WOW!!! Picking A TV Is Not Easy

Yamaki

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Plasma, LED, 3D LED, 4K LED, 65" to 75", Smart or Not Smart.....:sigh:

The choices are mind boggling what with all the specifications and options available on this type but not that type, CMR/refresh rates, internet capable vs. straight monitor, etc...

If I wasn't so "anal"ytical it would be easier, right? :scratch2:

So I thought I'd throw it out to all my fellow AK'rs for a bit of input if you are willing to do so.

Let's assume I know nothing about the TV's. My usage is primarily:

1. Standard Comcast feed.
2. BluRay via Oppo BDP-95
3. Netflix & Vudu movies via streaming through the Oppo.

My thoughts:

1. I don't need a "Smart" TV as I can stream now via the Oppo. I can also view the Internet if I want using a feed from my server. Any other benefits to a "Smart" TV you think are important to consider?

2. 4K kind of appeals as more and more of that content is coming in via Netflix & Comcast so there's a "future proofing" aspect to that. I just don't think that the 4K content being brought to us at this point is truly 4K unless you have a separate server, such as the Sony box. Some makers tout that a 4K unit upconverts standard feeds but I'm not so sure that's a good thing or not. So, 4K or no?

3. What are your preferences in TV's, plasma vs. LED? I know plasma is being phased out and that 65" is about the max available anymore. The LED TV's seem to have made great strides in black levels and refresh rates recently.

So as I wend my way through this technical minefield I know your experiences, input and decisions would be very helpful and most welcome!
 
I went on the lower end of the road with my most recent purchase. 39" LED Non-Smart but 1080p with 3 HDMI ports.

My research told me to stick with LED for now. Definitely NOT LCD and no Plasma.
I don't need upconverting since I have U-Verse and am happy with their HDTV Lineup.
4k is not a big thing to me. Perhaps in 3 or 4 years.

I would avoid 720. We have 720 in our condo and it's OK (Sony LED) but I much prefer 1080, no matter WHAT the salesperson says. Some tried to tell me that you really only get 720p pumped into your home so a 1080 is a waste. Not true. Perhaps with some cable companies, but not with U-Verse and I would assume not with most large CATV companies.

I hook up my Chrombook via HDMI, DVD via HDMI but my U-Verse gets the 3 cable AV input. The tech that installed U-Verse insisted that the 3 cable AV is far superior to HDMI fro the U-Verse converter.
 
#3) Personally speaking, I do not like the look of an LCD. I'll take any display that uses phosphors, good old crt or plasma. I have both. If the plasma ever dies, I would not have a problem using a smaller crt set in it's place.
 
I don't think there are any sets actually using LED's for the picture, it's just for the backlighting right, but still an LCD screen?

Curious what was your reason for ruling out Plasma? Power consumption? I found it to be a negligible issue as far as the electric bill is concerned.

Burn in is a legitimate issue if you want to watch a lot of 4:3 content on one, it will leave a mark but you have to watch nothing but 4:3 for months for it to happen, alternating formats will keep the wear even.
 
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That's how I understand it.

Yep, it's LCD-LED.

The bet LEDs are the units that are fully backlit.

My opinion on a TV..

The size dictates how far away you are from the TV. Around 10 feet or so you want about a 60" or larger. Less than that and I would go smaller.

For type, I prefer plasma for picture quality above anything else. The price is lower and the colors and blacks are much better than most LEDs. However you do deal with a glare on the screen and they run a bit hotter than LEDs do so these are things you have to factor in. In a living room I'd go LED and likely buy a Samsung.

SmartTV.. meh.. I use a PS3/PS4 and get all that functionality that way. 3D is kind of a bleh thing too.
 
I haven't ruled out plasma and there is a very nice Samsung PN64F8500 open box special locally that keeps whispering "buy me, buy me" :D and I've almost given in to it's blandishments, especially since it's very attractively priced.

4K still appeals and I've seen some 4K LED/LCDwith a cable company feed exhibited side by side with a 1080p LED/LCD and I did see a difference. Enough so that I want to go back and confirm what I think I saw. :)

I'll make a decision later this week.
 
Something else to look out for when buying a TV is if you need the Audio Out jacks as most TV's are not coming with them now. Bummer.
 
Thanks for that heads up, Eric.

I use the audio out from the cable box/HDMI directly into my pre-amp/processor. I haven't used TV audio in years!
 
I have a Samsung 55 inch LED for my Family room (which is very bright) and it works well but it's no comparison to my 65 inch Panasonic Plasma in my basement (better blacks and just overall a more realistic picture).

Both are smart TV's and I really have no use for the smart TV options other than perhaps Netflix but you can get that and similar features via other media devices (WD TV, Roku, etc).

Problem I've noticed is if you want the best picture technology you may be forced into buying a smart TV even if you don't want those features.
 
If you have a dark room , not much glare from windows, than a Plasma will work and i would look at a Panasonic Plasma , if its a brightly lit room, lots of natural light go with a LCD/LED. Have 4 Samsung LCD/LED and i wouldnt trade them for much on the market.. Sharp has a very nice picture the Q series. The # to look at is Contrast Ratio, and not all TVs are on the same page for this measurement.
 
