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So I'm thinking about buying a new tv.

Dmitry

By Dmitry
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Dmitry Community Regular

Dmitry

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I think it's time for a new unit. The existing one is 11 y.o. and is not HDTV, it's EDTV. Damn 42" Panasonic just refuses to die, so I'm thinking of dumping it into the CL, or donating it to the school, if they will want to take it.

Our local big box retailer is having a pre-SuperBowl sale {apparently this is THE time for buy a new TV for serious savings}, and they have a 60" 4K TV for $1,300, and a regular 1080 HD 60" unit for well under a grand. I know nothing about the current TV technology. Do I really need a 4K? We don't have cable, so no 4K programming to watch. Just get the regular HDTV, or pay a little extra for the future 4K capability? Any particular manufacturers are recommended? We do watch a lot of football [the real one, what you call soccer], and the European Cup is coming up this summer. Plus the Olympics.

 

medjuck Proficient

medjuck

Posted
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I'm not sure you will ever need a 4 K unless you have a huge screen.  But I've been wrong about this sort of thing before- I wasn't sure of the need for a Blu Ray until I A/B'd it with a  DVD. 

Scott Dolan Newbie

Scott Dolan

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Posted

Depending on factors like room size/placement from viewing seat, and whether you plan on using it mostly for broadcast tv or DVD/Blu-ray watching, you may consider something a bit smaller than 60". The larger size would be better for movies, but television stations can be exposed for their poorer quality on screens that large. 

Dmitry Community Regular

Dmitry

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  • Author
Posted (edited)
  On 1/28/2016 at 9:52 PM, mjzee said:

Google the article's title (Buy a TV Like a Super Bowl Champ).

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I tried, but all I see are just mirror sites, which redirect to the WSJ article, which is hidden..

In other news, I just got a new ROKU2. The one I have is a 1st gen. unit. Let's see what this new one does better.

 

Edited by Dmitry
Scott Dolan Newbie

Scott Dolan

Posted
Posted
  On 1/28/2016 at 6:36 PM, medjuck said:

I'm not sure you will ever need a 4 K unless you have a huge screen.  But I've been wrong about this sort of thing before- I wasn't sure of the need for a Blu Ray until I A/B'd it with a  DVD. 

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I was right there with you on DVD vs Blu-ray. I had Blu-ray capabilities with my PS3 for a couple of years before I finally rented a Blu-ray just to see what the hullabaloo was all about. 

HOLY MOLY! I didn't even have to A->B! 

As for 4K, have you ever checked one out in the store? The difference between them and regular LED/LCD is like the difference between DVD and Blu-ray. They're really impressive. But, I don't plan on getting one any time soon. I tend to be a late adopter with almost all technology for some reason. I'm pretty sure I was the last person on the planet to buy a CD player. Not to mention a smart phone. 

Homefromtheforest Newbie

Homefromtheforest

Posted
Posted (edited)
  On 1/28/2016 at 6:04 PM, mjzee said:

I have 2 Panasonic plasmas that I love.  If your room isn't too bright, plasmas have much darker blacks and more realistic colors.

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Hey so do I!!  An older 46" plasma downstairs for the whole family and a newer 50" 3D plasma (one of the last models they made before stopping production of plasmas) upstairs in my man cave/music room.  

Edited by Homefromtheforest
Kevin Bresnahan Mentor

Kevin Bresnahan

Posted
Posted
  On 1/29/2016 at 10:33 AM, Scott Dolan said:

Plasma's definitely have the superior picture over LED/LCD. Only downside is they weight a fucking ton and a half. 

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Quite far from the "only downside". Weight, glare, power hungry... there are several. However, the main reason... well, maybe the only reason I've yet to own a plasma TV is the chance of burn-in. Now don't get me wrong, I agree that as a display, they tend to look a lot better than LCD and I recommended Panasonic plasma TVs to both my brother and sister-in-law (they both love their sets) but I just couldn't bring myself to take a chance that I would be the one to get one that got burned in.

I recently bought a 58" Panasonic 4K LCD TV and I think it looks great. Some "flashlighting" in the corners on very dark screens (common with edge lit LCD TVs) but really not noticeable when watching TV, only when switching inputs. I didn't buy 4K for 4K, it was just the best TV that Panasonic was offering at the time. There is very little 4K out there, basically a few streamed shows/movies on Netflix, and there seems to be a format war about how to deliver it via external media but they should have it worked out soon. I do wonder if my current 4K TV will support whatever input format this 4K delivery system will require.

