4K TV recommendation

[BGesus4]

Anyone have recommendations for 55 to 65 inch 4K TVs? Need a living room upgrade.

 

[JordyG]

It’s wild how good TVs have gotten and because of that, how slow the improvement has gotten. The best TVs today show marginal improvement in actual viewing quality (I.e. at a normal viewing distance and not standing two inches away) compared to the best TVs ten years ago. In the couple decades before that, it felt like you couldn’t go 2 years without your TV being completely obsolete.

That is because the human eye is a finite machine. At a viewing distance over 8 feet on a 65" TV the human eye cannot distinguish the difference between 1080P and what used to be called standard definition. Most people have a sitting position in their living room or dedicated viewing areas in excess of 8 feet, so if you can't tell the difference you're sitting too far away. The human eye/brain can distinguish such things as better or more saturated colors, higher contrast ratios and motion problems. But not detail. Not pixel density. What these TV companies won't tell you but frequently imply is that those rates are halved as the pixels increase on 4K TV's. In other words, the human eye cannot distinguish the difference between 1080P and 4K on a 65" at distances further than 4 feet. So those who are buying 55" inch or smaller TV's are doing themselves a disservice. Now again, features such as HDR, Dolby Vision, color saturation etc., these area easily seen from far away, but not pixel density. As for 8K? Well, good luck seeing any increase in detail at any reasonable sitting position.

 

[whosurdaddy2720]

Treated myself to an LG OLED CX 77" last Christmas. Paid an arm and leg for it but seeing as it's something I use nearly every day for hours at a time I figured it was worth it in the long run.

Beautiful picture and the thin profile is damn sexy to look at. Highly rated and I would highly recommend it if it fits your budget.

 

[CTMike]

That is because the human eye is a finite machine. At a viewing distance over 8 feet on a 65" TV the human eye cannot distinguish the difference between 1080P and what used to be called standard definition. Most people have a sitting position in their living room or dedicated viewing areas in excess of 8 feet, so if you can't tell the difference you're sitting too far away. The human eye/brain can distinguish such things as better or more saturated colors, higher contrast ratios and motion problems. But not detail. Not pixel density. What these TV companies won't tell you but frequently imply is that those rates are halved as the pixels increase on 4K TV's. In other words, the human eye cannot distinguish the difference between 1080P and 4K on a 65" at distances further than 4 feet. So those who are buying 55" inch or smaller TV's are doing themselves a disservice. Now again, features such as HDR, Dolby Vision, color saturation etc., these area easily seen from far away, but not pixel density. As for 8K? Well, good luck seeing any increase in detail at any reasonable sitting position.

Yes, buuuut - 4K programming is noticeably sharper/more detailed than 1080P at 10-12ft in real viewing on my 65” TV. Maybe not ENORMOUS difference, but noticeable… especially same programming (like sports, switching between 1080P and 4K versions).

Agree on the diminishing returns though.

 

[FriarJ]

I have a couple year old LG E9 OLED 55" with the glass front. I did it because of the viewing angle with glass and it was a light filled room. I think you would be hard pressed to find a nicer looking TV for a wall mount, with incredible picture quality. I recently moved to a larger home and had an additional room and wanted to add a 65" TV. I thought long and hard about the latest LG Glass front unit, but in the end it was not going to be wall mounted, and simply couldn't justify the money in my head, and went with the Hisense 65" U8 ULED. It's very nice, and I'm happy with it but it is a step below the LG E9. I think it's probably right there with the C1 LG and it's a great price but the glass front LG's are works of art. If you are ok spending that kind of money you won't be disappointed.

 

[BGesus4]

I have a couple year old LG E9 OLED 55" with the glass front. I did it because of the viewing angle with glass and it was a light filled room. I think you would be hard pressed to find a nicer looking TV for a wall mount, with incredible picture quality. I recently moved to a larger home and had an additional room and wanted to add a 65" TV. I thought long and hard about the latest LG Glass front unit, but in the end it was not going to be wall mounted, and simply couldn't justify the money in my head, and went with the Hisense 65" U8 ULED. It's very nice, and I'm happy with it but it is a step below the LG E9. I think it's probably right there with the C1 LG and it's a great price but the glass front LG's are works of art. If you are ok spending that kind of money you won't be disappointed.

