OT--Time to upgrade our TV in the theater--OT

Webass

saluki2007 said:

GATraveller said:

I'm in the market to replace the tv on the screened porch so watching this thread closely.

I'm getting ready to purchase a new outside tv too.  I'm going with the new TCL 49" 5 series.  It's built around Roku and is 4k.  For the price and use as an outside TV (which will be stored in the garage when not in use) hard to beat the price.  Best Buy has them listed at $399 right now on their website.

We have 7 Vizios including 1 on the screened deck.  All came from Walmart. They had the best deals online. 

dannys

You need to get out and look at some of these TVs.  Look at the picture quality  there is quite a difference.  Find one you like and buy it.

Online reviews are fine for finding out which brands have problems, etc. But don't use them for much else. Actually, take every word you read from "non-professional" reviews with a grain of salt. 

jtcBoynton

You also need to take every word from "professional" reviews with the same grain of salt.

YukonRon

One more thing, and it may not matter much, but certain monitors, or Smart TVs do not necessarily hook up with certain streaming services. You Tube TV, as an example, has caused several folks who wish to use their streaming channels, to buy another hook up device to work with the SmTVs.
Check on the ability to use all streaming channels without additional hook ups.
If this had been mentioned previously, excuse the redundancy.

fishlessman

dont trust your eyes either, if i were setting up sets in a store, the most profitable sets would be tuned in perfect, and the less profitable  sets would be tuned in like crap. 

JohnEggGio

fishlessman said:

dont trust your eyes either, if i were setting up sets in a store, the most profitable sets would be tuned in perfect, and the less profitable  sets would be tuned in like crap. 

Dang, I thought I was cynical - I never thought of that!

saluki2007

To see the best picture bring your own Stormy Daniels DVD.

GATraveller

JohnEggGio said:

fishlessman said:

dont trust your eyes either, if i were setting up sets in a store, the most profitable sets would be tuned in perfect, and the less profitable  sets would be tuned in like crap. 

Dang, I thought I was cynical - I never thought of that!

They are notorious for doing just that at BrandSmart

Ozzie_Isaac

Plus TV manufacturers have a demo mode that over saturates the image and has intense brightness.  You are also in a huge harshly lit (usually fluorescent lights) environment that has almost no relation to your viewing environment at home.

I generally look at reviews on avsforum.com and look for models that can be calibrated.  Then I go to the stores and look for the most natural image, after I turn off demo mode and tweak a bit.  The "sales" people usually walk over and start asking lots of questions.  Some are very interested to learn about the products they are selling, some just want to be able to reset the display after I leave.

jtcBoynton

Fluorescent lighting common in a lot of stores also impacts the visuals.

SmokeyPitt

I have a room in the finished basement with no windows and 2 rows of seating with a fairly large TV where I watch movies and consume other media. About a year and a half ago I replaced the 73 inch DLP with a 70 inch Vizio 4K tv. No complaints so far.  Honestly I feel like if you have a good room with no windows and glare it is much more forgiving. Just my $.02 but I feel like this is one area where you don't necessarily "get what you pay for", because no matter how much you pay there will be something better in a year anyway. So...I just bought one that was on sale. It was $1000 or so. If something comes along that I really have to have I will buy it and wont' feel bad about the 70 inch tv in my bedroom. 

KiterTodd

I have this Sony Bravia 65" in the home theater that I really like.  Beautiful screen.  Bought it 9 years ago when HD was all the rave, 3D was about to hit, and 4K was just a rumor.  TV still looks great, works flawlessly, but I can't watch UHD on it or the 4K content that is starting to trickle out.

So why did I spend thousands on a set that I now can't recoup hardly any of? Not to mention even if I want to sell it, I could only do so locally (i.e. Craigslist) because the thing is too big to ship anywhere.

Last year I upgraded the Family room television... I looked at these beautiful Samsung 4K sets for thousands of dollars at Costco, then I saw this generic 55" set for $300 that was a 4K Roku SmartTV (TCL).  I bought it.  Nobody notices the difference.  Sure, there are certain times where I'll notice that the blacks are not as black as the should be and the transitions to dark gray are kind of blocky... but I'm like the ONLY one who notices. And when this breaks or needs replaced, I won't care. It works very well.  Great features. It's 4K. The picture is beautiful.  I hook a 4K AppleTV to it for higher res content. Nuts.

The thing is, whatever you spend, technology will eclipse it before you have gotten over the heartache for paying for the damn thing.  I'd get a cheap one that you don't care about.  My Bravia sure is pretty though...

Smoker317

Thumbs up for OLED, most reviews that I have read and sales reports show that LG pretty much dominates the OLED market worldwide, while Samsung dominates in the U.S.  From what I read, not a significant change in the 2018 LG models for guts, sure it will get a more powerful CPU, but the big changes in LG will be different cabinet models.  Samsung on the other hand is a bit behind Sony and LG with their version of the OLED which they call QLED and should be releasing a much improved processor to compete with Sony and LG. 

I like the idea of OLED because if I understand the technology correctly, each pixel is individual lit instead of clusters of pixels being side lit or back panel quadrant lit as with LCD and LED screens which results in better contrast and black pitch.  

