Another need a new tv thread

[temery]

My tv pretty much died this morning. It's turned into a tv/strobe light.

I need to order a new one by tomorrow.

My needs have changed a bit - my eyesight has gotten worse, so bigger and better resolution is needed.

Im toying with the idea of a projector. I'm told they've gotten much better. Not entirely sold on the idea though.

Suggestions?

 

[NJHusky]

Samsung is my ‘go to’ for my main living room TV.

Or….View attachment 104111

How big is that screen? Is the projector clear enough? It prob feels like u r playing in the game. Lol

 

[cordeodato]

I dropped $1200 on a Samsung QN series QLED a couple years ago. Picture is awesome. Built In apps are terrible. I have to clear the cache weekly. But it's a great TV, especially for sports and gaming. Couldnt justify an OLED with a giant window in my living room, and it's really hard to tell the difference between this screen and a similar vintage OLED

Get Apple TV. Probably the best 100 ish dollars you can spend

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Got a 75 inch TCL a couple years ago for $850 and have been super happy. Absolutely bonkers how cheap 4K TVs are now. Can definitely get better picture but you have to pay a lot more before you start to get really meaningful improvement.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

The room is in a new (2019) addition. Only this room is "flickering." And the juice to the house was put underground from the pole to the house when the addition was built.

I'm not sure if such a problem can be at the circuit level.

Is the room all on one circuit? Generally lights/outlets are different (but not required). If it’s all one circuit, could very well be a bad breaker, loose connection to the panel or breaker by one of the wires, or possibly overloaded.

 

[HuskyHawk]

A couple of months ago I bought a 77-inch OLED LG C3 (last year’s model) and it’s fine. Got it on sale, much cheaper than the current model (C4) and it does everything I need. Also have a 65-inch LG C1 (2021 model year) that is our workhorse TV in the living room, great picture. Also have a 8-year-old Samsung 50” for the bedroom and have had zero problems.

The interesting takeaway from shopping for my most recent TV came from a Best Buy salesman, who said to stay away from the TCL and Hisense brands because they were the TVs that were most returned, at a rate nearly double that of other TV brands.

I considered a 77" C3 last year, didn't pull the trigger. Will look at prices.

Here's my sense of things:

• Good/Large TV for Movie watching in darker room - Sony, LG (maybe Samsung) Top tier LCD they sell or OLED.
• Cheap 40-50" TV for bright room TV watching, news, kids shows etc - TCL/Hisense mid-high tier LCD.

The TCL tvs are fine. A $200-$300 TV isn't meant to last forever. People returning TVs are likely buying the lower tier TVs. I don't care which brand you buy, don't but the cheapest/low feature version. I made that mistake with a Samsung behind my basement bar. It blows.

 

[Waquoit]

I don't care which brand you buy, don't but the cheapest/low feature version. I made that mistake with a Samsung behind my basement bar. It blows.

I wonder how much of it is just getting lucky? My Samsung was a Consumer Reports Best Buy.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I wonder how much of it is just getting lucky? My Samsung was a Consumer Reports Best Buy.

I think it's about expectations. The bottom tier LCDs with limited HDMI inputs and lousy processing are not really going to make streamed content look very good. No matter what brand. The panels may be 720p or 1080p but the real gap is the processing engine.

I think the TCL and Hisense get returned because people who are extreme budget shoppers are likely to go to the cheapest brands. Also, the default settings for many TVs are terrible.

 

[JMick]

I considered a 77" C3 last year, didn't pull the trigger. Will look at prices.

Here's my sense of things:

• Good/Large TV for Movie watching in darker room - Sony, LG (maybe Samsung) Top tier LCD they sell or OLED.
• Cheap 40-50" TV for bright room TV watching, news, kids shows etc - TCL/Hisense mid-high tier LCD.

The TCL tvs are fine. A $200-$300 TV isn't meant to last forever. People returning TVs are likely buying the lower tier TVs. I don't care which brand you buy, don't but the cheapest/low feature version. I made that mistake with a Samsung behind my basement bar. It blows.

Basically if you want a high end tv, if the room is dark and you want perfect black levels, get an OLED. If the room has some natural light or if you really like sharp bright colors, get a QLED

 

[upstater]

I think it's about expectations. The bottom tier LCDs with limited HDMI inputs and lousy processing are not really going to make streamed content look very good. No matter what brand. The panels may be 720p or 1080p but the real gap is the processing engine.

I think the TCL and Hisense get returned because people who are extreme budget shoppers are likely to go to the cheapest brands. Also, the default settings for many TVs are terrible.

I didn't say I returned it. I bought a $1k TCL that died within the month. They replaced it with a new one. That one died 6 months later, out of warranty.

 

[Devland]

I've been buying Sony's for a while now. I really like the built in Google TV and the OLED on my 65" family room one is amazing. You can get a non-OLED for less - I just like the picture on the Sony to be better than thte Samsung and LG - looking at them side by side.

