Let's argue about televisions (again)!

[Z-Corn]

Here's a wacky thought: Our internet and cable provider are one and the same. There's one "internet cable" going into our modem in the kitchen. There's another cable going into the TV cable box in the living room. They're identical-looking coax cables. Could I plug that living room "TV cable" directly into the TV and let it drink from the firehose? Or move the modem onto it instead of the one in the kitchen? Do they both carry the internet signal, I guess I'm asking. Because if they are both "internet cables," I can set the modem just a few feet from the TV and connecting them with a Cat 5 would be trivial.

I bet it's the same signal and you can move the modem to where the cable box is now. In my house one coax feed comes from the street and is split in the basement, one line runs to the modem in the basement and the other up to the TiVo in the living room. Yours may be similar.

[morlac]

If money is no object I'm still sticking to my LG OLED except I'd upgrade slightly.

https://www.cnet.com/news/lg-88-inch-8k ... neighbors/

I really like TLC (bought a smaller one for my Daughter last Christmas) as well but that Hisense is beating them in every review I saw. It's a great time to buy TV's. There I has never been a wider gauntlet of prices and options. Even the lower end stuff is of so much better quality then "bargain" brands used to be.

[hentzau]

I personally have no issues streaming 4K and HDR via wireless, but YMMV.

Ditto. I get the occasional blip but for the most part it's rock solid.

And I have a TCL from about 2 years ago, the one that Wirecutter was raving about. It's a great TV, although I really do need to tune it a bit. 4K media tends to run a little dark on it. Would purchase another one.

I also have a 65" Samsung in my game room that's a really great TV. But the Roku integration on the TCL is heads and shoulders above the SmartHub on the Samsung. Samsung seems to release Smart TVs and then never release any new apps for them. I've been wanting a native app for Movies Anywhere on it, but since they don't have it I have to run Movies Anywhere through a Fire Stick or my Xbox One.

[Kraken]

I personally have no issues streaming 4K and HDR via wireless, but YMMV.

I did just buy a brand-new router, and it works great. But I'm still going to see if I can move the modem. It's only in the kitchen because that's where the landline used to be.

Keep arguing (and agreeing) about TVs, folks. It's all informative to someone who has paid them no attention in a very long time.

[Jaymann]

You can get a splitter for your cable cord to extend it.

[Kraken]

Well, nothing's ever easy. The TV cable does not supply internet to my modem. Two separate wires enter the house side-by-side, and then go their separate ways. I am guessing that they both come from a junction box outside, and that box probably tells each one what to carry. So I might be able to get my ISP to redefine the TV cable to an internet cable...but not until I'm ready to discontinue the TV cable. They're a small, local company so I think they'll cooperate if it's technically straightforward. But I probably won't ask until I have the new TV, and that means it's going to be WiFi to begin with.

(Running a cat 5 cable down through the kitchen floor, across most of the cellar ceiling, and then back up through the living room floor would be a bigger operation than I want to undertake. The distance "as the crow flies" is only 30-40', but it's much farther "as the wire runs.")

[Zaxxon]

There's no reason that wifi isn't sufficient so long as your wireless router is not ancient. I'm on Google Wifi 2 floors below our main TV, and never have any issues streaming.

[Hrothgar]

We got a TCL 6 series last year. The advantage of the 6 series is more dynamic lighting zones. This helps with darker blacks and in scenes with contrasting lighting. Make sure you use the ARC hdmi port if you want to hear TV sound through your receiver. The integrated Roku is simple and easy. I believe the cloud DVR is limited to the apps that provide it (like youtube TV).

We love the TV. Native 4k looks great. There could always be more 4k content.

[Kraken]

What do "Roku TV" and "Android TV" mean? Are those just the browsing interface/operating system, or do they add features? (When I hear Roku, I think DVR; it's going to be hard for me to give up the ability to record shows.) Also, what is "blooming"? That comes up in reviews frequently.

