You are on the right track. Getting the Nvidia Shield box + a decent 4K TV should be okay.. After reading your posts, my main concern would be the use of optical cable from the TV to the soundbar as opposed to a HDMI cable. Need to be careful not to buy a TV that dumbs down incoming surround sound signals to a stereo PCM signal. You would be surprised how many TVs out there do that. Since most of Netflix's HD is DD 5.1, that would suck. This is related to running the Netflix app on the Smart TV itself.

You won't if the TV does not support surround audio passthrough via optical link. Most TVs will only passthrough a PCM stereo signal via optical link regardless of what is being sent through. Check your TV Manual, it'll confirm this. This is not about the universal limitations of a toslink connection... those remain.

While simulated surround is thing. There are soundbars that come with subwoofers. I.e. jchue73's Yamaha YSP-2500 with Wireless Subwoofer. For some people, that's close enough while maintaining a certain aesthetics look.

I agree... Placement of everything within the room is very important. Can be for sound, aesthetics or both. Nowadays and with the internet, one has to plan and research first before spending thousands on electronics meant for long-term usage. A moot point if one is reading this

Need to confirm just in case. Can be done either in store by staff or through the manual, which can be downloaded off the manufacturer's website. For most, its not a big deal, especially if you've found that TV with PQ you can live with. Better safe than sorry.

I think such is the norm for most LED TVs.. Getting a warranty claim for such is dicey and your TV might be returned with an even worse panel, so best to stick with the current panel if it's not too disturbing. For handphones, I doubt that but I guess it depends on the screen type.. Samsung flagship phones with Super AMOLED screens aren't plagued by such issues. 4K OLED displays are the future as they do not require to be backlit. Hoping the R&D guys iron out the current bugs & achieve cheaper manufacturing costs..

Back-lit.

It's Back-lit... Sharp Malaysia's website confirms it.. Check the specs listing... If it were edge-lit, they'd specifically mention it and the light at the edge of the panels would have been noticeably brighter (not dimmer) than other areas, when a grey background is displayed.

*Remarks: LED TV refers to LCD TV with LED Back-lit.

This post has been edited by voncrane: Feb 2 2016, 05:03 PM

What's your reasonable budget? Obviously, if it's too low, you don't get the good stuff. There are very limited & capable boxes that can stream like the Roku. Especially if powered by Android.

Edit: probably not a discussion for this thread...

This post has been edited by voncrane: Feb 4 2016, 12:42 PM

At minimum... Double your budget.. Can consider the Nvidia Shield TV box or a custom HTPC.. Alternatively, you can get the Roku 4 for about RM800.

You r welcome.. Seems like only a decent HTPC can improve your current setup.. So you essentially answered your question..

Yeah.. Keeping up is a pain... That's why I've begun saving & refused to trade up to a 4K TV just yet... IMO, an ideal setup includes a lovely 70" 4K Smart TV + regular Android OS apps support or Android TV + access to regular android apps, a custom HTPC (hardware upgradeable), a decent NAS system & router to boot. The icing on the cake being Google's 1Gbps gigabit Internet + TV service..

Yeah, more spending is required. Though, with tech this days, its like once released for sale on the market, its already obsolete. So my main concern is purchase satisfaction. Read about the Sony TVs... That has to go up on the wall, can't risk it tipping over..

Oh yeah, forgot to include sounds systems into the setup... Overkill.... A/V Receiver capable of DTS:X and Dolby Atmos 9.1.2 speakers config.... ... Starting from scratch, top of the range everything can easily surpass RM100K. There's a thread up on avsforums dedicated to "casual" discussions about ultra high-end HT systems costing minimum $20K.. Wow! Much cash... Guess some folks really don't mess around with sound quality huh..

IMO, I believe it's best to get a HT/AVR with ARC, ample HDMI inputs and at least 1 HDMI output. At the very minimum, HD audio support up to the popular Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. Maybe even Dolby Atmos. Cuz I believe (wouldn't blame them) TV manufacturers worry more about picture quality than HD audio options.

