Looking for a TV..

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r.palace
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Looking for a TV..

Post by r.palace » Sun May 29, 2016 10:13 pm

..for the man cave.

Admittedly I'm not caught up with the latest tech trends :shrug: so I'm not sure where to narrow the search down with so many options available.

I have narrowed down some specs I'm looking for;

- $700-$1000 range.

- 4K HD LED

- 3+ HDMI Ports

- 50" - 60" screen

- Pornovision Compatible

Currently have a Samsung in the living room that's solid, but I've also heard good things about Vizio and LG.

Looked at the usual suspects - Best Buy, HHGregg, etc. but they only have a handful of sets on display.

I try not to lean heavily on site reviews so I'm asking you TDWC; what should a playa purchase?

:cheers:
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hoppyjr
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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by hoppyjr » Sun May 29, 2016 10:15 pm

Here's a TV. I think Terry will let this one go cheaply.

Image

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CGSshorty
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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by CGSshorty » Sun May 29, 2016 10:22 pm

I have a Samsung 60" 4K in the den where I watch TV. I am more than happy with it. I paid about $1400 9 months ago.
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nweash
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Looking for a TV..

Post by nweash » Sun May 29, 2016 10:29 pm

I went projector in 2008 and haven't looked back. 106" screen.

Only thing is all the 4K are way too expensive. But you can get a really nice and bright Optoma 1080p 3D for 500-800.

Food for thought.

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r.palace
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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by r.palace » Mon May 30, 2016 6:35 am

hoppyjr wrote:Here's a TV. I think Terry will let this one go cheaply.

Image
Looking for new, not open box special :dance:
Seppia wrote:If you're looking for led, why don't you go the second hand route?
Led panels are basically immortal, so there's not the same risk you had with plasma that could be "finished", and it's easy to find TVs that are 2 years old at 50% of their original price.
True but pricing on the 4Ks I'm looking at isn't bad, just too many choices and I'm not sure what the best bang for my buck would be.

If they had all models on display this wouldn't be an issue.
CGSshorty wrote:I have a Samsung 60" 4K in the den where I watch TV. I am more than happy with it. I paid about $1400 9 months ago.
Leaning toward Samsung because of familiarity. It's a solid brand as everyone knows but I was also curious about how they compare in the similar price range as Vizio or LG that are sometimes priced lower with similar specs.

nweash wrote:I went projector in 2008 and haven't looked back. 106" screen.

Only thing is all the 4K are way too expensive. But you can get a really nice and bright Optoma 1080p 3D for 500-800.

Food for thought.
Did think about going the projector route, Nick. Was a bit wary, being a newer technology and all plus the local dudes didn't know much about explaining it at the store.

With a projector though, doesn't all the lighting in the room have to be just right for optimal viewing? Dark room, no glare, etc

I would assume this is the main difference with a standard TV
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jimyritz
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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by jimyritz » Mon May 30, 2016 6:38 am

CGSshorty wrote:I have a Samsung 60" 4K in the den where I watch TV. I am more than happy with it. I paid about $1400 9 months ago.

I have a Samsung 55" Smart TV and it's been excellent...

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Looking for a TV..

Post by Chocodove » Mon May 30, 2016 6:46 am

I have an Insignia (BB house brand) that I got very cheap and am extremely happy with it. Some of the Insignia stuff is crap, but some of it is just rebranded LG or Samsung. Worth a look if you can view them in a store. If you get a knowledgable CS rep, they can probably tell you who the original manufacturer is.
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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by JBZ » Mon May 30, 2016 7:04 am

jimyritz wrote:
CGSshorty wrote:I have a Samsung 60" 4K in the den where I watch TV. I am more than happy with it. I paid about $1400 9 months ago.