I'm considering the LG 60PB6600, it was $599.99 at Microcenter until they launched the new web site a few days ago, now it's over a grand, probably have to go to the store to see the real price. 60", 600hz refresh, smart, free Netflix, plasma, $31/year power consumption. Personally I'd get the plasma and an extended warranty from Squaretrade (money back on tv if it can't be fixed). :yes:

LG 60BP6600

PS - The LG-60PB6650 is the next model coming out, these change every 3 months.
 
4K still appeals and I've seen some 4K LED/LCDwith a cable company feed exhibited side by side with a 1080p LED/LCD and I did see a difference. Enough so that I want to go back and confirm what I think I saw. :)

Were you viewing the 4K TV from a normal seating distance when you saw the difference? If not, then be sure to view it from a normal seating distance when you go back... you may find that this eliminates any visible difference between 1080/2K and 4K.
 
I know all the science about viewing distances and resolution and I bought into it as well for years, clinging to my beloved 60" 720P Pioneer Plasma. I sit about 14' away and I can tell you that the difference with a higher resolution is night and day. Kinda like all the things we debate in audio every day about theoretical and real differences.

I can honestly say that if you believe that 4K is not significant (and I've heard that a lot) then you have not looked at any 4k content. the difference is staggering, and I can tell you that if you spend any time looking at a 4K set, you'll likely regret not buying one if you have the means. I got the Panasonic WT600 65" and it is stunning!

The 3D is nice and cool for the occasional movie. 4K content is scarce, but it'll be here eventually. We actually like watching some of the 4K stuff on YouTube for fun.

I can understand waiting for the content to catch up, but if you are buying now and can live with the price - it is coming down, my Panny was $3800, it's pretty f'ing awesome.

I figure a TV is something that I typically live with for 10 years so I really don't have a problem going for the cutting edge!
 
I'm not going to worry about it too much until 4K content is actually available. And it needs to be good 4K content, not over-compressed and artifact-ridden cable/satellite/streaming content. I'll take well-done 2K content (e.g. Blu-ray) over that any day.

When the content is available then I'll re-evaluate. Until then my 65-inch Sony KDL65W850A will do very nicely :).
 
Yeah I was at normal viewing distance, which is about 14', and did see a difference shriefal.

The more I see of the 4K tv's, even with local cable company feeds, the more I am leaning towards them.
 
nothing technical from me but we have 3. 2 Vizio and 1 Samsung. Knowing what I know now I wish I'd gone all Samsung. Brighter and clearer.
 
We have 4 TV's. One Panasonic plasma and three Samsung LCD's. We love the Samsung's but the Panasonic plasma is in an entirely different league for picture quality.
 
Plasma, LED, 3D LED, 4K LED, 65" to 75", Smart or Not Smart.....:sigh:

The choices are mind boggling what with all the specifications and options available on this type but not that type, CMR/refresh rates, internet capable vs. straight monitor, etc...

If I wasn't so "anal"ytical it would be easier, right? :scratch2:

So I thought I'd throw it out to all my fellow AK'rs for a bit of input if you are willing to do so.

Let's assume I know nothing about the TV's. My usage is primarily:

1. Standard Comcast feed.
2. BluRay via Oppo BDP-95
3. Netflix & Vudu movies via streaming through the Oppo.

My thoughts:

1. I don't need a "Smart" TV as I can stream now via the Oppo. I can also view the Internet if I want using a feed from my server. Any other benefits to a "Smart" TV you think are important to consider?

2. 4K kind of appeals as more and more of that content is coming in via Netflix & Comcast so there's a "future proofing" aspect to that. I just don't think that the 4K content being brought to us at this point is truly 4K unless you have a separate server, such as the Sony box. Some makers tout that a 4K unit upconverts standard feeds but I'm not so sure that's a good thing or not. So, 4K or no?

3. What are your preferences in TV's, plasma vs. LED? I know plasma is being phased out and that 65" is about the max available anymore. The LED TV's seem to have made great strides in black levels and refresh rates recently.

So as I wend my way through this technical minefield I know your experiences, input and decisions would be very helpful and most welcome!

* Samsung, LCD LED, 3D, 4K, Smart, 75" or larger. ...More money but that's what you asked anyway.

Now:

1. Any HDTV nowadays is a Smart TV, so don't sweat that one.

2. Get a 2K for now (very very affordable). ...Then later on you can get a 4K one, just like the rest of us. :)

3. I'm a plasma guy myself (60", active 3D, Samsung, Non-Smart, very cheap, like less than a thou now, but they are all Smart nowadays, even at that price and size.).
- Panasonic and Samsung top plasma HDTVs are the best (they beat LCD LEDs overall - just check the latest 2014 face-off). ...And yes, 65" is max in plasma..

*** Yes, Panasonic and Samsung are also top guns in LCD LED backlit HDTVs and Ultra HD TVs. And the sizes go to 85" (or a bit more) I believe, but for a $ premium too.
 
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