Time for a new TV...advice/recommendations

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CoolArrow

CoolArrow

Member
May 28, 2024
18
New Mexico
Pool Size
22000
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Fiberglass
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair iChlor 30
My 4 year old Samsung UHD TV took a dump tonight (screen went blank in the middle of a show and now the backlight just flashes randomly).

I've always had Samsung products (TVs, washer/dryer, fridge, etc) and have enjoyed them so I am a little biased but would like to hear everyone's thoughts. I'm gonna use the opportunity to upgrade to an 85 or bigger.

Let the conversation begin...
 
I wanted a TV for gaming for the kids so I got my living room TV back. I bought a 65 inch Vizio for $500 from BJs and put it in the basement. I liked it so much that I bought 2 more for bedrooms. My $2000 Sony was only 2 years old at that point and 2 years was enough to do better with the cheapo.
 
I have a newish Insignia (Best Buy brand I think)smart TV about 6 - 8 months old and it's not a great TV. We have it in our bedroom and it didn't do too well on WiFi and it takes about 30 seconds to "load" who knows what. It's my first smart TV and hopefully better brands are better. We use it for about 1/2 hour a night so it's good enough and it was very inexpensive. I say stay away from the brand! :)
 
The last two TVs I purchased were from Costco. Both were Samsung Q8x series. Super happy with the speed of the processor and picture. Works well with all of our apps and Alexa.
 
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CoolArrow said:
Is the benefits/picture of an OLED really worth the increase in cost? You essentially can get an 85 inch QLED for the cost of a 65/70 inch OLED
Click to expand...
Compare side by side if possible. If not side by side look at those two models in the store. I/we personally went with the 77” OLED rather the QLED.
 
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It’s really about your viewing habits. Our 75” Sony x950h is on at least 8 hours a day. It’s a LED for two reasons: we watch English Premier League games on weekend mornings, so brightness was very important to us, and 2, a danger of OLED burn in for static parts of the screen during talk shows.

I’m an audio and music enthusiast, so a TV with its tiny speakers is only one part of the game - it’s complemented with a Denon x4800h AVR (the cheaper x3800h would be more than enough) and a 5.2 configuration of good quality speakers and subwoofers, equalized with the Audyssey room correction software. For me, the TV is just a picture panel. Streaming applications run in Apple TV device and I find them superior to “smart” TVs software.

It’s also worth mentioning that Sony picture processing is excellent - movies in Dolby Visual high dynamic range (most Netflix newer production) look amazing.

Before you buy a new TV, take a look at rtings.com. Their section on televisions is excellent.
 
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@CoolArrow

Hey, I'm new here but I thought I'd chime in as I have 5 different 75"+ Samsung tvs ranging from 2019 up and at least 2 of them are basically on 18 out of 24 hours a day haha...

First I'd say if your TV is flashing the backlight it could be a couple things I'd try before tossing it out... swap the HDMI cable first off and if that doesn't work believe it or not a firm smack on the back of the panel in a few areas can sometimes do the trick as the ribbon cables in the back can come loose on the edges over time from heating and cooling regularly over the years. Sometimes even just leaving it unplugged over night can do the job as well to discharge the system and allow it to kind of reset itself.

Short of that... have you considered looking at Hisense at all? They seem to have tvs with all the bells and whistles you'd want and fairly priced for size especially compared to Samsung. They also have a package deal for a all in one short throw laser projector setup with up to 130" 4k display. Little box only about 10 inches from your wall in front projects a beautiful theater screen and it's under $4k Canadian.

I think the major brands are basically the same in quality these days but the up and coming brands have something to prove to stay competitive on the market so don't discredit TCL/Hisense for what they have to offer. Even Amazon has Qleds now that seem to be decent with full array local dimming so you have tones of options.

4k/8k... I have both in my house and 8k is sharper for sure plus color and brightness... but still too expensive for the "wow" factor you get. I wouldn't recommend it unless the absolute best picture is all you are looking for and need that 85"+ display to be better than the neighbors. it really isn't worth the cost when you can find very good 4k giant screens at better prices these days full of all the features people love.

Personally at 85"+ I'd strongly suggest the projector route (laser or standard) but if it's a screen you need keep it simple in your head...

OLED for blacks and contrast/movies
QLED for brightness and color/day viewing

HDR10+ or Dolby Vision? Both? Hisense/TCL for the money

Best motion control sports and gaming day viewing?
Samsung

Best 4k color accuracy/clarity night viewing?
Sony

Great at all, expert at none?
LG

Sound? Please use a home theater/sound bar (sonos) if you're spending on a nice TV setup don't castrate the audio with TV speakers haha... but I think Samsung/Sony/TCL have the best TV speakers of the bunch if that's what you're going to go with.

Hope that helps somewhat :)

Cheers 🍻
 
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I have a 3 year old ? or so 75 inch Vizio (p759-g1) might be older.
Great pic and no problems streaming or with cable hooked up
I did install a yahama stereo system for sound but tv speakers were ok
 
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Katodude said:
So since this a pool forum which is the best for outdoor viewing. In other words which is the brightest
Click to expand...
Probably these. However my strategy to outdoor TVs has been to just use a very old one or one found at a thrift store. If you can place them in a shaded area they typically work OK. I just cover them with out door tv covers from Amazon that typically run about $25.00.

SunBriteTV | The Leader in Outdoor TVs

leader in outdoor tv weatherproof tvs
www.sunbritetv.com www.sunbritetv.com
 
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