Seiki SE50UY04 3840x2160 50" TV ($1300)

to the point of ridiculous HZ rates (1000hz in the newer Samsungs).
Actually, it's often done by a combination of interpolation and strobing. The Samsung CMR960 and the Sony Motionflow XR960 actually only quadruples the refresh rate to 240Hz, and then uses 1/960sec scanning backlight (strobing in segments) to get all the way to a "960 equivalence rating". Motion looks really clear (although like exaggerated contrast ratios, it falls short of true "960", and it's not as efficient as newer high-efficiency strobe backlights).

The first problem of these "960" TV's a couple years back is the input lag; sometimes almost 100ms worth! The second problem is many of these don't let you turn off interpolation separately from the strobing. It's only recently that, Sony, at least, has finally decoupled the strobing away from the interpolation. This finally lowers input lag of motion clarity enhancement to a total of less than two frames (on the Sony's). This is still improving (LightBoost adds less than one frame average input lag).
 
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I was experimenting a little bit with the 50" Seiki UHD TV... the RTD2975 in UHD mode is outputting a 120hz FHD image, which is pasted by the Tcon to specific quadrant of the screen, it goes in sequence of LT, RT, LB, RB quadrant.

Does anybody know, why CMI is not mentioning that in their datasheet and their UHD timing table is therefore totally off? Not to mention the secret i2c communication, to switch between FHD and UHD mode.

Anybody got further than me? I am looking for the information, how and where is the quadrant sync specified in the LVDS stream.
 
Off topic.

There is another cheap 50" 4K TV on Amazon.
TCL LE50UHDE56921 (or LE50UHDE5691 according to TCL site).
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ES5Q6E2/
I'm not sure they are ready to ship it now, or is it expected 2-4 months from now.

Any info about this TV?
Panel quality?
Is it capable of 4K@60Hz input somehow?
 
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Off topic.

There is another cheap 50" 4K TV on Amazon.
TCL LE50UHDE56921 (or LE50UHDE5691 according to TCL site).
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ES5Q6E2/
I'm not sure they are ready to ship it now, or is it expected 2-4 months from now.

Any info about this TV?
Panel quality?
Is it capable of 4K@60Hz input somehow?
Nope
 
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Any info about this TV?

Supposed to be due in September according to the original press release.

Panel quality?
Most likely made in China probably by their subsidiary CSOT though that is just speculation.

Is it capable of 4K@60Hz input somehow?

No. TV is probably just a rebadge of one of their existing China-only UHD TVs already on the market there. Too early for HDMI 2.0 to be in it. Here is a list of displays that actually support that kind of input: 4K. It is slim pickings for now but the list will probably explode next year.
 
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One of the issues with 4k monitors is the lag. Originally, I thought it might have been due to the Seiki, or my video card, but after trying multiple video cards, and doing some research online, I've concluded the problem is a Windows issue.

Google "(UHD OR QHD OR 4K) (lag OR sluggish OR delay OR latency) Windows" for examples.

I've read that Windows 8.1 will have much better support of 4k display, and I hope it will eliminate the lag. However, currently, I'm using Windows 7, and I'm wondering if Windows 8 might be any better?

Has anyone compared Windows 7 vs Windows 8 in terms of Windows desktop use for lag on 4k monitors?
 
One of the issues with 4k monitors is the lag. Originally, I thought it might have been due to the Seiki, or my video card, but after trying multiple video cards, and doing some research online, I've concluded the problem is a Windows issue.

Google "(UHD OR QHD OR 4K) (lag OR sluggish OR delay OR latency) Windows" for examples.

I've read that Windows 8.1 will have much better support of 4k display, and I hope it will eliminate the lag. However, currently, I'm using Windows 7, and I'm wondering if Windows 8 might be any better?

Has anyone compared Windows 7 vs Windows 8 in terms of Windows desktop use for lag on 4k monitors?
I used windows 8.1 preview with it and it was certainly smoother than windows 7 but the true reason I switched was due to 8.1's superior DPI scaling.
 
I used windows 8.1 preview with it and it was certainly smoother than windows 7 but the true reason I switched was due to 8.1's superior DPI scaling.

