Cheapest 4:4:4 4K TV for monitor use?

M

Mut1ny

[H]ard|Gawd
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Have a 32 inch HP Omen 32 right now and there's just nothing "special" about it to keep me from just getting a 4K TV for the upgraded resolution.

So my question is simply the title...what's the cheapest 4:4:4 TV that I can get? Other than this being AMVA there's nothing extraordinary about it so I don't mind ditching it.

That's all, thanks!
 
So basically TCL and make sure it's got 4:4:4 chroma...was basically what I was originally thinking lol...thanks for confirming? Cheers!
 
Any kind of new TV should be able to do RGB at 4K if it has HDMI 2.0. I don't think there have been any televisions put out in the market no matter the price without at least one HDMI 2.0 input for a few years. The trick is knowing what settings to use to get it.
 
Many of here on HardOCP have been using large format displays for many years.

Trust me, you don't want TLC. You don't want a lot of displays out there.

For now on, bookmark RTINGS.COM under "usage" .... you want to focus on "Best Scores for PC Monitor"

You can get a Sony 43" with excellent latency for $380+ something. Check the charts.

If you don't ever plan on gaming, don't care about the display crapping out on you sooner rather than later and are ok with NOT having the best build quality, high latency, so-so picture quality, etc. Then of course, go cheap.

Funny thing is, that TLC and Sony are pretty similar in price.
 
SixFootDuo said:
Many of here on HardOCP have been using large format displays for many years.

Trust me, you don't want TLC. You don't want a lot of displays out there.

For now on, bookmark RTINGS.COM under "usage" .... you want to focus on "Best Scores for PC Monitor"

You can get a Sony 43" with excellent latency for $380+ something. Check the charts.

If you don't ever plan on gaming, don't care about the display crapping out on you sooner rather than later and are ok with NOT having the best build quality, high latency, so-so picture quality, etc. Then of course, go cheap.

Funny thing is, that TLC and Sony are pretty similar in price.
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As someone who has almost 10 years of experience in AV, TCL [sic] is consistently at the top of bang for your buck. TCL uses VA panels, instead of IPS like Sony. You will find more uniform colors and backlighting when looking straight on at the screen (like when used as a monitor). TCL + 4:4:4 is probably your best bet. For the 2018 models, the P605 is what I'd recommend:

 
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Donald Bell said:
As someone who has almost 10 years of experience in AV, TCL [sic] is consistently at the top of bang for your buck. TCL uses VA panels, instead of IPS like Sony. You will find more uniform colors and backlighting when looking straight on at the screen (like when used as a monitor). TCL + 4:4:4 is probably your best bet. For the 2018 models, the P605 is what I'd recommend:

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I kindly disagree with your color assessment. VA suffers from narrow viewing angles much like a TN, meaning even if you were perfectly positioned in the center of the screen the image is going to become more washed out as it approaches the corners due to the contrast shift inherent in the panel type and gets worse the bigger the panel is. IPS simply suffers from brightness changes depending on how the panel is lit, but saturation, gamma, and contrast remain consistent across the entire panel. Backlight uniformity is also not something affected by panel type, but more to do with backlighting method and assembly.

I would not recommend the TCL televisions as PC displays because it appears all of them up and down the product line use subpixel dimming. This can skew colors and cause cross hatching that would be very undesirable with a PC display. It is a fine display at its price point for mixed media usage like console gaming and HDR movies, but I cannot get behind using them as a PC monitor.
 
Armenius said:
I kindly disagree with your color assessment. VA suffers from narrow viewing angles much like a TN, meaning even if you were perfectly positioned in the center of the screen the image is going to become more washed out as it approaches the corners due to the contrast shift inherent in the panel type and gets worse the bigger the panel is. IPS simply suffers from brightness changes depending on how the panel is lit, but saturation, gamma, and contrast remain consistent across the entire panel. Backlight uniformity is also not something affected by panel type, but more to do with backlighting method and assembly.

I would not recommend the TCL televisions as PC displays because it appears all of them up and down the product line use subpixel dimming. This can skew colors and cause cross hatching that would be very undesirable with a PC display. It is a fine display at its price point for mixed media usage like console gaming and HDR movies, but I cannot get behind using them as a PC monitor.
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I'd always go VA before IPS personally.
 
Mut1ny said:
I'd always go VA before IPS personally.
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I do love the contrast ratio with VA when consuming media. But I think if you're going to be doing any kind of productivity work on a PC then the stability of IPS is preferred.
 
I like VA for monitor and IPS for TV. I sit directly in front of my 40" Samsung (VA), maybe two feet away. Seems like a sweet spot for this size screen.
 
