32” 4K TV with AppleTV worth it?

[mtngal]

I use the AppleTV for all my streaming/TV needs, it works well for me. The space for a TV is only big enough for a 32” TV and I have a 1080p HDR Visio at the moment (I managed to crunch the Jensen 32” TV that came with the trailer). It works well enough but I keep hearing how much better 4K is over HDR and wonder if I’m missing out on something by NOT having it on my TV.

Would I see any difference between 1080p and 4K on a 32” screen? Samsung makes a 32” 4K TV, but I don’t know whether the difference between the two would be much with 32” screen. So I haven’t yet talked myself into buying a more expensive TV to replace a good working one, especially if the difference in screen quality would be minor.

I also thought about getting a 4K 32” monitor but do have a BlueRay player that I rarely use, not sure I could use it with just a monitor. If I got a monitor, it would not be hooked up to my computer.

Any advice or thoughts about it?

 

[StumpyBloke]

I wouldn’t bother at that size. The biggest difference would be HDR/DV but as your current TV already has HDR don’t waste your money on a 4K set for the resolution. The Samsung may, of course, have an overall better picture but you’d have to look at that in person.

 

[Nikorion1]

I use the AppleTV for all my streaming/TV needs, it works well for me. The space for a TV is only big enough for a 32” TV and I have a 1080p HDR Visio at the moment (I managed to crunch the Jensen 32” TV that came with the trailer). It works well enough but I keep hearing how much better 4K is over HDR and wonder if I’m missing out on something by NOT having it on my TV.

Would I see any difference between 1080p and 4K on a 32” screen? Samsung makes a 32” 4K TV, but I don’t know whether the difference between the two would be much with 32” screen. So I haven’t yet talked myself into buying a more expensive TV to replace a good working one, especially if the difference in screen quality would be minor.

I also thought about getting a 4K 32” monitor but do have a BlueRay player that I rarely use, not sure I could use it with just a monitor. If I got a monitor, it would not be hooked up to my computer.

Any advice or thoughts about it?

I would stick with the 1080P you already have at that size specially if there is nothing wrong with it, most people sit a minimum of 6ft back from there television and at 32" the marginal differences in quality become less noticeable to the human eye, now some sets do offer better motion such as upgrading from 60hz to 120hz but unless you are utilizing the TV more to play games then I still think it would be a marginal upgrade at best.

At some point when your 1080P set goes out you will be pushed into the upgrade anyway as finding anything that isn't 4K anymore is quite the challenge, while your current set is working I think your money would be much better spent elsewhere like possible upgrades to sound quality (if you haven't already) which usually takes a big hit in smaller TV sets.

 

[mtngal]

Thanks for everyone’s feedback. It’s looking like it isn’t worth getting at the moment, even though the distance from my TV to my dinette is only about 4-1/2’, while it’s maybe 5-6’ to the couch.

A sound upgrade would be nice, but probably not practical given that my travel trailer has a built-in JBL system. The speakers aren’t bad, but the system doesn’t play sound from some of the streaming services I use, while it will play others. Perhaps there’s a setting on the AppleTV that I can change, but I haven’t really pursued a fix - I tend to use headphones much of the time anyway.

 

[forzagaribaldi]

We have a 32" LG 1080p TV and it's about 2m (6') from our sofa. I don't think I'd get anything from having a 4K TV with these constraints. Picture is absolutely fine for us. We have an AppleTV 4K hooked up to it. The best thing I did in the past year or two was getting a couple of HomePod Minis as a stereo pair to use for the TV audio. Works great and no need for anything bigger in a small room in a terraced house where you have to be careful with noise levels due to neighbours. We also have an Xbox and being able to route the audio from that out via the AppleTV to the Minis is a real bonus too.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I'll take some counterpoint, mostly for your (OP) last paragraph... else I agree with the crowd on the TV viewing part.

A 32" 4K monitor to do triple duty (AppleTV + Blu Ray + big screen for computing) could be a nice upgrade from whatever you have now. You might do some careful shopping to be sure you get one with at least 3 compatible inputs so you wouldn't even have to swap cables: just change inputs to watch either consumption box or have a bigger screen computer available.

If the trailer is one that moves around (travel) and you have some kind of local TV antenna you can use, maybe seek a fourth input so you can jack that in too through yet another little box (TV tuner)... again, mostly to not have to swap cables.

