NFT: Television buying advice needed...

for me as i watch a lot of netflix. Very happy with the Vizio I got from Amazon a cp yrs ago.

FYI. No one broadcasts in 4K

or at least in the past. Smart TVs are not needed in my book provided you have a console/roku or whatever else hooked up. I have no problems with our Vizio.

In comment 13738982 BillT said:

Quote:

FYI. No one broadcasts in 4K

I don't know what defines "broadcasting in 4k" but I just got a 43" 4k a few months ago and the characters in TV shows are basically walking around in my living room for most shows. This difference between it and 1080 is dramatic.

In comment 13738990 Stu11 said:

Quote:

In comment 13738982 BillT said: Quote: FYI. No one broadcasts in 4K I don't know what defines "broadcasting in 4k" but I just got a 43" 4k a few months ago and the characters in TV shows are basically walking around in my living room for most shows. This difference between it and 1080 is dramatic.

That's just upscaling. It will look better but that content isn't in 4k. There is a growing library of 4K content and 4K has been around long enough now where its pretty much standard so I'd just get the TV with it. Netflix is investing in higher quality programming, i'm sure Amazon will follow - last thing you want it to regret your purchase in 6 months when you don't have 4K.

OP - Stan isn't a useful person to take advice some. You said money matters and he will still recommend a $5,000 OLED unit because that's what kind of great guy he is. I'd but the biggest screen you can within your budget that's 4k and from a reputable maker. OLED, Curve LED, etc is all a preference at this point. Plasma has been phased out and isn't an option for you.

Great source for comparing models of TV with detailed testing if you want technical details as well.

we got a 55" samsung UHD smart tv for like 599 last year and we love it.

I bought a 55 inch LG 4K for around $550. The price has since dropped to $500& $480 on Black Friday sales, the picture is very big unless you’re super fussy & want to spend way more. I have no problems with the quality. Costco doubles the warranty to 2 years and doubles that to 4 years if you use the Costco Visa card

should be helpful.

Official Space helmet on Captain Video!
TV or not TV?? - ( New Window )

OLEDs will produce a picture quality better than your plasma, the LCD/LEDs will not quite get you the level of blacks you are used to.

Whatever you get, at this point support for HDR is probably more important than 4k. But it's hard to find a non-4k TV that supports HDR; i don't think that option even exists in the OLED world.

Grabbed a Sceptre 65" 4k. Not smart and the blacks aren't as deep as more expensive TVs, but I got it for a little over $600 and stuff looks great on it. Netflix has a ton of 4k content I watch using a Chromecast Ultra, picture looks amazing.

Mu9000 Series. Very nice picture after adjusting settings. Has all the bells and whistles. You can buy it from crutchfield. Save on taxes. Tv I believe is 1500 for a 65inch. I bought 3 of them for my home and my family loves it. I have one oled tv which is incredible but I paid a fortune. Get the Samsung you can’t go wrong

I went to PC Richards and Best Buy. Both were pushing the oleds of course but online after reading countless articles and asking friends who are tech guys the Samsung MU9000 won. Best of luck

Went with TCL TVs. Got them from Amazon and can't be happier. A 55" and 65"... Both 4k Smart TVs with Roku built into them. The 55" was $400 and 65" was $850 that I managed to get down to $700. The shipping company that Amazon used missed the initial delivery window but Amazon customer service did the right thing and knocked off $150.

Terrific TV and easily the best value. I've had mine for about a month.
Wirecutter: The Best TV - ( New Window )

Look into getting your Samsung fixed. Mine had a problem and after looking at 4K TVs and the lack of programming, I just had mine fixed and it is as good as new. Also, I’m not a big fan of smart TVs only because there are more things that can break. If you do get a smart TV I definitely take out the extended warranty.

to find the largest TV in your price range with acceptable reviews and pull the trigger. There are very few clunkers these days on the TV side and you can get a great unit for $500-600.

I picked up a 50" Samsung TV last year for under $500 and it has been excellent. LED.

4K is imperceptively different from 1080P. While no one broadcasts in 4K, you can rent movies in 4K, but I doubt anyone could tell the difference.

