# TV recommendations



## neatfeatguy (Jan 3, 2022)

The wife and I are looking to get a new TV here, but there are so many options. You see all sorts of TV options and a large range of prices. My understanding is you kind of get what you pay for.

Right now our main TV is a 55" 1080 TCL. It's 5 or 6 years old now and it's sluggish. I won it in a raffle, so the TV only cost me $25 - I suppose I got great use out of it for only being $25. Lots of app/channel crashes or if you have the CC on it can cause hang ups and some channels apps just don't work at all - like AppleTV. My brother was up visiting about 6 months ago and wanted to show us some shows he was watching on AppleTV, but apparently my TCL TV isn't able to run AppleTV channel because it's too old or weak..

We're looking at spending upwards of $1200 at max and don't want a cheap POS, but we also don't want to overpay for shoddy models, either. We're hoping to find something in around 60-70" that'll hopefully last a while. 

Anyone have any recommendations or experiences with certain brands/models that we should look at? The wife is leaning hard towards LG, she likes the Nanocell and the OLEDs, but the OLEDs are kind of past our price range we're willing to spend. We don't want a cheap $400-500 TV either, since you get what you pay for.


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## dirtyferret (Jan 3, 2022)

why not get a dedicated roku or fire TV player to make the apps run faster and have better streaming?


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## neatfeatguy (Jan 3, 2022)

dirtyferret said:


> why not get a dedicated roku or fire TV player to make the apps run faster and have better streaming?



We're looking to get a new TV for the main room and move this one to the basement in our new house so we have something to watch downstairs or if the kids want to play the NES mini or soon to have Xbox Series X.


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## Chrispy_ (Jan 3, 2022)

If you keep a TV for 5-6 years then don't buy the latest model. Get a 2020 quantum dot TV and keep the change.

2020 65" Samsung Q90 or Q80
2020 Hisense H9G or H8G

Arguably the interface on the LGs is the best on the market but their picture quality leaves a lot to be desired since they insist on sticking to IPS which sucks at black levels. If you never use a TV after dark and the interface matters to you more than picture quality then the 2020 LG Nano90 and Nano85 did not receive any significant updates in 2021 so there's no reason to pay extra for the latest version.

I use RTINGS.com since you can filter an exhaustive list of things from a huge quantity of first-party reviews and sort the results by usage type. The "best" overall TV depends more on what you use it for most, as there is no one TV that is the best at everything. The two suggestions above are the best at mixed use, ie jack-of-all-trades.


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## skizzo (Jan 3, 2022)

dirtyferret said:


> why not get a dedicated roku or fire TV player to make the apps run faster and have better streaming?


if it's a TCL unit, 99% chance it already is a "Roku TV" since those units are in the TV housing.  Not sure what year they started doing that, but most of TCLs units have Roku built in already. this suggestion would be a lateral adjustment at best only improving the user interface and maybe what channels are available




neatfeatguy said:


> We're looking to get a new TV for the main room and move this one to the basement in our new house so we have something to watch downstairs or if the kids want to play the NES mini or soon to have Xbox Series X.


www.rtings.com

seriously best site for TV research. my take is if you are happy with a TCL unit for years now, you would be just as happy with whatever their current model year equivalent is. I know they are "budget" brand but my experience with them has always been excellent and I've bought their TVs for me and family since I got my first one in ~2017. $1200 is a decent budget, so you must want something "high end" or at least above budget then? I can vouch for Samsung QN90A, it's their flagship release this year, but you would limit yourself to the 50" model at that budget. For a 60"+ TV I think you should look at whatever is considered like the one or two notches down from the flagship release for Samsung, Sony, LG. Something you should like would fall into that area of quality and cost I think


Your Roku TV is likely too old and incompatible for Apple TV. Here is a chart








						How to use the Apple TV channel on your Roku® streaming device|Watch Apple TV
					

Watch Apple TV on your compatible Roku streaming player or Roku TV. Find out which devices support the Apple TV app and how you can sign into the channel.



					support.roku.com
				



The Roku model in the TV, that info is somewhere in the TV interface as they state, but I haven't tried this to confirm it works as intended.