I was getting myself worked up over that TCL 6 until I saw its width. The stand won't fit on our 48" TV table (even in the 55" size, its footprint is still 48.5"), and I do not wish to replace that.

The HiSense H9F's center stand gets around that problem, and its RTNGS ratings look excellent (insofar as I understand them). Lousy sound is the only real drawback that I see. I don't like being compelled to use our sound system for routine viewing (ordinarily we just use it with movies), but I could cope with that. It's a strong contender, although I still want to read more reviews and shop a few competing models before I buy. I am also not 100% sold on going with 65"; it seems to me like 55" would be plenty big. I should actually measure my viewing distance rather than guesstimating it.

Tomorrow I'll try to look at the Vizio and Samsung that you recommended.

[gilraen]

I was getting myself worked up over that TCL 6 until I saw its width. The stand won't fit on our 48" TV table (even in the 55" size, its footprint is still 48.5"), and I do not wish to replace that.

It will - according to TCL support, the leg spacing is 47.9".

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/questions/ ... 7dd8de53aa

[Jeff V]

There's no reason that wifi isn't sufficient so long as your wireless router is not ancient. I'm on Google Wifi 2 floors below our main TV, and never have any issues streaming.

My TV is right above the cabinet with my Google WiFi router. There can't be more than 3' between antennae and receiver. My only problem is Chromecasting from another device, even if that device is in the same room. There is definite latency. Also, for some reason, HBO pauses to buffer a lot. It's the only thing I have a problem with...and when watching in the bedroom 1 floor up, it could sometimes be a deal-breaker.

[Alefroth]

I was getting myself worked up over that TCL 6 until I saw its width. The stand won't fit on our 48" TV table (even in the 55" size, its footprint is still 48.5"), and I do not wish to replace that.

It will - according to TCL support, the leg spacing is 47.9".

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/questions/ ... 7dd8de53aa

And you can turn the feet inwards for more room. I did that for about a month before I got a larger stand.

[Zaxxon]

There's no reason that wifi isn't sufficient so long as your wireless router is not ancient. I'm on Google Wifi 2 floors below our main TV, and never have any issues streaming.

My TV is right above the cabinet with my Google WiFi router. There can't be more than 3' between antennae and receiver. My only problem is Chromecasting from another device, even if that device is in the same room. There is definite latency. Also, for some reason, HBO pauses to buffer a lot. It's the only thing I have a problem with...and when watching in the bedroom 1 floor up, it could sometimes be a deal-breaker.

All's I'm sayin' is any buffering issues are not inherent to it being wifi. Modern WiFi is well more than capable of supporting 4k streaming to several devices simultaneously without any buffering or latency issues.

[Kraken]

I was getting myself worked up over that TCL 6 until I saw its width. The stand won't fit on our 48" TV table (even in the 55" size, its footprint is still 48.5"), and I do not wish to replace that.

It will - according to TCL support, the leg spacing is 47.9".

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/questions/ ... 7dd8de53aa

And you can turn the feet inwards for more room. I did that for about a month before I got a larger stand.

Hmm, I will bear that in mind. Wife thinks I overestimated our viewing distance -- she guesses 7-8' -- so 55" is looking more likely. Still gotta measure that.

[Apollo]

I just recently bought a 75" Sony for my new home theater setup and I have no regrets. The large, clear picture (especially when backed up by a surround sound system) makes watching movies like being at the theater. There's a noticeable difference over watching the 47" in the den.

Moral of the Story: Go for the biggest screen you have room for. Nobody ever regrets getting a T.V. that's too big.

[Jeff V]

There's no reason that wifi isn't sufficient so long as your wireless router is not ancient. I'm on Google Wifi 2 floors below our main TV, and never have any issues streaming.

