Eh, given the price of the Vizio M series (if that's what you're going with), there's little reason NOT to go 4k.
That, or an LG, just because I was really happy with my last six years with them considering the price I paid (the only problem was that the remote sensor went bad twice, but both times it was within Best Buy's warranty). I imagine Sony Vizio's quality is higher overall though.
LG is 100% focused on OLED's, so I wouldn't expect much out of their LCD sets.
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ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
So it looks like our TV is being replaced. We had the panel replaced in August and it's burned in again.
Plasma screens seem to not be available anymore, and I don't know that we would want one anyway that isn't a Panasonic. Is the Visio that people seem to like about the best we're going to get in the sub $1k range?
Vizio M series seems to be the undisputed king right now. You can get a 55" C3 (latest iteration) for under a grand. 4k, local dimming, great set overall apparently (we're likely picking up one this Christmas)
So, we ended up getting a steal of a deal on a Bravia 4k that we couldn't pass up. We saw it in action, saw the price it would be for us, and had to jump on it. It comes next Wednesday!
Inquisitor772 x Penny Arcade Fight Club ChampionA fixed point in space and timeRegistered Userregular
Yeah don't bother getting a 4k TV just for 4k. There is almost no content for that resolution. That being said, Vizio M's are like the Model T in terms of the impact they are having on the TV market. If money is no object, then you can get an LG OLED for $Texas, but other than that there's basically no reason not to get a Vizio M. It is just as good, if not better, than the other 4k LED TV's literally half the price. It's ridiculous.
Eh, given the price of the Vizio M series (if that's what you're going with), there's little reason NOT to go 4k.
That, or an LG, just because I was really happy with my last six years with them considering the price I paid (the only problem was that the remote sensor went bad twice, but both times it was within Best Buy's warranty). I imagine Sony Vizio's quality is higher overall though.
LG is 100% focused on OLED's, so I wouldn't expect much out of their LCD sets.
I'm not really opposed to either--I just want to avoid plasma screens (the images still bother me for anything but playing video games).
Yeah don't bother getting a 4k TV just for 4k. There is almost no content for that resolution. That being said, Vizio M's are like the Model T in terms of the impact they are having on the TV market. If money is no object, then you can get an LG OLED for $Texas, but other than that there's basically no reason not to get a Vizio M. It is just as good, if not better, than the other 4k LED TV's literally half the price. It's ridiculous.
Interesting. I'm kind of sticking in the 60" area (maybe 55")--I'm hoping there'll be a 15% or so price or more come Black Friday/Christmas/whatever on the Vizio Ultra 4K.
But if there isn't, I'll just grab the same size as an Vizo M I guess? I think the Ultra's are slightly thinner, which is a plus for my space constraints. Unless there's a major reason to get 4K, as I said.
I grabbed a Vizio M last November from Costco, price was a little higher than Black Friday deals, but were available beyond just Black Friday and didn't make me have to wait in line. I think I paid $680+ tax for a 55", with the newly released 4k versions going for $1000.
I guess what I'm saying is if there's a Costco near you I'd check their prices since they're pretty competitive to actual Black Friday deals without the hassle.
I grabbed a Vizio M last November from Costco, price was a little higher than Black Friday deals, but were available beyond just Black Friday and didn't make me have to wait in line. I think I paid $680+ tax for a 55", with the newly released 4k versions going for $1000.
I guess what I'm saying is if there's a Costco near you I'd check their prices since they're pretty competitive to actual Black Friday deals without the hassle.
That's not a bad idea by any means, but I don't have a Costco Membership. Which may be just as well, since the nearest Costco is roughly an hour away in good traffic.
I hope that Amazon will come pretty close to matching those prices, once the sales start (right now, the VIZIO M552i-B2 is $899.99 without any sort of discount).
Yeah, that's the exact tv I got for 680 a year ago. It's a great TV but asking 900 so long after it was released sounds crazy.
For what it's worth I have zero regrets about buying the tv, although sometimes the local dimming is annoying (it works in quadrants so if you're looking at an all black screen with a logo in the middle the area around the logo will look grey) and a couple months after purchasing it a software update made it so I could no longer Chromecast things to the tv without an actual Chromecast device.
