Recommend me a new tv

**Gman** · 10-26-2019, 05:06 AM

So the current flat screen television I have is probably close to 9 years old at this point. It's a 55 inch and we're getting to move across the country so no way is it coming with us. I haven't looked at tv's in years so i have no idea about the technology differences between the different models. I watch a decent amount of sports, play a few video games, and stream some stuff from netflix on occasion. Thinking I might want to upgrade to a 65 or 70 inch tv because bigger is better right? If I want a 70 inch tv, how much should I be looking to spend? Definitely don't want to Vizio piece of crap. What brands/models should I be looking at?

**Lindahl** · 10-26-2019, 05:22 AM

You absolutely want the full range of HDR support - HDR10/10+, Dolby Vision and HLG.

For sizing, seating distance should be about 1.3-1.8x the screen width, any closer and your eyeballs are moving too much. Any further and you’re missing out on immersiveness.

OLED has a much richer and deeper image with superior contrast and shadow detail compared to LED or LCD. They also have better performance for sports - faster response time which means less motion blur, regardless of what marketing tells you about refresh rates (Hz)

The drawback is OLED is more expensive and isn’t as bright which isn’t great if you spend most of your time watching picturesque or darker content in a bright room during the day with no curtains (everyday TV, reality garbage, sports, comedies, etc is fine).

If you go LCD or LED, you want as many local dimming zones as you can afford - gets you closer to OLED image quality.

Most Smart TVs have good streaming app support these days, but Sony with Android TV (Google) tends to be the most innovative. The older TVs are kind of slow, so if you’re looking for used ones, skip Sony. TCL TVs with Roku is probably next best.

A lot of people are dropping cable and broadcast TV for streaming live TV via apps, which can be cheaper than Comcast, Dish, etc. Might be worth looking at Hulu Live TV (what we use), YouTube TV, Sling TV or Playstation Vue - they usually have the same channels as a typical satellite or cable packages. Rollout of 5G over the next few years will probably push the industry in this direction even more.

Since you mentioned gaming... the industry is moving towards game streaming. So, no more hardware, consoles, discs, etc. Just a controller, an internet connection and your TV. Immediately rent from home, subscriptions, no waiting for updates, continue playing from your phone, tablet or laptop, etc. Kind of like what Netflix and OnDemand did to the DVD and BluRay market. Great for the casual gamer, but still in its infancy for hardcore gamers. Google is releasing Stadia in November, which is probably the biggest news in this space. Nvidia has one too I think and there’s also Steam. Microsoft is working on a service. And Sony execs are saying the writing is on the wall and moving in this direction too. Not sure what else (not a gamer).

**RShea** · 10-26-2019, 05:27 AM

Samsung, LG and a few others depending on the screen size and price point ( around a $1000 budget or lower???), would be the models and deals I'd be searching and considering. TCL has a Roku TV series that is not quite as high end (at least budget wise) and getting a pretty good following. 4K TV's probably is the sweet spot right now. You mention the move for the reason. Also have to look at the room you are going to be putting the device in as in my opinion nothing worst than sitting too close to a very large 70 screen due to a setup in a narrower room or furniture layout limitations. There are a few different room size to TV size web sites that can assist. The other thing to be looking at is if you ever want to do Free Over the Air (OTA) via antenna to cut the cord from cable TV or Satellite TV services MAKE SURE you look at the NTSC tuner specifications. The existing OTA is NTSC 1.0 but future proof the TV and get one that supports BTSC 3.0 -which will support 4K OTA as channels and stations start to upgrade their broadcast equipment. https://www.overtheairdigitaltv.com/...you-need-know/ and https://hdguru.com/will-your-tv-be-c...broadcast-hdr/ worth a few minutes read.

If you watch for sales (there are even a few pre black Friday sales (and Black Friday ads are leaked in the next few weeks on many deal sites) that will be the usual rage to stand in line or be the first in the door as quantities are usually limited.

**riser4** · 10-26-2019, 06:00 AM

I usually just go to Costco and buy whatever fits in my budget after googling a few of the models on the floor to get the pros and cons.

**Lindahl** · 10-26-2019, 06:05 AM

Originally Posted by riser3

I usually just go to Costco and buy whatever fits in my budget after googling a few of the models on the floor to get the pros and cons.

Can you do that with skis too?

**riser4** · 10-26-2019, 06:53 AM

Originally Posted by Lindahl

Can you do that with skis too?

Wrong forum, Jong. :rollseyes:

**liv2ski** · 10-26-2019, 08:04 AM

Yup, just go into the store and look at the pictures. Last Costco trip I stopped and looked at the TV's, there was one with a picture that was obviously much better than the others and it was the most expensive at $2k.

**Wrecked** · 10-26-2019, 08:28 AM

Originally Posted by riser3

I usually just go to Costco and buy whatever fits in my budget after googling a few of the models on the floor to get the pros and cons.

Added bonus... my Costco plays TGR trailers and snippets on .their tv’s.

**zion zig zag** · 10-26-2019, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by liv2ski

Yup, just go into the store and look at the pictures. Last Costco trip I stopped and looked at the TV's, there was one with a picture that was obviously much better than the others and it was the most expensive at $2k.

