first, u must decide what is impt and not impt to you, middle ground will not help u decide.
do u, will u play mostly SD or HD?
do u see playing 2160p, 10bit in the next year or so?
if sticking to mostly SD or 720 stuff like astro and hypptv, can save the money, buy fullHD.
if mostly 1080p, bluray, may go higher, 4kTV will amaze u with the upscaling.
for that, do not stinge - go for the better ones. if not, don't buy it.
but take note the better 4ktv/HDR tv's typically come with a good androidtv - if not using it, it will be a waste.

dannyop is quite right. 8ft, 10ft, 15ft... how it comes out is about your own eyes. many have said they cannot see any diff between 720p and bluray videos. so, only way is you compare with yr own eyes.

the other thing is there is almost zero chance someone here bought a 4k tv AND a fullHD tv recently to be able to comment on the diff. and tech changes very quickly; every year, significant changes become reality. the only way is to read the comments on specific models in diff threads, then judge with your own eyes in the shop.

In addition to all that have been mentioned.. Here's my take..

1. Your current budget falls very short from what is required by this thread.. Typically, that's thread derailing from the get go and most won't respond appropriately to that. However, since you asked a tad nicely.... Quick answers.. You are better off with a great 1080p TV (Smart) than a mediocre 4K TV. That's just me.. Tech will only get better and cheaper in three years. Plus, there'd be more 4K content for playback. Why? Good 1080p TVs if you can get a hold of em are much cheaper than they were a couple years ago, cuz 4K & HDR is all the rage now. Better bargain..

2. Yes you can.. Simply get a bigger screen.. At 8ft, recommendations are minimum 55" for 1080p and 70" for 4K TVs... This is of course dependent on the fact that your vision's... Well.. Good!.. I'll give you an example, I can see details & or defects on a screen, while my better half can't at all..

3. Get a TV that's truly "Smart".. I'm talking, solid playback of popular video & HD audio formats, be via USB or over LAN.. Then there's Netflix (make sure to confirm official support.. 1080p/4K), YouTube, Google Casting or similar support. Forget about getting a TV with good speakers (cuz you won't find one), rather concentrate and invest in a decent HT/AVR system... Passthrough and HDMI-ARC tech.

Extra: I'm a fan of Samsung's or LG's TV OSes.. Ultimately, it's your call cuz you will have to live with the TV for at least a couple of years.. The rule is to not focus on getting the "best" cuz trust me, you won't.. But rather, focus on purchasing the one your eyes agrees the most with within your budget.. If you go seeking out faults, you WILL find them and what you see, can never be unseen. Then immediately pull the trigger, no regrets!

This post has been edited by voncrane: Jul 23 2016, 07:28 PM

Thanks AVFAN & voncrane - always can rely on your replying.

Does that mean a good 4K TV you will no longer use a STB and rely solely on the in-built Android?

You are welcome..

That depends on if the TV ships with Android TV (Android TV OS is different from the Android OS found on most phones and tablets) & it's performance or the manufacturer's proprietary OS... Example, Samsung's newer OS is called Tizen. Obviously, you'll still need the STB for TM's Hypptv viewing. It's depends on your requirements & how far the budget can be stretched on entertainment . For some, due to unsatisfactory performance/unmet needs from either an android equipped TV or TM's STB, they also buy a dedicated media player to compliment their entertainment setup.

by STB, do you mean hypptv or astro or android box?

hypptv or astro boxes are proprietory devices, dedicated to what they offer.


when i say "a good 4ktv comes with androidtv", i mean it has a built in smart function for online streaming.

premium 4k sony, sharp and philips come with Google's Android TV which is the common system found in standalone android boxes.

other brands come with their own ops sys/apps; no idea if low cost 4ktv's come with anything.

i cannot comment on other systems since i have only used Google AndroidTV.

the android in the tv of this thread (sharp ue630x) is a pretty good one.

i am now using it more than the box that i have - faster, easier, save power.

it can do some things the box cannot do, e.g. uhd4k netflix.

but it can't do some things the box can, e.g. hd audio and some apps blocked by the tv's security feature.

so, it's good to have both.

but in general, i would say for common use, the android in the tv is as good as if not better than a typical box.

however, u will need to know the basics of handling apps, just like u need for a box.

if new to androidtv/boxes, do visit this busy thread:
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3126605/+2260


back to the video quality issue, i was going through my hundreds of old DVDs.

decided to junk a hundred more of them - too old, poor video, no need for them since i now have better versions.

but in the process, i found some of these old DVDs come out quite good on a 4K tv, better than iflix or some Kodi streams.

the explanation is probably some DVDs were made well, plus good upscaling by the bluray player and TV.

This post has been edited by AVFAN: Jul 24 2016, 11:53 AM

Hi guys, r u all getting software update for the tv? i am downloading version 20100_20160704...but cant seem to install..it says invalid package when it try to install..u guys have this problem?

same here. now my netflix cannot launch..

i tried google but no solution n i even reset my android tv.. no use at all

This post has been edited by ykgen: Jul 28 2016, 11:36 PM

yikes, i am about to reset my tv as well...thanks for informing..yea..google also din give answer as well...mayb is the new android tv 6.0 update?

yours is sharp or sony? damn hopefully they address the issue asap. what for releasing an update that cannot be installed..

Mine is sharp, ue630x...urs is sony?

lol.. same model

i noticed a message about update available.

but when i read further saying it will take "317 min", i did not proceed.



some bug in the update?

maybe wait a few days, google to see if any news.

meanwhile, do report here if u find anything new.

anyway netflix wont launch even if u refused to update...

Yea, the netflix refuse to launch if we dont update. I tried numerous times on the update, sometimes it will show 30 mins, 50mins, 400 mins...googled, still no luck..aiks

Time Internet is available at more locations now, just subscribed to 100Mbps line, will revisit Netflix again to compare with my previous Maxis 10Mbps.Thry even offer rm500 rebate for those transferring from other telco.

tried this morning. still no luck although the tv showed a message to update. i think as long as the version is the same. it is bugged. let's hope miracle happens soon.

Thank god i finished watching Stranger Things on netflix haha

youtube is updated too. but no more like n dislike option n there is no way to visit the channel now however, it can now play 1080p60fps smoothly

This post has been edited by ykgen: Jul 29 2016, 10:33 AM

I managed to update without any problems. Netflix works fine too.

What is the updated build version number? LMY47M?

is it the 20100_20160704 version. u use wifi to update?

Mine is 20100 LYM47M