If you’re a tech fan with a passion for the best in home theater products, money may be no object when it comes to purchasing the latest and greatest in equipment. Several dozen brands have flooded the market with hundreds of home theater and home audio equipment products. It’s crucial to know what you want and know how much you’re willing to spend in order to successfully navigate through the sea of possibilities.
One of the newest technologies on the market are 4K Ultra HD sets. Sony launched their version of the 4K Ultra HD display, the 55-inch XBR-55X900A and the 65-inch XBR-65X900A, earlier in the year. Both were applauded for vivid, crisp color, wireless connectivity to a variety of apps, and amazing sound innovation – and the 5-to-7-k price tag.
Now entering the ring is LG Electronics, which launched its own version of the 55- and 65-inch 4K Ultra HD displays in mid-July at the Video & Audio Center in Santa Monica. The 4K Ultra HD displays boast stunning color and sound, but with a premium price tag of about $1000 more per set.
So, home theater system fanatics, is the LG Electronics 4K Ultra HD display worth the extra grand? It all goes back to what you want from your electronics.
At the launch, LG Electronics displayed their 55- and 65-inch sets side-by-side, and reporters wrote about subtle differences in the picture qualities. The LG version of the 4K Ultra HD displays have a special technology, nano full LED array backlighting, that may give the sets an extra edge, especially to consumers who place a high value on video quality. “[The nano full LED array backlighting technology] produces deeper black levels and evens out colors throughout the display,” said Eddie Lee, LG senior product marketing manager. According to LG Electronics, the 55- and 65-inch 4K Ultra HD displays are the first and only sets utilizing this type of nano- technology.
In addition to the nano full LED array backlighting, the LG 4K Ultra HD display has a built-in Skype camera and a drop-down sliding 50-watt, 4.1-channel speaker, which give them a sleeker look than the Sony version.
Although aesthetically some consumers may like the look of the LG 4K Ultra HD 55- and 65-inch displays, Sony provides something that may be more important – readily available 4K content. Customers who purchase the Sony displays will receive “4K Mastered” Blu-ray versions of Spider-Man, Ghostbusters and Angels & Demons. Plus, Sony also offers an Ultra HD Media Player to stream native 4K entertainment right to your display.
So, what do you think? Is a Skype camera, slightly better video quality and a hidden speaker worth an extra grand? Would you choose the LG or Sony version of the 4K Ultra HD display?