BTW, when I bought this TV, I really, really wanted an LG OLED TV because it can display black levels that rival plasma. Go look at one at Best Buy - just gorgeous. But as with plasma, there is also a chance that it could burn in. Shit. So basically if you like plasma, owned a plasma TV that never suffered burn in and are in the market for a new TV, look at OLED.

Dmitry Community Regular

Dmitry

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Posted

65" OLED sounds great, but would cost $3K+. Judging that I've been watching the EDTV for 10 years, and a 19" tube tv for 15 years prior to that, I don't think I'm OLED material.

I just ordered this baby - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-65-class-64-5-diag--led-2160p-smart-4k-ultra-hd-tv-black/4517900.p?id=1219755712404&skuId=4517900&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=4517900&extensionType=pla_multichannel:g&s_kwcid=PTC!pla!!!142919520071!g!!90347250431&kpid=4517900&k_clickid=53eb5c97-1b5a-4de0-abda-03de315e4005&lsft=ref:212,loc:1&ksid=53eb5c97-1b5a-4de0-abda-03de315e4005&ksprof_id=16&ksaffcode=pg22362&ksdevice=c&gclid=CjwKEAiAuKy1BRCY5bTuvPeopXcSJAAq4OVsdKx_ZrC2A3Zjve2SjfjhBE4EAs9XT_6hzGA1NK_t2RoCfTXw_wcB

Reviews are very positive. I'm somewhat excited. :D

Kevin Bresnahan Mentor

Kevin Bresnahan

Posted
Posted (edited)
  On 1/29/2016 at 7:11 PM, Dmitry said:

65" OLED sounds great, but would cost $3K+. Judging that I've been watching the EDTV for 10 years, and a 19" tube tv for 15 years prior to that, I don't think I'm OLED material.

I just ordered this baby - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-65-class-64-5-diag--led-2160p-smart-4k-ultra-hd-tv-black/4517900.p?id=1219755712404&skuId=4517900&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=4517900&extensionType=pla_multichannel:g&s_kwcid=PTC!pla!!!142919520071!g!!90347250431&kpid=4517900&k_clickid=53eb5c97-1b5a-4de0-abda-03de315e4005&lsft=ref:212,loc:1&ksid=53eb5c97-1b5a-4de0-abda-03de315e4005&ksprof_id=16&ksaffcode=pg22362&ksdevice=c&gclid=CjwKEAiAuKy1BRCY5bTuvPeopXcSJAAq4OVsdKx_ZrC2A3Zjve2SjfjhBE4EAs9XT_6hzGA1NK_t2RoCfTXw_wcB

Reviews are very positive. I'm somewhat excited. :D

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Some LGs are supposed to have motion blur, a very annoying fault when watching sports. Since you'll be using it to watch some European football ;), you'll have to let us know if it works out for you. If you do see motion blur, try turning off all of the motion settings.

Also, regarding positive reviews, it depends on where you read the reviews. At some sites, like most manufacturers websites, there is moderation that often blocks negative reviews. And not to scare you too much, but here's a thread for your perusal on the AVS forums (a forum admittedly populated by video lunatics, but worth reading anyway): http://www.avsforum.com/forum/166-lcd-flat-panel-displays/2221762-vizio-m65-uhd-vs-lg-65uf6450-uhd.html

Remember, some people only go on line only to bitch, not praise.

Edited by Kevin Bresnahan
catesta Newbie

catesta

Posted
Posted

Looks nice.

I've been looking to upgrade to a newer set. I have a 52" Sharp Aquos that is probably 7 years old and is starting to have some picture quality issues.

I have a question for the group here. Any concerns about all this "smart TV" shit I'm always reading about? While my current TV is an early version "smart" I never had to utilize all the stuff that seems to be mandatory these days. In other words there is no way I'm aware of to bypass putting in information and so like computers they track/spy etc.

Kevin Bresnahan Mentor

Kevin Bresnahan

Posted
Posted
  On 1/29/2016 at 7:50 PM, catesta said:

Looks nice.

I've been looking to upgrade to a newer set. I have a 52" Sharp Aquos that is probably 7 years old and is starting to have some picture quality issues.

