A lot of audacious televisions have surfaced in the past few years, with gargantuan screens and high-end features that most homeowners haven’t foreseen. Most of the headlines have been grabbed by Ultra HD 4K televisions – the four times greater high-definition technology. The standard resolution is 4096 x 2160 pixels, but it has been scaled down to 3840 x 2160 for a 16:9 picture format that’s on TV, but it’s still four times greater than the pixels on HD 1080 screen. Most TVs advertised as featuring ‘4K’ technology are actually UHD.

Though a lot of 4K Ultra HD TV offerings have surfaced in 2014, the following three take the lead courtesy of their features, design and affordability.

1. Vizio P-Series 4K/Ultra HD TV 55”

This TV provides a crystal-clear experience and lets you stream UHD from Netflix and other popular apps. It features Spatial Scaling Engine that utilizes an intelligent algorithm to upscale Full HD TV movies, sports, gaming, and more content to 4K clarity. There’s also an array of backlit panels providing local dimming.
The television supports 4K videos up to 60 fps through a range of options, which includes streaming over 802.11ac WiFi. The design trend of a thin bezel continues to provide a wall-to-wall effect, and there are six processing cores powering the P-series, including a dual-core CPU and a quad-core GPU.

The TV is also equipped with HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 for compliance with future digital rights management. The P-Series feature 72 active zones of dimming, and enables precise backlit control. Overall, it’s Vizio’s jump from being a tier-2 to a tier-1 manufacturer in this line of TV technology.

The average price of Vizio P-Series is $1,300-$1,500, but the model is also available at a lower price in Cyber Monday and other similar deals.

2. Samsung HU8700 4K UHD Curved Smart TV 55” Class

Samsung brings a curved screen supported by propriety technology that makes an accurate picture without any distortion and improves field of view to make a panoramic effect. The UHD Diming scans a wide array of zones across the picture and adjusts brightness to deliver brighter whites and deeper darks, eliminating the ‘halo’ distortion.

There’s also a feature called Wide Color Enhancer Plus: it displays a wider spectrum of colors on the screen according to the director’s intention. The Clear Motion Rate 1320 provide a superior level of motion clarity, with the Samsung CMR using image processor speed, frame refresh rate and backlight technology to display fast action.

This model features Samsung Ultra Clear Panel that absorbs ambient light and lets the image come to life. It reduces reflections and glare to provide more clear attention to detail. The Quad Core Plus processor speeds up your experience and give a fluid experience when it comes to multi-tasking and switching between apps.

The Samsung HU8700 55” Smart curved UHD 4K TV has a retail list price in the range $3,500 to $4,000. However, the model is available on Black Friday for a much lower price. According to CNET, some deals are directly available from the official company (Samsung) and the price has been slashed up to $2,500. You may also be able to take advantage of additional offerings in such deals such as BONUS UHD video pack.

3. Panasonic TX-50AX802

This is a 50-inch offering and combines 8 million pixel image with a wide range of features, resulting in an innovative user experience. It is the first UHD 4K TV to include an integrated Freetime catch-up service, and features a Standby Info bar mode associated with a room sensor which triggers when anyone is in close range.

While it falls in the budget line of 4Ks, there’s nothing budget about its make. It weighs in at 24 kg and is convincingly premium. It includes a counterweight pedestal block at the back of the screen that gives an impression that the TV is resting in a slim chromed frame. There’s dual Freeview HD and Freesat tuners, and a camera that automatically appears from the bezel for facial recognition.

Connections include PC-friendly DisplayPort, 3 USB, HDMI 2.0 with ARC (audio return channel), a 4K video-compatible SD slot, built-in WiFi and Ethernet. Activate the Letterbox Dimmer feature will treat the LED lightning in the areas of the image related to black bars above and below 2.35/2.4:1 aspect ratio. The device’s color performance is not restricted to colorful content; it also holds well during dark scenes, and low-lit colors look intense, vivid, and natural, just as the bright ones.

The average price is Panasonic TX-50AX802 is $1,800 to $2,200, but similar to the Samsung offering, the model is available at a discount or a deal price that’s lower than the listed retail price in the market.
Most of the deals on these 4K UHD TVs are expected to expire soon.