Some very, very positive Direct TV news...

[LosAngelesRams]

Well, I was hoping to hear Direct TV lost there contract with the NFL.

 

[Mackeyser]

If you're looking for a top of the line TV. Here it is...

http://store.sony.com/84.6-diag-x95...7-XBR85X950B/cat-27-catid-XBR-4K-Ultra-HD-TVs

Not to be picky, but as a former multimedia engineer, it's sorta where I lived... That monitor isn't really a product. It's more of a test bed.

The only reason to buy something like that is if you have stupid money AND you can't work in a projector due to room or aesthetic factors because a projector would be better in just about every scenario except maybe a very high ambient light setting like bright daylight and you just don't see those types of monitors typically installed where tons of uncontrolled light shines around.

That said, it's not a bad monitor.

I prefer the curved Samsungs having looked at both. The curvature gives the viewer a much larger horizontal off axis viewing angle and significantly reduces glare.

As for buying now or later? Prices will fluctuate and go up and down. Believe it or not, the good sets sell out before football season, before the Super Bowl and before the Oscars and sale prices aren't always as deep as during other times. Stock can fluctuate depending on new models so keep that in mind. If the new model is a modest refresh with features you don't want or need (*cough* 3D), then that's a great time to look for steep discounting on the "old" model. If, however, the new model has things like upgraded processors, upgraded backlighting, better electronics, etc, then perhaps you might want to wait.

One reason to wait? No standard for 4K media. We barely have BluRay and now we have 4K? Well, because we've ignored the infrastructure in this country, we can't do 4K to everyone so 4K isn't an option. Which means that they are going to have to address 4K physical media at some point. And that means standards and that may mean that older monitors may not meet those standards.

One reason to buy? Takes forever to set standards. By the time they set a standard, you'll already have gotten you'd money's worth from the first set and be ready to upgrade. More and more content is coming online every day and lemme tell you from a professional standpoint, the upconverters on the 4K monitors are outstanding. Even going from standard def to 4K looked good and well shot HD looked amazing. Normally, the artifacting (jargon for when the codec gets the math wrong and draws the wrong pixel or when the codec isn't capable of getting the math right and draws a poor choice of pixel) is pretty noticeable and predictable, but I was surprised at how well these monitors unconverted the various sources I saw. Pleasantly.

Oh, and that means that every game in HD looks BETTER on a UHD set due to the upconversion. It just does. And not by a little. It's striking. Watching recorded native 4K sporting events was jaw-dropping.

(All the more reason to hope DirecTV loses and the NFL can sell to multiple outlets at competitive prices.)

I steered my mom to the 65" Samsung curved UHD monitor without 3D and we've been binge watching House of Cards on it. We started Season 3 which is in 4K and holy smokes... It's like Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright are performing in the living room.