OT: Flat Screen (Redux) | The Boneyard

OT: Flat Screen (Redux)

BigErnMcCracken

BigErnMcCracken

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I hate to do this again, but I need a flat screen recommendation. This is not for my house, it's for my office, so I don't need the latest and greatest, just something in the 50 inch range that's not going to cost me an arm and a leg but will be generally reliable.
 
BigErnMcCracken said:
I hate to do this again, but I need a flat screen recommendation. This is not for my house, it's for my office, so I don't need the latest and greatest, just something in the 50 inch range that's not going to cost me an arm and a leg but will be generally reliable.
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My standard advice for flat screens - go to Costco and get the biggest you can afford/fit. The brand almost doesn't matter anymore. I think only two places make the screens anyhow. Costco extends the warranty by a year and they have a 90 day return policy if something better pops up. I've had great luck with Vizios. Pretty much everything in the 50" range is going to be 4k even though you will be hard pressed to find a lot of 4k content.

The only thing I would seriously advise against, particularly with the size you are considering, is a curved display. Flat is way better than curved until you get into super huge displays purpose placed in a theater-like setup. In an office you'll be standing, walking around, etc. and the curve will be a huge issue.

Shopping for TVs has become like shopping for widgets. They're all about the same so size and price should be the deciding factors.
 
Get the cheapest one with built in Smart Apps, this late in the flat screen game they are all identical more or less and basically come out of like 5 different factories worldwide.
 
jleves said:
My standard advice for flat screens - go to Costco and get the biggest you can afford/fit. The brand almost doesn't matter anymore. I think only two places make the screens anyhow. Costco extends the warranty by a year and they have a 90 day return policy if something better pops up. I've had great luck with Vizios. Pretty much everything in the 50" range is going to be 4k even though you will be hard pressed to find a lot of 4k content.

The only thing I would seriously advise against, particularly with the size you are considering, is a curved display. Flat is way better than curved until you get into super huge displays purpose placed in a theater-like setup. In an office you'll be standing, walking around, etc. and the curve will be a huge issue.

Shopping for TVs has become like shopping for widgets. They're all about the same so size and price should be the deciding factors.
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I'd switch the order of fit/afford for everybody else who hasn't already decided on the size they want. Otherwise, totally correct, and if you're a cord-cutter, then the Roku interface on the TCL may give you the best experience for the lowest price.

The vast space of Costco makes it tempting to go bigger, but 3 years later my 55" continues to be as big as could fit in the space I had for it, and the seat is still at a distance that makes the 1080 picture ideal. Bigger TVs with higher resolution always look 'better' when I walk into Costco, but I still love what I have when I go home.
Then again, I haven't turned the TV on in more than 2 weeks.
 
Decide if you need integrated wifi and smart apps or not. A fire stick typically works better than those apps and costs $30. Any of the major brands are fine really at that level. If you were looking for home cinema or something in a very bright room, you'd need to look more closely at the specs and technology used. If you will have a lot of side angle viewing get an check how the model performs in that situation. If the room is very bright, try to find a less glossy display, as the reflections will drive you nuts.
 
BigErnMcCracken said:
I hate to do this again, but I need a flat screen recommendation. This is not for my house, it's for my office, so I don't need the latest and greatest, just something in the 50 inch range that's not going to cost me an arm and a leg but will be generally reliable.
Expand ...
PERFECT timing, me too. Thanks
 
Fishy said:
You don’t need a television in your office.

You need to go outside more, maybe in Cape Cod.

Please refer to the Cape Cod thread for more information.
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Most offices use a large (tv) screen for presentations and video conferences.
 
fatlucy said:
Most offices use a large (tv) screen for presentations and video conferences.
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Anything works for that. They are all 1080P now. Main consideration in my view would be viewing angles and glare based on the room it is in. It would be dumb to spend OLED money on such a TV.
 
If you're looking for advanced TV optIons, get a '4k', and of course very fast screen refrexh times so the hocky puck is not blurry. LG is the onlyone making decent OLED, but for any large screen (>8"), OLED is used only as the backlight - ie, not an image producer as on small cellphone displays.. The Nanaco plant (makes Quantum Dot films) is across the street from the Samsung FPD line.
 
39-42" 1080p Smart TV's are regularly on sale for sub-200, its crazy how cheap and importantly capable the bottom end of the tv market has gotten. Prices really won't go much lower, in my opinion.
 
BigErnMcCracken said:
I hate to do this again, but I need a flat screen recommendation. This is not for my house, it's for my office, so I don't need the latest and greatest, just something in the 50 inch range that's not going to cost me an arm and a leg but will be generally reliable.
Expand ...

Amazon has some nice flat screen TVs :-)
 
jleves said:
My standard advice for flat screens - go to Costco and get the biggest you can afford/fit. The brand almost doesn't matter anymore. I think only two places make the screens anyhow. Costco extends the warranty by a year and they have a 90 day return policy if something better pops up. I've had great luck with Vizios. Pretty much everything in the 50" range is going to be 4k even though you will be hard pressed to find a lot of 4k content.

The only thing I would seriously advise against, particularly with the size you are considering, is a curved display. Flat is way better than curved until you get into super huge displays purpose placed in a theater-like setup. In an office you'll be standing, walking around, etc. and the curve will be a huge issue.

Shopping for TVs has become like shopping for widgets. They're all about the same so size and price should be the deciding factors.
Expand ...


Best advice in thread.

I just bought 6 a few months ago for my work. (we use the flatscreens as digital signage in the breakrooms, with work updates, weather feed, news feed, etc.....) and drove to costco for them instead of ordering on line for the exact reasons you mentioned.

Really no better way to go.
 
In the latest china / us war, apparently Chinese smart TVs have capability of spying on you according to CIA. Beware.
 
Thanks you have caused bestbuy ads all over my yard now.
 
This is going to get made fun of, but check the electronics bin at your local dump. I found a nearly new Sony tv there that was 50 inches just a couple weeks back
 
uconnphil2016 said:
This is going to get made fun of, but check the electronics bin at your local dump. I found a nearly new Sony tv there that was 50 inches just a couple weeks back
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But did it work?? My dump (recycle center for the PC) has pleanty of stuff,too, but no in hot shape. TV glass cracked, burn / hi temp marks on amps, and speakers that must have been on stage for the Who or Hendrix.
 

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