I agree with Chrispy too, I don't like IPS TV's at all anymore. For your use case I recommend a VA panel. It will have better contrast and but slightly worse viewing angles which will be good for a living room compared to IPS. I've never cared too much to worry about view angles unless you have an awkward seating arrangement

And my two cents, again, (and I see Chrispy also likes them!) is got to www.rtings.com where everything is done methodically, professionally and without bias. I just read a review on Amazon where someone said "The vesa mounts are hidden. Called support and they told us to remove the black screws to reveal additional mounting points" meaning this dude literally didn't understand the mounting point already had a screw in it, rather than come in a separate bag. Supported by a pic of him removing a screw from one of the vesa mount points to *drum roll please* reveal a vesa mount point! These are the kind of reasons people take stars off for reviews lol! Followed by another great comment that "no TV's have 120Hz panels they are all 60Hz". Followed by the holy grail of fail complaints of someone bitching a "38inch TV came in my 42inch TV box!" and attached a pic of them measuring the TV across the X axis or width.....rather than the diagonal.....like how TV's have been measured since the dawn of time as far as I know! A 43" TV will measure as so on the diagonal and about 38" on the width LMAO don't get info from regular Tom, Dick, and Harry's reviews because most are not knowledgeable. Stick to the pros at RTINGS!


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## TheLostSwede (Jan 3, 2022)

Might be worth having a look at what will be announced at CES this week.
Lots of interesting developments in TVs just around the corner.


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## dirtyferret (Jan 3, 2022)

skizzo said:


> if it's a TCL unit, 99% chance it already is a "Roku TV"


I'm talking about a dedicated streaming device like the Roku Ultra or Fire TV streaming stick that run performance circles around the integrated "Roku TV and Fire TV" offerings.


TheLostSwede said:


> Might be worth having a look at what will be announced at CES this week.
> Lots of interesting developments in TVs just around the corner.



Which also means manufacturers will want to run sales to clear out inventory of old units for new units...well at least they would way back in the pre-covid days.  Were TVs in color in those days or black and white only?  It's been so long I forget.


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## neatfeatguy (Jan 3, 2022)

dirtyferret said:


> I'm talking about a dedicated streaming device like the Roku Ultra or Fire TV streaming stick that run performance circles around the integrated "Roku TV and Fire TV" offerings.
> 
> 
> Which also means manufacturers will want to run sales to clear out inventory of old units for new units...well at least they would way back in the pre-covid days.  Were TVs in color in those days or black and white only?  It's been so long I forget.



Yes, we do have a couple of Roku streaming sticks that work wonders, we use them on a couple of older, non-smart flatscreen TVs - one in my bedroom and one in the daughter's room. They do make the TCL TV look like it's moving in slow motion. I'm a firm believer that TCL has repurposed the original Atom processors to run in their TVs.

Maybe I can stop at the local Best Buy outlet store and see if they have any good discounted open box TVs.....
I have found a few TVs I really like and seeing they're rated well is a bonus, but them costing easily $2k+ is out of the budget.

I'll keep checking around, I'm bound to find something that'll work.


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## Chrispy_ (Jan 3, 2022)

TheLostSwede said:


> Might be worth having a look at what will be announced at CES this week.
> Lots of interesting developments in TVs just around the corner.


Pretty sure some cool stuff will be shown at CES but there are two problems with that;

The new stuff shown is upcoming models that aren't going to be available to buy for months. Sometimes the stuff shown at CES gets cancelled altogether, or only released in other regions.
Quantum dots are just a refinement of longstanding technology. There are no breakthroughs to be had, and I can say that with confidence because before a product hits CES with new technology there are always announcements the instant new technology is marketable, because that increases share price and investor interest.


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## Chomiq (Jan 3, 2022)

February should mark the lowest prices for 2021 models. Aim for Sony X90J, currently 65" should be around $1299.


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## Chrispy_ (Jan 3, 2022)

skizzo said:


> I recommend a VA panel. It will have better contrast and but slightly worse viewing angles


Honestly, the "viewing angle" aspect of IPS is grossly overstated as a positive. IPS gets darker and darker off-angle which means it's okay for extremely off-centre viewing in a dark room. VA tends to grey out instead which means in a dark room VA will look pretty awful and washed outside of about a 90-degree arc in front of the TV.

In a well-lit room it makes little difference as the IPS brightness drop off-angle manifests as a greyout just like VA does. So, the scenario where IPS has an advantage is when you're watching a movie in a dark room at more than 45 degrees off-centre. How many people are in your room that you can't get a better viewing angle, and even then you're going to get a very trapezoid distorted view anyway, regardless of the contrast levels.