Thanks

How was the viewing angle for this:

 

[FriarJ]

Thanks

How was the viewing angle for this:

It was okay, but this was beautiful on the LG

 

[AreBee1969]

I was scared off from OLED due to image burn-in issues. Can any of you OLED owners speak to that?

I agree that rtings.com is phenomenal for TV information, right down to what you are watching and the room you are watching in.

For the record, I have the XBR-65X850F and the Samsung Q60T Series QLED and the blacks suck.

 

[Fishy]

We have the TCL 55” whatever that people keep mentioning.

It’s fine.

TVs are one of those things that people drive themselves into the weeds over - kinda like lobster rolls and pizza. Don’t overthink it.

 

[CL82]

At aviewing distance over 8 feet on a 65" TV the human eye cannot distinguish the difference between 1080P and what used to be called standard definition.

Yeah, I’m calling BS on that. For reasons that I still can’t figure out, YouTube TV defaults down to standard definition on live TV (but weirdly not on on demand stuff.) on LG TVs. It is a known issue. We are at probably 12 feet away from the TV and the difference is obvious. The workaround is for me to just access YouTube TV on my phone or laptop and cast it via chrome cast to the TV. Then the resolution comes in at 1080p.

Everything else Hulu, Netflix, Disney+ even peacock, comes in at 1080p, it’s just freaking YTTV. Anyway the distance is definitely noticeable for about 12 feet away.

 

[FriarJ]

Yeah, I’m calling BS on that. For reasons that I still can’t figure out, YouTube TV defaults down to standard definition on live TV (but weirdly not on on demand stuff.) on LG TVs. It is a known issue. We are at probably 12 feet away from the TV and the difference is obvious. The workaround is for me to just access YouTube TV on my phone or laptop and cast it via chrome cast to the TV. Then the resolution comes in at 1080p.

Everything else Hulu, Netflix, Disney+ even peacock, comes in at 1080p, it’s just freaking YTTV. Anyway the distance is definitely noticeable for about 12 feet away.

Hit the down arrow when you are watching any channel on youtubetv, select the little black box that probably says SD and change it from auto to 1080 and you will be set. It’s a known issue they are working on.

 

[CL82]

Hit the down arrow when you are watching any channel on youtubetv, select the little black box that probably says SD and change it from auto to 1080 and you will be set. It’s a known issue they are working on.

Yep, when I manually set it to even 780 it will stutter like it is too much information for the TV to process. Which wouldn’t surprise me since it’s getting kind of old, but everything else works fine on it. It is a known issue, but I have a healthy skepticism that they are actually working on it. Anyway Chromecast is only a slightly inconvenient work around.

 

[FriarJ]

Yep, when I manually set it to even 780 it will stutter like it is too much information for the TV to process. Which wouldn’t surprise me since it’s getting kind of old, but everything else works fine on it. It is a known issue, but I have a healthy skepticism that they are actually working on it. Anyway Chromecast is only a slightly inconvenient work around.

Weird, I have the 4k package and football is incredible on it.

I also want to add the poster that talked about the eyes perception is correct. There is a big difference between 480 and 1080 on a tv and you almost certainly can’t get far enough from it to see them the same.

I can print 3 posters, 3’x4’ and one is at 75dpi one at 150 and one at 300. At 25’ you cannot tell the difference. At 20’ you recognize the 75dpi is lower res and at 15’ you can see the difference in the remaining two. Get up close to a billboard and all you will see is dots

 

[CL82]

Weird, I have the 4k package and football is incredible on it.

I also want to add the poster that talked about the eyes perception is correct. There is a big difference between 480 and 1080 on a tv and you almost certainly can’t get far enough from it to see them the same.

I can print 3 posters, 3’x4’ and one is at 75dpi one at 150 and one at 300. At 25’ you cannot tell the difference. At 20’ you recognize the 75dpi is lower res and at 15’ you can see the difference in the remaining two. Get up close to a billboard and all you will see is dots

Yeah, keep in mind that the top resolution on this TV is 1080p. I am thinking about getting a 4K TV. Is there enough 4K content that it makes a difference? I’m happy with the quality of this TV, but it may be one of those things that once I see the 4K resolution I won’t be able to live with 1080p.

 

[FriarJ]

Yeah, keep in mind that the top resolution on this TV is 1080p. I am thinking about getting a 4K TV. Is there enough 4K content that it makes a difference? I’m happy with the quality of this TV, but it may be one of those things that once I see the 4K resolution I won’t be able to live with 1080p.

