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Seiki Releases UltraHD Flat Panel for $2000

post #1 of 58
2/22/13 at 6:13am
Thread Starter 


This year at CES, many manufacturers announced Ultra HD flat panels that range from $12,000 up to +$130,000. Many who have read about this were surprised with the five digit prices especially considering that no 4k content has been made available to the public except for Sony. During CES, Westinghouse announced UHD flat panels for under $3995. This remained one of the least expensive UHD flat panels on the market announced at the show.

Starting March of this year, Chinese manufacturer Seiki will begin shipping their 50inch (SE50YU04) Ultra HD TV for $2000.

The 50inch flat panel sports a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, three HDMI inputs, one VGA Input, one component input, composite input as well as an analog/digital tuner. I noticed a USB input, but this seems to only serve as a service port. There has been no talk of 3D and of upscalling HD TO 4K either.

So how were they able to achieve such low prices? Seiki claims that by removing features that are unimportant to consumers such as SmartTV, they were able to bring down production costs. Another price factor was high production volume, which was also a huge factor to a lower cost.

We now have an Ultra HD TV at an affordable price for many but without features such as SmartTV and 3D. However, there is no doubt that Seiki has achieved a UHD display that is more in reach of today’s consumers. But one question remains, where is all the content?



Does the lack of features turn you off or make it an interesting prospect?




Seiki SE50YU04 Specification Sheet

Source
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post #2 of 58
2/22/13 at 7:22am
My PC would love it. All I want out of that TV is the panel, a large "cinema display" from someone other than the fruit company. I've got everything else covered. All the panel has to do is look decent and exhibit low latency when playing video games and I've got the content covered. Hopefully the lack of video processing means it's always in 'video game mode'. 60" would be even better.
Edited by imagic - 2/22/13 at 8:09am
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post #3 of 58
2/22/13 at 9:25am
Thread Starter 
I was actually going to mention that without any content, it would look fantastic on a PC. I'm hoping to see a demo of it in the next month or so. If it happens, i will be sure to write up a small review. I don't expect anything crazy in terms of options, but it's a step forward into new era of display. I guess we didn't have to wait so long after all biggrin.gif.
Quote:
Originally Posted by imagic View Post

My PC would love it. All I want out of that TV is the panel, a large "cinema display" from someone other than the fruit company. I've got everything else covered. All the panel has to do is look decent and exhibit low latency when playing video games and I've got the content covered. Hopefully the lack of video processing means it's always in 'video game mode'. 60" would be even better.
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post #4 of 58
2/24/13 at 8:38pm
Quote:
Component & HDMI supports: 480I, 576I, 480P, 576P, 720P, 1080I
,1080P, 4k2k 30HZ

Does this mean the 4K is only limited to 30FPS? I sure hope not. I'd love to buy this for my PC but there is no way I'd use it at only 30Hz
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post #5 of 58
2/24/13 at 10:18pm
This would be a whole lot of real estate for reading radiology from home.
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post #6 of 58
2/24/13 at 11:19pm
I wish manufactures would do this now with their current tvs. I have a tv now with who knows how many dollars worth of smart features that are never used.
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post #7 of 58
2/24/13 at 11:22pm
Upscaling is the ONLY SAVING grace of these sets as native content is and will be impossible for the forseeable future.

If this set does not have upscaling like the 18-25k sets have its useless for most home theatres.

Most people get their tv via cable or sat so this thing is useless without upconverting tech.


Internet speeds / bandwidth will make watching via the internet useless as well..................

Gamers delight maybe but useless otherwise..................


Typical cart before the horse scenario........................

Typical trying to sell you a set every 3-4 years scenario as well...................................
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post #8 of 58
2/24/13 at 11:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JukeBox360 View Post

Does this mean the 4K is only limited to 30FPS? I sure hope not. I'd love to buy this for my PC but there is no way I'd use it at only 30Hz
That's an HDMI 1.4 limitation. HDMI 2.0 is due soon with 60Hz support.

I'm not sure what the other manufacturers of 4K TVs have done, but it might well be the same for all of them.

Still, I can see a few professionals using this kind of screen. I wouldn't trust a third-tier manufacturer for photo work, but for CAD it would be useful, especially in collaborative environments.
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post #9 of 58
2/24/13 at 11:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Enitime View Post

That's an HDMI 1.4 limitation. HDMI 2.0 is due soon with 60Hz support.

I'm not sure what the other manufacturers of 4K TVs have done, but it might well be the same for all of them.

Still, I can see a few professionals using this kind of screen. I wouldn't trust a third-tier manufacturer for photo work, but for CAD it would be useful, especially in collaborative environments.
So now my question is. Will this tv be able to support this new HDMI standard when it comes. Or will it still stick with 30Hz.
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post #10 of 58
2/25/13 at 1:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jetmeck View Post

Upscaling is the ONLY SAVING grace of these sets as native content is and will be impossible for the forseeable future.

If this set does not have upscaling like the 18-25k sets have its useless for most home theatres.

Most people get their tv via cable or sat so this thing is useless without upconverting tech.


Internet speeds / bandwidth will make watching via the internet useless as well..................

Gamers delight maybe but useless otherwise..................


Typical cart before the horse scenario........................

Typical trying to sell you a set every 3-4 years scenario as well...................................

Run everything into a newer reciever like the Onkyo 616 and you should be fine as it upconverts everything to 4K.
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post #11 of 58
2/25/13 at 7:35am
That's the kicker... HDMI 2.0. They keep moving the goal posts with no way for the chipsets to be upgraded via firmware. Very sneaky on the industry's part to come up with a standards body designed solely to create a product with built-in obsolescence. Plus... the connectors suck and the cords have a myriad of length issues.
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post #12 of 58
2/25/13 at 7:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neal Steffek View Post

Run everything into a newer reciever like the Onkyo 616 and you should be fine as it upconverts everything to 4K.

