-taking products. For 2016, the XD94 is Sony’s flagship Ultra HD 4K utilizes full array LED backlight amalgamated with local dimming. It is the only model in this range that has 75-inch screen size. It retails for a surprisingly reasonable €5,899.00 boasting a native 4K resolution, premium direct LED lighting system, HDR support and Android TV smarts. It supports for High Dynamic Range9 specially HDR 10_ and X-tended Dynamic Range Pro designed to augment both HDR and SDR ( Standard Dynamic Range) content by maximizing or minimizing the backlight levels for each dimming zone of the screen. Due to Sony’s TRILUMINOS Display technology, it provides wider color gamut and it also includes Sony’s 4K X-reality PRO chip. Thos chip uses algorithms from an image database to resolution of a number of sources as broadcast TV, Blu-ray, internet video, DVD and digital photographs. This model supports active shutter 3D and Motioflow XR 1200HZ for unruffled motion. Sony has up surged the amount of processing power and system is more responsive in this model. The addition of a recommendation bar is a great improvement which allows integration with Netflix and BBC iPlayer among other video streaming apps.
Pros:
Smashing picture quality with HDR and SDR
Youview ia s decent catch-up TV system
Its big yet slim
Cons:
Smart platforms still needs to be improved
3D suffers from crosstalk
Backlight blooming with HDR
Remote control is awful
Panasonic DX802 range:
Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development of vast electronics, technologies and solutions for customers. The DX802 is Panasonic’s latest higher-tier TV having an eye-catching ‘freestyle design’ with a silver finish, detachable sound bar and an easel stand. It features professional quality color management technology, 4K PRO Studio Master Ultra HD panel with Studio Master HCX processing. Its display is THX Certified that comprises local dimming, supports for HDR, Firefox Smart TV system and active 3D.it is not Ultra HD Premium certified nor it has a full array backlight. It comes in two screen sizes 50-inch and 58-inch. It has a separate sound bar, to improve audio quality, which includes a 12 prismatic speaker, 40W amplification and a quad passive radiator. This model includes Amazon 4K, Freeview Play, YouTube, Netflix 4K, and twin Freeview HD and Freesat HD tuners. Its price is £1,099.00
Pros:
Great black levels
Video processing is impressive
Accurate color gamut and grey scale
Good HDR performance
Bundle of video streaming services
Good audio quality
Cons:
Narrow viewing angles
Confined HDR capabilities
Distracting Anti-reflection filter
Limited 4K content
Standard definition picture is not good.
Samsung KS7000 range:
This model supports HDR 10 like all the models in the SUHD range this year. It is certified as Ultra HD Premium. It uses a 10-bit VA panel, due to Quantum Dot technology, can attain over 90% of DCI-P3 and can deliver 1,000nits of peak brightness. It includes Ultra Black anti-reflection moth eye filter and precision black local dimming. The KS7000 is edge-lit LED. It features latest version of Samsung’s Smart TV platform, one connect box with four HDMI 2.0a inputs and the new Smart controller. It means every year Samsung launches an outstanding combination of performance and value that surpass previous versions. The outlook of KS7000 is almost same to the KS7500 but is flat than curved. It utilizes a new protective shell to prevent impurities and defects and excel color performance. It provides better and brighter image, better energy efficiency and improved viewing angles. It doesn’t support 3D. KS7000 provides more power processing and fast responsive platform. It has great color, contrast, resolution and brightness. This series is much cheaper than the KS9500 but it still meets the specifications set by the Ultra HD Premium standard. Its price is £1500.
Pros:
Good performance across different resolutions
Excellent definition
Cons:
Clouding issues
No 3D
Sound could be more substantial.
Panasonic DX902 series:
DX902 is definitely Panasonic’s bellwether television, which features new 4K HDR technology. For a more realistic picture, it is now capable of displaying a wide range of colors and contrast than ever before. It’s a sumptuous television with a wonderfully clear display managing dark and light equally and handles lots of contrasts. DX902 is the outcome of collaboration between THX, Panasonic and Hollywood colorists to establish an LED LCD TV that is capable of delivering a picture quality of studio monitor level. To achieve high level of image accuracy, it brings together Panasonic’s new studio Maste HCX+ processor with professional quality color management technology. Along with using 512 LED’s Panasonic as added their new ‘Honeycomb” local dimming designed to prevent light leakage between each of the zones. LED’s being directly behind the panel can cause banding and backlight issues which are eradicated by the use of specially developed diffuser. It also includes many features expected in any high-end Ultra HD 4K TV, like 10-bit VA panel, HDMI 2.0a inputs, Smart TV platform, HDCP 2.2 compatibility, 3D, HEVC decoding and support for High Dynamic Rande HDR. It can reach 96% of the DCI-P3 color space and easily hits 1,000 Nits. Above all it is first to be awarded Ultra HD Premium status. Apart from these stunning features, it has high-end level of build quality. It costs £1999.
