OT: 4K TVs
It's very #OnBrand to ask about brands on the new MGoBlog, but after my 10 year old TV died I'm in the market for an upgrade. This buying guide has lots of good baseline info - like a calculator that gives you TV size relative to viewing distance.
https://www.abt.com/learn/tv-buying-guide
But, being a store, they're going to try to sell whatever gets them the most money. So, who's got a 4K TV? What do you like about it? Would you buy the same model again?
Well I'll take the word of someone who actually works in the industry over reviewers.
My buddy set up the Timberwolves arena, locker room, suites, etc. Also did KG's house after his work there. He knows his shit.
Most if not all the TVs are manufactured by the same people/companies regardless and have similar hardware unless you’re buying a super high end television.
I have a Samsung and live it. Great video processing, HDR (you want this) and also one of the brightest TV's there is. TV's with high light output levels (there is a lot of different levels among brands) work especially well if like me, your main TV viewing is done in a fairly bright room. If it will be in a basement that's less important. But Samsung video processing is top notch
I have 3, all Samsung. My most recent was the most expensive one (65 inch curved 9000 series). Under normal circumstances I'd recommend Samsung, but now, FUCK'EM! Here's why. My 9000 series cost approximately 5k and is a year and a half old. Along the edge of the device panel I started to notice that the screen was washing out. Lots of white bleed in. It started in a corner and now covers the entire side of both sides. Research online shows many are experiencing the same problem. The warranty from Samsung is 1 year. I reached out to Samsung and was told sorry about my luck, but I will need to talk to a repair shop and have the panel replaced. The cost to replace the panel is $1500 and the shop I spoke to said they have done a few of these already and the problem comes back. So the panels are poorly made. Samsung won't stand behind their product and I'm not shelling out another 1500 for a panel that in a year or two will have the same exact problem.
On top of that, Samsung has moved to a proprietary adapter to promote what they call "Upgrade proof TV's" Supposedly you can just buy a replacement box that is essentially the programmed software of the TV and plug it in to get all the new features etc... of new TV's instead of buying a new TV. Interesting idea, but so far I'm not seeing the usability of it and the replacement boxes are about $400. So you have to deal with a proprietary plug into the tv, which they don't have an extension for, nor is there any extension I can find from an off brand. So my TV which is mounted about 7 feet away from my media cabinet has to have a box stuck to the back of the tv via velcro instead of just running an HDMI cable from my receiver to the TV, like any normal product would. Of course with a curved back that has the plastic waved, the velcro doesn't stick all that well and I'm constantly having to get behind the tv to remount the damn upgrade box.
So I'd avoid Samsung because their customer service sucks, their product quality has gone down, and they have no desire to make their customer home integration a seamless experience. So Fuck Samsung.
The curved TVs never appealed to me and I don't see why anyone would want one.
I can see not having one and not missing anything for sure. That said, it does add a little bit of a depth to the picture. It's not like you're suddenly watching 3d without the glasses, but it does add a little something extra to the experience.
I will soon be in the market to buy a new TV. Once my theatre room is done, I need a new TV. I might go with an OLED. 60 to 70 inch TV is my range.
I was similar to you. I had a Samsung plasma that suddenly stopped working. Did some research at went with a LG 65” OLED. Other options don’t really compare. Also coming from plasma so LED just didn’t look good at all in my opinion jerky motion and muddled greys instead of crisp black. Not a ‘tech guy’ so I wanted whatever looked the best to me at the time and will likely keep it until it stops working.
As someone who did extensive research before making the plunge on a 4K TV, I agree with a lot of what people are saying.
- If it doesn't have HDR (or some variation like DolbyVision), it's not going to give you the best quality. I wouldn't mess with a 4K TV unless it has HDR.
- I didn't want to break the bank and went with the TCL P-series. A few people have said how much they love it and I agree tenfold. The new version of the P series was just released and is the 6 series - I would not mess with anything but either of those (so not the 4 series). When people say that TCL provides the best 4K HDR TV for under $1,000, they aren't lying but are also specifically referencing the P and 6 series. Another great feature that I honestly didn't think I'd use much with having a Chomecast and Xbox was the built-in Roku TV. I friggin' love using it; it is so useful and nicely integrated that I use it all the time. For the price, you really cannot beat this TV. If you are willing to go to $1,000 and that's your limit, get the new 65" 6-series and don't look at anything else.
- GO BIG. It's worth it. I was blown away after just going from a 42" to a 55." First thing I watched on it was Planet Earth II and it exceeded all expectations. For the record, I was not high.
55' 4k for $399.00 when it's on sale:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P56QEcFUuE