For me, IPS vs VA comes down to motion performance. VA has unquestionably superior black levels and the primary tradeoff is that pixel response for blacks. Your typical VA TV has a worst-case black response time of about 20ms which means that whilst 24fps and 48fps movies are flawless, anything above 60Hz (so game consoles or PCs providing a 120Hz signal, for example) are potentially going to look a bit smeary unless you do your research and pick a VA panel that is specifically tuned for 120Hz gaming. If the fastest content you watch is 60Hz TV broadcast then you need to go out of your way to find a VA TV that's too slow for that these days.


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## TheLostSwede (Jan 4, 2022)

LG just announced their new models.








						New LG TVs Redefine Viewing and User Experience with Unmatched Features, Technologies
					

LG Electronics USA (LG) today unveiled its most advanced and impressive TV lineup yet, headlined by the company's exceptional 2022 OLED TVs. With powerful imaging technologies and an improved webOS offering even more smart features and services, LG's latest models are expected to elevate the...




					www.techpowerup.com


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## Space Lynx (Jan 4, 2022)

TheLostSwede said:


> Might be worth having a look at what will be announced at CES this week.
> Lots of interesting developments in TVs just around the corner.



I agree with this, be patient for a few more months!

I will be buying a 42" LG C2 OLED personally.  I will be pre-ordering it as soon as it goes live.  Been waiting a long time for this.


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## Kraven (Jan 4, 2022)

If you're expecting to get an Xbox Series X, then you are clearly considering high frame rate 4k gaming, with that in mind I would suggest you consider the specs you need first :

1. 120hz panel ?
2. G-Sync / Freesync compatible ?
3. Do you have an AVR ? If not, then DTS is probably not important
4. Will you connect all Devices to the TV or an AVR ? Some TV's have very few HDMI ports
5. Is this primarily for watching TV/Films or Gaming ?
6. Do you buy 4k blurays or watch a lot of streaming movies from Netflix/Disney+/AppleTV, if so is Dolby Vision or HDR10+ your preference ?

With all that said, the LG CX/C1 are outstanding, but have flaws, in that they have no DTS support, even for DTS Passthrough.
Also, if it was for 5hrs+ per day of gaming, I would be worried about some burn-in after a few years with status bars, etc...

As for pricing, LG will be dumping a lot of C1 stock in March>May, I would expect you see some really good prices. LG 55 C1's have been as low as £850 / $1150 inc tax in the UK recently.


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## hat (Jan 4, 2022)

I can't really speak for anything in the higher price ranges. I got my 55" TV at the pawn shop for half of what you consider cheap. With my Roku box, it does what it needs to quite well.


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## Outback Bronze (Jan 4, 2022)

Got the LG C1 OLED 65" here has been pretty good so far : )



Chrispy_ said:


> sticking to IPS which sucks at black levels



Didn't they circumvent this with the OLED pure blacks?


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## R-T-B (Jan 4, 2022)

Outback Bronze said:


> Didn't they circumvent this with the OLED pure blacks?


OLED != IPS.  Seperate line.  Their non OLED TVs are all IPS.


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## dorsetknob (Jan 4, 2022)

Not a Fan of Internet /smart TV's
After a couple of years / out of warranty   those apps are outdated and either cannot be updated or just fail to work.
edit
and the Background snooping and online intrusive adverts that seem impossible for average joe/jane to block


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## neatfeatguy (Jan 4, 2022)

hat said:


> I can't really speak for anything in the higher price ranges. I got my 55" TV at the pawn shop for half of what you consider cheap. With my Roku box, it does what it needs to quite well.


I do have a couple of pawn shops near me....never thought about checking them out.



Kraven said:


> If you're expecting to get an Xbox Series X, then you are clearly considering high frame rate 4k gaming, with that in mind I would suggest you consider the specs you need first :
> 
> 1. 120hz panel ?
> 2. G-Sync / Freesync compatible ?
> ...



I'm not really impressed by "4k" capabilities of any console, regardless of that, the new Xbox would be used on the 55" TCL once it makes the move to the basement. At the moment down there we have a 10+ year old 40" Sony Bravia. It's too small for the room and even with nearly 20/20 vision I have troubles reading subtitles while sitting 15ft away. The wife wants to move that TV to her workout area and use the chromecast with it so she can cast her streaming workout stuffs to a TV and not having to use her iPad.

