4k Picture appears to be worse than 1080p picture

General Discussions
1

I have 2 versions of the same movie but for some reason the 4k version is not as clear on my TV (Sammy 8000 series, 4k).
Here are 2 screenshots

  • The first is the 4k version (x265, and HDR )
  • The second is a regular 1080p file.

[Album] Imgur

What should I look for to resolve this? I am not sure if this is a TV issue or a plex issue.

2

Did you force direct play for the 4k movie? Otherwise transcoding is involved which would explain a less sharp playback.

3

How did you create/get those files? 4k and 1080p are just resolutions, a low bitrate 4k file can look significantly worse than a high bitrate 1080p One.

But if you created the 1080p file FROM the 4k one, something is wrong because it shouldn’t look better.

4

My TV has separate picture settings when playing HDR. Could it be that your HDR picture settings need some adjustment? The blacks look washed out in the HDR version.

Maybe some of these settings might help?

5

Added more information

  1. Files are being transcoded in both cases. the 4K version is around 30Mbps
  2. The HDR thing is what appears to be messing it up.

I read on another forum that the KS8000 needs to treat 4k differently - it auto adjusts the picture / brightness and contrast. But this appears to be more than that.

I am using the latest Roku Ultra 4k.

6

As far as I know, HDR never looks right when transcoded by Plex currently. You have to get the client device/app to direct play/stream it for it to look correct.

7

Thanks guys. I think Direct Streaming is helpful and I believe the TV is the issue. I will fiddle with the settings - thanks @joneric for the tips.