Yeah, I really rather not drive to Costco more than an hour away on a gamble of a sale (after getting a Costco membership specifically for that purpose).
$680 is a great deal, but as you described, extremely circumstantial for an hour drive and a membership I wouldn't use otherwise. Hence my preference for Amazon.com--though I wouldn't turn it down if I happened to run into it. If the price difference is small, I'll go 4K anyway.
Well, I nabbed my 37LG50 at Best Buy, open-box, for $300 off the selling price (so around $650) about 6 years ago--paying an addition $100 for the 4 year warranty turned out to be worth it for the only time I can think of (I loved that TV, but the remote sensor had to be replaced twice in the 4 year period).
Thankfully, I'm in absolutely no rush (in fact, I think I'd be a little embarrassed to buy it now), and don't mind waiting for whatever Amazon or anyone else has down the pipe for later November/early December (for starters, I also need to buy a not-awful entertaining unit to replace my shitty wooden stand my current TV is resting on, something low to the ground, long rather than tall and with enough space for ~4 consoles and accessories).
If both the Vizio M and Ultra 4K have 4 HDMI ports (and presumably at least one component port for my Xbox 360--you run out of HDMI ports a lot faster I'd say), they're both very suitable, so it comes down to price in the 55" and 60" range. Given that I used my last TV for 6 years, making an investment in future proofing (with the assumption that this one will last the same length of time) isn't unreasonable. At some point, 4K televisions will probably be considered normal in the same way 1080p HDTVs have been for years, even if a lot of our devices don't actually make use of that resolution regularly.
I'm a little surprised how much 4K televisions have gone down in price, even if you do end up trapped with a "smart" TV with "smart functions" that you will "never use." But I really have no idea about 4K televisions, and I have no idea if I'd use one.
while smart tv functions are indeed useless 95% of the time, I'd say it's actually useful to have them on a 4k set.
the native apps let you actually watch the 4k content that exists without having to buy an expensive 4k player or have a computer nearby
I'm a little surprised how much 4K televisions have gone down in price, even if you do end up trapped with a "smart" TV with "smart functions" that you will "never use." But I really have no idea about 4K televisions, and I have no idea if I'd use one.
while smart tv functions are indeed useless 95% of the time, I'd say it's actually useful to have them on a 4k set.
the native apps let you actually watch the 4k content that exists without having to buy an expensive 4k player or have a computer nearby
True--I had considered that, but I'd sort of ruled it out because of my internet: I probably have the best internet of anyone I know in person, but it's still "only" ~63 mbps down and 4.28 mbps up. It's basically ten times what most of my neighbors have,.
That, combined with a very run of the mill Linksys N300 router, leads to believe that streaming 4K over Netflix or Youtube is pretty much a pipe dream (even though my router is literally right next to my television). Do smart TVs come with ethernet ports, or are they only Wifi? Or is that actually enough and I just grossly overestimate it?
As shit as Youtube apps seem to be on all consoles, I have to imagine they're as bad or worse on smart TVs (at least Google finally fixed theirs on Xbox, so it doesn't freeze on opening every other time). Crunchyroll, Amazon, Funimation all run fine.
I'm a little surprised how much 4K televisions have gone down in price, even if you do end up trapped with a "smart" TV with "smart functions" that you will "never use." But I really have no idea about 4K televisions, and I have no idea if I'd use one.
while smart tv functions are indeed useless 95% of the time, I'd say it's actually useful to have them on a 4k set.
the native apps let you actually watch the 4k content that exists without having to buy an expensive 4k player or have a computer nearby
True--I had considered that, but I'd sort of ruled it out because of my internet: I probably have the best internet of anyone I know in person, but it's still "only" ~63 mbps down and 4.28 mbps up. It's basically ten times what most of my neighbors have,.
That, combined with a very run of the mill Linksys N300 router, leads to believe that streaming 4K over Netflix or Youtube is pretty much a pipe dream (even though my router is literally right next to my television). Do smart TVs come with ethernet ports, or are they only Wifi? Or is that actually enough and I just grossly overestimate it?