Additionally you might want to have your eyesight checked. My eyesight was getting less near sighted but harder to focus and it turns out I had a cataract in my left eye. You don't have to be old to have cataracts, just older (can't remember how old you are Tom!)! I had both eyes done and lasik at the same time and my eyesight is amazing now. Need glasses to read and do computer work but that's it.

The picture on my TV improved 100% after my cataract surgery.

 

[UConniki]

Like my 65” Sony OLED.

I’ve got 2 Sony 77in OLED tvs and they are far and away the best sets out there. Sony makes a model up from the ones I have but for literally twice the price for a small difference in performance. Samsung makes the LED panel's for Sony to Sony specs but Sony had a proprietary engine/ processor that Samsung can’t use and has been trying to get licensing for. The picture and contrast are simply amazing. I’m 72 and have had cataract surgery and have a problem with bright lights and these tvs are worth the money. They come in 65- $1,700, 77-$2,800, 85-$5,000. Im a distributor for Sony products but not the tv’s. I also own a 75 Samsung non OLED and a Samsung “Frame” tv and they’re great but there’s a big difference between the 2 companies quality and warranty. Hope that helps

 

[StllH8L8ner]

How big is that screen? Is the projector clear enough? It prob feels like u r playing in the game. Lol

Yeah I splurged on the projector so it’s really clear. The screen is 120”. Probably a LITTLE bigger than I needed but go big or go home I guess. (That’s what she said?)

 

[UConniki]

Some pertinent information. QLED has absolutely nothing to do with OLED other than to confuse consumers into thinking they are the same or similar, THEY ARE NOT. Just Samsung being deliberately misleading. Stay away from LG depending on how old you are, they like to say that LG stands for “Life is good “. L stands for Lucky the biggest wherehouse distributors in Asia company who partnered with ready, almost the G stands for Goldstar the shittiest electronics company who started off making god awful microwave ovens that rarely ever worked and were more likely to catch fire and had no parts of service centers in the USA so they pulled the name off of the market and reinvented themselves as LG. ( who have gotten better but are lower quality). Pretty much everything else out there is generic products and somebody slaps a name on it. Like Pioneer, RCA, Onn and whatever names BEST BUY ( Hisense ? ), is selling these days. Sharp , Toshiba still make most of their own products as far as I know. Good luck.

 

[FlippinCrazy!]

A couple of months ago I bought a 77-inch OLED LG C3 (last year’s model) and it’s fine. Got it on sale, much cheaper than the current model (C4) and it does everything I need. Also have a 65-inch LG C1 (2021 model year) that is our workhorse TV in the living room, great picture. Also have a 8-year-old Samsung 50” for the bedroom and have had zero problems.

The interesting takeaway from shopping for my most recent TV came from a Best Buy salesman, who said to stay away from the TCL and Hisense brands because they were the TVs that were most returned, at a rate nearly double that of other TV brands.

Wonder how much of that is salesman trying to get you to buy the more expensive TV. I’ve owned 3 TCLs over the past 5 years and all of them work fine. Though I’m not doubting the quality control of brands like Samsung and Sony are better than TCL.

I personally think the TV model and features matter a lot more than brand. Essentially any TV with even just a small amount of local dimming zones will beat one without (yet a TCL with local dimming will often be cheaper than a Samsung without).

That being said I recommend just shelling out for an OLED lol. Why not spend a bit more money on something you’ll be using almost everyday, I’m sure everyone has wasted more money on dumber stuff

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Just don't buy a TCL. Go with a reputable company.

I bought this thing last year when my TCL (less than one year old) died and it was a replacement TCL for the earlier one that died after one month.

Our TCL is awesome. My buddy does a lot of manufacturing work in China and he loves TCL. Good product + low advertising budget = good deal. We got a pre-opened TCL deal at PC Richard for like half off.

 

[CTBasketball]

How rare are TV issues? I’ve had a 55” VIZIO, 55” Westinghouse, and a 75” TCL which never have crapped out. It’s been 6 years.

Maybe I don’t watch enough. Although the Westinghouse is a POS I will admit.

 

[GlastonTim]

I’ve had my Samsung qled 65” for a few years. Great tv in room with natural light. Great anti glare screen. My only regret is I should have gone bigger.

 

[upstater]

Our TCL is awesome. My buddy does a lot of manufacturing work in China and he loves TCL. Good product + low advertising budget = good deal. We got a pre-opened TCL deal at PC Richard for like half off.

All I can say is I had two of their top TVs die in 6 months. $1k 75 inches.

My model was the 75S535

And their customer service was beyond bad.

If you look at the reviews on amazon, a lot of people had the same problem I did with that TV. Squealing when you switched channels, it turned off and on with a mind of its own. It would turn on by itself sometimes in the middle of the night. And no we don't have Gremlins. They tested the motherboard when they sent the new one. The new one behaved like the old one. And that too died in 6 months.

