Robert George
Screenwriter
- Joined
- Jul 3, 1997
- Messages
- 1,176
After something of an ordeal involving Sharp and HH Gregg retailer (more on that in a minute), I finally got a new 85" Samsung 4K UHD display installed last evening and, of course, went into the wee hours of the morning trying different settings followed by some of the most astonishing Blu-ray viewing I have ever seen, but more on that in a minute also.
A few of you will be familiar with my background as a long-time video/movie hobbyist, DVD reviewer and for a number of years, as a designer of custom AV systems Although I left the professional AV field a year ago, my enjoyment of the hobby has never faded. During my time as an AV designer, I was able to finally realize a goal of owning a large screen front projection system with a string of front projectors, ending with a Pioneer Elite PRO-FPJ1 (JVC clone) shining of a 106" Dalite HD Progressive (Joe Kane) screen.
About a year ago, two things came together that fundamentally changed my home theater. My wife began to tire of the projector and screen in our living room, and Sharp dropped the price of their 90" LCD to something that I could almost afford. With some trepidation, and full knowledge that the Sharp was not state-of-the-art for even 1080p panels, I gave up the projector for a direct view flat panel. And I was reasonably satisfied right up until the set stopped playing 3D. Sharp made three attempts over a six week period, but oddly was not able to restore 3D function to the TV. After only a single threat of legal action, they did live up to their warranty and offered me a full credit. Unfortunately, the credit was only at the original retailer and that was the local HH Gregg and they are worse than even the worst things you hear about Best Buy.
With Sharp no longer putting 3D in their TVs, and no new 90" in the line-up, my focus moved to Samsung with their 85" 4K flat (as in not curved) panel. Lost inches, but gained a whole lot more pixels. But pixels is only part of the story.
After weeks of waiting, excuses, and generally not knowing anything useful, the TV finally showed up yesterday. With two of us first dismounting the 90" behemoth Sharp, then muscling the almost equally behemoth Samsung into place on the wall, it was time to see what was what.
The usual foreplay of a new display started with a nice greeting on the screen then an immediate launch into a software update via wired LAN connection. The Samsung does have Wi-fi, of course, but we occasionally use Netflix so I prefer a wired connection. Running through the usual litany of turning some things off, adjusting other things, I got to a picture quality that didn't make me want to puke. In fact, I was already seeing a markedly better picture than the store had on a 75" in demo mode. That started to get me excited. Running through a couple of test discs and about an hour of tweaks and trying different settings got the TV to a place that made the montage of demo material on the Spears & Munsil test disc look absolutely stunning. It was time for a pile of Blu-ray discs. Yes, DirecTV broadcast does show considerable improvement over the 1080p Sharp, that is not a reference source so I don't expect reference images.
Instead of starting with a flat image, I grabbed the disc I consider reference for both general image quality, and 3D quality. James Cameron's blue man epic, Avatar is such a rip off of Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolves, but I think in a good way, and as eye candy, it is about as good as there is. It is also a disc that I have seen enough times both flat and 3D, I knew that would really tell me all I needed to know. Boy, was there a lot to say.
With just the opening text screens and menu, I was in awe. I had to let the menu animation play for several minutes just to take in the incredibly detailed 3D image. When I hit "play in 3D", it only got better. My reaction was as though I had never seen this disc before. I could not stop watching. The depth and detail was astounding. In both flat and 3D, I was seeing subtle textures and fine details I did not even suspect HD Blu-ray was capable of. The early scene of the ship approaching Pandora exhibited a deep, velvety black without any noticeable washed-out gray I had become not very used to with the Sharp. But even with the stunning contrast that I have not seen since the last generation of the Pioneer Elite plasmas and the subsequent high-end Panasonic plasmas, there is almost unbelievable shadow detail for any TV, much less an LCD panel. Couple the high dynamic range of the video with exceptional detail in dark areas, then add some of the most beautifully saturated colors I have ever seen on any video display and you get video images that are almost impossible to turn away from.
Finally, it was getting past 2 am when I remembered reading some of the usual, negative comments on another forum about the new 4K remaster of The Fifth Element. I decided I would have Leeloo put me to bed. I lit up the new transfer of what has been a ubiquiteous demo disc for just about every format since laserdisc and was floored by this new disc. Like so many others around places like this, I am so familiar with the images of this film that I did not think there would be anything that would surprise. Once the disc started, I had to force myself to hit stop and head off the bed...an hour later!. I suspect those complaining about this new disc are not watching on a well-tuned 4K display.