Won't help if the set and the receiver don't comport to the new HDMI standard. It's too early to be buying 4k anything.
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post #13 of 58
2/25/13 at 10:02am
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amusing that composite inputs will still be kept on a 4K TV?
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post #14 of 58
2/25/13 at 10:34am
I can't help thinking this thing is either going to be flimsy as hell and/or have the worst scaler known to man in it.
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post #15 of 58
2/25/13 at 10:51am
Quick Look: DirectX 11 Gaming in 4K on Windows 8
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post #16 of 58
2/25/13 at 11:40am
If this TV is like every other flat panel TV in the world, it has to upscale to 4k. Every flat panel I'm aware of can only display in one resolution, it's native resolution, which must be 4K on this TV. It's possible it doesn't do any interpolation which means each pixel would be replaced with a 2x2 grid of identical pixels, but it would still technically be showing 4K. I would guess it has some sort of interpolation. Maybe not the best video processing available, but something.
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post #17 of 58
2/25/13 at 12:17pm
Looks like no QAM tuner either. It says cable, but usually a manufacturer will put QAM tuner in there if it has one.

I bought one of the first 1080p HDTVs from JVC for $3000 and it didn't have 1080p input (but it did have cablecard). Still using it in my bedroom, but I might consider trading up for this. I did win enough at the Casinos during CES to buy one....really want OLED though but that is still too expensive.
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post #18 of 58
2/25/13 at 12:46pm
Quote:
Starting March of this year, Chinese manufacturer Seiki will begin shipping their 50inch (SE50YU04) Ultra HD TV for $2000.
And, because Seiki is junk, starting in March of this year consumers will be shipping broken, malfunctioning sets right back for a refund.
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post #19 of 58
2/25/13 at 12:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by repete66211 View Post

And, because Seiki is junk, starting in March of this year consumers will be shipping broken, malfunctioning sets right back for a refund.

Yeah I think the Westinghouse will be the best bet, still looking forward to reviews of the Seiki though
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post #20 of 58
2/25/13 at 2:39pm
In the choice between a 4K Seiki or Westinghouse...I think I'll take a 1080p Panasonic smile.gif
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post #21 of 58
2/25/13 at 8:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jedirun View Post

This would be a whole lot of real estate for reading radiology from home.

That's what I want... someone diagnosing my studies on an edge lit LCD...
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post #22 of 58
2/26/13 at 3:44pm
I'd buy one, unless it's complete garbage this could be a killer for Sony, Samsung, LG etc. I don't think Seiki is that bad but this could force the big names to drop their prices quicker than they might like.
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post #23 of 58
2/26/13 at 4:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by matteos View Post

I'd buy one, unless it's complete garbage this could be a killer for Sony, Samsung, LG etc. I don't think Seiki is that bad but this could force the big names to drop their prices quicker than they might like.


Not gonna happen large 1080P sets are still 6k as we speak...............course I am talking 80" and above but still.
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post #24 of 58
2/26/13 at 4:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jetmeck View Post

Not gonna happen large 1080P sets are still 6k as we speak...............course I am talking 80" and above but still.
Yet you can get a 70" for $1500
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post #25 of 58
2/26/13 at 5:12pm
"Westinghouse Digital is bullish on UHDTV, and we expect to drive consumer adoption more so than other brands by maintaining more rational and affordable multiples relative to 1080p," said Rey Roque, senior vice president of marketing at Westinghouse Digital. wink.gif

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/77042.html
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post #26 of 58
2/27/13 at 1:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by matteos View Post

I'd buy one, unless it's complete garbage this could be a killer for Sony, Samsung, LG etc. I don't think Seiki is that bad but this could force the big names to drop their prices quicker than they might like.
This sounds like a big monitor not so much a TV. Sony and the Korean firms have their TV's in stores so people can see them and this Seiki sounds like a niche no-name manufacturer that will get no shelf space where most people get their sets. A what about a service network...
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post #27 of 58
2/27/13 at 11:09am
For $2000 it seems like a steal, why not try out 4K at a small fraction of the price. I may get one and my Onkyo will take care of the 1080p to 4K upconversion, Roku takes care of the Smart TV, all thats missing is 3D.
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post #28 of 58
2/27/13 at 1:58pm
Sounds like a joke to me. There is a whole lot more to PQ than just resolution. And with no content available for the forseeable future, it is worthless if it can't upscale, especially if its not 2.0 hdmi compliant!

Well, if nothing else maybe it will drive down cost a bit quicker...?
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post #29 of 58
2/28/13 at 6:44am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by PlayNice View Post

For $2000 it seems like a steal, why not try out 4K at a small fraction of the price. I may get one and my Onkyo will take care of the 1080p to 4K upconversion, Roku takes care of the Smart TV, all thats missing is 3D.

I have to agree with PlayNice. I think it does seem like a steal. For now this seems like a great computer monitor as imagic stated earlier, but don't forget that UHD displays just came out in January. Most of us won't be purchasing a $10,000+ UHD display, and I guess that's the main reason I find it both funny and sad that many are bashing this display.

I have to agree though with most of you that the build quality maybe not 100% even though I've never seen or tried one myself, so I can't comment on that. But Seiki isn't reinventing the 4K "wheel". For $2K, I would give it a shot. smile.gif
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post #30 of 58
2/28/13 at 10:11am
Shut up and take my money.
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