Are 4K Ultra HD TVs really that good?
Now in its 10th year the TV shootout declared a tie between the LG 55EC9300 OLED TV and Samsung PN64F8500 plasma TV as the ‘Best’ TVs of 2014.
The LG 55EC9300 is a 55-inch 1080p Curved OLED TV and the Samsung PN64F8500 is a plasma TV and was also named as 2013’s overall winner.
Deciding which TV is best is really a subjective opinion and depends on an individual viewer’s perceptions and requirements but Value Electronics tries to give a level the playing field by conducting an annual TV shootout in which a selected group of experts and consumers take part.
To pin down the best TV that takes both technical and observational factors into consideration following a series of tests which address factors such as Black Level, Contrast, Color Accuracy, Sharpness (Motion Resolution), Viewing capability in a well-lit room (Day Mode), and General Perceived Video Quality.
The TVs selected for the 2014 shootout included sets in three categories, 4K UltraHD LED/LCD, 1080p OLED, and 1080p Plasma. Here is the listing:
4K 2160p UltraHD LED/LCD models:
Samsung S9 Direct Lit LCD/LED w/local dimming 105-inch UN105S9W
Samsung UN78HU9000 78-inch Edge lit local dimming
Samsung UN85HU8550 85-inch Direct lit full array w/local dimming
Sony XBR-79X900B Edge lit locally dimmed
Sony XBR-85X950B Direct lit full array locally dimmed
1080p models:
Samsung PN64F8500 64-inch PDP
LG OLED 55EC9300 55-inch OLED
Samsung KN55S9 55-inch OLED
None of the 4K Ultra HD TVs came close to winning based on the categories used to evaluate display performance (native display panel resolution was not a measured category).
The Ultra HD TVs were LED/LCD sets were beaten by the OLED and Plasma entries in all of the measured categories, but especially when it came to Black Level and Contrast Ratio. In addition when the room lights were brought up, although the OLED TVs did best, the Samsung PN64F8500 Plasma set also did unexpectedly better against the LED/LCD sets.
Although all sets are 3D-capable, 3D performance was not a measured category at this year’s shoot-out.
Related articles and links:
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News articles:
4K Ultra HDTV features high color-space LED backlight
Sony, Panasonic, Japan Display plan OLED joint venture
Rollable OLED panel targets 60-inch Ultra HD TVs
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