A million years ago when I had a part time job at Circuit City, we used to adjust the tv’s that had the highest margin to look the best.

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SB · 10-26-2019, 08:47 AM

the red one

**bagtagley** · 10-26-2019, 08:48 AM

Costco FTW. We didn’t do any comparing, just needed a working TV for cheap. Got a TCL 50” cause it was on sale and has Roku built in.

**MontuckyFried** · 10-26-2019, 09:23 AM

Bang for buck, the TCL Roku TVs are absurdly good values. It's what I'm using in my master bedroom and I'm a TV snob. Unbeatable interface too. For my primary TV, I like the Sony X950G series. On the middle to high end, I think they represent the best value before stepping up to OLED or the Z9G series. Gorgeous sets at reasonable prices. Either way, TCL Roku OR a nice Sony, you can't go wrong.

Believe it or not, Vizio actually makes some really good looking units too but after their whole security issue they got busted on a couple years back, they've been on my shitlist.

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**4matic** · 10-26-2019, 09:35 AM

Cable signal is still mostly 720p so any 4K lcd will still look like crap with cable signal. I have a top of line Samsung LCD and it is still crap for cable compared to my 10y/o pioneer Kuro plasma.

Also. The bigger the screen the higher quality you need. We had a cheapish 75 inch Samsung and it was horrible picture. Changed to top of the line 65 inch and it’s considerably better.

**4matic** · 10-26-2019, 09:43 AM

I looked at a used Z9G and I wasn’t that impressed with the picture but the big problem is there is a conduit to the plastic screen cover and two ants had crawled their way in between the screen. Search and you will see it’s not an isolated problem.

**toast2266** · 10-26-2019, 10:37 AM

I don't know all the techy details, but we shopped for (and bought) a tv recently. All I know is the OLED's look significantly better than any of the other options I saw. We got a 65" LG of off Amazon - it was on sale (last year's model) and quite a bit cheaper than anywhere else.

**oftpiste** · 10-26-2019, 11:06 AM

good website for this:

https://www.rtings.com/tv

**riser4** · 10-26-2019, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by Wrecked

Added bonus... my Costco plays TGR trailers and snippets on .their tv’s.

Brah.

**riser4** · 10-26-2019, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by zion zig zag

A million years ago when I had a part time job at Circuit City, we used to adjust the tv’s that had the highest margin to look the best.

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

That's the way you do it.

**old goat** · 10-26-2019, 11:15 AM

The best way I know of to compare TV's in the store is to go when there's a hockey game on, get them to play it for you, and see if you can follow the puck. Seriously. Love watching hockey on my kid's apple TV. Of course, he has a tiny living room and a big TV so that's part of it.

**mattig** · 10-26-2019, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by oftpiste

good website for this:

https://www.rtings.com/tv

This.

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**Lindahl** · 10-26-2019, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by liv2ski

Yup, just go into the store and look at the pictures. Last Costco trip I stopped and looked at the TV's, there was one with a picture that was obviously much better than the others and it was the most expensive at $2k.

You can make any TV look better than another. Going this route is a total crapshoot, since factory settings and what sales monkeys do is all over the map. But most people don’t care enough, which is totally ok too.

**Lindahl** · 10-26-2019, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by 4matic

Cable signal is still mostly 720p so any 4K lcd will still look like crap with cable signal. I have a top of line Samsung LCD and it is still crap for cable compared to my 10y/o pioneer Kuro plasma.

Also. The bigger the screen the higher quality you need. We had a cheapish 75 inch Samsung and it was horrible picture. Changed to top of the line 65 inch and it’s considerably better.

Cable is generally pretty horribly compressed - they’re effectively streaming every single channel down the same damn pipe at the same time. A lot of the live TV streaming services deliver a higher bitrate (better) signal. A good TV will scale 720p to 4k with higher quality. Sony generally does the best at post-processing like this.

Lots of truth in your second paragraph too. The biggest set for a cheaper price is rarely the best route.

**2stix** · 10-26-2019, 12:50 PM

Do not buy an OLED if you watch sports on want to game on it. Burn in is real and a big flaw in the design. For movies, hands down the best. To high maintenance and expensive.

TCL 6 series for the win. Stupid affordable, best interface. Why even bother doing it any other way.

**Lindahl** · 10-26-2019, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by 2stix

Do not buy an OLED if you watch sports on want to game on it. Burn in is real and a big flaw in the design. For movies, hands down the best. To high maintenance and expensive.

It’s extremely rare. Thats more FUD than anything else. Just like plasma way back when - so much fear, but we watch a lot of football and don’t have issues at all. Early plasmas were susceptible, but thats a different beast entirely. There’s a major difference between image retention and burn-in, fyi.

Facts:
https://www.cnet.com/news/oled-scree...u-need-to-know

Key takeaway:
“With OLED TVs, it's something to keep in mind if you're a TV news junkie, or only ever play one video game.”

**I Skied Bandini Mountain** · 10-26-2019, 01:05 PM

We got the 55TCL617 not long ago, mostly for the interface because of my lovely wife's complete ineptitude with A/V components. But the picture looks pretty good too for the price.