Regardless of how it works, the OLED by LG IMO appears to be slightly better than Sony and definitely better than the Samsung QLED.  This is comparing 2017 models, again the 2018 75" Samsung QLED may take the lead, at least Samsung is hoping so.  LOL.  As far as OLED vs LED or LCD, no comparison.

I am looking to upgrade my 60" Samsung Plasma in the MAN ROOM to a 75" this fall.  That is the motivation for me reading all of this stuff.  LOL.

thetrim

DoubleEgger said:

JohnInCarolina said:

bucky925 said:

I think I'm going with this one...As soon as I can figure out how to collect the wife's life insurance 
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-100-class-led-z9d-series-2160p-smart-4k-uhd-tv-with-hdr/5481100.p?skuId=5481100

For $60k it had better blow you on command.

That model costs $130k 

I see what you did there!

bucky925

saluki2007 said:

I don't know why, but I always laugh when people say they need to replace their TV in their theater room.  In my mind a theater room should have a projector.  Any ways, I would suggest going with a 4k TV, especially if you like to entertain in there.  Agree with Ozzie, need a little bit more info about the room.

Ok, here is a couple of pic's.  I am replacing a 83" dlp I sunk into the wall, so I would have to build a shadow box for the new TV.  The surround sound will last longer than I will, I hope. 
If you noticed the doll house in the background.  I never said we entertained adults.

Wolfpack

What’s in the rack?

lousubcap

Again, living large-but a great looking set up right there.  Gotta admit I am not one to provide any worthwhile tech comments as I barely watch TV at all.  
However, I'm sure you entertain adults-even though the grands own the side room.  

Ozzie_Isaac

bucky925 said:

saluki2007 said:

I don't know why, but I always laugh when people say they need to replace their TV in their theater room.  In my mind a theater room should have a projector.  Any ways, I would suggest going with a 4k TV, especially if you like to entertain in there.  Agree with Ozzie, need a little bit more info about the room.

Ok, here is a couple of pic's.  I am replacing a 83" dlp I sunk into the wall, so I would have to build a shadow box for the new TV.  The surround sound will last longer than I will, I hope. 
If you noticed the doll house in the background.  I never said we entertained adults.

Nice!! Do you notice any better sound with the front heights?

EggNorth

Ozzie_Isaac said:

saluki2007 said:

Theophan said:

saluki2007 said:

... In my mind a theater room should have a projector...

I love the idea of a really huge screen, but I've never seen a home projection image that was anywhere near as good as a really good flat screen TV.  Especially with the 4K or higher / HDR screens, these days, I'm not sure the dynamic range of a projected image (from a home projector, that is) can rival them.  Obviously they do so in theaters, but I didn't think home projectors were anywhere near their flat screen competitors.  Am I mistaken on this?  Are there home projectors now that are as good as a 4K or higher HDR TV?

There have always been home projectors that were/are better than flat screens and still are.  The thing with projectors are you can manipulate them more/better than most TVs, especially large screens.  They do come with a heftier price tag though.

Home projectors can easily push $30k.  There are some great models in the $5k-$10k range though.  Make sure to budget for a proper screen too.  No bedsheets or painted walls.

When we did our dedicated home theatre, before stores knew what home theatre was, we painted the wall thinking we needed a screen, a few projectors later the wall is still painted and the 106" display is still better for movies.  

If if buying a projector, just have to be sure to buy a Home Theater projector, not a Business projector, unless you like to read subtitles.  We paid about $1,200 for ours a few years ago.  The first projector was about 8K refurbished.

We have a standard LG from a few years ago, and also just purchased Visio 4K, just because it was $200 cheaper than the Samsung, it's a great TV.  For me, it's like computers, they are all much the same now, just need to shop by price range.

The 2nd purchase should be a UPS, I have four or five in the house.  Spent way too much on replacing bulbs, projectors, tvs, amps due to power problems.

thetrim

Wouldn’t a thread title like, „I hate My TV“ be more appropriate for this forum???

bucky925

Just a update.  I went with the LG 75" smart TV.  It took a little carpentry work (which I suck at) but with the lights low it looks good  .  In any case I'm pleased. 

bucky925

Wolfpack said:

What’s in the rack?

@Wolfpack  Which rack?

Lit

JustOneOfTheGuys said:

I went with the LG OLED65C7P.  The colors are outstanding.  Once you see 4K content on a 4K set you’ll be amazed.  While you may think a 4K is more than you need now, think about the investment in the set and how long it will be around.  More and more providers are making 4K content and it is even making its way into cable delivered local content as well. Dolby sound and movies are bright and vivid with deep blacks and spot on colors-totaling amazing.  If you can make the jump to OLED, you won’t be disappointed.

They have one of these right when you walk into my Costco the picture is noticeably better than any of the other TVs. Now they need an 80” and I could talk the wife into it. 

bucky925

@Lit  by now she should know "bigger is better"  !

Lit

bucky925 said:

@Lit  by now she should know "bigger is better"  !

She does. I tried on the 65” cause the picture really is that much better but she wouldn’t even consider it.

bucky925

Oh we are still talking TV's ?