I have a Samsung 55" Smart TV and it's been excellent...
I have the 50" and am very happy. From what I've read in the technology between 1080p and 4k, the upgrade isn't enough to justify the increased cost of the 4k.
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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by marchone » Mon May 30, 2016 7:07 am

I have a five year old 55" Vizio that has been trouble free.
only accurate watches are interesting

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r.palace
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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by r.palace » Mon May 30, 2016 8:00 am

Chocodove wrote:I have an Insignia (BB house brand) that I got very cheap and am extremely happy with it. Some of the Insignia stuff is crap, but some of it is just rebranded LG or Samsung. Worth a look if you can view them in a store. If you get a knowledgable CS rep, they can probably tell you who the original manufacturer is.
Funny enough the BB I was at yesterday did not have any Insignia stuff bigger than 45"

Good stuff to know Todd, I'll make sure to ask them about their brand next time I pass by. Figured it would be rebranded

JBZ wrote:
jimyritz wrote:
CGSshorty wrote:I have a Samsung 60" 4K in the den where I watch TV. I am more than happy with it. I paid about $1400 9 months ago.

I have a Samsung 55" Smart TV and it's been excellent...
I have the 50" and am very happy. From what I've read in the technology between 1080p and 4k, the upgrade isn't enough to justify the increased cost of the 4k.
The prices on 4K right now are minimal in difference with most 1080p sets with similar specs. 4K is still rolling out and I'd prefer to invest in that than spend a similar dollar on a 1080p set.
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59yukon01
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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by 59yukon01 » Mon May 30, 2016 8:22 am

I've had a M series 60" Vizio for over two years. Bought at Costco for a great price. I'd highly recommend them for the price, and I'd but another one without question.

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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by dnslater » Mon May 30, 2016 8:23 am

Seppia wrote:If you're looking for led, why don't you go the second hand route?
Led panels are basically immortal, so there's not the same risk you had with plasma that could be "finished", and it's easy to find TVs that are 2 years old at 50% of their original price.
Bottom line is that they do degrade and cheaper TV's degrade faster. A 30,000 hour LED TV is at 70% of it's original brightness at the 30,000 hour mark. Heat greatly impacts this If you typically use it at a lower brightness setting, it will prolong the life. Higher quality manufacturers like Sony, Samsung and LG use better diodes that are brighter and longer lasting.

Also if getting a Smart TV make sure you are comfortable with the interface. We have a cheap Vizio with a terrible interface and a Sony with a terrific interface. Of course I prefer to use a Roku or Firestick and bypass the TV interface most of the time.

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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by dnslater » Mon May 30, 2016 8:34 am

One more thing, to put it in watch language.

Samsung, Sony and LG make their TV's "In House" in their own factories in Korea. Value tv companies like Vizio and Westinghouse farm out production to third party companies in Tawain. Not that there is anything wrong with that just a different company structure. I like companies that develop their own tech, but sometimes price rules.

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blowfish89
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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by blowfish89 » Mon May 30, 2016 9:02 am

I'm very happy with my 2.5 yr old LG 1080p 42" LED TV too and have used it enough to recover the cost, when it is time to upgrade I'll sell it for like 100 bucks (if that much).

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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by dnslater » Mon May 30, 2016 9:27 am

Seppia wrote:
dnslater wrote:
Seppia wrote:If you're looking for led, why don't you go the second hand route?
Led panels are basically immortal, so there's not the same risk you had with plasma that could be "finished", and it's easy to find TVs that are 2 years old at 50% of their original price.
Bottom line is that they do degrade and cheaper TV's degrade faster. A 30,000 hour LED TV is at 70% of it's original brightness at the 30,000 hour mark. Heat greatly impacts this If you typically use it at a lower brightness setting, it will prolong the life. Higher quality manufacturers like Sony, Samsung and LG use better diodes that are brighter and longer lasting.
Certainly true.
Doesn't really apply to me because 30.000 hours is somewhere north of 40 years of usage for me
It's also 7 years of usage for a crazy person that keeps the tv on an insane 12 hours per day so not sure if it applies to anybody actually
Plus, I always tend to keep brightness around 1/3 of where it could be as I find most TVs are horribly bright, have too much contrast and color temperature is way too cold.

I also really don't see what the huge benefit of 4K would be honestly, as all programs are still broadcasted in 720p at best if I'm not mistaken.
Yeah, I think this comes into play more in commercial use. A lobby or waiting room display is on 24/7. Conference room monitors are on 12 hours/day.

I have noticed that cheaper displays don't have as much contrast. Blacks aren't as black.

Room it is going in makes a difference. A brightly lit living room needs to be bright to compete with ambient light. A basement home theater not so much.

