When you buy a TV on a budget, chances are you will make a compromise in one or more areas, such as picture quality, panel quality, operating system, thickness, audio quality, and so on. A slew of TVs with not only 4K but also HDR capabilities and a slim form factor have been launched in the market for under Rs 40,000. Today we have the Kodak 50UHDXSMART TV with us. The TV has a 4K resolution (3840×2160), but it does not support HDR. The television costs Rs 33,999. Is the investment valuable?
Design
The Kodak 50UHDXSMART TV is not as thin as the Mi TV. To be clear, I’m fine if a low-cost TV isn’t slim. When you’re on a tight budget, sacrificing slimness is acceptable. The TV can be wall-mounted or placed on a tablet. To mount the TV, I used the included table stand. The table stand is made of metal, is sturdy, and securely holds the TV in place. The table stand is high enough to support the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X without interfering with the TV’s panel. A 2.5-inch high sound bar can easily fit under the TV. If you intend to place something taller than 3-inches, you should consider putting it in a cabinet beneath the TV. Small devices, such as the Apple TV, should fit nicely beneath it.
Ports and Connectivity
The Kodak 50UHDXSMART TV has three HDMI ports, two USB ports, an Ethernet port, SD card port, one Component In (RGB Cable), one Component/Y Pb (Cb) Pr (Cr), and an antenna connection. The TV has a coaxial audio port in addition to the standard headphones jack. If you want to put something taller than 3 inches in a cabinet beneath the TV, you should do so. Small devices like the Apple TV should fit comfortably beneath it.
Take note that the Chroemcast and Fire TV stick available in India have a maximum resolution of 1080p. To get the most out of 4K, you’ll need a 4K device like the Xbox One X, PS4 Pro, Apple TV 4K, Chromecast Ultra, and so on.
We used the Fire TV stick to watch an episode of Young Sheldon as well as the ‘Red Circle fight sequence’ from John Wick, which has a lot of dark sequences with large amounts of blue and red thrown in. It streamed well, and the visual fidelity was good, but in the John Wick scenes, the skin tone blends in a little too much with the scene’s colour palette. Nothing that will detract from the viewing experience, but it’s still something to consider.
4K Streaming
Using the Xbox One X, we were able to view 4K content on Netflix. DareDevil Season 2 and Star Trek Discovery were both heavily featured. We also got a taste of the Grand Tour. I couldn’t help but notice how much noise was present in some of the dark scenes in Star Trek Discovery and DareDevil. I tried adjusting the noise from the TV settings, and it appears that medium was the best option. The DareDevil season 2 episode 3 staircase fight sequence looked good on TV, despite the noise in the darkest areas. To get the most out of the TV, leave the picture settings at standard rather than Movie and make sure the backlight is set to 100%. In this sense, it works well.
Gaming
We played a lot of games on the Xbox One X and the PlayStation 4 Pro. There is no reason to be concerned about the input lag. We played Forza Horizon 3, Rise of the Tomb Raider (in 4K and high frame rate mode) on the One X, and God of War, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and Battlefield 1 on the PS4 Pro. The visual experience of Rise of the Tomb Raider is enjoyable, with the only drawback being the noise in some of the dark sections.
Audio
Two down firing 10W speakers are included with the Kodak 50UHDXSMART TV. To put things in perspective, the speakers sound better than those on the Mi TV 4, but they aren’t ideal for watching movies. They are adequate for everyday use, such as watching news or some television programming, but they are inadequate for gaming or watching movies. I recommend purchasing a set of speakers or a sound bar. Having said that, the speakers are adequate for a medium-sized living room. This TV’s speakers should be adequate for watching soap operas or the news.
Remote Control
If there is one issue I have with the TV, it is the placement of the IR receiver. It’s in the bottom right corner, and you must precisely point the remote there for it to connect. The remote includes shortcuts to YouTube, Netflix, and Hotstar. When I pressed one of the hotkeys, the TV occasionally gave me an error message, but these were few and far between. The remote control itself is detailed, allowing you to access all settings and even take a screenshot from the comfort of the remote control. The playback buttons do not work with built-in apps like Netflix, but they do work with content from a USB stick.
Verdict
So, the burning question is, should you spend Rs 33,999 on the Kodak 50UHDXSMART TV? So, if you’re looking for a 4K 60Hz panel, why not? The TV has a good panel to create the most of your 4K content (including that available at 60hz), 3 HDMI 2.0 ports, plenty of USB and audio out options, and, most importantly, it isn’t available through flash sales! You can purchase it online.
GoWarranty’s Extended Warranty
When you buy a TV, you should always get a good extended warranty. Avoid low-cost extended warranties that provide subpar services. GoWarranty’s extended warranty plans are the best and most highly recommended for these. It is also recommended by well-known YouTubers such as UdRawat. GoWarranty offers the best extended warranty services, ensuring that your TV is free of problems. Purchase it for this Kodak 50 inch Ultra HD TV and receive an extended warranty of up to 4 years, for a total of 5 years.
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