As shit as Youtube apps seem to be on all consoles, I have to imagine they're as bad or worse on smart TVs (at least Google finally fixed theirs on Youtube, so it doesn't freeze on opening every other time). Crunchyroll, Amazon, Funimation all run fine.
It's sort of the key right now with 4K, companies have really only agreed to a format standard for physical content not that long ago and we won't see much physical content until the adoption rate improves, yet the only way adoption rate will improve is with more content being delivered. Digital content is improving greatly but requires a shit hot connection to get running correctly.
What makes all this more annoying is that with a number of premium brands desperate attempts to get 4K displays out, have seem to make standard HD and SD content look considerably worse to sets 1/3 of the price, which is why budget 4K brands seem to stomp all over the top end of the market.
I'm a little surprised how much 4K televisions have gone down in price, even if you do end up trapped with a "smart" TV with "smart functions" that you will "never use." But I really have no idea about 4K televisions, and I have no idea if I'd use one.
while smart tv functions are indeed useless 95% of the time, I'd say it's actually useful to have them on a 4k set.
the native apps let you actually watch the 4k content that exists without having to buy an expensive 4k player or have a computer nearby
True--I had considered that, but I'd sort of ruled it out because of my internet: I probably have the best internet of anyone I know in person, but it's still "only" ~63 mbps down and 4.28 mbps up. It's basically ten times what most of my neighbors have,.
That, combined with a very run of the mill Linksys N300 router, leads to believe that streaming 4K over Netflix or Youtube is pretty much a pipe dream (even though my router is literally right next to my television). Do smart TVs come with ethernet ports, or are they only Wifi? Or is that actually enough and I just grossly overestimate it?
As shit as Youtube apps seem to be on all consoles, I have to imagine they're as bad or worse on smart TVs (at least Google finally fixed theirs on Youtube, so it doesn't freeze on opening every other time). Crunchyroll, Amazon, Funimation all run fine.
It's sort of the key right now with 4K, companies have really only agreed to a format standard for physical content not that long ago and we won't see much physical content until the adoption rate improves, yet the only way adoption rate will improve is with more content being delivered. Digital content is improving greatly but requires a shit hot connection to get running correctly.
What makes all this more annoying is that with a number of premium brands desperate attempts to get 4K displays out, have seem to make standard HD and SD content look considerably worse to sets 1/3 of the price, which is why budget 4K brands seem to stomp all over the top end of the market.
You don't say--interesting. I mean, ultimately, I could get a better router, or use an ethernet cable (if that were possible), but I'm not sure that'd be enough to actually watch Youtube in 4K. If some service that doesn't seem to be constantly fumbling over itself, like Crunchyroll or Netflix (the later of which IS doing 4K video, right?) was in question, I'd feel more optimistic. Maybe I'm being too pessimist.
I'm a little surprised how much 4K televisions have gone down in price, even if you do end up trapped with a "smart" TV with "smart functions" that you will "never use." But I really have no idea about 4K televisions, and I have no idea if I'd use one.
while smart tv functions are indeed useless 95% of the time, I'd say it's actually useful to have them on a 4k set.
the native apps let you actually watch the 4k content that exists without having to buy an expensive 4k player or have a computer nearby
True--I had considered that, but I'd sort of ruled it out because of my internet: I probably have the best internet of anyone I know in person, but it's still "only" ~63 mbps down and 4.28 mbps up. It's basically ten times what most of my neighbors have,.
That, combined with a very run of the mill Linksys N300 router, leads to believe that streaming 4K over Netflix or Youtube is pretty much a pipe dream (even though my router is literally right next to my television). Do smart TVs come with ethernet ports, or are they only Wifi? Or is that actually enough and I just grossly overestimate it?
As shit as Youtube apps seem to be on all consoles, I have to imagine they're as bad or worse on smart TVs (at least Google finally fixed theirs on Youtube, so it doesn't freeze on opening every other time). Crunchyroll, Amazon, Funimation all run fine.
It's sort of the key right now with 4K, companies have really only agreed to a format standard for physical content not that long ago and we won't see much physical content until the adoption rate improves, yet the only way adoption rate will improve is with more content being delivered. Digital content is improving greatly but requires a shit hot connection to get running correctly.
