Let's argue about televisions (again)!

[Kraken]

I have to buy a new TV in the next few weeks. I haven't bought a TV in 15ish years. All of the numbers and acronyms are Geek to me.

I want a good-quality, middle-of-the road featured smart TV in the 50" range for under $700 (I think). Decode the jargon for me. I gather that 4k is standard, and that's about as far as I got. Also, do people hate Samsung for some reason? I seem to remember that. What's your favorite brand for picture quality, reliability, and ease-of-use?

Talk to me as if I were your grandfather.

[pr0ner]

Poke around www.rtings.com and see what their recommendations are for "budget" TVs.

Samsung is a big player these days. I have no issues with my soon to be 3 year old 4K HDR TV.

In your price range, TCL or Vizio may be good ideas, too.

For 4K, bigger is better. You'll need the size, depending on how far you sit from the TV, if you plan on watching any 4K content and want to appreciate it. HDR can be appreciated at any distance, but HDR quality definitely improves as you go up in price.

[dbt1949]

At my age I can't tell the difference between HD and SD on my satellite.
So I'd say it depends on how good your eyes are.

[Zaxxon]

You can do way better than $700 these days. My Amazon app is being a PITA right now and not letting me hotlink, so here's a model to check out:

TCL 50S425 50 inch 4K Smart LED Roku TV (2019)

50", 4k, Roku built in (Roku is drop-dead easy and about the most fully-compatible smart TV platform out there). We have a smaller TCL Roku TV that we bought a couple years back and it's been great for us.

55" model isn't that much more $$, either.

[JCC]

I agree with the recommendation to check RTINGs.com. They are awesome.

I would also recommend looking at 55" TVs. 55 and 65 are the sizes with the most options.

The best PQ comes from OLED or QLED TV's, but these are out of your price range.

So, you will be looking at LED TVs. There are two types of LEDs, VA and IPS. I happen to be more partial to IPS solely because I want the widest viewing angles possible (albeit they are still limited but much better than VA panels). IPS basically limits you to LG's non OLED TVs and (some) Sony TVs. However, most panels are VA and have limited viewing angles, but superior blacks (good for a dark room and movies). Pretty much all other brands make these panels.

[Roman]

Here's an older video that says this TCL model is good value from Amazon.


Newer model would probably be cheaper by now.
If you don't have 4k content you probably don't need a 4k TV - up to you.

[Zaxxon]

Newer model would probably be cheaper by now.

FWIW, the one I posted is the current release of the one in your review, if I'm reading the model #s correctly.

[morlac]

55' in $700 range?

hold my beer:


Bright room viewing:
https://www.microcenter.com/product/605 ... v-w--thinq

65" LG for $650.
https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/lg/um7300

I love LG and have a OLED 55". WebOS (operating software) is awesome!

solid Samsung 55" for $700
https://www.microcenter.com/product/605 ... v-w--bixby
https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/samsung/ru8000


Really need you to answer some quick questions to make sure you get what you need


Max Budget: $700
What is the room like? Dark, natural light from windows, etc?
How many Feet from sitting to tv?
What is important to you? Gaming, sports? Movies, etc? Maybe put in preference order
You plan on picking up local or having it shipped?
If local, where you at?

[Kraken]

Max Budget: $700
What is the room like? Dark, natural light from windows, etc?
How many Feet from sitting to tv?
What is important to you? Gaming, sports? Movies, etc? Maybe put in preference order
You plan on picking up local or having it shipped?
If local, where you at?

$700 is aspirational; if I can get a substantially better TV for $100 more, I'll spend the extra $100. It's our only TV and I would like it to last 10+ years. Let's say absolute max = $1,000, and it would really have to knock my socks off to spend that much.

Our TV stand is 48" wide, so the TV's feet have to be closer together than that. Nothing too humongous, in other words.

We almost always watch TV after dark, so it's a dim room. We sit around 10' from the TV.

Movies first, then TV series, occasional live TV viewing (news, debates, etc). No sports, no gaming. Even though the handwriting is on the wall for recorded media, I will hook up our old DVD player and might even upgrade that to Blu-ray someday.

Was planning to buy on Amazon and have it shipped purely for convenience, but I could pick up. We're near Boston, so most retail outlets are accessible. There's a Best Buy nearby, and I think Sears is still in business for some reason.

I have a 6.1 home theater setup that will get used most of the time, but would like the TV to have adequate onboard speakers as well. I don't think I need a sound bar or anything unless it won't play nicely with my receiver (for some reason).