I'm with the others that the resolution prob won't matter much for TV watching, but 4K vs. 1080p would be quite a big deal for computing, if you want a bigger monitor sometimes for that. If money is not an issue, consider maybe the 32" Dell 6K monitor. Only 3 inputs but there are HDMI switcher boxes if you don't want to swap cables for 2 devices that both lean on HDMI (or perhaps go HDMI to Mini DisplayPort adapter for one of them)? It costs a little more than ASD with stand option, but that buys:

• higher res,
• bigger screen size,
• better web cam, and
• a good hub built in too.

Main driver of this consideration is if you want to use it as a big computer screen too. For that use, resolution would definitely matter. Else, if only for video watching, I'd stick with the 1080p until it conks.

 

[mtngal]

I'll take some counterpoint, mostly for your (OP) last paragraph... else I agree with the crowd on the TV viewing part.

A 32" 4K monitor to do triple duty (AppleTV + Blu Ray + big screen for computing) could be a nice upgrade from whatever you have now. You might do some careful shopping to be sure you get one with at least 3 compatible inputs so you wouldn't even have to swap cables: just change inputs to watch either consumption box or have a bigger screen computer available.

If the trailer is one that moves around (travel) and you have some kind of local TV antenna you can use, maybe seek a fourth input so you can jack that in too through yet another little box (TV tuner)... again, mostly to not have to swap cables.

I'm with the others that the resolution prob won't matter much for TV watching, but 4K vs. 1080p would be quite a big deal for computing, if you want a bigger monitor sometimes for that. If money is not an issue, consider maybe the 32" Dell 6K monitor. Only 3 inputs but there are HDMI switcher boxes if you don't want to swap cables for 2 devices that both lean on HDMI (or perhaps go HDMI to Mini DisplayPort adapter for one of them)? It costs a little more than ASD with stand option, but that buys:

• higher res,
• bigger screen size,
• better web cam, and
• a good hub built in too.

Main driver of this consideration is if you want to use it as a big computer screen too. For that use, resolution would definitely matter. Else, if only for video watching, I'd stick with the 1080p until it conks.

Yes, my home has wheels and moves frequently (at the moment in a dispersed spot in a national forest). It has a TV antenna for OTA channels, which I only used once when I first bought this trailer last year (to make sure it works). I haven’t used it since, or used any of the various park’s cable TV service. That’s the main reason why I considered getting a monitor instead of a TV - I haven’t used the TV tuner in several years now.

I’m not sure I’d want to use the 32” TV for computing - it’s mounted on a wall/recessed spot (reason for the 32” size limit) and a little over 4’ from where I sit when I’m using the computer. I’m not sure I’d like my computer monitor that far away, plus there’s no way I can easily run a cord from the computer to the TV without it draping over the dinette table and the bench on the other side. Plus, do 32” monitors come with the same hole pattern for mounting on a wall bracket? I know my Visio was the same pattern as the Jensen I crunched.

I have a 16” MBP and (now that I’ve discovered the feature) I’ll start use an iPad as a second monitor. That should be sufficient for my computing needs.

And now that I’m out here in the forest off-grid, I should also consider the power needs for that 4K TV or a 6K monitor (which gets my eyes shining), and how it compares to the Visio. I know the Visio and AppleTV don’t make much difference to my battery/solar system now (I have plenty of both to cover all of my current needs), but perhaps a 4K TV or 6K monitor would?

I think I’ll leave things alone this summer and do more research.

You all have given me good info and more to think about.

 

[Packers1958]

I doubt that 1080p Vizio even meets HDR standards for peak luminance. The Samsung 4K HDR tv may be significantly brighter. I dont know what model number it is but you could check out RTINGS to see if they reviewed it. If the tv is a crappy edge lit LCD tv, then contrast number will be extremely poor and the image will look very washed out in HDR. You get what you pay for. If it's less than $500, it's usually crap.

 

[phrehdd]

Some of this is subjective. You have to figure your viewing distance. The further away, the more that both 4k and 1080p look alike. You would like to notice the advantage of 4k closer up. Candidly, I find a good 1808p monitor or TV can give amazingly good results at standard viewing distance. Last - whether 4k or 1080p, the image quality is important. I rather have a good 1080p screen than a crap 4k screen.