What makes all this more annoying is that with a number of premium brands desperate attempts to get 4K displays out, have seem to make standard HD and SD content look considerably worse to sets 1/3 of the price, which is why budget 4K brands seem to stomp all over the top end of the market.
You don't say--interesting. I mean, ultimately, I could get a better router, or use an ethernet cable (if that were possible), but I'm not sure that'd be enough to actually watch Youtube in 4K. If some service that doesn't seem to be constantly fumbling over itself, like Crunchyroll or Netflix (the later of which IS doing 4K video, right?) was in question, I'd feel more optimistic. Maybe I'm being too pessimist.
You have things like the new amazon fire tv that does 4K, or apps like ultraflix that are trying to do 4K on top of Netflix/Youtube. The other options are that Sony and Samsung do sell 4K media boxes to download and stream content, however the Sony one is about $500 but it does have the biggest selection of films.
Its also worth remembering to avoid any 4K sets from 2013 or earlier due to being incompatible with modern standards, and having the newer 4K video codecs ready.
I'm a little surprised how much 4K televisions have gone down in price, even if you do end up trapped with a "smart" TV with "smart functions" that you will "never use." But I really have no idea about 4K televisions, and I have no idea if I'd use one.
while smart tv functions are indeed useless 95% of the time, I'd say it's actually useful to have them on a 4k set.
the native apps let you actually watch the 4k content that exists without having to buy an expensive 4k player or have a computer nearby
True--I had considered that, but I'd sort of ruled it out because of my internet: I probably have the best internet of anyone I know in person, but it's still "only" ~63 mbps down and 4.28 mbps up. It's basically ten times what most of my neighbors have,.
That, combined with a very run of the mill Linksys N300 router, leads to believe that streaming 4K over Netflix or Youtube is pretty much a pipe dream (even though my router is literally right next to my television). Do smart TVs come with ethernet ports, or are they only Wifi? Or is that actually enough and I just grossly overestimate it?
As shit as Youtube apps seem to be on all consoles, I have to imagine they're as bad or worse on smart TVs (at least Google finally fixed theirs on Youtube, so it doesn't freeze on opening every other time). Crunchyroll, Amazon, Funimation all run fine.
It's sort of the key right now with 4K, companies have really only agreed to a format standard for physical content not that long ago and we won't see much physical content until the adoption rate improves, yet the only way adoption rate will improve is with more content being delivered. Digital content is improving greatly but requires a shit hot connection to get running correctly.
What makes all this more annoying is that with a number of premium brands desperate attempts to get 4K displays out, have seem to make standard HD and SD content look considerably worse to sets 1/3 of the price, which is why budget 4K brands seem to stomp all over the top end of the market.
You don't say--interesting. I mean, ultimately, I could get a better router, or use an ethernet cable (if that were possible), but I'm not sure that'd be enough to actually watch Youtube in 4K. If some service that doesn't seem to be constantly fumbling over itself, like Crunchyroll or Netflix (the later of which IS doing 4K video, right?) was in question, I'd feel more optimistic. Maybe I'm being too pessimist.
You have things like the new amazon fire tv that does 4K, or apps like ultraflix that are trying to do 4K on top of Netflix/Youtube. The other options are that Sony and Samsung do sell 4K media boxes to download and stream content, however the Sony one is about $500 but it does have the biggest selection of films.
Its also worth remembering to avoid any 4K sets from 2013 or earlier due to being incompatible with modern standards, and having the newer 4K video codecs ready.
That's good to know--I wasn't planning to buy an older set, obviously, but if there'd been a good deal...
I'm definitely not buying a 4K media box though. I don't even have Chromecast or the like, I've been spoiled by how insanely easy it is just to have my television constantly plugged into my PC in the next room (even after Nvidia's drivers pissing me off with monitor misidentification). That money will go towards the set, or the furniture it'll rest on.
Hey guys. I'm looking to get a 55" tv this holiday season. Hoping there will be a good deal come black friday.
We sit 103" away from the TV right now, so it seems that 1080p is the way to go according to the chart in the OP. Is there any reason to get a 4k TV? I'm just not seeing it. I don't ever foresee us sitting closer than 5 feet to the TV.
