Originally posted by normhead In my definition, mainstream is mainstream as in, everyone has one. You and I have different definitions.
Yes, I mean mainstream as in "Joe Sixpack could plausibly afford one if he went out and bought a TV right now", not as in "everyone owns one right now". Your definition of "mainstream" is basically "technology from 5 years ago" because that's how long it takes to hit 100% market penetration.
When a 4K TV costs the same as an equivalent 1080p screen - that's "mainstream" to me.
Again comparing prices on Amazon - a 39" 1080p panel is $330 (their #5 top seller), a Seiki 39" 4K panel is $330. I don't care how much you're getting ripped off at FutureShop. Here we call them Best Buy, and they're a ripoff here too. Last time I was in one, they tried to charge me $25 for a 8" SATA cable. They're slowly going bankrupt and good riddance. Awful prices and an unpleasant experience.
Quote: I go to Futureshop and the cheapest system is 999.99 Futureshop is kind of like a mainstream store. SO yes they are there. But, what use are they?
Whoa, where's the connectivity for the 6.1 "latest greatest" DTS Pemium Sound system I have in the basement. They're still selling 1080p units that cost 3 times the price of this unit. And I still can't figure out what the heck I'd do with it.
Yeah, content is the achilles' heel right now. Getting ahold of movies in 4K is tough, but 4K on triple-layer Bluray are coming early next year. And you can stream 4K from Netflix and some other digital delivery services right now.
As for sound - seems like you want a receiver with HDMI passthrough. They're out there on the market, here's a
Sony for $300. I don't know what you're complaining about. Worst case, do multichannel analog and route it through your old receiver. Is this just an attempt to rack up the numbers by pretending you need to buy a whole new stereo system too?
Quote: I have a 6.1 DTS sound system, and very little it could be used for. It sits in a box in my basement, but I am so ahead of the curve.
I don't know why you haven't plugged in your stereo system, honestly. My guess is that you're kind of a greybeard who's not really into the whole "home cinema" experience, or having the latest camera tech, and so on. Neither am I - I have a 2.1 sound system (2 speakers + a woofer) and an XGA projector. Something like 120" diagonal and I'm in it for something like $300, excluding the laptop that drives it, and I enjoy the crap out of it. My 16mp digital camera does everything I need - 720p video, high-ISO, and cost me $400 with kit and normal lenses. Everything is used. Would I accept that quality if I was shelling out top dollar for brand new tech? Nope.
But you were the one who bought it, if you don't like it flip it on eBay or something, don't pretend you're some kind of parable just because you're too lazy to plug in your stereo. Bluray disks usually have DTS streams, you're missing out for no good reason.
Quote: Whoa, now this is a kicker....
"How close can I sit before I see pixels" isn't the proper way to evaluate pixel pitch. Again, consider Apple Retina displays - the entire point is that for normal usage there is more resolution than you can actually see, which makes the image very smooth and eases eye strain. It's in effect a form of "super-sampling" for your eyeball.
You can protest tech specs all you want, but people really like high-PPI displays. To the extent that Apple is rumored to be
phasing out the non-Retina Macbook models sometime this year. The real-world feedback from people who have used them - rather than measurebating specs on the internet - is a resounding YES PLEASE.
I love my high PPI phone screen, myself. I have a Moto G, which would be sold as a Retina if it were Apple brand. Looks great.