My TV is right above the cabinet with my Google WiFi router. There can't be more than 3' between antennae and receiver. My only problem is Chromecasting from another device, even if that device is in the same room. There is definite latency. Also, for some reason, HBO pauses to buffer a lot. It's the only thing I have a problem with...and when watching in the bedroom 1 floor up, it could sometimes be a deal-breaker.

All's I'm sayin' is any buffering issues are not inherent to it being wifi. Modern WiFi is well more than capable of supporting 4k streaming to several devices simultaneously without any buffering or latency issues.

It might have something to do with the processing power of the TV too. I mentioned earlier I went with a more expensive TV for this reason, and it certainly seems to help. The upstairs TV is a 10 year old Sony bringing the streaming on an Amazon Fire Stick. I suspect the TV is just not able to keep up.

[morlac]

I was getting myself worked up over that TCL 6 until I saw its width. The stand won't fit on our 48" TV table (even in the 55" size, its footprint is still 48.5"), and I do not wish to replace that.

It will - according to TCL support, the leg spacing is 47.9".

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/questions/ ... 7dd8de53aa

And you can turn the feet inwards for more room. I did that for about a month before I got a larger stand.

Hmm, I will bear that in mind. Wife thinks I overestimated our viewing distance -- she guesses 7-8' -- so 55" is looking more likely. Still gotta measure that.

Honestly, even at 10' a 55' is still certainly viable. Plus you can get an accompanying soundbar now and not fiddle with your old system

[morlac]

There's no reason that wifi isn't sufficient so long as your wireless router is not ancient. I'm on Google Wifi 2 floors below our main TV, and never have any issues streaming.

My TV is right above the cabinet with my Google WiFi router. There can't be more than 3' between antennae and receiver. My only problem is Chromecasting from another device, even if that device is in the same room. There is definite latency. Also, for some reason, HBO pauses to buffer a lot. It's the only thing I have a problem with...and when watching in the bedroom 1 floor up, it could sometimes be a deal-breaker.

All's I'm sayin' is any buffering issues are not inherent to it being wifi. Modern WiFi is well more than capable of supporting 4k streaming to several devices simultaneously without any buffering or latency issues.

It might have something to do with the processing power of the TV too. I mentioned earlier I went with a more expensive TV for this reason, and it certainly seems to help. The upstairs TV is a 10 year old Sony bringing the streaming on an Amazon Fire Stick. I suspect the TV is just not able to keep up.

It has to do with many things making apples to apple comparisons of WIFI impossible. You have NIC cards of various quality/capabilities on the devices themselves, you have routers doing the same. Then you need to factor number of devices on wifi. lastly the environment plays a huge role from walls, glass, concrete, interference form neighbors, etc. One thing is always true, a wired connection is better . Not required but if it's easy I can't think of a reason not to.

You need roughly 25 mbs consistent/dedicated speeds to properly stream 4k with out buffering and downgrading. It's the consistency part that usually causes wifi streaming issues, that and having a full house with 2 tv's and 2 pcs using at the same time. I have only my Man cave Tv hard wired and it's the one we watch all the 4k stuff on. Every other TV has streaming annoyances. Hesitant to call them issues and their mostly due to me not having enough wifi extenders but whatevers. As long as you have 802.11ac you should be fine. I would be hesitant with using even N with multiple users though. New protocols are coming out as well and this issue will lgo away until we are streaming 8k.

[morlac]

I just recently bought a 75" Sony for my new home theater setup and I have no regrets. The large, clear picture (especially when backed up by a surround sound system) makes watching movies like being at the theater. There's a noticeable difference over watching the 47" in the den.

Moral of the Story: Go for the biggest screen you have room for. Nobody ever regrets getting a T.V. that's too big.

Sitting 10' from 75" would suck, no need for 4k at that distance for tv that big. It's all relative. Budget being independent on distance: At 10' i'm getting a higher quality smaller than 75" screen. At 15' I'm totally getting the 75. It's the motion of the ocean not the size of the wave

[pr0ner]

I just recently bought a 75" Sony for my new home theater setup and I have no regrets. The large, clear picture (especially when backed up by a surround sound system) makes watching movies like being at the theater. There's a noticeable difference over watching the 47" in the den.