I would like to get it set up in time for Wife's birthday on 11/5. Hard deadline is when our cable service ends on 12/2.

[Lorini]

Seconding LG. I have an LG TV after replacing a horrible Vizio and it's been awesome. You might want to look for Bluetooth as well, if you have Bluetooth head/ear phones and more than one person in the house, you can watch TV without disturbing others in the house.

[morlac]

Max Budget: $700
What is the room like? Dark, natural light from windows, etc?
How many Feet from sitting to tv?
What is important to you? Gaming, sports? Movies, etc? Maybe put in preference order
You plan on picking up local or having it shipped?
If local, where you at?

$700 is aspirational; if I can get a substantially better TV for $100 more, I'll spend the extra $100. It's our only TV and I would like it to last 10+ years. Let's say absolute max = $1,000, and it would really have to knock my socks off to spend that much.

Our TV stand is 48" wide, so the TV's feet have to be closer together than that. Nothing too humongous, in other words.

We almost always watch TV after dark, so it's a dim room. We sit around 10' from the TV.

Movies first, then TV series, occasional live TV viewing (news, debates, etc). No sports, no gaming. Even though the handwriting is on the wall for recorded media, I will hook up our old DVD player and might even upgrade that to Blu-ray someday.

Was planning to buy on Amazon and have it shipped purely for convenience, but I could pick up. We're near Boston, so most retail outlets are accessible. There's a Best Buy nearby, and I think Sears is still in business for some reason.

I have a 6.1 home theater setup that will get used most of the time, but would like the TV to have adequate onboard speakers as well. I don't think I need a sound bar or anything unless it won't play nicely with my receiver (for some reason).

I would like to get it set up in time for Wife's birthday on 11/5. Hard deadline is when our cable service ends on 12/2.

Challenge accepted. Give me a couple days and I will post some great options for local pickup and delivery.


P.s. I love this kinda stuff, i spent 12 hours researching over a month for my last TV purchase.

[pr0ner]

If you don't have 4k content you probably don't need a 4k TV - up to you.

I don't know if any TVs in the size range Kraken is looking for are sold in 1080p max resolution anymore. Practically everything is 4K.

$700 is aspirational; if I can get a substantially better TV for $100 more, I'll spend the extra $100. It's our only TV and I would like it to last 10+ years. Let's say absolute max = $1,000, and it would really have to knock my socks off to spend that much.

Our TV stand is 48" wide, so the TV's feet have to be closer together than that. Nothing too humongous, in other words.

We almost always watch TV after dark, so it's a dim room. We sit around 10' from the TV.

Movies first, then TV series, occasional live TV viewing (news, debates, etc). No sports, no gaming. Even though the handwriting is on the wall for recorded media, I will hook up our old DVD player and might even upgrade that to Blu-ray someday.

Was planning to buy on Amazon and have it shipped purely for convenience, but I could pick up. We're near Boston, so most retail outlets are accessible. There's a Best Buy nearby, and I think Sears is still in business for some reason.

I have a 6.1 home theater setup that will get used most of the time, but would like the TV to have adequate onboard speakers as well. I don't think I need a sound bar or anything unless it won't play nicely with my receiver (for some reason).

I would like to get it set up in time for Wife's birthday on 11/5. Hard deadline is when our cable service ends on 12/2.

Can you possibly wait til Black Friday (ish?) rolls around? That's probably the best time of year to buy a TV - the TV I bought originally retailed for $2k, and I bought it for $1k near Black Friday.

Most guides will tell you 10' from a 55" or so TV will cause you to miss out on the added detail that 4K can possibly bring. YMMV.

Most TVs these days are so thin that onboard speakers can be an afterthought. They're pretty adequate for standard TV watching, but you'll want to keep the receiver around for movies.

RTINGS.com has a list of best TVs under $1000. May not be a bad place to start looking, especially as they'll give you all kinds of important information (like the footprint of the TV stand, for instance).

[Kraken]

If you don't have 4k content you probably don't need a 4k TV - up to you.

I don't know if any TVs in the size range Kraken is looking for are sold in 1080p max resolution anymore. Practically everything is 4K.

$700 is aspirational; if I can get a substantially better TV for $100 more, I'll spend the extra $100. It's our only TV and I would like it to last 10+ years. Let's say absolute max = $1,000, and it would really have to knock my socks off to spend that much.

Our TV stand is 48" wide, so the TV's feet have to be closer together than that. Nothing too humongous, in other words.