As far as Smart TV's go, it depends on how you plan on using it. Many of Smart TV's features are replicated by streaming devices, so if you have a Roku, Apple TV, or Chromecast device, it might be redundant.

I love my plasma TV's, I think the colors are much richer than other formats, but a lot depends on the amount of light into the room your TV will reside in.

The best tvs are 4K UHD with HDR. I got a 50" Sony for $450. There are other models in that price range that have gotten great reviews as well.

make sure its UHD(ultra high def) with HDR(high dynamic range) for the best pic. The ones without HDR are cheaper, but a worse picture.

Not $5,000, but $1,500.

Case closed.
Link - ( New Window )

I got an LG 49-inch 4k smart TV last year around black friday for like $400. Its an awesome TV and while there isn't a lot of 4k content, what netflix puts out in 4k is better than anything I've seen broadcast on comcast in HD.

and/or have a big TV, over 50". Hook up a 4K Blu-ray player and you will be amazed at the picture. 4K Blu-ray players are still kind of exotic; so are 4K discs. There's not a ton of 4K streaming available, but there's some, and more coming online all the time.

You want to make sure the TV can handle HDR content, preferably both Dolby Vision and HDR10. Both standards are in wide use. I think Dolby Vision is better but HDR10 is free to use, so it's not likely to go away.

OLED TVs are gorgeous but expensive. Little-known fact: OLED can have problems with some kinds of HDR content. Quantum Dot LEDs are the next generation of display, not yet widely available, but also beautiful. QLED handles HDR better.

Re "Smart" TV: Interface and capability are important. Can it handle the highest-quality streaming available (4K and/or HDR?) If not, you'll be frustrated that you're not getting your money's worth. Do you like the interface? If not, you won't want to use the TV for streaming. My wife and I stream a lot. We have an Apple TV. I like the Apple TV interface but my wife doesn't. It's an older model, won't stream 4K.

Since we got an LG 4K TV we tend to stream through the TV, because it can stream 4K while our other streaming devices can't. We run the (5.1) TV audio out to the receiver, so we get full surround sound. LG's streaming has a pretty nice interface. Some Smart TV interfaces are better than others.

LG also has a streaming channels available through their interface, with their own channel guide. Honestly, having to go through a second channel guide is a step or two too many for us, we literally never look at it unless we turn it on by accident. If we ever cut the cord, we might look at that more.

A simple, attractive interface for controlling TV features is also important. A good phone app to control the TV is nice, but not as important as it seems, because you're mostly going to use the main remote. A good remote is important, because remotes can drive you nuts. I had a Pioneer remote that had 50 buttons and each button had multiple functions -- it was all but unusuable.

I've seen arguments that you shouldn't pay extra for things like Airplay in a receiver or streaming in a TV because those technologies evolve faster than the components, and you're probably going to buy a separate device anyway. If you're going to buy a Blu-ray player or Roku or AppleTV with streaming, the TV is redundant. But we find the proliferating remotes annoying. I'd be happier to have fewer devices with simpler controls.

a lot of varying views...gives me a head start on where to look and what to look for...

I have the Samsung 55" Ultra HD

Model: UN55MU6300FXZA

$599 on Best Buy. I have not had any problems with it in the 1.5 years I've owned it

If the option exists, elect to get the non-smart TV. Wireless sticks like the Fire or Roku are not only more cost efficient but they work better than what's built in to most smart tv's.

LED is fine. OLED an 4k are a waste of money. The difference in picture quality is negligible. Don't hesitate to replace your plasma - the next tv you get will be lighter, thinner, and significantly more energy efficient.

Opt for something that has as many HDMI ports as possible to make space for your stereo, gaming system, Roku, blu ray player, etc. Make sure to get a TV that has at least 3 HDMI ports.

Stick with the brands you know: Sony, Vizio, Samsung, LG. There will be a huge drop off in the quality of the product if you elect to go with a lesser brand.

From there, just pick the tv that has the best price for the size you want. Don't overthink this. If you see a deal in the store make sure to compare with the price on Amazon before purchasing.