We've been talking about Utra High-Definition TV and 4K for quite some time. Now, actual UHD sets are starting to sell -- somewhere. Gosh, those TVs are expensive. You could wait for LG, Sony and Samsung to drop prices. Of course, you could just get a Seiki.
Seiki is a Chinese TV maker that probably isn't too familiar to the average consumer. However, that will soon change because the company is currently offering its own Ultra HD 4K TV, and it's only $1400. If you want to get technical, the 50-inch SE50UY04 is $1339 on Amazon (at last look) and it's shipping now.
Our friends at HD Guru first previewed the TV last month, right when it was announced. Now, they have the first official review.
The 50-incher has that 3840-by-2160 resolution, which is four times what you'd find in a 1080p HDTV. Other features include a 120Hz response rate, three HDMI inputs and two USB ports. That's pretty much it. Did you really need something else?
If smart TV features are important, you won't find them here. That's part of how Seiki keeps the cost down. However, with the $30,000 you save on this TV, you can probably add in a Roku box, a Blu-ray player or something else.
Keep in mind that right now, there's no real 4K content to watch, but that shouldn't keep you from being the first on your block to get a 4K TV. What may actually stop you is Geoff Morrison's review on HD Guru. While he seemed to appreciate what Seiki was trying to do, he didn't really appreciate the actual TV -- even with all of the pixels.
"The SE50UY04 is a mediocre TV that just happens to be 4K," he says in the review. "If all you want is that resolution, I'm not sure why you'd care about a review in the first place. After all, this is the only 4K TV even remotely close to this price."
If you want something a little bigger (or smaller), Seiki will release two additional UHD TV sets later this year. First, the company will debut a 65-incher, with a 39-inch model to follow. Seiki has yet to announce pricing for either model.
Where to Buy:
