4K TV Recos

[klinemj]

One of our TV's is starting to die...random weirdness on picture. It's a very old (10+ years?) TV...so, it's time to start looking for a replacement.

The current one is a 42" and we're thinking of moving up to a 55-65".

This is NOT for our theater, so the "ultimate" in picture quality is not needed or wanted. It's just "everyday TV watching", and it will be the main place we watch TV. So, it will get a lot of hours, and the room it will be in has a lot of windows (so...a bright environment until the sun goes down). I do want to get 4K, though (might as well get with the current century). Sound will be just via the TV's speakers...no surround/ATMOS/etc.

We'll use it for watching TV and movies with Roku as the main source (And occasionally a digital antenna for local PBS channels and occasionally a BluRay...but very rarely). I already have a Roku Ultra we can use, so the TV does not have to have Roku built in. (If it did...I'll have an extra Roku Ultra for sale!)

And, I don't want to break the bank. I'd like to keep the price under $500.

I honestly don't know what's good or not in TV's as I've not shopped TV's in several years, so I don't even know what to look for.

So, my questions are:
1) What brands should I consider (and avoid!)?
2) I've heard good things about TCL's Roku TV's and there are some good options ranging from ~$300 for 55" to ~$450 for 65". Any reason to not consider them?
3) Are there any features/technologies I should make a priority?
4) Anything important I'm not considering?

Thanks!

Mark

[ottaone]

I'd strongly recommend a brand and model that supports Dolby Vision in addition to HDR 10+. For the budget, here are the search results at Costco.com:

www.costco.com/televisions.html?sortBy=AverageRating%7C-1&refine=MIN_PRICE%253A%2528%257B200%2B500%257D%2B500%2529%7C&identifier=&categoryId=30164

[klinemj]

Jan 5, 2020 13:00:05 GMT -5 ottaone said:

I'd strongly recommend a brand and model that supports Dolby Vision in addition to HDR 10+. For the budget, here are the search results at Costco.com:

www.costco.com/televisions.html?sortBy=AverageRating%7C-1&refine=MIN_PRICE%253A%2528%257B200%2B500%257D%2B500%2529%7C&identifier=&categoryId=30164

Thanks - I am totally a dumbie on this topic...what does DV and HDR10+ get me? (Answer as though I have no clue...because I don't!) I've seen the terms here and other places, but I don't know what they mean in practical terms.

Mark

[klinemj]

Thoughts on this one?

-->CLICK THIS LINK<---

Mark

[Gary Cook]

For a bright room you want a 4K TV with as many nits (some quote brightness in candelas per square meter cd/m2) as possible within the price range, which rules out OLEDs, they are too dull. HiSense has consistently the most nits/$ around here (Australia) but may be different where you are. I wouldn't worry too much about Dolby Vision, Dolby's version of HDR (High Dynamic Range) since you are going to be watching streamed content. Plus it does nothing for the viewing experience (over HDR10) unless the TV is bright enough, which means around 1000 nits and that probably prices it out of the range for everyday (nothing special) watching.

Anytime the specs don't show brightness you can pretty much bet the TV is not bright enough for HDR in a bright room, so I'd advise against any TV that doesn't specify its brightness.

HDR = a greater dynamic range of luminosity (the dark stuff is really dark and the bright, shiny stuff is really bright and sparkly). The glistening of light off water, the metal sheen of armour, the flare of light in an explosion, etc. The bright stuff that pops off the screen, that's why nits are important, not enough and there is no pop.


Cheers
Gary

[klinemj]

I can't find nits specs for anything...

Mark

[Gary Cook]

Jan 5, 2020 20:26:30 GMT -5 klinemj said:

I can't find nits specs for anything...
Mark

Yep, it's kinda an important specification, one that they seem to want to keep us in the dark about (sic).

www.techhive.com/article/3316544/best-tvs.html

700 nits peak brightness is about the minimum required to get some decent HDR pop, while 1,000 nits does the trick quite nicely. Vendors don’t really list nits or brightness in meaningful ways, so you’ll need to read reviews in which it’s measured.

There are exceptions, unfortunately generally at the higher end of the market  www.samsung.com/au/support/tv-audio-video/qled-tv-brightness-hdr/

Samsung QLED Television has an amazing brightness level compared to OLED and Plasma televisions. The brightness can exceed twice as much as other televisions and produce true to life colours.
● Q9 peak brightness can reach 2000 nits - HDR 2000
● Q7/ Q8 peak brightness can reach 1500 nits - HDR 1500

Cheers
Gary

[klinemj]

Jan 5, 2020 21:11:06 GMT -5 Gary Cook said:

Jan 5, 2020 20:26:30 GMT -5 klinemj said:

I can't find nits specs for anything...
Mark

Yep, it's kinda an important specification, one that they seem to want to keep us in the dark about (sic).

www.techhive.com/article/3316544/best-tvs.html

700 nits peak brightness is about the minimum required to get some decent HDR pop, while 1,000 nits does the trick quite nicely. Vendors don’t really list nits or brightness in meaningful ways, so you’ll need to read reviews in which it’s measured.