We almost always watch TV after dark, so it's a dim room. We sit around 10' from the TV.

Movies first, then TV series, occasional live TV viewing (news, debates, etc). No sports, no gaming. Even though the handwriting is on the wall for recorded media, I will hook up our old DVD player and might even upgrade that to Blu-ray someday.

Was planning to buy on Amazon and have it shipped purely for convenience, but I could pick up. We're near Boston, so most retail outlets are accessible. There's a Best Buy nearby, and I think Sears is still in business for some reason.

I have a 6.1 home theater setup that will get used most of the time, but would like the TV to have adequate onboard speakers as well. I don't think I need a sound bar or anything unless it won't play nicely with my receiver (for some reason).

I would like to get it set up in time for Wife's birthday on 11/5. Hard deadline is when our cable service ends on 12/2.

Can you possibly wait til Black Friday (ish?) rolls around? That's probably the best time of year to buy a TV - the TV I bought originally retailed for $2k, and I bought it for $1k near Black Friday.

Most guides will tell you 10' from a 55" or so TV will cause you to miss out on the added detail that 4K can possibly bring. YMMV.

Most TVs these days are so thin that onboard speakers can be an afterthought. They're pretty adequate for standard TV watching, but you'll want to keep the receiver around for movies.

RTINGS.com has a list of best TVs under $1000. May not be a bad place to start looking, especially as they'll give you all kinds of important information (like the footprint of the TV stand, for instance).

Thanks, I'll look at that...although I'm content to let morlac do my shopping first. I hate shopping even more than I hate spending money.

I *could* wait that long if it means saving serious green. Would like to have it settled by Wife's birthday, though, even if "settled" just means "choice finalized, waiting for sale." I really do need to have it set up and running when the cable goes away on 12/2, or we could potentially go un-entertained for days.

[Jaymon]

Spring 2018, I bought a 55" TCL with roku built in for $379 (because it was the 2017 model) and we like it.
It works, it has the roku remote which makes everything simple. No problem finding enough hookups for our consoles and dvd player.
The one I bought is not available any more, but I would not hesitate to get another TCL with roku. here is the new one TCL 55" Class 5-Series 4K UHD Dolby Vision HDR Roku Smart TV - 55S525 Note, this is an inexpensive TV. I have no idea if its bad quality or good quality or whatever, but after a year and a half, I still like the one I got.

[Jeff V]

My 75" is a Samsung. No issues with it.

While there are cheaper sets available (this was $300 more than the cheapest 75" in the shop), upgraded electronics makes a difference with streaming app performance, things load faster, the set turns on faster, etc.

[morlac]

65" is your sweet spot based on viewing distance. All TV speakers now pretty much suck, thank the thinness and lack of bezels. They are small and generally all face backwards which adds to the wimpy, muffled sound.

TCL's are a solid bargain brand along with Hisense and Vizio (IMO in that order). Based on his budget and needs I would go for a midgrade option form LG or Samsung.

This isn't the best for his needs due to having mediocre black levers for an LCD but holy crap its a great deal albeit for a 2018 model.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/accesso ... 3080184428

A good $1,000+ off.

Still looking

[Daehawk]

I just watch tv for tv..nothing special. Even 9 years ago when we bought a TV we went to get a 32" plasma that was like $299 but they were out so we came home with a 37" LCD 1080p. Thats all I know. I dont care a thing about 4k or what light it uses or the name. Ours is a Vizio. Those were good back then. I still would buy only by size then price..so biggest for the cheapest is my choice.

[Kraken]

65" is your sweet spot based on viewing distance. All TV speakers now pretty much suck, thank the thinness and lack of bezels. They are small and generally all face backwards which adds to the wimpy, muffled sound.

TCL's are a solid bargain brand along with Hisense and Vizio (IMO in that order). Based on his budget and needs I would go for a midgrade option form LG or Samsung.

This isn't the best for his needs due to having mediocre black levers for an LCD but holy crap its a great deal albeit for a 2018 model.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/accesso ... 3080184428

A good $1,000+ off.

Still looking

Black level is sorta, kinda important to me. Our current TV is weak in that department so I would like to see some improvement. Not OLED-level, probably, but better-than-average for LCD.

65" seems ridiculously large (we have 42" now), but I reckon I'd get used to that and come to like it, as long as it fits comfortably on our stand.

[Daehawk]

Not that long until Black Friday sales btw. Walmart normally sells 50" - 55 tvs for $200 - $250 and on sales Im betting that will be cheap cheap.