I'm a little surprised how much 4K televisions have gone down in price, even if you do end up trapped with a "smart" TV with "smart functions" that you will "never use." But I really have no idea about 4K televisions, and I have no idea if I'd use one.
while smart tv functions are indeed useless 95% of the time, I'd say it's actually useful to have them on a 4k set.
the native apps let you actually watch the 4k content that exists without having to buy an expensive 4k player or have a computer nearby
True--I had considered that, but I'd sort of ruled it out because of my internet: I probably have the best internet of anyone I know in person, but it's still "only" ~63 mbps down and 4.28 mbps up. It's basically ten times what most of my neighbors have,.
That, combined with a very run of the mill Linksys N300 router, leads to believe that streaming 4K over Netflix or Youtube is pretty much a pipe dream (even though my router is literally right next to my television). Do smart TVs come with ethernet ports, or are they only Wifi? Or is that actually enough and I just grossly overestimate it?
As shit as Youtube apps seem to be on all consoles, I have to imagine they're as bad or worse on smart TVs (at least Google finally fixed theirs on Xbox, so it doesn't freeze on opening every other time). Crunchyroll, Amazon, Funimation all run fine.
EDIT: Fixed it on you Xbox, not Google, hah.
If it's a consistent 60+ mbps, then that should be enough to stream 4K from Netflix or Youtube. Netflix streams 4K at up to 16 mbps and recommends a 20 Mbps connection, and Youtube 4K is 10-20 Mbps depending on codec and if it's HTML5 or Flash. Real world performance would depend on prevailing network conditions and if your ISP messes with your connection.
I have an "up to 1 Gbps" internet connection and while I've seen 900+ mbps, I've also seen it bounce around wildly and cut out entirely when I have large downloads queued up, so I'm pretty sure they are doing some throttling. I usually don't stream much video outside of Netflix's standard HD, but when I have it hasn't been an issue, and when I'm streaming non-Netflix HD it's 1080P VC-1 transcodes needing maybe 14-15 mbps and the player has good buffering capabilities.
Hey guys. I'm looking to get a 55" tv this holiday season. Hoping there will be a good deal come black friday.
We sit 103" away from the TV right now, so it seems that 1080p is the way to go according to the chart in the OP. Is there any reason to get a 4k TV? I'm just not seeing it. I don't ever foresee us sitting closer than 5 feet to the TV.
Eh, really just depends on pricepoint that you want to hit, as most of the top level tv's are now 4k, so getting the good quality 1080p sets will be increasingly hard as they just won't be produced as much anymore.
We just pulled the trigger on a 70", because we're crazy. Moving from a 46 inch. This TV is freaking huge (don't get to watch it until tomorrow as my wall mount hasn't come yet).
Hey guys. I'm looking to get a 55" tv this holiday season. Hoping there will be a good deal come black friday.
We sit 103" away from the TV right now, so it seems that 1080p is the way to go according to the chart in the OP. Is there any reason to get a 4k TV? I'm just not seeing it. I don't ever foresee us sitting closer than 5 feet to the TV.
Eh, really just depends on pricepoint that you want to hit, as most of the top level tv's are now 4k, so getting the good quality 1080p sets will be increasingly hard as they just won't be produced as much anymore.
We just pulled the trigger on a 70", because we're crazy. Moving from a 46 inch. This TV is freaking huge (don't get to watch it until tomorrow as my wall mount hasn't come yet).
I guess I'm looking at spending $500 to $800, what would you recommend?
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BlackDragon480Bluster KerfuffleMaster of Windy ImportRegistered Userregular
If my budget is around $900-1000 is there a better all around 55-60 inch unit than the VIZIO M series (M55-C2 is the one I'm eyeing)?
No matter where you go...there you are. ~ Buckaroo Banzai
Hey guys. I'm looking to get a 55" tv this holiday season. Hoping there will be a good deal come black friday.
We sit 103" away from the TV right now, so it seems that 1080p is the way to go according to the chart in the OP. Is there any reason to get a 4k TV? I'm just not seeing it. I don't ever foresee us sitting closer than 5 feet to the TV.
Eh, really just depends on pricepoint that you want to hit, as most of the top level tv's are now 4k, so getting the good quality 1080p sets will be increasingly hard as they just won't be produced as much anymore.