I don't notice it too much streaming movies. Full 4K HDR Blue Rays are great. Sporting events however are pretty cool. They have multiple different games every week in 4k. I have not seen basketball yet but I assume it's equally as cool. If you are going to get a new TV 4k is a must. Do they sell tv's that are not 4k still?

 

[upstater]

I'll tell you what not to do: don't buy a TCL through Amazon. I did. First one arrived and it was a dud. Thing had a high-pitched scream which wouldn't leave. Amazon took it back and brought me another. This one turns off in the middle of shows or sports and it turns on in the middle of the night. No amount of troubleshooting will help and it's a well-known problem on the TCL forums. Amazon refuses to take it back, and worst of all I purchased with Amazon credit because it gives me automatic 5% off. I'm stuck with a dud TV and I'm getting very near to chucking it out on the street.

 

[CL82]

I don't notice it too much streaming movies. Full 4K HDR Blue Rays are great. Sporting events however are pretty cool. They have multiple different games every week in 4k. I have not seen basketball yet but I assume it's equally as cool. If you are going to get a new TV 4k is a must. Do they sell tv's that are not 4k still?

I'm sure they still do, but it is tough to think why'd you get one given the current prices of 4K. Let me know if makes a difference for basketball. That may be the thing that pushes me to do it.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

I was scared off from OLED due to image burn-in issues. Can any of you OLED owners speak to that?

I agree that rtings.com is phenomenal for TV information, right down to what you are watching and the room you are watching in.

For the record, I have the XBR-65X850F and the Samsung Q60T Series QLED and the blacks suck.

It becomes less of an issue every year as quality improves. I haven't had mine long enough to comment but generally speaking it's only an issue for constant images for looong periods of time (rtings.com has a cool study showing a few different instances Real Life OLED Burn-In Test on 6 TVs )

So if u watch CNN or fox all day every day for like a year straight and have constant banners, same sporting event on same channel with constant scoreboard, video game with always present menu, etc. But again you have to basically have that image and nothing else all the time for a long time to have a noticeable effect. If you watch a variety of things you have very low chance of issues (QC related issues aside)

Also, on a side note, I've worked in industry with liquid crystals and can attest that LG is the top dog in the screen world... probably not much of a secret as even Apple sources their screens through them. Doesn't mean all their stuff is the best, but at the mid-high end range of screens you will almost certainly get better quality with an LG (lemons and QC issues notwithstanding)

 

[JordyG]

Yeah, I’m calling BS on that. For reasons that I still can’t figure out, YouTube TV defaults down to standard definition on live TV (but weirdly not on on demand stuff.) on LG TVs. It is a known issue. We are at probably 12 feet away from the TV and the difference is obvious. The workaround is for me to just access YouTube TV on my phone or laptop and cast it via chrome cast to the TV. Then the resolution comes in at 1080p.

Everything else Hulu, Netflix, Disney+ even peacock, comes in at 1080p, it’s just freaking YTTV. Anyway the distance is definitely noticeable for about 12 feet away.

Read the studies, do a distance test, read the manufacturers advisories, call your own game.

 

[Fishy]

I'm sure they still do, but it is tough to think why'd you get one given the current prices of 4K. Let me know if makes a difference for basketball. That may be the thing that pushes me to do it.

I don’t think it is compelling enough to warrant an upgrade on its own.

 

[JordyG]

Yes, buuuut - 4K programming is noticeably sharper/more detailed than 1080P at 10-12ft in real viewing on my 65” TV. Maybe not ENORMOUS difference, but noticeable… especially same programming (like sports, switching between 1080P and 4K versions).

Agree on the diminishing returns though.

You have two TV's, one 4K another 1080P side by side for the comparisons?

 

[CTMike]

You have two TV's, one 4K another 1080P side by side for the comparisons?

I have a 4K tv and 4K sources look sharper than 1080p (same programming) at 12 feet.

 

[Jimdish255]

Actually Hisense makes a lot of panels too.

I misspoke it was TCL:

Samsung's 2021 TVs to use LCD panels from TCL, AUO & possibly Sharp

Company will end in-house production of LCD TV panels this year

www.flatpanelshd.com

 

[M.S.G.]