Armenius said:
I kindly disagree with your color assessment. VA suffers from narrow viewing angles much like a TN, meaning even if you were perfectly positioned in the center of the screen the image is going to become more washed out as it approaches the corners due to the contrast shift inherent in the panel type and gets worse the bigger the panel is. IPS simply suffers from brightness changes depending on how the panel is lit, but saturation, gamma, and contrast remain consistent across the entire panel. Backlight uniformity is also not something affected by panel type, but more to do with backlighting method and assembly.

I would not recommend the TCL televisions as PC displays because it appears all of them up and down the product line use subpixel dimming. This can skew colors and cause cross hatching that would be very undesirable with a PC display. It is a fine display at its price point for mixed media usage like console gaming and HDR movies, but I cannot get behind using them as a PC monitor.
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Fortunately, nobody is forcing you to use a TV for a monitor. Also, you literally argued the proper use case for VA, looking straight on, like I already mentioned. It is hard to argue the elitist route when the OP is literally asking for the cheapest option. Also, when you say "it appears", that is code for, "I've never owned one, but I'm going to tell you why you are wrong anyway."
 
Caught my 3rd 40" 4K Samsung MU6290/6300 on close out at WM for $161 and could not be happier. VA looks great when you are setting within the viewing cone.
 
Donald Bell said:
Fortunately, nobody is forcing you to use a TV for a monitor. Also, you literally argued the proper use case for VA, looking straight on, like I already mentioned. It is hard to argue the elitist route when the OP is literally asking for the cheapest option. Also, when you say "it appears", that is code for, "I've never owned one, but I'm going to tell you why you are wrong anyway."
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Please don't attack my intelligence. I gave my opinion without attacking you.

"Appears," as in I've looked at the preponderance of information and am making an assumption that the reviewers are knowledgable about the product.
ap-pear /əˈpir/
  1. seem; give the impression of being
  2. to become evident or manifest
Reviews of the 4-, 5-, and 6- series:
https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/tcl/s-series-4k-2017-s405
https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/tcl/5-series-2018-s517
https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/tcl/p-series-2017-p607

User impressions:
https://www.avforums.com/threads/mo...5s405-4k-tv-with-the-latest-firmware.2127276/
http://www.avsforum.com/forum/166-l...what-point-lcd-staggered-subpixel-matrix.html
http://www.avsforum.com/forum/166-l...hdr-tv-first-look-review-87.html#post56326790

I have owned several larger televisions and used on a desk for PC use, including VA and TN, and can speak from personal experience to the shift in color with both panel types when sitting as dead center as possible.

My opinion is that TN or VA is not optimal if its primary use is for PC productivity. It is also that when consuming media, I prefer the dark blacks and high contrast ratio of a VA panel. As I'm discovering now, an IPS panel with FALD can also be nearly as good as a VA panel in that respect.

Most televisions are going to be VA. The subpixel dimming was information I brought forward as it may impact PC usage and is a feature that not all televisions have. As you can see in the links above, it didn't bother some people while it did others. Again: My opinion is that a panel utilizing such a feature would not make it a good candidate for PC usage.
 
the CHEAPEST 444 are from Samsung and TCL.

These 2 are always on sale or clearance.
The TCL 43" is often on sale for around $260.
The samsungs are on clearance all the time, and during the year, they are about $300.

Besides the 43" and 65" TCL S series, all other TCL's have ugly static dithering that looks like shit when you're actually using them as a pc monitor.

I have never seen the sony 43x720e for less than $450, and it has shitty contrast and color gamut.

TCL has the widest color gamut of this entry level group.
 
Armenius said:
Please don't attack my intelligence. I gave my opinion without attacking you.
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I never insulted your intelligence. I insulted your elitist "I know everything" attitude when you clearly have no grasp on what the OP is asking for, "what's the cheapest 4:4:4 TV that I can get". I would also like you point out that you've been so busy arguing about panel types, you haven't actually recommended a single brand, much less a model of TV for the OP to look at.

Back to the OP:
It looks like the new 6-series models are out for TCL, but start at 55": https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B079N9HDNQ

If you are looking for something more economical, look at the 43" UHD TCL 43S405 for $279: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tcl-43...d-tv-with-hdr-roku-tv/5947248.p?skuId=5947248

Although, if I were you, I would bring a laptop and see about connecting it in the store before buying (or see if they can use one of theirs). You can read all the reviews you want, but there is no substitute for seeing a TV using your intended sources. Just make sure you default the picture settings first, since people frequently mess with them.
 
yeah, rtings doesn't deduct enough points for pc usage.

it seems as long as it does chroma 444 4k60hz, it gets ~8 points.
 
I'm happy with my VA version of Samsung UN43MU6300. It was $245 after one of those eBay % off coupons.
Don't have the TCL to compare to though.
 
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