Pros:
Incredible HDR picture quality
Firefox smart TV is great
4K Netflix + Amazon on board
HDCP 2.2 compatibility
Rich contrast & bright pictures
Effective local dimming technology
Cons:
Occasionally misfiring of backlight
SD television look is not so good
No 3D
Some motion blur
LG OLEDB6 series:
To get your hands on LG’s 2016 OLED series, OLED B6 is the most affordable way. These are not ultra-slim and as gorgeous as the premium picture on glass OLEDE6 series, but they do portray similar picture quality, color rich, HDR-capable and high contrast. TV is available in 55” and 65”. It features 4K resolution, wide color gamut (what LG calls Color Prime Pro) and support for HDR. B6 series doesn’t support 3D. These don’t have built-in sound bars but have integrated 40W sound system with down-firing speakers. B6 series is equipped with webOS 3.0 and a faster hardware chip. Operating system offers access to Netflix, Hulu, Google Play Movies, You tube and local apps. LG’s motion-enables TV remote is also available. Features also include HDR 10 and Dolby Vision support and Ultra HD premium standards. 55” TV costs $3,997 while 65” TV costs $5,997.
Pros:
Great picture quality
Eye-catching thin design
webOS smart system
affordable price range
Cons:
Brief color noise
Detail clipping in bright areas
Philips 65PUS7601:
It is one of the most pleasant surprises of this year, as it is surprisingly affordable. Its direct LED backlight system is its particular key to success which manages to deliver full sense of HDR causing none backlight clouding distractions. It features hundreds of app available via Google’s Android TV smart platform and cost much less than others. It’s a 65 inch LCD TV with local dimming over 128 zones, three-sided Ambilight, native 4K resolution, 30w speakers, VP9, perfect pixel processor, 2000 PPI Quad Core, HEVC, Android TV and HDR compatibility. Overall design looks opulent and distinctive yet subtle. It costs £3,364.82
Pros:
For an edge LED TV it features high contrast images
Cool color and detail performance
Cons:
Android TV interface is not very friendly
No 3D
Sony XD9305 series:
Sony XD9305 features an innovative LED backlight involving two LED’s along the left and right side of the LCD panel. Separate light guide plates are used for each LED module to illuminate different zones with increased zonal precision. It features slim backlight drive coupled with Triluminos technology, quantum dots for optimal color mapping, dazzling brightness and deeper black levels. It offers better viewing angles. This series serve as a home entertainment system for complete content spectrum; 4K Blu-Ray, non-4K broadcast content, 4K streaming, 3D, DVD and HDR broadcast TV. XD9305 features 4K X-Reality PRO technology which delivers superb upscalling. Its price is $1698.00
Pros:
Beautiful slim design
Good build quality
Android TV system
Youview availability
Great picture quality
Cons:
Audio performance is not very good
Some people find new remote frustrating to use
Android feels cluttered
Panasonic DX750 range:
It is a mid-range TV from Japanese manufacturer above first level HDR model DX700 and below THX certified DX802. It’s very attractive 50 inch UHD TV available at a reasonable price. It comprises very rich viewing experience with both 4K and standard definition viewing content. It supports HDR. It’s a full entertainment system with the Firefox OS Smart TV system and Freeview Play with twin tuners. It holds edge backlighting system. TV panel is very thin. It delivers superb brightness and inky dark blacks, also delivers wider viewing angles making it perfect for family time. It provides wide color spectrum, local dimming, full range stereo speakers, active 3D, connectivity like Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB, Bluetooth etc. its price is £1699.0
Pros:
Excellent black levels
Impressive video processing
Decent HDR performance
Attractive design
Accurate grayscale and color gamut
Friendly smart TV interface
Cons:
Can suffer from bright edges
Mediocre local dimming
Some backlight concerns with HDR