Unlike 3D that I have always maintained is a gimmick more than it is a feature people want, I think 4K
can be viable. But in no way shape or form now or in the next few years. Things still have to shake out. I think because the cost is not really a factor in the production of the TV, as that becomes the standard or at least when more of them are available it will be no different than buying a 1080P TV now, but with theoretically a better picture. Though I still don't think people are going to buy one to replace a perfectly good 1080P, they will want one when they do buy (Unlike 3d) and perhaps will hasten the purchase if the economy ever improves.
If money isn't the issue or if/when the cost is about that of a 1080P TV, then nothing below really matters in will be a better TV, except for the last point. But for now, it can be a better picture,
but;
1. There is no indication from any manufacturer that there is going to be an avalanche of 4K material available to buy, rent or stream. Think trickle each year. Streaming would seem to be the the method that will offer it sooner and have more of it.
2. Even if you have the download stream available to you that can handle 4K or handle it reliably, (VERY few do in the U.S. - it's hard enough to stream 1080P for most U.S. Internet subscribers) unless a miracle happens with Neutrality issues, be prepared to pay a premium price for streaming in 4K.
3. Blu Ray player sales have never taken off even to this day they are not in the majority of homes, people who watch discs still use the DVD player more often. (About 1/3 of homes have it, over 1/2 of homes have a DVD player) The ramification of that is most manufacturers may not be so quick to manufacture 4K players for awhile so the the cost could be very high for that that do exist, to play the little available material.
4. Then there's the same thing some people don't believe, think they have better eyes than everyone, or just don't know about as with viewing today, and that is viewing distance. Right now people think they are seeing 1080I or maybe 1080P but they are not. They sit too far from the screen. In some instances you may see a the jagged edges that can happen with 1080I or perhaps see movement not as fluid as with 720P (And why some say 720P for most is actually the better resolution if 1080P is not available) But you are not seeing the better resolution you are seeing the differences in how the picture is delivered. Most people sit 10 feet or farther from their TV.
To see 1080P you need to have at least a 75" screen at 10 feet. For 4K? 165" !!! If you are willing to sit 5ft away, then for 4K you need an 85" screen.
http://www.cnet.com/news/why-4k-tvs-are-stupid/
http://carltonbale.com/1080p-does-matter/ With calculator.
5. Finally and don't overlook this, as pointed out in other posts, conformity is an issue and one you don't want to overlook. Buying now can mean literally in a few months or a year it is not going to be able to do what sets built in the very near future will be able to do, or not do it as well, or need converters/adaptors to do it. I know first hand about that with my then expensive Mitsubishi rear projection TV I bought. It had promises of meeting the standards and it never did. " Mitsubishi also promises to upgrade its HDTVs for compatibility with any near-future digital-video format for a reasonable fee." They never did, and as just one example it would not display properly a signal from a then Direct TV RCA HD receiver.
In the past none of that may have deterred me from buying the newest technology. But as the economy has worsened and my income does not increase but costs do, and maybe because I am older, now I wait till I know it is ready for prime time.