Maarten,

Would you describe a bit more what differences you notice in terms of responsiveness and lag?

Is it very noticeable?
 
I went and did a clean dual-boot installed of Windows 8 (using AirBoot).
I'm testing it now. It does seem less sluggish though.
 
seiki finally sent me a supposed fix for the 39 inch which should allow 120hz @ 1080p. I am guessing it also fixes the backlight memory thing since the filename is:

For SE39UY04 With Backlight And color TEMP. -20130828.zip

I don't like that date stamp though. The previous guy i was dealing with said that the firmware wasnt ready even after 8/28 although the guy no longer works at seiki. Although the guy did say it was a 'closed beta.' We shall see!

If it works ok I will post a link to the firmware on here and overclock.net
 
Very keen to try the new firmware -- is there a way to 'save' a copy of the old firmware before updating? Just to be safe?

I would hate to find myself with a $US700 doorstop. :/
 
Very keen to try the new firmware -- is there a way to 'save' a copy of the old firmware before updating? Just to be safe?

I would hate to find myself with a $US700 doorstop. :/

I doubt there is a way to save it. I would think if you get a bad flash it usually means you bricked it to begin with.. In my case it would be a $500 brick. I am sure if it died during a flash seiki would replace it though...
 
No go on the firmware. I updated it and it has backlight and advanced color settings in the regular menu now and it no longer turns the display off when going into additional info on the software version thing in the service menu so definitely some fixes but its still only displaying 60Hz when given a 120Hz signal.

I had my doubts since the guy who I was dealing with before last talked to me in the first week of September and said it still wasn't fixed and this firmware date was almost a month old... Oh well =(
 
seiki finally sent me a supposed fix for the 39 inch which should allow 120hz @ 1080p. I am guessing it also fixes the backlight memory thing since the filename is:

For SE39UY04 With Backlight And color TEMP. -20130828.zip

I don't like that date stamp though. The previous guy i was dealing with said that the firmware wasnt ready even after 8/28 although the guy no longer works at seiki. Although the guy did say it was a 'closed beta.' We shall see!

If it works ok I will post a link to the firmware on here and overclock.net

You talking about Delwyn?
 
oooo what kind of enhancements for the 50"?! i wish the description was a bit more elaborate
 
I think the update is only for the 39".

It adds backlight and color controls to the main menu rather than being buried in the service menu.
It does NOT fix the 120hz skipping frames problem, I confirm again with RefreshRateMultitool.
To install you have to initiate software update from the service menu (enter 0000 in the remote after
opening the menu). It does not start up automatically like the webpage suggests. In fact you don't
even have to unplug and replug the monitor.

Note that all your picture settings are lost and reset to default, so write them down if you adjusted.
 
I think the update is only for the 39".

Thanks for the link to the update, guys.

I downloaded the update, and installed it (unzip file to FAT formatted USB key, plug key into side USB slot, go into menu, 0000 for setup, go down to software update ... front light flashes blue and red for about a minute, then TV is reset -- go through rigmarole of setting sharpness to 0, set background light to 70%.

The update appears to have fixed the intermittent 'screen goes blank for 3-7 seconds' problem, which has been affecting me since day one, no matter which video card (I have two. Nvidua GTX570's) or which HDMI socket (1, 2 or 3) I used on the Seiki.

I updated the TV yesterday afternoon, and in three or so hours of use since then, zero 'screen goes blank' events have occurred.

This is a very good thing. :).

Update recommended for those who also suffer from the screen blanking problem.

EDIT: UPDATE: Two blanking events within a minute of each other, 24 hours after installing firmware. Problem not fixed fully; frequency is much lower though. :/
 
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On my laptop Windows 7 with two Displayport and one HDMI, my 39" seiki is stable that is without the 10 second monitor shut off after I decrease the refresh rate from 30 to 29 using Custom Resolution Utility (CRU).

On my Desktop ATI 7970 Windows 8, my 39" Seiki is stable without any monitor shut off with 30 Hz.
 
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my 39" seiki is stable that is without the 10 second monitor shut off after I decrease the refresh rate from 30 to 29 using Custom Resolution Utility (CRU).
Ouch even lower well it at least fixes the problem for now.
I'll get stuff in tommorow to fix my screen also a simple LVDS board which should suffice for testing the Tcon (but not as a whole as it is only dual channel)
Best case senario the Tcon takes it all the way up to 170MHz on each lane since that'll give us enough)

While not our final intention beating Asus to it for a lower price isn't bad either but we have to be patient.
Once I have my corporate email address I can talk business with THine.
 
I applied the new firmware for the 39" which reset all the settings.
Backlight settings are now saved. Yeah!

That was annoyance for me, so all much better now.

BTW, does anyone know if there is a way to turn off PnP for the displays?
Currently, when the Seiki turns off, Windows7 will move all my apps to my secondary monitor. When I turn the Seiki back on, Windows7 will move my apps back to the Seiki. I want it to stop doing that.

The problem is that a CAD program that I run will not tolerate a display change while it's rendering 3D animation. Thus when the Seiki goes into sleep mode, the program switches monitors, and then as a result of that, exits rendering. Very annoying.
 
Hi guys, could you do me a favour?

I need to know what panel is in Seiki 39" SE39UY04 and in Skyworth 50" 50E780U

Seiki: 1. go into MENU 2. press 0000 3. Go to "Software version" 4. Look what is under "Panel Info" Is there CMI_V390DK1_LS1? Or something else?

By seiki 50" it looks like this:

Skyworth: I think someone from this forum has Skyworth 50" 50E780U as well! Is there any chance this person would try to find out what panel is inside? Perhaps the menu will display it as well. I have seen video showing it is from Chimei Innolux. However the screenshots from the only single review in internet shows clearly that this panel looks differently then the panel by 50" Seiki (from Chimei Innolux as well). Seiki has LVDS, however as you can see from this image, the Skyworth 50E780U has probably Vx1/ The question is what is it for panel?
The panel looks like this:
 
Hi guys, could you do me a favour?

I need to know what panel is in Seiki 39" SE39UY04 and in Skyworth 50" 50E780U

Seiki: 1. go into MENU 2. press 0000 3. Go to "Software version" 4. Look what is under "Panel Info" Is there CMI_V390DK1_LS1? Or something else?

By seiki 50" it looks like this:

Skyworth: I think someone from this forum has Skyworth 50" 50E780U as well! Is there any chance this person would try to find out what panel is inside? Perhaps the menu will display it as well. I have seen video showing it is from Chimei Innolux. However the screenshots from the only single review in internet shows clearly that this panel looks differently then the panel by 50" Seiki (from Chimei Innolux as well). Seiki has LVDS, however as you can see from this image, the Skyworth 50E780U has probably Vx1/ The question is what is it for panel?
The panel looks like this:
The V500DK1 panel's Tcon is the same as the one on the V390DK1 and it is LVDS.
PS: I received the prototype Tcon yesterday all I need now is a v-by-one transceiver board.
THine won't work with me so any one willing to help me with that I would appreciate.(without corporate email and a bag of money)
 
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The V500DK1 panel's Tcon is the same as the one on the V390DK1 and it is LVDS.
PS: I received the prototype Tcon yesterday all I need now is a v-by-one transceiver board.
THine won't work with me so any one willing to help me with that I would appreciate.(without corporate email and a bag of money)

it would not surprise me if the T-con for V500DK1 and V390DK1 would be same. I just wanted to be sure that Seiki 39" has this panel, because Innolux did some 39" panels with different interface/T-con.

And this is exactly the reason why I am wondering what panel is in the Skyworth 50". Videos on youtube shows clearly that there is Innlox panel. The image posted above shows no LVDS, but probably Vx1 interface. That is why I am so curious what kind of panel is it? You have the Skyworth at home. Have not you opened it? There should be a sticker on the panel. Perhaps you may see the panel under Menu/factory settings as well.
Anyway. It is probably just 8 Ch V-by-One, which means 4K@60 Hz maximally:

8ruv.jpg
 
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Panel in my 39 inch seiki is:

CMI_V390DK1_LS1

Thx houkouonchi. I appreciate it! Sinuhet
P.S. In other words without replacing of the T-com no chance to make something better then 4K@30Hz!
This confirms the manual on page 5:
T-con input frame rate : FHD 50/60Hz, FHD 100/120Hz or QFHD 24/30Hz
Output frame rate: QFHD 50/60Hz, QFHD 100/120Hz or QFHD 48/60Hz
 
Thx houkouonchi. I appreciate it! Sinuhet
P.S. In other words without replacing of the T-com no chance to make something better then 4K@30Hz!
This confirms the manual on page 5:
T-con input frame rate : FHD 50/60Hz, FHD 100/120Hz or QFHD 24/30Hz
Output frame rate: QFHD 50/60Hz, QFHD 100/120Hz or QFHD 48/60Hz
It is rather rubbish indeed and there probably isn't much headroom.
The reason you can't see the classic LVDS cable one would expect is because they have used LVDS flat cable (they are ribbon cables kinda like IDE/PATA cables but with twisted wiring)

On thing you should never do is just trust those specs they are often way lower than what the product is actually capable of.
Btw here is the picture of the Altera -> FPGA I was talking about
9304947d_20130418_172742.jpeg

The FPGA and card lie a bit beyond my budget wish there was a cheap Cyclone card that could do wouldn't mind spending 1.5k as long as I can get to the testing.
 
The new firmware with the brightness control is a huge improvement.

There appears to be a minor bug with the brightness settings.
If I set brightness to 1, then power off the monitor (disconnect power because my Seiki is connected to a UPS that switches off the monitor's AC outlet when my computer goes into standby), then when I power the monitor back up, the brightness settings shows 50, but my monitor brightness is still at 1. So with the first press of the brightness changes, the actual brightness jumps the last setting (i.e. in this case 1) to ~50.
 
Lag appears to be improved in the new firmware.

Before:
IMG_0253.JPG


After:
IMG_0332.JPG


Both were taken using Leo Bodnar's lag tester at 1080P using "dot-to-dot" scaling.
 
Lag appears to be improved in the new firmware.

Before:
IMG_0253.JPG


After:
IMG_0332.JPG


Both were taken using Leo Bodnar's lag tester at 1080P using "dot-to-dot" scaling.
is that new one taken on the 39" model? (the 50" model has been tested to be 38ms lag before with bodnar)
 
BTW, I tried 3840x1080 @ 60hz custom resolution and it was accepted and detected by the monitor, however both normal and dot-to-dot scaling ends up stretching the picture to the entire screen and it looks rather bad. I wonder if they could fix this in a firmware update - this could be a viable way to get 60hz gaming if the resolution was accepted correctly, kind of like a 2-monitor eyefinity.
 
BTW, I tried 3840x1080 @ 60hz custom resolution and it was accepted and detected by the monitor, however both normal and dot-to-dot scaling ends up stretching the picture to the entire screen and it looks rather bad. I wonder if they could fix this in a firmware update - this could be a viable way to get 60hz gaming if the resolution was accepted correctly, kind of like a 2-monitor eyefinity.

Did you try video card scaling? Or would that not work because it would try to do it at 3840x2160@30Hz with black bars and not have the refresh rate increase?

How does 2560x1440 @ 60Hz work?
 
Did you try video card scaling? Or would that not work because it would try to do it at 3840x2160@30Hz with black bars and not have the refresh rate increase?

How does 2560x1440 @ 60Hz work?

It works quite a well.
 
So it actually runs at 60 Hz? Or are frames being skipped?
I have no idea.
The monitor syncs and shows 2560x1440 @ 60Hz resolution notice and scales correctly (no overscan or underscan), and pixel-level mapping is quite acceptable (not the best I have seen). The gameplay is much smoother than @30Hz, so I have no reason to doubt anything but 60Hz refresh rate.

Many programs (games), however, cannot automatically see this custom resolution and using it requires you to set game resolution parameters manually.

By the way, if anybody has gotten Dead Space 3 to work @ 3840x2160@30Hz, I would be intrested to know how to do that.
The game itself supports 4K resolution (search Youtube), but some say that DS3 requires min. 60Hz refresh rate. It works very well @ 1920x1080@120Hz, however.
 
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