If any burn in does happen on the TCL, if it even lasts that long, it won't hurt my feelings

1) I'd like 120hz, but it's not a deal breaker for me
2) not needed
3) No AVR
4) No other devices except maybe the Xfinity box that was sent to me, but I'm not sure I'll even set that up. I've been sitting on it for 3 months now and I haven't really given it a second thought
5/6) The new TV will be mainly for watching TV and movies - whether from Plex (no 4k movies, only 1080p and 720p from DVD/bluray discs) or streaming. Maybe watching the occasional sports game (football and on a lesser amount, baseball)

But, I do want something as things have slowly been transitioning more and more towards 4k that is well suited for 4k. So hopefully 2/3/4 years down the line I'm not looking to buy something new to handle 4k.

I know the wife really liked the looks of the 65" LG C1, but the nearly $2k price after taxes is off putting. If the prices come down enough on the 2021 models in the next couple of months, perhaps we'll go with it.


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## Mescalamba (Jan 4, 2022)

Don't buy Samsung. Thats all.


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## Fry178 (Jan 4, 2022)

@dorsetknob
maybe update your info/buy a "name brand" next time.

havent seen any big name (besides Samsung), that wont allow network to be turned off, not sure how snooping/ads would be an issue.

my 2015 32in 720p Sony got updates twice this year, and newer ones are running android, so unless google stops (app) updates, mute argument.


@neatfeatguy
havent seen anything below Q90 that makes sense to buy (vs what others offer)
the J90 is nice (even with vrr still missing, i get ~8ms @60Hz), you can drop down to a J85 if you dont mind edge-lit.
anyone you know got gov/mil/dod id an can go on Base/Post/Fort ?
AAFES/NEX/MCX sell their displays around feb-april, at least with 15-20% discount,
full warranty, and usually still have box/manual etc.


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## AsRock (Jan 4, 2022)

Mescalamba said:


> Don't buy Samsung. Thats all.



?, no reason ?, kinda like me saying don't buy a SONY one and not telling you why. And if you go by your post if another members did the same there be no brands to buy .

How ever the reason i would not consider a SONY TV is that they commonly have the T-con board built in to the frame of some. Although a bit of research goes a long way.


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## Fry178 (Jan 4, 2022)

@AsRock
if it lasts 20y/consumer doesnt have to deal with its repair, who cares where the board is located?

so far, i had more customers worried about image quality (vs possible repair complications).
any units i remember having board issues, where from the time when samsung was panel provider, not LG..


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## Mescalamba (Jan 4, 2022)

AsRock said:


> ?, no reason ?, kinda like me saying don't buy a SONY one and not telling you why. And if you go by your post if another members did the same there be no brands to buy .
> 
> How ever the reason i would not consider a SONY TV is that they commonly have the T-con board built in to the frame of some. Although a bit of research goes a long way.


Well, I do have 2021 Samsung TV. Only redeeming quality is that picture quality is actually good, as long as you dont want more than 4k/60Hz and SDR. Everything else either works poorly, or doesnt work at all and its full of stuff that was obsolete decades ago. Absurd level of corner cutting.

And definitely doesnt work good with PCs.


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## AsRock (Jan 5, 2022)

Fry178 said:


> @AsRock
> if it lasts 20y/consumer doesnt have to deal with its repair, who cares where the board is located?
> 
> so far, i had more customers worried about image quality (vs possible repair complications).
> any units i remember having board issues, where from the time when samsung was panel provider, not LG..



Each to there own, yeah i am not one of those people who like throwing shit away just because it failed in some way so i like my options open and not to buy stuff that has limitations to be fixed.  Also not some one who can just decide to buy another when i please either.




Mescalamba said:


> Well, I do have 2021 Samsung TV. Only redeeming quality is that picture quality is actually good, as long as you dont want more than 4k/60Hz and SDR. Everything else either works poorly, or doesnt work at all and its full of stuff that was obsolete decades ago. Absurd level of corner cutting.
> 
> And definitely doesnt work good with PCs.



Well one reason i got a monitor , i don't need ads that some add or built in crap.
Maybe with some luck there be 40"+ monitors 120Hz+ hehe, although i am totally happy with 60Hz


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## Fry178 (Jan 5, 2022)

@AsRock
when did i state i like to throw out broken stuff, or have money to waste?

to say it differently: as long as there is no (global) number showing those (edge mounted board) tvs failed in much higher number,
it is irrelevant where parts are (as there isnt the need for repair), as it wont change if yours will break (or not),
or will guarantee you can fix possible issues (what if lets say panel dies?).


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## qubit (Jan 5, 2022)

You can't go wrong with a Sony, Panasonic or Samsung if you want good quality.

I recommend sticking to LCD rather than OLED, because of burn-in with OLED. You can completely forget about this issue with LCD. And of course, it's much cheaper too.

