It’s been almost a year since we upgraded our home entertainment system from the 37” Visio HD TV that had served us well since 2008 to a new, much larger LG OLED 4k display. Given some of the issues that still swirl around 4k (and 8k) displays, I figured it might be worthwhile to highlight both the good and bad parts of our own experience.
I remember when we first got our HD TV. We were living in a two-bedroom condo, and the TV was just the right size for our home. One of the first HD shows we watched was an episode of Dirty Jobs on the Discovery channel. I spent several minutes flipping from the SD to HD feed, just in awe of how the gravel roadbed went from poorly defined gray blobs to individual rocks.
There was no such awe-inspiring moment when upgrading from HD to 4k, although there were certainly moments of “I can’t believe how big everything looks now” and “Wow, you can practically count the rivets on the Super Hornets in this Top Gun: Maverick UHD DVD.
Going into this purchase, my biggest concern was how would our old DVDs look on the big 4k screen. This article from JD Cowan, which talks in part about how bad some standard definition content looks on new displays, had me especially concerned. We don’t have a huge movie library, but we do have a decent number of DVDs which I wasn’t particularly excited to rebuy, assuming that it was even possible in some cases.
I’m pleased to report that the standard definition content issue, at least where it pertains to DVDs, has not been an issue. I threw every test I could think of at this TV. Action movies, anime, and even some old black and white Three Stooges episodes from one of those multipack comedy DVD things where zero care is given to transfer quality. Everything passed with flying colors.
However, things aren’t so wonderful if you’re a fan of watching old TV shows on cable or network TV. This is where Cowan’s comments on video quality have merit.
To get into the technical weeds for a moment, the big issue with 4k displays and old SD content is how the upscaler software and chip work. To scale an SD image up to a 4k display, the renderer needs to fill in all the extra pixels in the image so that it looks correct. On the LG display, it seems to have no problem doing that with the uncompressed signal it gets from a PS5 playing a DVD, but whatever compression TV stations and our cable provider use on their signals make for a different story. New content in standard definition usually looks okay (save for some weird artifacting around fast moving things like wheels) presumably because it was shot in HD and then downscaled for broadcast, but vintage shows tend to have serious artifacting issues.
In short, if you want to watch reruns of Gunsmoke or Buck Rogers, it’s best to pick up some DVDs, rather than wait for ME TV to run them.
It should go almost without saying that new current generation video games look amazing. Gran Turismo 7 on a 4k TV is nearly lifelike enough to fool people into thinking you’re watching a real race. But even old PS2/Xbox/Gamecube games upscale nicely. Do the graphics look a little pixelated? Sure, not in a bad way.
Where the TV does show a definite flaw is in the sound quality. While not noticeable in most programs, the lack of range and voices becomes apparent precisely when you least want it to. Imagine this: you’re settling in to watch your new UHD copy of The Lord of the Rings Director’s Cut edition. As Howard Stone’s brilliant soundtrack swells to its first crescendo when Gandalf reaches The Shire, you’re greeted by a new sound. One which very much resembles a clarinet screech that might be heard during a middle school band concert, but which is actually made by no instrument crafted by the hands of man.
Rather, this particular raucous noise is caused by too many sounds overwhelming the TV’s sound processors, and the silicon doing the electronic equivalent of throwing up its hands and shouting “We have no idea, just play everything!” It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s frustrating that a very expensive TV would require an additional purchase of a decent soundbar (around $100 – $200) to really get the optimal viewing/listening experience.
Down to the real nuts and bolts question though: “Is it worth the upgrade?” In my personal opinion, if you’ve already got a HD TV that you like, in a size that you like, then no. The visual quality difference just isn’t that big.
However, If you’re upgrading because of a major move, replacing something broken, or simply adding an additional TV for a new room, then you’ll likely find few choices that aren’t 4k TVs new on the shelves anymore. In that case, I think it’s worth it to spend extra for the 4k TV, mainly for future proofing. There’s also no denying that the both the OLED and QLED TVs look significantly better than the backlit LED HD TVs from a decade ago.
Just keep in mind that the upscaling software and chip may be a critical factor if you’re planning to watch a lot of older DVDs. Where major name brands like Sony or LG have spent a lot of time and money getting their upscaling tech right, a bargain brand may have used that area as a place to save some money.