So, there it is. The only problem I have encountered so far is deciding which of the pile of new discs that have been waiting for this new TV that I will watch first. One thing is certain, I have a couple of weeks of very enjoyable movie catching up ahead.
And in a few months, UHD Blu-ray. Oy vey!
A few of you will be familiar with my background as a long-time video/movie hobbyist, DVD reviewer and for a number of years, as a designer of custom AV systems Although I left the professional AV field a year ago, my enjoyment of the hobby has never faded. During my time as an AV designer, I was able to finally realize a goal of owning a large screen front projection system with a string of front projectors, ending with a Pioneer Elite PRO-FPJ1 (JVC clone) shining of a 106" Dalite HD Progressive (Joe Kane) screen.
About a year ago, two things came together that fundamentally changed my home theater. My wife began to tire of the projector and screen in our living room, and Sharp dropped the price of their 90" LCD to something that I could almost afford. With some trepidation, and full knowledge that the Sharp was not state-of-the-art for even 1080p panels, I gave up the projector for a direct view flat panel. And I was reasonably satisfied right up until the set stopped playing 3D. Sharp made three attempts over a six week period, but oddly was not able to restore 3D function to the TV. After only a single threat of legal action, they did live up to their warranty and offered me a full credit. Unfortunately, the credit was only at the original retailer and that was the local HH Gregg and they are worse than even the worst things you hear about Best Buy.
With Sharp no longer putting 3D in their TVs, and no new 90" in the line-up, my focus moved to Samsung with their 85" 4K flat (as in not curved) panel. Lost inches, but gained a whole lot more pixels. But pixels is only part of the story.
After weeks of waiting, excuses, and generally not knowing anything useful, the TV finally showed up yesterday. With two of us first dismounting the 90" behemoth Sharp, then muscling the almost equally behemoth Samsung into place on the wall, it was time to see what was what.
The usual foreplay of a new display started with a nice greeting on the screen then an immediate launch into a software update via wired LAN connection. The Samsung does have Wi-fi, of course, but we occasionally use Netflix so I prefer a wired connection. Running through the usual litany of turning some things off, adjusting other things, I got to a picture quality that didn't make me want to puke. In fact, I was already seeing a markedly better picture than the store had on a 75" in demo mode. That started to get me excited. Running through a couple of test discs and about an hour of tweaks and trying different settings got the TV to a place that made the montage of demo material on the Spears & Munsil test disc look absolutely stunning. It was time for a pile of Blu-ray discs. Yes, DirecTV broadcast does show considerable improvement over the 1080p Sharp, that is not a reference source so I don't expect reference images.
Instead of starting with a flat image, I grabbed the disc I consider reference for both general image quality, and 3D quality. James Cameron's blue man epic, Avatar is such a rip off of Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolves, but I think in a good way, and as eye candy, it is about as good as there is. It is also a disc that I have seen enough times both flat and 3D, I knew that would really tell me all I needed to know. Boy, was there a lot to say.
With just the opening text screens and menu, I was in awe. I had to let the menu animation play for several minutes just to take in the incredibly detailed 3D image. When I hit "play in 3D", it only got better. My reaction was as though I had never seen this disc before. I could not stop watching. The depth and detail was astounding. In both flat and 3D, I was seeing subtle textures and fine details I did not even suspect HD Blu-ray was capable of. The early scene of the ship approaching Pandora exhibited a deep, velvety black without any noticeable washed-out gray I had become not very used to with the Sharp. But even with the stunning contrast that I have not seen since the last generation of the Pioneer Elite plasmas and the subsequent high-end Panasonic plasmas, there is almost unbelievable shadow detail for any TV, much less an LCD panel. Couple the high dynamic range of the video with exceptional detail in dark areas, then add some of the most beautifully saturated colors I have ever seen on any video display and you get video images that are almost impossible to turn away from.
Finally, it was getting past 2 am when I remembered reading some of the usual, negative comments on another forum about the new 4K remaster of The Fifth Element. I decided I would have Leeloo put me to bed. I lit up the new transfer of what has been a ubiquiteous demo disc for just about every format since laserdisc and was floored by this new disc. Like so many others around places like this, I am so familiar with the images of this film that I did not think there would be anything that would surprise. Once the disc started, I had to force myself to hit stop and head off the bed...an hour later!. I suspect those complaining about this new disc are not watching on a well-tuned 4K display.
So, there it is. The only problem I have encountered so far is deciding which of the pile of new discs that have been waiting for this new TV that I will watch first. One thing is certain, I have a couple of weeks of very enjoyable movie catching up ahead.
And in a few months, UHD Blu-ray. Oy vey!