Moral of the Story: Go for the biggest screen you have room for. Nobody ever regrets getting a T.V. that's too big.

Sitting 10' from 75" would suck, no need for 4k at that distance for tv that big. It's all relative. Budget being independent on distance: At 10' i'm getting a higher quality smaller than 75" screen. At 15' I'm totally getting the 75. It's the motion of the ocean not the size of the wave

The 4K chart on rtings.com would say otherwise.

[MonkeyFinger]

I just recently bought a 75" Sony for my new home theater setup and I have no regrets. The large, clear picture (especially when backed up by a surround sound system) makes watching movies like being at the theater. There's a noticeable difference over watching the 47" in the den.

Moral of the Story: Go for the biggest screen you have room for. Nobody ever regrets getting a T.V. that's too big.

Sitting 10' from 75" would suck, no need for 4k at that distance for tv that big. It's all relative. Budget being independent on distance: At 10' i'm getting a higher quality smaller than 75" screen. At 15' I'm totally getting the 75. It's the motion of the ocean not the size of the wave

The 4K chart on rtings.com would say otherwise.

Ha... we're at the most 10' back from our main TV and it has grown steadily in size over the years, right now a 75" 4K set. And I already know that with each iteration it will just get... bigger.

[Kraken]

I measured; from the center of the screen to my eyeballs is 9', so I think 65" will be OK.

Talked to a guy from the cable company today. When I upgrade our internet account from 50 to 100 Mbps I get "free installation of one streaming device." He said that can include removing or replacing the filter that's keeping my TV cable from getting internet service right now, so I will be able to move the modem to the living room and wire the new TV to it.

I have also decided that, while I'm dealing with all this change, I'm going to buy my own modem and stop renting theirs for $8.50/mo. I've probably paid $1,000 for that damned modem over the years and I can buy one for well under $100.

[Z-Corn]

I have also decided that, while I'm dealing with all this change, I'm going to buy my own modem and stop renting theirs for $8.50/mo. I've probably paid $1,000 for that damned modem over the years and I can buy one for well under $100.

As of now you're going to have to pay more than that for a DOCSIS 3.1 modem. It's your choice but I wouldn't buy anything but DOCSIS 3.1 to ensure future proofness.

[Zarathud]

Another happy 65 in TCL owner here. The TV is across from my sun room, and it’s been great with the light. The built in Roku is great but I use the Roku app on my phone for quick searching because (1) children take the remotes and (2) the remote is infrared based not wifi.

[The Meal]

I have also decided that, while I'm dealing with all this change, I'm going to buy my own modem and stop renting theirs for $8.50/mo. I've probably paid $1,000 for that damned modem over the years and I can buy one for well under $100.

As of now you're going to have to pay more than that for a DOCSIS 3.1 modem. It's your choice but I wouldn't buy anything but DOCSIS 3.1 to ensure future proofness.

I just paid $130 for a refurb DOCSIS 3.1 modem (compatable with Xfinity service).

[mori]

Cannot offer advice to what to get but can say my Vizio is complete and utter shite.

[Scuzz]

Another happy 65 in TCL owner here. The TV is across from my sun room, and it’s been great with the light. The built in Roku is great but I use the Roku app on my phone for quick searching because (1) children take the remotes and (2) the remote is infrared based not wifi.

I didn't know that was possible until about a week ago when one of my daughters mentioned they could control the Rokus with their phones.

[Zarathud]

Any stream through the TV can be put in silent mode to listen via the app on my phone. It doesn’t work with the DVD unfortunately.

[Kraken]

I should get a new phone someday, too. My S4 is growing long in the tooth.

[gbasden]

This was an interesting thread to be reading today as my 13 year old LCD decided to kick the bucket unexpectedly. After doing some research, I ended up picking up an LG OLED 65" C9 class. It's really beautiful, but I need to find a lot more 4k source material.