I have a question for the group here. Any concerns about all this "smart TV" shit I'm always reading about? While my current TV is an early version "smart" I never had to utilize all the stuff that seems to be mandatory these days. In other words there is no way I'm aware of to bypass putting in information and so like computers they track/spy etc.

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My new Panasonic is a Smart TV. I believe "Smart TV" means that there is a screen full of selectable icons on a screen that allow you to directly link to things like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and You Tube without a computer (as long as you link your Smart TV to a wireless router). On my TV, I have the option of turning the TV on with a "Home screen" filled with these icons or have it simply turn on as a TV (which is what I did).

FWIW, I bought my mother a new Smart TV and she doesn't even have an internet connection. I set it up to default to turning on as a TV and she's having no trouble at all. She doesn't have to use them.

mjzee Mentor

mjzee

Posted
Posted
  On 1/29/2016 at 5:00 AM, Homefromtheforest said:

Hey so do I!!  An older 46" plasma downstairs for the whole family and a newer 50" 3D plasma (one of the last models they made before stopping production of plasmas) upstairs in my man cave/music room.  

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Yup, I have a 46" 3D plasma.  Now be honest, how many times have you watched something in 3D?  We did exactly once; bought a great movie (was it How To Train Your Dragon?) but came away thinking the picture's just too dark in 3D.

Kevin Bresnahan Mentor

Kevin Bresnahan

Posted
Posted

My family has a whole stack of 3D movies. Some are phenomenal. Some are just OK. And yes, all are much darker than the non-3D version. This wouldn't be true if I were to get a TV that used passive 3D instead of active 3D. Active 3D works on a shutter, which will obviously reduce brightness. If I get another TV, I will try to get one that has passive 3D.

Homefromtheforest Newbie

Homefromtheforest

Posted
Posted
  On 1/29/2016 at 10:14 PM, mjzee said:

Yup, I have a 46" 3D plasma.  Now be honest, how many times have you watched something in 3D?  We did exactly once; bought a great movie (was it How To Train Your Dragon?) but came away thinking the picture's just too dark in 3D.

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"Fury road" looks pretty stunning in 3D.  As for regular blu rays; I think "the dark knight rises" looks amazing on my panasonic plasma.

mjzee Mentor

mjzee

Posted
Posted
  On 1/29/2016 at 11:07 PM, Kevin Bresnahan said:

My family has a whole stack of 3D movies. Some are phenomenal. Some are just OK. And yes, all are much darker than the non-3D version. This wouldn't be true if I were to get a TV that used passive 3D instead of active 3D. Active 3D works on a shutter, which will obviously reduce brightness. If I get another TV, I will try to get one that has passive 3D.

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That makes sense.

Dmitry Community Regular

Dmitry

Posted
  • Author
Posted
  On 1/29/2016 at 7:41 PM, Kevin Bresnahan said:

Some LGs are supposed to have motion blur, a very annoying fault when watching sports. Since you'll be using it to watch some European football ;), you'll have to let us know if it works out for you. If you do see motion blur, try turning off all of the motion settings.

Also, regarding positive reviews, it depends on where you read the reviews. At some sites, like most manufacturers websites, there is moderation that often blocks negative reviews. And not to scare you too much, but here's a thread for your perusal on the AVS forums (a forum admittedly populated by video lunatics, but worth reading anyway): http://www.avsforum.com/forum/166-lcd-flat-panel-displays/2221762-vizio-m65-uhd-vs-lg-65uf6450-uhd.html

Remember, some people only go on line only to bitch, not praise.

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The tv is installed, which took all of 20 minutes from unpacking to watching. Things have really progressed in last decade, I'll tell you that. The manual for this tv is about 10 pages, whereas my old one was a folio. I don't have to futz around with cables, there's only one hdmi going from the surround sound receiver to the tv.

Coming from the edtv, the picture on the 4K is f***ing amazing. If anything, it's almost too vivid, too good, unsettling at first. I have not been able to watch any HD soccer matches yet..what would this motion blur look like? All in all, I'm really mesmerized by the almost palpable visuals of this thing.

Now I have to get a universal remote, since I'm using four remotes now -

LG tv

SONY blu-ray

PIONEER surround sound receiver

ROKU

Any suggestions on the universal remote that is "old people friendly"?

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