OT: Recommendations for big screen TV
- Thread starter RUboston
- Start date
Depends on the room you're putting it in. It's been a while since I've looked, but I remember Samsung having glossy screens. What type of room are you putting it in? What's the lighting like, how far will you be sitting from it? How much do you want to spend?
As far as brands go, all mine are Samsungs I have no complaints with any of them. I have a relative with a 70 inch Sharp and that looked good to me and I haven't heard any complaints.
We are very happy with our 60 inch Samsung; got a great deal purchasing it online from Walmart.
I haven't bought a TV in a couple years but I've been partial to LG because they often use IPS panels and not MVA, PVA, SMVA, TNs etc. That doesn't' always make a difference with low-res chores like TV, games etc but it makes a difference with photos. I won't get another TV until the 4K scene settles (coming on strong hardware wise but content isn't there yet).
One tricky thing about computer and TV displays is that makers will use higher quality panels when they introduce a TV. Then 6 months to a year letter when the model is discounted they will be using an inferior panel that was swapped in (a situation often called a "panel lottery"). You have to be wary of reviews that way because the $1500 TV with glowing review in April wont be quite the same tv selling for $750 in October.
Some computer makers like Dell are famous for pulling the same thing and using outdated motherboards as a model matures. A lot of PCs that end up on HSN, QVC etc are like that. They'll shout about the latest processor (which it will have) but the motherboard will be old (not always bad hardware wise but if the bios is old but you can get crapped if you dont know how to update it). Personally I also dont like the artificially software goosed refresh rates on TVs. That stuff is mostly marketing. In tests people fail to see the difference. I get eye fatigue after a few hours
One tricky thing about computer and TV displays is that makers will use higher quality panels when they introduce a TV. Then 6 months to a year letter when the model is discounted they will be using an inferior panel that was swapped in (a situation often called a "panel lottery"). You have to be wary of reviews that way because the $1500 TV with glowing review in April wont be quite the same tv selling for $750 in October.
Some computer makers like Dell are famous for pulling the same thing and using outdated motherboards as a model matures. A lot of PCs that end up on HSN, QVC etc are like that. They'll shout about the latest processor (which it will have) but the motherboard will be old (not always bad hardware wise but if the bios is old but you can get crapped if you dont know how to update it). Personally I also dont like the artificially software goosed refresh rates on TVs. That stuff is mostly marketing. In tests people fail to see the difference. I get eye fatigue after a few hours
Samsung seems to have become the reliable 'safe choice' - kind of like Sony was years ago
If you really know the technical stuff you probably know of lots of other options - model by model - but if you don't really want to go to school on all of this - Samsung seem to be a reliable choice.
If you really know the technical stuff you probably know of lots of other options - model by model - but if you don't really want to go to school on all of this - Samsung seem to be a reliable choice.
So what about curved. I don't get it.
Saran. Does it make a dif between 120/240 refresh rates?
I do like the Samsung. I have a small flat screen that I want to replace with a 60/65 incher 4K unit. Wait till they fall in price...like I was when the came out with the 4K. By the time it is in my range they will have he next eye candy and I will back to square one.
Saran. Does it make a dif between 120/240 refresh rates?
I do like the Samsung. I have a small flat screen that I want to replace with a 60/65 incher 4K unit. Wait till they fall in price...like I was when the came out with the 4K. By the time it is in my range they will have he next eye candy and I will back to square one.
I'm not the most informed on the the topic but are broadcasts even in 1080p let alone 4K? I thought most were either 720p or 1080i. I don't expect anything to be broadcast in 4K anytime soon. Other than I guess DVDs and maybe some other media in the future how much content is there out there that can fully utilize that capability?.
Netflix, Amazon instant, and some other stuff can stream in 4k (in addition to newer blurays).
Samsung and Sony are great choices, however the new 2015 vizio m series has swept a lot of awards for best value. You get a nice 4k tv at considerably less than others without a huge drop in picture quality.
I'm comfortable recommending Samsung for TVs. Have had a 61" one for about 13 years the components of which have far outlived their projected lifetimes. Also have a 46" one that's been trouble free for 6 years.
Higher refresh rates usually don't help much - maybe with some PC games. HDTV comes at 60hz so anything after that is goosing the TV. Some people with 120hz swear its better for sports but still your getting signal at 60hz. For movies and such a higher refresh can make things look worse - too smooth/crisp - like soap opera effect. Blu-ray Movies aren't much different but a bit more complicated with pull-down rates for frames. One of the Hobbit movies was filmed using a higher frame rate and people hated it because of soap opera effect.
Now with some computer games - where players are jerking the scenes around - higher rate can help with ghosting but the difference is more noticeable between 30-60hz than anything higher.
I first noticed I was buggered by a higher refresh rate when watching 3 hours of Tour de France every morning on a new 120hz TV. By day 4 I was having blurry vision throughout the day. I thought I needed glasses but then my tv watching got interrupted and my eyes went back to normal. When I went back to TV my eyes were buggered again. I took the TV back. I learned all the TV makers had their own gimmicks for refresh rates (MotionFlow, TruMotion. Motion Clarity Index etc) and went back to 60hz. Plasmas work a bit different but I don't like the color/lighting situation with plasmas.
One reason I'm waiting on 4K is that many of those have had low refresh rates (like around 30hz). That might be getting better. Its been a couple years since I followed new models.
Refresh Rate
http://www.rtings.com/tv/learn/what-is-the-refresh-rate?uxtv=2e6d
WTF Just Happened: My New HDTV Makes Movies Look Unnaturally Smooth
http://www.wired.com/2014/08/wtf-just-happened-soap-opera-effect/
VIZIO ALL THE WAY... I've been through many HD's LED LCD's smart tv's 3D...But this 70" M series. is by far the best I've ever had and the price was great....
I honestly think technology has improved so much that I don't see much difference in discernible quality for everyday viewing. I've got a couple 42" Sanyo's (for over 5 years) and have never had any issue with them. Just go to the store, look at about 10 of them side by side, and pick the one you think gives you the best picture for the price and size. Eventually I'll upgrade to a 60" TV, but don't have any reason to right now. I want to say I got mine from Walmart or Target, mostly Black Friday stuff.
i have a samsung and a vizeo. to be honest im almost happier with the picture on the vizeo but caveat there is it is a smaller tv.
my samsung seems to have pixelation when the background is dark...think game of thrones.
my samsung seems to have pixelation when the background is dark...think game of thrones.
Curved screens are a gimmick. If you are looking for a decent set that is fairly priced, go with Samsung. They represent the best value right now with Vizio a close second. However, if you are going to choose a Vizio, you will likely want to pick up a sound bar as the speakers in their sets sound like garbage.
I can't agree. I always use surround sound systems, but my 2 most recent vizios (in the last year) if great surround sound from the TV