Finally, rtings is a great review site as others have said.


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## Mescalamba (Jan 5, 2022)

qubit said:


> You can't go wrong with a Sony, Panasonic or Samsung if you want good quality.
> 
> I recommend sticking to LCD rather than OLED, because of burn-in with OLED. You can completely forget about this issue with LCD. And of course, it's much cheaper too.
> 
> Finally, rtings is a great review site as others have said.











						Samsung The Frame 2021 Review (QN43LS03AAFXZA, QN50LS03AAFXZA, QN55LS03AAFXZA, QN65LS03AAFXZA, QN75LS03AAFXZA, QN85LS03AAFXZA)
					

The Samsung The Frame 2021 is the successor to the Samsung The Frame 2020, and it's a unique 4k TV with a VA panel and quantum dot technology. Its main selling f...




					www.rtings.com
				




Scroll down to comments and re-think that "Samsung" part. Also Im subscribed on official Samsung forums and thats some next level BS. Completely ignoring customers, refusal to fix or return money, absolutely botched firmwares and 101% denial of problems.

Wouldnt touch anything Samsung even with 5 meter stick. That company is complete corporate cancer.

OLEDs from LG should last about 5 years of run times, think it will be obsolete sooner than burned in. But ofc IPS LCD is safest bet.


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## AsRock (Jan 5, 2022)

Fry178 said:


> @AsRock
> when did i state i like to throw out broken stuff, or have money to waste?
> 
> to say it differently: as long as there is no (global) number showing those (edge mounted board) tvs failed in much higher number,
> ...



I was not trying to imply that, but sadly the typical person does these days.

Generally when the panel dies it's done for, as when that fails it's the most costly part.  And nine did break and LG could not solve the issue making it possible for me to ship it to the other side of the country as the packaging was badly damaged despite the part they were rude for the most part.

In the end a more fixable unit means more to me, as i believe i said in my last post i cannot just go out and just buy another.  Say the t-con board failed in this i could get a replacement for $25 without issue. and if that part is built in to the frame of the TV\monitor makes the job 10 times harder.


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## qubit (Jan 5, 2022)

Mescalamba said:


> Samsung The Frame 2021 Review (QN43LS03AAFXZA, QN50LS03AAFXZA, QN55LS03AAFXZA, QN65LS03AAFXZA, QN75LS03AAFXZA, QN85LS03AAFXZA)
> 
> 
> The Samsung The Frame 2021 is the successor to the Samsung The Frame 2020, and it's a unique 4k TV with a VA panel and quantum dot technology. Its main selling f...
> ...


There seem to be some issues with that model, but I don't normally hear bad things about Samsung. Still, this is something that should be looked into if one were to buy a Samsung TV. I've got a Sony, so this doesn't affect me.


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## Mescalamba (Jan 8, 2022)

qubit said:


> There seem to be some issues with that model, but I don't normally hear bad things about Samsung. Still, this is something that should be looked into if one were to buy a Samsung TV. I've got a Sony, so this doesn't affect me.


Their official forums are something. Basically just 100% complains, no response whatsoever. Depending on where ppl live they can get easily out (just return stuff). Or in other places they are stuffed. Returning something directly to Samsung or actually getting messeage thru to them is pretty much impossible.


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## kapone32 (Jan 8, 2022)

I can see that you have no issue with off brand. I recently got a 55" Hisense U7G and am loving it. I expect the 65" to be the same for about $1000 you can calibrate the panel to your liking too.



kapone32 said:


> I can see that you have no issue with off brand. I recently got a 55" Hisense U7G and am loving it. I expect the 65" to be the same for about $1000 you can calibrate the panel to your liking too.











						Visions Electronics – TVs, Appliances, Home & Portable Audio, Computers, Cell Phones, Cameras & More
					

Lowest Prices Guaranteed! 15% Price Beat - Online, Instore, Any price, Anywhere. Visions Electronics is dedicated to being recognized as the Best Name in Electronics in Canada by you, our Valued Customer.




					www.visions.ca
				




It was $849 last week.


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## cazzie.nl (Jan 8, 2022)

neatfeatguy said:


> Anyone have any recommendations or experiences with certain brands/models that we should look at?





neatfeatguy said:


> The wife is leaning hard towards LG, she likes the Nanocell and the OLEDs, but the OLEDs are kind of past our price range we're willing to spend. We don't want a cheap $400-500 TV either, since you get what you pay for.



Check Vincent Teoh from HDTVtest https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcCYOO2uYPnG-21WDOWdwew


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