With a 4k tv, can I watch normal tv and sports or can I only watch something that is filmed and broadcast 4k? and also can you change the resolution of the tv down to 1080p so I can watch all stations?

Edit: can video games be played on them too, such as xbox 360 and ps3

Yes you can watch regular non-4k shows on it without issues. No setting to change as the TV does it automatically.

I just got one and you can watch anything you want on it with no hassle.  There is almost no 4k content right now so its kind of a moot point at this time.

Well, I have a 4k Gopro and I could send you my videos.

4K definitely adds up fast.

4k life though.



 

+1 to the posts above.  It will do it automatically, so don't worry.

That being said, IMO, 4k TVs are a bit of a scam.  

- consumer electronics manufacturers price electronics according to a set level, and just upgrade the features every time they make a new one (every year, in TVs).  So, that means,that Samsung will always have a $1500 TV, it's just that each year they move more and more new tech or features into that $1500 TV.  This means, you have to know what features you need, and (when you want/need a new device) jump off at the price point that has your features.  

In the case of 4K TVs, if you bought a Vizio 40" 4k TV two years ago, IIRC, it was around $2000, while today something almost completely comparable is around $1000, while the $2000 TV has some extra ("picture quality" related) features today.  

- 1080 means the screen has 1920X1080 pixels.  4K means 3840 x 2160, so it's almost twice the *linear* pixels, so 4X the *total* pixels (ref: geometry 101).   So, all else being equal, a 4k video file will be 4x the size of a 1080p file, and therefore require 4X the processing power.  (this is mainly a problem for amateur videographers like myself and the dude above with the gopro.  We may have to buy better computers.  Pros already have better computers.  )

as mentioned, 4k content is rather sparse.  Much of it is compressed video (which is OK, but at a certain point you have to visibly compromise the video quality, making it not worth it).  UltraHD Blu-ray is very sparse today, and even many of the movies are originally shot in 2k (almost the same size as 1080p) and upscaled later, again making you wonder what the point is.  (I personally would rather have a good 1080 source - e.g. 1080p from broadcast-quality equipment and pro production -  than a middling consumer 4k source - e.g. my iphone).      

- the cheaper 4k TVs will only offer you improved resolution.  Right now, the UltraHD blu-rays (are supposed to) offer HDR video, with a much better colorspace than 1080p.  Nice, not revolutionary, but still another new feature, one that pushes it over to the "worth buying" hurdle, for me.  



Sorry to give you a headache.   The easy answer is, if you don't care about this stuff OR if you're getting a TV smaller than (I'd say) 60 inches, just get a 1080 TV and don't bother with 4k.  

If you do care, I wouldn't buy anything less than a 60-sih" 4k TV with HDR video (be careful, only at I think the $1800+ price point will they have HDR video), and be aware that in two years they'll be selling the same thing for much less.  

Your post was bookmarked.  Thanks.

DK-Prof: LOL

#1 You can skip all the brand bullshit by going with vizio.  They actually charge reasonable prices for their tv's and have enough offerings to suit nearly every preference/pricepoint.

#2 Most movies for the past several years have actually been shot in 4K (or higher) resolution.  2K was common in the previous decade.

#3: If 4k is such a folly, why would vizio shift its entire 2016 lineup to 4K displays only?  Rather big gamble for the #1 tv seller (in the US at least)

#4: Vizio has 4K tv's that support HDR starting at $849.

I have a Sony Bravia 4K 65".   The picture is awesome.   4K looks excellent, but there isn't much content yet.
 

VooDoo3dfx: glad to be of help.



Again, IMO:

#1: Vizio is the same.   Any mass consumer electronics maker has products for all kinds of price points, with the cheaper ones being lower margin high volume and the expensive ones being the opposite.  They are differentiated by features.  In fact, I was thinking of Vizio most when I wrote this, because I've been thinking of a Vizio TV for 3 years (to replace my long in the tooth but still adequate 10yo TV).  

#2

http://www.highdefdigest.com/blog/ultra-hd-not-always-4k/

http://referencehometheater.com/ultrahd-blu-ray-title-info/

Looking at the list, the majority are shot in various 4K raw formats, but some (e.g. Exodus God and Kings, Mad Max, Life of Pi, the Wild, X-men Days of Future Past) were shot in 2K or close equivalents.  A surprising number were shot in a 4k format mastered in 2k (a caveat I should have put in above), which I find weird because a lot of movies we care about were shot on film and have been remastered to 4K in recent blu-ray releases, with the likely intent of putting out a UHDBR release sometime in the future.  Which will be a Very Good Thing.  

(ETA: also check out the 4k blu ray picture reviews on blu-ray.com.   At best only minor gains from HDR and 4k, sometimes even marginal - I just read the Ghostbusters review and it's very disappointing.   That being said, enough -especailly film transfer- movies are reporedly slightly better that I'll probably get 4k+HDR.  See the other ETA below)

#3: cheaper technology, pushing more features down the price points to keep people buying (especially since everyone else is doing it).  

#4 yes but how does that compare to other nonHDR Vizio TVs of the same screen size?  

(ETA: 2016 Vizio M60-D1, which I will probably buy, is $1250 - yet to be released, and apparently delayed.  Versus $700 for the D60-M3 - same size, just 1080p and less features, many of which like the tablet remote I think are fluff - $700. $550 more expensive, or over 1.6X the price, most of which is profit margin - the screen is probably a bit more expensive, but the fluff features are not that much more expensive.   FYI, this one is apparently shipping, suggesting to me, given all the 2015 M series TVs out there at retailers at discounts, that they overproduced M series last year and are still trying to clear inventory)

Even vizio's high end sets are still far below what competitors charge for their high end and upper mid end tvs.

And Even the entry level HDR sets from vizio blow away their competition anywhere near that price range.

You can watch anything.  With the plus side being that the TV will upscale the image to some degree, so it will appear sharper even if the image quality is not 4k.

Oh, and yes.....they are worth it.  Make sure it's 120hz.

Also, netflix has some 4k content.

I have a (panasonic) 1080P plasma and a 4k.  (Samsung)  The picture quality of the 4k is substantially better, even with the exact same programming.  When I first started watching it, the increased quality in picture was so astounding that I had a difficult time actually watching it because I was so distracted by the image.

I paid $1200, and I have HDR capability for when or if I get a HDR box.

Right now, Walmart has a 58" Vizio 4k TV for 549. It's a re-furb so there's that but they also have a 55'' 4K for 599.