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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by HapaHapa » Mon May 30, 2016 10:35 am

jimyritz wrote:
CGSshorty wrote:I have a Samsung 60" 4K in the den where I watch TV. I am more than happy with it. I paid about $1400 9 months ago.

I have a Samsung 55" Smart TV and it's been excellent...
Exactly what we have. Good performance. Only issue is a bug in the system that makes the screen go black for a split second every now and then.
The Hapa

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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by jimyritz » Mon May 30, 2016 11:19 am

HapaHapa wrote:
jimyritz wrote:
CGSshorty wrote:I have a Samsung 60" 4K in the den where I watch TV. I am more than happy with it. I paid about $1400 9 months ago.

I have a Samsung 55" Smart TV and it's been excellent...
Exactly what we have. Good performance. Only issue is a bug in the system that makes the screen go black for a split second every now and then.
------------

Interesting--my issue has been when you turn TV on the TV pic shows up small in the left corner..
I then have to click on button of the TV remote and then it's the big pic...can't figure out why-- :think:

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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by foodle » Mon May 30, 2016 11:51 am

HapaHapa wrote:
jimyritz wrote:
CGSshorty wrote:I have a Samsung 60" 4K in the den where I watch TV. I am more than happy with it. I paid about $1400 9 months ago.

I have a Samsung 55" Smart TV and it's been excellent...
Exactly what we have. Good performance. Only issue is a bug in the system that makes the screen go black for a split second every now and then.
The Samsung TVs are great, but the remotes though are :doh: .

Just a grid of similar sized/shaped buttons. Terrible UI/UX for me. Contrast that to a well designed remote like the Tivo one.

Image

Image

... although on second glance, the Tivo remote does look like something Terry would use for other purposes ...


As another data point, we've had good luck with Sony TVs. They usually have a two or three different lines depending on features/quality. In 4k 55" size, the mid-range is $1400, and the high-end is $2000.
Last edited by foodle on Mon May 30, 2016 11:55 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by CGSshorty » Mon May 30, 2016 11:53 am

My TV has built in Bluetooth. I'll never buy another set without it.
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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by amckiwi » Sun Jun 12, 2016 5:54 pm

Samsung all the way at that price point
Also ensure they have not maxed the settings when viewing in store
Tie your fave DVD with you to watch and compare
If this advice is for Terry please do not take your fave DVD

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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by hoppyjr » Sun Jun 12, 2016 5:59 pm

CGSshorty wrote:My TV has built in Bluetooth. I'll never buy another set without it.
How is that used? I'd never thought of a Bluetooth tv.

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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by CGSshorty » Sun Jun 12, 2016 6:02 pm

hoppyjr wrote:
CGSshorty wrote:My TV has built in Bluetooth. I'll never buy another set without it.
How is that used? I'd never thought of a Bluetooth tv.
I use if for my headphones, but it also works with soundbars. My wife has trouble sleeping if there's a TV on anywhere in the house, so headphones are a must for me.
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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by hoppyjr » Sun Jun 12, 2016 6:09 pm

CGSshorty wrote:
hoppyjr wrote:
CGSshorty wrote:My TV has built in Bluetooth. I'll never buy another set without it.
How is that used? I'd never thought of a Bluetooth tv.
I use if for my headphones, but it also works with soundbars. My wife has trouble sleeping if there's a TV on anywhere in the house, so headphones are a must for me.
Outstanding. I will keep this in mind.

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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by Danny_T » Mon Jun 13, 2016 11:11 am

Curious to know from the experts here what is considered;

Low end

Midrange

High end

On the flat screen TV / projector spectrum (Led,4K)
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Re: Looking for a TV..

Post by dnslater » Mon Jun 13, 2016 11:29 am

hoppyjr wrote:
CGSshorty wrote:
hoppyjr wrote:
CGSshorty wrote:My TV has built in Bluetooth. I'll never buy another set without it.
How is that used? I'd never thought of a Bluetooth tv.
I use if for my headphones, but it also works with soundbars. My wife has trouble sleeping if there's a TV on anywhere in the house, so headphones are a must for me.
Outstanding. I will keep this in mind.
If you pick up another wife? I recommend pre-owned. Lower expectations.

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