Playback Issues - Audio/Video & Power

[captivater]

4K has by far been one of the most pointless technological upgrades, that is costing me more each month because the 4K streams chew through my bandwidth allotment.

1. I don't see the difference while watching TV. Highly effective for a PC monitor.

2. No way to disable 4K output on the most popular streaming services.

3. TV OS prevents a forced output of 1080p.

4. The hidden bitrate menu only allows capping a stream at 3.5 Mbps rather than 6-10 Mbps required for a 1080 stream.

[atc98092]

I agree that it takes a display at least 65" for 4K to be very noticeable. Although I will say that I've seen some spectacular 4K YouTube demo videos that really looked good on my 55". In reality for most people, it's HDR that provides a more noticeable improvement in what you see. And I can see that even on my 43" Sharp Roku TV.
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Are you using a Roku TV or a separate player? If you have a player, lower your resolution to 1080 and it should (in theory) reduce your bitrate. Can't say I've actually tested that, though. Also, with Netflix you don't have to subscribe to their 4K plan. I don't, because as you note I just haven't seen the benefit. So I only get 1080 from them. In Vudu you can choose the resolution you want to watch.

[captivater]

Neither Netflix, Amazon nor YouTube have resolution settings in their channels. That's they're fault.

That said, there are ways to mitigate their neglect. Workarounds if you will. However there exist none in the Roku TV OS. To be fair, probably not in other TV OSes either.

The Bitrate cap in the hidden menu maxes out at 3.5Mbps, only enough for a 720 stream.

The settings menu has no output choices.

Why is the choice disallowed?

[Heyitsrick]

It's not so much 4K, in and of itself. It's HDR that's really the upgrade that comes along with 4K capability, in many instances. That's where people are going to potentially notice. I say potentially because there are some who can view a stretched SD picture and think it's HD, lol.

[captivater]

smh
As you well know, HDR is subservient to the gamut of the panel itself.

The lack of choice is appalling though. Seems like some sort of collusive arrangement between ISPs, manufacturers, & content providers.