[ImLawBoy]

Any objections to wall mounting? We finally did that when our last set got too big for the stand, and I found it surprisingly easy.

[TheMix]

I did that with the tv in the exercise room. It seemed to go well. It was a bit weird because I think the previous owners put up a pseudo panel wall over the drywall. So I wasn't quite sure if I was getting a good sturdy mount or not. However, it hasn't fallen yet. So there's that.

For the family room, I actually got a nice stand that has a wall-mount like mount on the back. It gives us the easy swivel benefits of wall mounts, but plenty of space for devices/storage underneath. I'd link it, but it doesn't look like CostCo carries it any more.

[Scuzz]

Seconding LG. I have an LG TV after replacing a horrible Vizio and it's been awesome. You might want to look for Bluetooth as well, if you have Bluetooth head/ear phones and more than one person in the house, you can watch TV without disturbing others in the house.

We have two LG's that we have had for several years with no problems. The largest is 40". It is amazing now how cheap anything in the 30" range is these days.

[Jaymann]

Seconding LG. I have an LG TV after replacing a horrible Vizio and it's been awesome. You might want to look for Bluetooth as well, if you have Bluetooth head/ear phones and more than one person in the house, you can watch TV without disturbing others in the house.

We have two LG's that we have had for several years with no problems. The largest is 40". It is amazing now how cheap anything in the 30" range is these days.

A few years ago I was looking for a tiny TV to put on my desktop, apparently they don't exist. I ended up settling for a 25" Samsung from Costco.

[Kraken]

Any objections to wall mounting? We finally did that when our last set got too big for the stand, and I found it surprisingly easy.

Behind the TV is mostly windows. I'd have to turn the living room "backwards" (facing away from the door and windows) to look at a wall. Too weird.

[hentzau]

I didn't see you mention how many devices you're going to be hooking up to it. How many HDMI ports do you need/want? Other ports? Saw you have an A/V system, will that be your aggregator?

[Kraken]

I didn't see you mention how many devices you're going to be hooking up to it. How many HDMI ports do you need/want? Other ports? Saw you have an A/V system, will that be your aggregator?

Without a cable box, IDK how any of this works. I expect to hook my DVD player up to the TV and run the TV's sound to my receiver. Might add an antenna, too. Then I expect the new TV to magically suck programming out of the air (via WiFi and the antenna). I'm intrigued by these Roku TVs that bestow the power of DVR, but that's all one unit, right? No separate Roku box?

Anyway, I don't expect to hook anything up to it beyond the DVD player and antenna.

[Scuzz]

I didn't see you mention how many devices you're going to be hooking up to it. How many HDMI ports do you need/want? Other ports? Saw you have an A/V system, will that be your aggregator?

Without a cable box, IDK how any of this works. I expect to hook my DVD player up to the TV and run the TV's sound to my receiver. Might add an antenna, too. Then I expect the new TV to magically suck programming out of the air (via WiFi and the antenna). I'm intrigued by these Roku TVs that bestow the power of DVR, but that's all one unit, right? No separate Roku box?

Anyway, I don't expect to hook anything up to it beyond the DVD player and antenna.

You can buy a TV will a built in Roku device. You can buy a TV with built in wi-fi (probably standard now). Roku's themselves are pretty cheap and easy to work and install. We have three in the house, each a different model.

You might think about a sound bar as well. We haven't bought one yet but I have considered it many times. The sound on flat screens can vary quite a bit.

We recently bought a new travel trailer. It came with a 26" flat screen and roof mounted antenna. With the old trailer we might get 4-5 channels on the coast. The new configuration got 45-50. Of course probably 25% were Spanish or religious. But I would really wonder how many channels that thing would bring in if we were actually near a large city.

[Daehawk]

All TV speakers now pretty much suck, thank the thinness and lack of bezels. They are small and generally all face backwards which adds to the wimpy, muffled sound.

Back in 2010 when me and my wife got this tv I got a Philips surround sound system with it. It was great but it died about 3 years ago. Since then my wife just used the tv speakers and of course now I use them. They get loud enough but of course aren't as good. I think they are front mounted but Im not even sure. Thats as much as I care about it all lol.

[Z-Corn]

Any way you can run a network cable to your TV instead of relying on WiFi?

Drill holes in floors and ceilings if need be. It's for a better future. Comrade.

