4K TV. No this isn’t the price of a TV set, it’s a new(ish) technology that’s slowly making it’s way into our homes courtesy of Rogers. A while back I was part of a lucky group of bloggers chosen by Rogers to participate in a program focused around the Blue Jays 2016 season and Samsung’s SUHD 4K TVs.
I’ve had the TV for about four months now so I thought I’d write this article letting you guys know what I thought of the TV, the 4K content currently available on the Rogers network and the Nextbox itself.
Lets start with the NextBox 4K. If you want 4K content you need this cable box and it’ll set you back $12.95 per month. But just because this cable box will deliver picture quality that’s four times the resolution of HD, don’t expect all the bells and whistles. My biggest pet peeve with this box is that it offers no PVR functionality. That means no recording of your favorite show, no fast forwarding through the latest Trivago commercial, and no pausing of live TV when you need to run to the kitchen to grab that second bowl of popcorn. Don’t let these negatives turn you off though, the folks at Rogers have mentioned that a new box will be coming out later this year that will allow you to record, fast forward, and pause to your heart’s content.
The next thing you must have if you want 4K content is a 4K capable TV set like the one that was provided to us. The Samsung JS8500 SUHD 4K Ultra HD LED 3D TV (try saying that three times in a row) is a fantastic set, and I’m not just saying that. Here are some of it’s notable features:
- SUHD – Life-like colors, deep contrast, optimized brightness, and 4K resolution.
- Nano-Crystal Color – This technology produces a wide-range of colors for life-like color reproduction.
- Contrast Enhancer – This delivers a greater sense of depth with optimized contrast across multiple zones of the screen.
- 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) Native Resolution – Four times the resolution of Full HD to deliver a rich and detailed viewing.
- Precision Black – This delivers enhanced black levels and contrast, while bright areas of the screen remain bright.
- UHD Upscaling – Upscale lower resolution content to conform to the TVs native resolution.
- Ultra Clear Panel – Minimizes glare from a variety of angles with a screen that absorbs ambient light and reduces reflections.
This TV itself is a very nice looking piece of tech even when it’s not turned on. It has a brushed metal trim around the edges of the screen with half-inch bezels on the top and bottom. The front-facing, T-shaped base stand matches the bezel and also comes in a brushed finish.
The sound quality on this TV is amazing. The stereo speakers along with a pair of subwoofers provided balanced sound without any distortion. By itself, I have no complaints of the sound quality but if I wanted I could easily pick up a good soundbar for that extra “boom”.
And finally the star of the show, the actual 4K content. To be honest there isn’t a whole lot of content available right now, but you can still find enough to keep your eyes very happy. To start with, Rogers has been broadcasting all of the Blue Jays home games in 4K. They’ve also been doing the same for Maple Leaf games, but I can’t say if it’s just home games, or all games. They’ve also committed to bringing 4K content on Rogers On Demand as well as Shomi Canada later this year. The good news is that you don’t need to wait on these broadcasts to begin. Odds are your 4K cable TV is also a smart TV so you can start watching 4K content on Netflix and YouTube. Bear in mind that these use internet, not cable, so keep an eye on your monthly usage.
In an article published earlier this year, Canadian Business declared that 2016 will be a breakthrough year for 4K television. August is here and I can’t wait to see what the next few months will bring.
Now the question is, would I recommend you subscribing to Rogers for 4K content? If you’re a sports fan, especially a Blue Jays or Maple Leafs fan then yes, I think it’s definitely worth it. I’ve truly enjoyed watching the Blue Jays games in 4K. The colours are rich without being over-saturated, and the level of detail is something I’ve never experienced before. In slow motion you can actually see the seams on the ball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, it’s that clear!
If sports isn’t your cup of tea then, to be honest, I’d wait until more 4K content is available, but all signs point to this becoming a reality soon. The good news is that we’re in the early stages of 4K broadcasting becoming the norm, and like many new technologies it’s going to both improve and become more affordable, so jump on and enjoy the ride.
Disclaimer: I was provided a Samsung 4K TV, a NextBox 4K cable box, and 4K content by Rogers and Samsung for review but all opinions expressed are 100% my own.