A heap of negative reviews on it.

I went with Samsung after look at the Consumer Reports reviews.

A lot of people are saying things like, I've had my TCL for 7 years!

What about recently? Last year or 2? Has the quality fallen off?

 

[Chin Diesel]

I have all Phillips TV's in the house. I don't have cataracts and I could care less about vibrant whites or deep blacks.

They look fine to me, I haven’t had any issues and they're reasonably priced.

I figured they make the best sonic toothbrushes out there and they're Dutch so I figured someone has to give a shit about quality.

 

[HooperScooper]

How big is your house? Get one of these. Then you can invite all of us over to watch a UConn game.

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[temery]

lol a 97" TV is so gratuitous

Classic tv envy.

 

[Dove]

Montgomery Ward floor model, my fam's go-to tv.

 

[uconnfan68]

Some pertinent information. QLED has absolutely nothing to do with OLED other than to confuse consumers into thinking they are the same or similar, THEY ARE NOT. Just Samsung being deliberately misleading. Stay away from LG depending on how old you are, they like to say that LG stands for “Life is good “. L stands for Lucky the biggest wherehouse distributors in Asia company who partnered with ready, almost the G stands for Goldstar the shittiest electronics company who started off making god awful microwave ovens that rarely ever worked and were more likely to catch fire and had no parts of service centers in the USA so they pulled the name off of the market and reinvented themselves as LG. ( who have gotten better but are lower quality). Pretty much everything else out there is generic products and somebody slaps a name on it. Like Pioneer, RCA, Onn and whatever names BEST BUY ( Hisense ? ), is selling these days. Sharp , Toshiba still make most of their own products as far as I know. Good luck.

LG was supplying Sony with OLED screens, but Sony’s processor is the difference.

 

[AidanFan20]

This reminds me of a couple years ago when my brother splurged on a 75" LG. I would joke, "Hey, the neighbor across the street just texted me that they're tired of watching football and asked me to relay a channel-change request!"

He has had LG's for a long time; the 55" LG he moved to his bedroom when he got the 75" died just recently, and he'd had it for 15 years. So there's that.

 

[DRBackup]

That's funny. My $350 TCL has performed like a champ for years, I like the built in Roku. I had a Samsung that cost triple and crapped out in 2 years.

Mostly the same, here. I have a 55" connected to my desktop that is crazy good quality and super high refresh rate. Love it. Bought the same model for the living room and love it there, too, though I had to replace the power supply board after only 18 months.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I didn't say I returned it. I bought a $1k TCL that died within the month. They replaced it with a new one. That one died 6 months later, out of warranty.

That is crappy luck. I was simply saying that the Best Buy return rate being high is probably not because they break, but because people bought the cheapest TV and it didn't meet expectations. Best Buy has everything on max brightness and saturation because of the lights in the store. Can't trust what you see there.

 

[HuskyHawk]

LG was supplying Sony with OLED screens, but Sony’s processor is the difference.

It's weird. It was Lucky Goldstar and it was crap. You know what else was crap? Samsung, Hyundai, certainly Kia. But the Koreans figured things out. I trust LG more than Samsung at this point, especially for appliances. Samsung and LG make many of the panels for all the brands. For Monitors too.

Agree with you on the Sony processor. They're the best at that among the main consumer brands. Samsung doesn't support Dolby Vision.

 

[Revrat]

The room is in a new (2019) addition. Only this room is "flickering." And the juice to the house was put underground from the pole to the house when the addition was built.

I'm not sure if such a problem can be at the circuit level.

Had this happen with a dimmer switch that was going bad.

 

[gtcam]

it's just this room. I'm about to run a cord to the other side of the house just to get the tv working right.

I was going to suggest running an extension cord to another room to see if the problem continues - if not, it's not the set.

 

[maxw]

My tv pretty much died this morning. It's turned into a tv/strobe light.

I need to order a new one by tomorrow.

My needs have changed a bit - my eyesight has gotten worse, so bigger and better resolution is needed.

Im toying with the idea of a projector. I'm told they've gotten much better. Not entirely sold on the idea though.

Suggestions?

I installed a projector in our basement about 10 years ago. I bought an inexpensive projector cloth from Amazon at the same time and have a 110 inch screen. I had to replace the original Epson projector once, about 3 years ago with a similar one.

We also have a 65 inch OLED TV in our living room. When it comes to watching sports, there is no comparison - once you're used to watching sports on a big screen, it's hard to go back to a smaller TV.

If you can afford it, get a good 4K projector. What I found is that my 1080p is adequate, there are almost no sports events that are broadcast in 4K.

I'm not a big fan of CGI or super-hero movies, for movies and shows with real people talking (and fighting sometimes), a 1080p projector is more than enough. You can spend the saved money on a nice surround system.

Do let us know what you ended up doing (sorry if you've already posted that, haven't read thru all posts).