[rittchard]

You can do way better than $700 these days. My Amazon app is being a PITA right now and not letting me hotlink, so here's a model to check out:

TCL 50S425 50 inch 4K Smart LED Roku TV (2019)

50", 4k, Roku built in (Roku is drop-dead easy and about the most fully-compatible smart TV platform out there). We have a smaller TCL Roku TV that we bought a couple years back and it's been great for us.

55" model isn't that much more $$, either.

I have one of these in my room that I use as my computer monitor and it's great for gaming. Given how well it works for that I think for any regular TV viewing you throw at it it will be fine. As Zaxx mentions, it has Roku already built in. The 55" model (4K UHD) is $500 for the newest model at Best Buy, and $350 for last year's model. It's such a good deal I think I'm probably going to upgrade mine lol.

[Z-Corn]

From Amazon, January 2018 we bought a TCL 55S405 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED TV (2017 Model) for $399 and have been very happy with it.

I could use more HDMI ports but I make do with a Sony receiver in the loop.

I drilled a hole in the floor for ethernet when we moved into this house because all the network gear is in my office in the basement. I have an 8-port hub behind the TV. CAT 6 everywhere.

[em2nought]

My 75" is a Samsung. No issues with it.

While there are cheaper sets available (this was $300 more than the cheapest 75" in the shop), upgraded electronics makes a difference with streaming app performance, things load faster, the set turns on faster, etc.

Have you installed a plexiglass blast shield or placed your toddler in a straight jacket yet?

[Daehawk]

The TCL 55" 55S421 is $298 at Walmart. Damn in 2002 getting a 25" CRT tv for $190 - $250 was a deal.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/TCL-55-Class ... /616382144

TCL 55" Class 4K Ultra HD (2160P) HDR Roku Smart LED TV (55S421)

Doesn't seem to get the greatest reviews. Also like Linus says in the video in this thread its dim'ish.

[morlac]

Any way you can run a network cable to your TV instead of relying on WiFi?

Drill holes in floors and ceilings if need be. It's for a better future. Comrade.

So very much this if you plan on streaming.

Another ? Do you apple or android? Amazon prime/alexia?

[Jeff V]

My 75" is a Samsung. No issues with it.

While there are cheaper sets available (this was $300 more than the cheapest 75" in the shop), upgraded electronics makes a difference with streaming app performance, things load faster, the set turns on faster, etc.

Have you installed a plexiglass blast shield or placed your toddler in a straight jacket yet?

Plexiglas shield. Works great so far.

[morlac]

Leaning towards this one.

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/hisense/h9f
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hisense-65 ... Id=6346747

Or slightly behind.

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/vizio ... antum-2019
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/vizio-65-c ... Id=6345460

Lastly, this 55" Samsung Qled is a solid choice as well but not as good in dark rooms as the above.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-55 ... Id=6331758
https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/samsung/q60-q60r-qled
https://www.smartreview.com/samsung-qn5 ... 2019-model


You should be able to get all local somewhere's (I looked at Cambridge Best buy and Microcenter) albeit they may have to free ship it to the store for pickup. The first two are both decently discounted at Bestbuy presently.

[Kraken]

Any way you can run a network cable to your TV instead of relying on WiFi?

Drill holes in floors and ceilings if need be. It's for a better future. Comrade.

So very much this if you plan on streaming.

Another ? Do you apple or android? Amazon prime/alexia?

Two Android phones. Wife has an Apple laptop from work, but her main laptop is a PC. We have Amazon Prime but no Alexa (nor do we want that).

I don't know about running cable; it would not be easy. WiFi really won't work well?

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.

Maybe I'll try that tomorrow, see if the modem can slurp up internet through the living room cable. The two cables enter the house at different places, but they must come from the pole over the same wire, right? Seems like it should be the same signal going into both.

Morlac, those three all look like solid contenders. I will read the reviews and specs on each tomorrow. Thanks for the handy links!

[Formix]

Every time one of these threads has popped up over the years, I come in thinking that as a professional AV integrator, I'll have something germane to add to the conversation. Nope. You guys already have hit all the high points. FWIW, I'll thirty-second the idea of the TCL. If money is no object, the high-end Sony's are the best. But bang for the buck? Well, let's just say that TCLs are what I own in my own home. Also, I've seen the wifi go squirrelly on TVs, regardless of manufacturer, so if you can get a wire there, please do.

[morlac]

Kraken, they should be able to hook the modem up anywhere there is coax. You should definitely move it to the TV if you can. You will want to watch 4k stuff going forward and hardwiring the TV is going to make that much better.

[pr0ner]

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