Yeah, same point... TVs (more towards PQ improvement than audio)... For those that want more, an external player & AVR that supports MKV, MP4, ISO, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA, etc will do.

A TV with built-in basic features of an AVR? Perhaps.. Maybe the guys @ Xiaomi can make this a reality.. The Samsung One Connect Evolution Kit is kinda similar to being a "project ARA" for TVs. Well, the closest at least for now. Profits-wise, I doubt any all-in-one package will be introduced. It's like today's smartphones, manufacturers simply won't make that one phone to rule them all for a couple of years (minimum), why? Cuz they want us to replace it, there'll always be something missing..

Sure, those in the know who care about audio passthrough, formats, high res audio, etc won't mind paying even an extra $25 per TV to get codecs supported etc. But from the manufacturer's point of view, $25 x say 200 million units is a lot of lost profit, especially when the people who care about such issues are definitely "negligible" in the grand scheme of things. When a new UHD/SUHD is launched, people go gaga over color reproduction, clarity, motion, processing speed, upscaling engines, etc.. Very rarely do they bother about sound since TV speakers don't cut it anyway. I think the only way they'll all budge, is if it's made an international standard/requirement that all TVs (@ least Mid-range & above) be able to play and passthrough (HDMI) the latest codecs onto a supporting AVR/HT. That just might do it...

Exactly.. I'm hoping in the next 3 - 5 years, significant & CHEAPER improvements would have been made in the TV industry.

True... Thing is, the tech to accomplish this has been available.. Take the new video compression standard, H.265, capable of significantly better compression performance and lower bandwidth utilization. Now, coupled with Gigabit Ethernet, adapters & Internet speed... Way more than enough to power 4K IPTV... Provided those in charge make the proper switches... About 80 years ago, roughly when commercial television broadcasts started in the US, talks about 1080p or 4K streaming would have been considered works of science fiction. But here we are today... Speaking of gigabit Internet speeds.. Malaysia boleh?

I agree and I'm fine with it taking a few years to achieve, cuz major technological changes do take awhile to be implemented & become mainstream. Take IPv6 adoption rate, since 2009 till date & it's still hovering around a 10% worldwide adoption rate.. Question is.. Are the necessary infrastructure being planned now?

No worries, Apple trusts Foxconn..

Done the usual troubleshooting like picture reset, HDMI & Power cable swap, Source checks, etc? Can be repaired if you get the right repairer & replacement parts.. Lines are called.. "Defects".

Currently, SHARP is being bought over by Foxconn. $6 billion deal. At the moment, the deal's shaky as Foxconn isn't liking some new found information.. So support future-wise, yet unknown. Don't let that put you off buying a SHARP TV if you like it.. We are not talking shares here..

Makes so much sense...

Yes it does, if the new buyer decides to shutdown the TV manufacturing & support section.. In case you are unaware; Currently, Sharp supplies Apple with LCD displays for iPhones in addition to being a leading television maker and selling audio equipment, home appliances and more. The company has fallen on hard times recently, incurring a net loss of nearly $1.9 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2015. It also must repay $4.3 billion it had borrowed by March; Foxconn reportedly was willing to take on the debt. Foxconn isn't stupid to take on such debts without having an ulterior motive in place.. More so, when they are the ones who assemble Apple's products.. Link that if you can.. So yes, future support wise, it will affect your TV (should it develop a serious issue) if Sharp is handled as Nokia was by Microsoft.. Remember that?

A good TV can belong in any living room, etc.. I doubt even the best projectors can do the same.. Besides, maybe you really like projectors, others really like TVs. So, if you are unwilling to spend 7K or more on a TV, that's just your opinion. Some are willing to spend over 20K, it's their funds & satisfaction..

This post has been edited by voncrane: Feb 28 2016, 09:40 AM