[Kraken]

After a couple hours of reading reviews, I'm pretty settled on that Hisense 65". Now I need to watch for a sale. I *can* pay $900, but would prefer not to pay full price. I can wait until Black Friday if need be, although I'd like to get it sooner, before I start having second thoughts. Anybody know a way to get price alerts? I read somewhere that you can do it thru Google Shopping, but I couldn't find any way to set it up there. I could have it delivered for free from either Best Buy or Amazon.

Ah, here's what I read. Looks like it's only available on phones.

[Z-Corn]

Put it in your cart on amazon and check it once a day. Strike as soon as the price drops!

[The Meal]

If it’s on Amazon, use camelcamelcamel.com to set up a price alert.

[Kraken]

If it’s on Amazon, use camelcamelcamel.com to set up a price alert.

Thanks, we'll see if that works. Wife has at least 100 things in her wishlist, so I had to create a new one with just the TV.

[Exodor]

Thanks for this thread - I picked up a 55" TCL for $319 today. Took a bit of work to get it mounted (the legs are too far apart to fit on top of the TV stand that held the previous 46" TV so I had to wall-mount it(and what happened to center stands? Every TV seems to have little spindly legs on either side of the set instead of a single pedestal in the middle)) but it looks great and I really like the built-in Roku.

[Kraken]

Thanks for this thread - I picked up a 55" TCL for $319 today. Took a bit of work to get it mounted (the legs are too far apart to fit on top of the TV stand that held the previous 46" TV so I had to wall-mount it(and what happened to center stands? Every TV seems to have little spindly legs on either side of the set instead of a single pedestal in the middle)) but it looks great and I really like the built-in Roku.

That base question has factored into all of my decisions. I have a 48" wide TV stand. It's a quality piece of furniture and I'm not going to replace it. Some of the wide-stance TVs have legs that can be installed backwards to reclaim some space, but I really prefer the center stand. Wall-mounting is not an option in my small living room with its eight windows. I got to the point where if the picture showed little legs at the corners, I swiped left. One thing I've gleaned from reading a lot of reviews is that TVs on the market now range from great to awesome, so features like that matter.

Roku vs Android: opinions? I settled on Android but am not 100% confident in that. Tutor me.

[Exodor]

Roku vs Android: opinions? I settled on Android but am not 100% confident in that. Tutor me.

I can't speak to Android but the built-in Roku was simple to setup and get my streaming services added (Netflix, Hulu, CBS All Access and HBO Go). I love that the remote has buttons for Netflix and Hulu that take you straight to those apps without having to go to the home menu first. We spend ~80% of our viewing time with one of those two apps so that's very convenient.

One of the complaints I've read online about the built-in Roku is the ads that appear in the main interface. They look like posters on one side of the screen - easily ignored and only seen when in the home menu. If they ever add audio to those ads I may change my opinion but for now it's a non-issue.

[Zaxxon]

Roku all the way. And I say this as someone who's also a big Android fan.

[disarm]

I've had an nVidia Shield (Android) for a couple years, and picked up a Roku for another TV when we cut our cable last month. I've been an Android diehard for years when it comes to phones, but I say Roku all the way for a TV interface. Android isn't bad by any means (and is capable of more overall), but Roku is way more streamlined for tv.

[Alefroth]

Thanks for this thread - I picked up a 55" TCL for $319 today. Took a bit of work to get it mounted (the legs are too far apart to fit on top of the TV stand that held the previous 46" TV so I had to wall-mount it(and what happened to center stands? Every TV seems to have little spindly legs on either side of the set instead of a single pedestal in the middle)) but it looks great and I really like the built-in Roku.

Is it the 55R615? If so, that's the one I got last year and it's been really great. I read reports that banding was visible in some solid color scenes like soccer matches or white screens, but haven't noticed that on mine.