I need to complain a little bit about the design and manufacturing of 4K TVs.
Before I get into the meat of this editorial, I should mention, in the interest of full disclosure, that I’m writing this article in late August, 2017, and the article itself will be going up in September. Consequently, circumstances may have changed between this article has been written and when it goes live, but I think my complaints still stand.
Due to space limitations, I cannot have a 4K TV larger than 32″ where I live. Now, 32″ isn’t exactly small when it comes to TVs, but it’s not huge either. It makes for a very nice middle ground between the two extremes – and is the perfect size for small apartments and people on a budget. Consequently, I’ve been able to pick up a 32″ 1080p TV – great for gaming and watching movies in HD.
However, no one, as of this writing, is making a 4K or HDR TV in the 32″ size. There are plenty of TVs that are larger than 32″. Any displays 32″ or under that are being made are monitors – not TVs – meaning that they do not have a tuner, so you cannot get over-the-air local programming without an additional set-top box with a tuner and HDMI connection. I can’t even get one with 1080p and HDR.
If I actually want to take advantage of the graphical potential of 4K when it comes to watching movies and playing video games, I would have to move to a larger apartment.
Thus, my plea to TV manufacturers – either make 4K 32″ TVs, or if 4K doesn’t work on TVs of that size, make them with 1080p and HDR. I would like to play video games that look really good. I would like to see films with all the textural detail that film would otherwise have, but on my TV at home, but I can’t do that with my current TV, and I cannot upgrade with the options that are currently available on the market – and I’m likely not the only person with this problem.
There is a market for 4K and/or HDR TVs in this size, if you’re willing to take advantage of it.