I mean really at the end of the day, the only 4K signals that MOST people get are from streaming services, so 4K just really is an afterthought in the whole conversation.

 

[NJHusky]

I'll tell you what not to do: don't buy a TCL through Amazon. I did. First one arrived and it was a dud. Thing had a high-pitched scream which wouldn't leave. Amazon took it back and brought me another. This one turns off in the middle of shows or sports and it turns on in the middle of the night. No amount of troubleshooting will help and it's a well-known problem on the TCL forums. Amazon refuses to take it back, and worst of all I purchased with Amazon credit because it gives me automatic 5% off. I'm stuck with a dud TV and I'm getting very near to chucking it out on the street.

Bought a TCL last year from Best Buy. Lasted a week before I returned it because if technical issues like not turning on. Support said it was the remote and promised a new one. When it didn’t show up in 5 days I returned the tv. It shows up 2 months later.

 

[Chin Diesel]

That's a difficult question. In a bright family room? Hell no. Buy a cheap TCL (I did). They will have good brightness levels, and usually good viewing angles. If you are building a home theater room, that is where those OLEDs shine. I cheaped out slightly and got the best Sony LCD they made, and the blacks are still terrific, if not quite as good. An LCD with full array local dimming is really the minimum for home theater use. Local Dimming on TVs: Direct-Lit, Full-Array, and Edge-Lit

It used to be that the refresh rate mattered, especially for games and sports. But now they are all good enough with the low now at 60 fps. Not many sources even display 120 fps. It could matter more in the future, so again, what's the use case?

We have found dishwashers die too fast as well, and sadly it's often easier to just buy a new one.

I was just piggybacking on what @jleves mentioned regarding casual TV viewers. Those like you who are in to it and understand the pros and cons of different technologies and how to integrate it in to a home, really aren't coming to this thread for advice.

For those in the fat part of the bell curve, I agree with figure out your budget, look for something on the high end of your budget and when it goes on sale, strike. Or, just go in on any random day and find something within your budget and you'll be fine.

 

[CTMike]

The little secret is darn near any brand name 4K tv these days is gonna look killer, just get the biggest one you can afford and don’t sweat the details.

I’m an admitted technology who-are though so I have the Sony A90J hanging on my wall. ¯\(ツ)/¯

 

[ARIDE]

Sony mentioned above. Probably A80J if it's on sale. OLED
The X Series is LED.

LG C1 is the top pure picture for movies at the top of your budget. May not be perfect in a brighter room. OLED

Samsung QN90A is the Best LCD period. Saw one Sunday. Brilliant picture and contrast. Wife had to drag me from the store. LCD

You can save money with the TCL R646 but it needs a firmware update or 2 because of a couple Google and navigation issues. Still good LCD for the money.

Hisense is knocking on the door but it's a compromise between getting the best or saving the money.

TV's have made big PQ jumps over the last 5 years and they're really getting close to perfection between sports, movies and gaming. Take advantage of sales because they will have price guarantees at most retailers and some may go off sale or have inventory issues later. Sooner you can decide the better. I would want the Samsung strictly because I need the brightness in my room and I HATE ABL dimming whites to grey during a hockey game. Plus Samsung has very deep blacks for an LED. Your eyes and environment may differ.

Sony oled is the lg oled picture...i buy lg oled and have sonos for my surround...sony overpriced

 

[imno1]

Sony oled is the lg oled picture...i buy lg oled and have sonos for my surround...sony overpriced

Costs the same as LG both the C1 and A80J were $1799 when I bought. Most would be very happy with either.

 

[JordyG]

Costs the same as LG both the C1 and A80J were $1799 when I bought. Most would be very happy with either.

Everything depends on your usage. If you're a gamer then the LG's features of G-Sync, 120hz, and true tone mapping make it a no brainer. If however you aren't, amd your priorities are watching movies and TV shows, then Sony's overall picture quality, detail, and color saturation make it, again, a no brainer. I game a lot, but not on my TV. I have a dedicated computer gaming system for that. Hence, I bought the Sony.

 

[Griffman]

Just bought a Sony Bravia 65" 4K UHD LED XBR65x81CH from Costco a couple weeks ago for $799
Downloaded the Fox Sports App right there on the tv watch my Huskie kick some butt. Picture Quality and sound is amazing!
Great TV for the value.