New TV recommendations
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dromunds
Posts: 10,174
in Electronics
I have a friend who needs to purchase a new TV, so I thought I’d ask what is a good bang for the buck TV out there right now? I don’t know exactly what his budget is but let’s assume it’s between a grand and $1500. I know that’s not a lot of dough but what’s out there right now in that range, possibly on sale right now? Thanks for your help.
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dromunds,
Have your friend look at the reviews at RTings.com They have very thorough reviews and recommendations for each price range and size. Depending on the size, $1500 can get a nice 65" OLED if you catch a sale. Make they understand burn in risk for OLED though. If they leave the TV on all day tuned into cable news or a video game screen, there can be some noticeable image retention and eventually permanent burn in. That said, I've had my OLED since late 2021 and haven't noticed any retention or burn in. (Note: I never watch cable news and rarely game)
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I forgot to mention that they currently have a 55” and that’s the size they want to stay with. Thanks for the replies fellas.
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Tell them to pick a price range:I forgot to mention that they currently have a 55” and that’s the size they want to stay with. Thanks for the replies fellas.
https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/best/by-size/55-inch
Personally, I'd go for the LG C4 OLED in that size.
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Thanks, I’ll be seeing them tonight and get a specific budget. This is helpful tho.
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One thing I have found out is that many TV's nowadays don't seem to offer many connections. You may want to also ask them what connections are required....and how many of each. I haven't ran across any new ones (that I have seen) that offer RCA outs....many of them don't even have optical outs anymore.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Thanks, I’ll be seeing them tonight and get a specific budget. This is helpful tho.
At a 55" size, they can probably lower their price expectations by a fair bit. $1100 will get them the best recommendation from RTings. -
Stay away from Samsung. They seem to have more problems than most.
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And stay away from edge-lit LCD’s .
Heat dissipation issues resulting in longevity problems ….
Google it .
BkPS Audio S300 , WiiM Ultra , Yamaha wxc-50 , Salk SuperCharged Songtowers , Kimber Kable 4TC, Sony 48” - BEDROOM
B&K EX-442 ( it will go in my casket when I die ... ) , PS Audio 4.6 preamp ( old school , but it still jams on ... ) , Eversolo DMP-A6 , Boston Acoustic voyager 7’s - POOL
Parasound A21, Eversolo DMP-A8 , Kimber Kable 4vs , Ascend Acoustics ELX Ribbon Towers , Sony XBR-A8F 65” OLED - DEN , MAIN system
Onkyo TX-nr609 , Polk atrium 7 , Boston acoustic sound ware (4) , Boston acoustic sub , B&W center , Sony 65” TV - PATIO -
Sony Bravia 7 for mini-LED or Sony Bravia 8 for OLED. On sale because they're 2024 models. For best picture quality I prefer OLED but for everyday use I'd go with mini-LED.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_158K55XR70/Sony-BRAVIA-7-K55XR70-55.html?tp=60890
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_158K55XR80/Sony-BRAVIA-8-K55XR80-55.html?tp=60890 -
All TVs, from all brands these days are not built to last like the old days. There is a reason the prices have dropped so much over the years. They have become disposable. If you get beyond 7-10 years of daily use out of anything purchased after ~2015, you are doing better than average.
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I don't know, but could be due to the vast number they sell. I do know I see a lot claimed as transit damage when in fact it's a known problem, which is all over the Net. -
Sony X90L would be be a good starting point …. Full array LED local dimming backlight.
BkPS Audio S300 , WiiM Ultra , Yamaha wxc-50 , Salk SuperCharged Songtowers , Kimber Kable 4TC, Sony 48” - BEDROOM
B&K EX-442 ( it will go in my casket when I die ... ) , PS Audio 4.6 preamp ( old school , but it still jams on ... ) , Eversolo DMP-A6 , Boston Acoustic voyager 7’s - POOL
Parasound A21, Eversolo DMP-A8 , Kimber Kable 4vs , Ascend Acoustics ELX Ribbon Towers , Sony XBR-A8F 65” OLED - DEN , MAIN system
Onkyo TX-nr609 , Polk atrium 7 , Boston acoustic sound ware (4) , Boston acoustic sub , B&W center , Sony 65” TV - PATIO -
Thanks fellas. It sounds like they're going to be looking at LG and Sony.
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FWIW, I have had nothing but Samsung TV's in this house. We have been here for about a decade now, and we had 2 fail already. One day, one wouldn't show anything on the screen. That one was replaced. The one out in the LR has 3 white "spots" on the TV that are annoying as heck. Not so annoying that we are going to replace it but annoying nonetheless.
