I've just taken a whole load of board and videogame junk (including my Steel Battalion controller - sad wave) to a local game store and traded it for an Xbox One X.
I've been eyeing swapping my TV (a bog standard Samsung 1080p job) for a 4k panel for a while, so now looks like a decent time.
So, thoughts on:
Size/features - I'm thinking a 55inch panel, will that be big enough for a 4k ooh factor?
HDR etc - I know Gar swears by it - what should I be looking for here?
Games - what are the current games (on Xbox) that best show off 4k performance? Forza Horizon 4?
Anything else I need to watch out for. I was thinking of dropping about 400-500 on the set.
Genuinely I think HDR is a much bigger visual upgrade than simple 4K, especially at normal TV viewing range - for both games and movies.
Different sets vary wildly on how well they can do HDR, though, cheaper sets will support it without the visual wow-factor a good set can give you. The maximum brightness in nits is critical here, you need to be able to get that peak HDR brightness for when it’s required. Look for a set that’s certified UHD Premium if you can, that’s guaranteed to have the right specs for a quality HDR experience. And read the reviews.
It can also be a bit of a bugger to set up correctly, especially on the Xbone, but we can worry about that when you’ve picked your telly.
If you haven't already, it's worth getting a Game Pass to show off your shiny new Xbox.
Halo 5 in 4K 60fps is a marvel (and a better game than some gave it credit for), and the following are also great showpieces but if you're anything like me, you'll appreciate their high-framerate mode more than their 4K option: all the tomb raiders, Gears 4, Doom, and Hellblade. And Sea of Thieves is apparently beautiful for HDR, although my 4K TV is pretty crap at HDR so I've never tested it.
Oh and Oblivion in 4K is bloody brilliant.
I haz Gamepaz. Suggestions noted.
I'm looking at a TV with Ambilight. Anyone here used it? I think I'll like it, but it'll annoy the shit out of my partner.
Is the Witcher 3 worth it for the enhancements? It runs pretty well on my PC to be fair, but I wouldn't mind seeing it on a bigger screen (and yes, I know I can plug my PC into a bigger screen).
I haven't got an Ambilight TV but I did put some Luminoodle bias lights on the back of my telly which gives the same effect without the fancy colour changing. It's the cheapest and most effective TV upgrade I've ever done, it makes colours look better and blacks look deeper and is much easier on the eyes, all for about £20. So yes I can see the proper Ambilight system being a good choice.
I'm now the proud owner of a 4k Phillips Ambilight TV.
I can't tell the difference (and yes, I have switched on 4k and HDR and calibrated it).
I think I might be getting old :D Ambilight is cool though.
It can be quite hard to spot the difference with 4K at any sort of normal viewing distance. Most games simply don't have the texture detail or graphical complexity to really make the most of it.
Note that you have to be using the right cables though, it's perfectly possible to be using an older HDMI cable that doesn't support 4K or HDR and simply never realise that you're not getting what you paid for. The Xbox One settings screen is actually really good for this because it tells you exactly what your setup is and is not capable of (4K, HDR10, Dolby Vision, variable rate refresh and so on).
HDR you should be able to see. Try The Witness for a colour explosion or Crackdown 3 for crazy bright neon effects.
To be fair, I think the Phillips range I have isn't known for blistering HDR, so apart from me grumbling that the whites are eye searingly bright and turning them down I don't know if I'd really notice that much of a difference anyway.
The first HDMI cable i tried didn't work. Second one seems fine and the Xbox reports what the TV can do (which seems OK).
I do have a criticism that compared to my old Samsung it seems to have difficulty with motion. Smoothing on seems to help in certain instances and not others and Forza is quite bad for ghosting/juddering. But I'll need to experiment as there's reams of parameter pages (and long threads of people moaning on avforums).
I can't tell the difference
That's because sir didn't invest in the gold-plated HDMI cables. You should definitely get those. Can I interest you, sir? Only £80 with a free demo disc showing you how great 4K looks on your DVD player.
I’d definitely avoid turning smoothing/motion interpolation on for gaming, as it’ll introduce shitloads of input lag. But I don’t those sets so can’t really help you, sorry.
Finally got a good telly. HDR is a) impressive and b) completely bloody incomprehensible. I've tweaked about 14 different TV settings, and separately calibrated the Xbox and PS5. And then there's HDR versus HDR10 versus Dolby Vision, all of which require different settings.
And after all that, I'm still not convinced everything is working correctly. Videogame HDR smacks you in the face; film HDR seems less noticeable.
It's pretty impenetrable stuff, and I can't see how this will ever become mainstream tech. But yes, once it's set up, phwoar.
I wish I could benefit from this stuff. Instead, it just turned Sea of Thieves green and washed out Hitman 3 to a horrible level.
Yeah my last telly turned Sea of Thieves green. And now I've got an LG OLED which is, supposedly, one of the best tellies you can buy but still too dark to do HDR properly.
All part of the 'what the hell is going on' fun of HDR.
Apparently D2 is spectacular with HDR
What's D2? I'm so out of the loop with gaming these days. Dishonored 2? Disgea 2? Is it the second Mighty Ducks film?
HDR is great once you’ve set it up properly, but it’s a nightmare to do so sometimes. MPH - try enabling HGIG mode on your fancy-pants OLED, you might find it makes a difference.
How do you know if someone has an LG OLED TV?
They tell you
What's D2? I'm so out of the loop with gaming these days. Dishonored 2? Disgea 2? Is it the second Mighty Ducks film?
Sorry, Destiny 2. Like, it was a strong contender for Giant Bomb's prettiest game of the year, simply because of the HDR that it swings on Europa.
Aaaaah, of course. Thanks, and sorry for being dense.