There are exceptions, unfortunately generally at the higher end of the market  www.samsung.com/au/support/tv-audio-video/qled-tv-brightness-hdr/

Samsung QLED Television has an amazing brightness level compared to OLED and Plasma televisions. The brightness can exceed twice as much as other televisions and produce true to life colours.
● Q9 peak brightness can reach 2000 nits - HDR 2000
● Q7/ Q8 peak brightness can reach 1500 nits - HDR 1500

Cheers
Gary

I'd found that list before I commented about not seeing nits listed, and I noticed that even TechHive's reviews don't list the nits for some. And, when they do, sometimes they states that they measured "x" and it's supposed to be "y", but it may be their equipment.

Sure would be nice if it was just a published spec. They do seem to like the HiSense and TCL, but I see other reviews choosing various LG options. I'll have to get out and take a look at some.

Mark

[mountain]

Looks like some of these companies are dimnits.

[klinemj]

Jan 5, 2020 22:13:17 GMT -5 mountain said:

Looks like some of these companies are dimnits.

Any ones in particular to avoid then?

Thx,

Mark

[mountain]

Jan 5, 2020 22:35:24 GMT -5 klinemj said:

Jan 5, 2020 22:13:17 GMT -5 mountain said:

Looks like some of these companies are dimnits.

Any ones in particular to avoid then?

Thx,

Mark

Sorry, no help here, I haven’t kept up with tv features and comparisons since I bought my Panasonic plasma years ago.

[garbulky]

I think your tv choice is good. I've had good (and cheap) results from Emerson, Sanyo and hisense. Also seen some FANTASTIC looking Visio sets.
Having said that, the best picture I have seen is on the OLED tvs. But they do not have the best in light output so in a bright situation it's not really going to cut it.

[mgbpuff]

LCD with fixed led backlighting is the cheapest lowest performing display architecture. I would look for something using quantum dot technology and full array local dimming, the more zones, the better. Vizio seems to give the most of this technology for the money.

[wilburthegoose]

Check out www.rtings.com/

[ottaone]

+1 on rtings.com. Read up there quite extensively before I purchased the Sony XBR79X900F and used some of their recommended settings when I calibrated the new TV.

[klinemj]

Thanks for the link to rtings...it's hard to sort out the differences even with their info. I just went out and watched a lot of TV's at WalMart and BestBuy.

I found that I liked the Vizio and LG options in the $500-600 range for 65" a lot more than the TCL and Hisense options. The Vizio V655-G9 had a very good picture even with a lot of motion. Reviews say is has a fair amount of motion blur, but I was watching it next to a Hisense which had a LOT of obvious blur. So, I might have been misled on the Vizio.

I felt the TCL had less blur also than the Hisense and very similar image.

But, I felt the LG had the best image quality overall. Color contrast was very good, as we black levels. Reviews say it's not as good in a dark room as other higher end options, but we don't usually watch in the dark in the room it will be in.

I was looking at both the LG UM7300 and UM6900...the 7300 is a $50 more but has a glare resistant screen. In the room we're in, that could be worth it. In the morning, we don't have much sun coming in, but early afternoon we have a fair amount coming in from windows in the loft above our living room from behind us as we watch TV, and we get some glare. After about 4 PM, that's a non-issue and biggest problem is light coming in through windows to our eyes from above in the loft on the other side...but that light doesn't go to the screen. Once the sun is nearly set, all is fine.

Thoughts on the low end LG's vs. Vizio?

Mark

[Gary Cook]

In a bright room definitely go with the glare resistant screen.

Cheers
Gary

[klinemj]

One other question...I'm a little leery of having Amazon deliver, but I don't want to buy it at BestBuy either (personal bad history...really hate to buy from them). Thoughts on risks of having it delivered by Amazon vs. picking it up in person at BestBuy?

Mark

[selind40]

Jan 6, 2020 19:36:30 GMT -5 klinemj said:

One other question...I'm a little leery of having Amazon deliver, but I don't want to buy it at BestBuy either (personal bad history...really hate to buy from them). Thoughts on risks of having it delivered by Amazon vs. picking it up in person at BestBuy?

Mark

I've had many electronics delivered after buying thru Amazon....never had an issue.  I've also bought 2 larger TV's ( 55" & 60" ) through AAFES ( military ) with free delivery and both arrived safe & sound.  I don't blame you about BestBuy......it's like going to a used car lot on a Saturday afternoon with a desperate salesman each time go into one.  What did you decided on for a TV?  I've got a darker basement bar area and I'm currently looking for a TV. 

Scotty

[klinemj]

I'm about to order the LG UM7300. For my needs - daily viewing in a fairly bright room (relative to my Home Theater which is very dark), it will be a good option. The 7300 isn't the best for watching in the dark, but it meets my needs well.

Mark