What a terrible time to love home theaters, we are the start of a big transition to 4K TV (4x the resolution of HD) and prices are literally crashing. The top models seem to be according to hdguru.com and soundandvision.com and their uhd reviews:
- Sony XBR65W900A. (TrustedReviews)he price is falling like crazy, now Amazon is offering 10% off plus a free high-def media server for a net of $5k. On AVS Forum, The main issue seems to be problems with the X1 and also drop outs in audio for HDMI. It seems to do particularly well in color definition even though it is also edge lit. TrustedReviews says Using passive 3D is a big advantage as well in terms of usability at least. It is fast at 32ms, so can game and its audio built in is better.
- Samsung UE65F9000. $4500. TrustedReviews points out it is edge lit so doesn’t have cinema black (also know as fald, full array local dimming). It has high input lag (so not great for gaming), and it is Hdmi 2.0 with an external box. It has high definition (eg sharpness). Even so it has better black levels than the sony. While it does do active 3D, its upscaling is incredible apparently.
- Panasonic TC-L65WT600B ($5500) which is already Hdmi 2.0 ready and has displayport so can support 4k/60 out of the box even if you need a Mac Pro and serious PC hardware to drive it. (the Sony W900a requires an upgrade and is 4K Thx certified. It looks good particularly in a dark room, but the DisplayPort 1.2 interface had a host of problems. It does have HDMI 2.0 on one port.
And for those of us still in the 1080p world (aka 2K), the best buys seem to be Panasonic plasmas, the TC-P65ZT60 at $3600, short of OLED, hte very best. The TC-65ST60 at $2200 is only slightly less stunning and a great value.