I think the next go-'round, we will be trying a different brand. TV's should not ever become a "monthly payment" of sorts, because you have to continually replace them....but that may just be the norm now. I dunno but it bites.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
That is one of the well known problems.The one out in the LR has 3 white "spots" on the TV -
Highly recommend Sony OLED. Get the extended warranty.
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Sony X90L would be be a good starting point …. Full array LED local dimming backlight.
Bk
Just put the 55" X90L in my kitchen, it's great.
Edit to add, it's even $150 less than what I paid for it on 1/10/25. Crazy good deal. -
Just replaced my Samsung plasma with an LG C4 OLED. Pretty satisfied with it so far. I would have happily kept the plasma but it developed a vertical line near the center.
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Have never had a hiccup with either of our viera plasma’s.
Why is it that once they perfect something it has to be discontinued? -
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skipshot12 wrote: »Have never had a hiccup with either of our viera plasma’s.
Why is it that once they perfect something it has to be discontinued?
Well they had many more they were going to introduce BUT new energy standards were adopted and they dropped the line because they would never be able to meet the new energy standards.
The Panasonic Plasma was my favorite TV panel, I've had 3, still have a 50" ST. Closest to the old CRT yet hi-def. The motion artifacts in LED panels was something I couldn't unsee. My only LED has been a Sony XBR-65X950G, very very little motion artifacts and the viewing angle does not change even extremely off axis. I'm very happy with it.
I also think that the plasma panel technology didn't scale down in pixel size enough to reach a 4K resolution in an affordable manner. 4K was where the market was heading in the late 2010s. OLED was becoming cheaper and for the most part, has most of the advantages of plasma, but with lower power, smaller pixels and even better blacks. Plus, they can be made much thinner, which was also a market preference. Plasma had better motion though. That part still hasn't been matched, but they have come up with tricks like black frame insertion, to make it better. -
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Seeing as how it costs about $16 to power a TV for a year, they can knock of the energy saving crap. Let's get back to reliable TV's.
My 2 cents...
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Sucks that we're getting a lesser product because of energy restrictions.
Having been in the electric industry, it really blows that energy companies push incentives for efficient products, all because they haven't invested in upgrading our T&D infrastructure.
I can only imagine what a 4k plasma tv could be today.
Love my Viera when watching sports. It's also cool to up-convert regular tv programs to 3D. Watching golf in 3D, you can visually see how difficult the pro courses are seeing depth & height.
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I was checking out a 98'' TCL today and started thinking it might be time to upgrade our 8 or 9 year old 75'' tv. The picture on the QLED tv's is just amazing. What I wasn't happy to see is they use 500 watts. That can add up when the tv is powered on 12 hours a day 7 days a week like ours is.
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Our tv is from 2011, an LG LCD, still going strong and we like it...Remember, when you're running from something, you're running to something...-me
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Seeing as how it costs about $16 to power a TV for a year, they can knock of the energy saving crap. Let's get back to reliable TV's.
My 2 cents...
Tom
How long are you getting out of a TV?
I've only purchased Sony TV's for about 10 years now and they are all still going strong.
They just keep getting moved around the house.
My oldest one is now in my garage, next oldest in the basement workshop, next oldest in the bedroom, then the 2ch system, then the living-room, then the newest is in the kitchen.
I'm now realizing I might have too many TV's...
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Samsungs. They usually crap out on us every 7 or so years. I'll look at Sony's next.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Note: I said "in an affordable manner." You linked a $70,000 TV that wouldn't fit in most rooms. I was referring to the sweet spot in consumer sizes between 55"-75". Plasma pixels didn't scale down small enough to get 4K in those sizes.
Plasma was great for the time, but I really don't miss it. OLED today is better in almost every respect. It gets brighter, gets blacker, does colors every bit as well, and can be made in just about any size from a smart phone to a monster 100"+ size. It has also become more affordable than plasma was.
Also, I don't believe that designing TVs that used less power has made them any less reliable. It has more to do with the overall 'cheapening' of the TVs through the last 10 years due to intense competition from Chinese brands like Hisense and TCL. The push for ultra-slim designs has also made TVs less reliable. When you pack circuits into smaller spaces, we know what happens. They get hotter, and there is less tolerance for faults. The compact designs have pushed the boards to almost complete surface mounted designs which also tend to fail more easily. Luckily, we are paying significantly less for TVs now and if it needs to be replaced every 5-7 years, then so be it. I paid $1500 for a 42" Panasonic Plasma in early 2007. In 2022, I bought a 50" Hisense for the bedroom that cost me less than $350. For the most part, the Hisense looks better than the Panasonic did and it doesn't heat the room up either.