We just pulled the trigger on a 70", because we're crazy. Moving from a 46 inch. This TV is freaking huge (don't get to watch it until tomorrow as my wall mount hasn't come yet).
I guess I'm looking at spending $500 to $800, what would you recommend?
I'm in the same size range and keeping my eye on the Vizio M series. Right now it's about 950.
Hey guys. I'm looking to get a 55" tv this holiday season. Hoping there will be a good deal come black friday.
We sit 103" away from the TV right now, so it seems that 1080p is the way to go according to the chart in the OP. Is there any reason to get a 4k TV? I'm just not seeing it. I don't ever foresee us sitting closer than 5 feet to the TV.
Eh, really just depends on pricepoint that you want to hit, as most of the top level tv's are now 4k, so getting the good quality 1080p sets will be increasingly hard as they just won't be produced as much anymore.
We just pulled the trigger on a 70", because we're crazy. Moving from a 46 inch. This TV is freaking huge (don't get to watch it until tomorrow as my wall mount hasn't come yet).
I guess I'm looking at spending $500 to $800, what would you recommend?
I'm in the same size range and keeping my eye on the Vizio M series. Right now it's about 950.
Yep, I got the 70 vizio M. It's pretty rad so far. The one problem is that it makes you say "WTF, why isn't there more 4k content".
Just remember to turn "Smart Interactivity" off in the menu, as it's basically spyware that will phone home your viewing habits paired with your IP to Vizio to sell.
Note that there are also a lot of good deals on samsungs at best buy and Target for black friday.
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ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
I'm a little surprised how much 4K televisions have gone down in price, even if you do end up trapped with a "smart" TV with "smart functions" that you will "never use." But I really have no idea about 4K televisions, and I have no idea if I'd use one.
while smart tv functions are indeed useless 95% of the time, I'd say it's actually useful to have them on a 4k set.
the native apps let you actually watch the 4k content that exists without having to buy an expensive 4k player or have a computer nearby
We got our Bravia yesterday and man, the smart apps are great. And since it's an Android TV, the Netflix/Hulu/Amazon etc apps are from the App Store, so they will update when the Android versions come out.
I'm a little surprised how much 4K televisions have gone down in price, even if you do end up trapped with a "smart" TV with "smart functions" that you will "never use." But I really have no idea about 4K televisions, and I have no idea if I'd use one.
while smart tv functions are indeed useless 95% of the time, I'd say it's actually useful to have them on a 4k set.
the native apps let you actually watch the 4k content that exists without having to buy an expensive 4k player or have a computer nearby
True--I had considered that, but I'd sort of ruled it out because of my internet: I probably have the best internet of anyone I know in person, but it's still "only" ~63 mbps down and 4.28 mbps up. It's basically ten times what most of my neighbors have,.
That, combined with a very run of the mill Linksys N300 router, leads to believe that streaming 4K over Netflix or Youtube is pretty much a pipe dream (even though my router is literally right next to my television). Do smart TVs come with ethernet ports, or are they only Wifi? Or is that actually enough and I just grossly overestimate it?
As shit as Youtube apps seem to be on all consoles, I have to imagine they're as bad or worse on smart TVs (at least Google finally fixed theirs on Xbox, so it doesn't freeze on opening every other time). Crunchyroll, Amazon, Funimation all run fine.
EDIT: Fixed it on you Xbox, not Google, hah.
If it's a consistent 60+ mbps, then that should be enough to stream 4K from Netflix or Youtube. Netflix streams 4K at up to 16 mbps and recommends a 20 Mbps connection, and Youtube 4K is 10-20 Mbps depending on codec and if it's HTML5 or Flash. Real world performance would depend on prevailing network conditions and if your ISP messes with your connection.
I have an "up to 1 Gbps" internet connection and while I've seen 900+ mbps, I've also seen it bounce around wildly and cut out entirely when I have large downloads queued up, so I'm pretty sure they are doing some throttling. I usually don't stream much video outside of Netflix's standard HD, but when I have it hasn't been an issue, and when I'm streaming non-Netflix HD it's 1080P VC-1 transcodes needing maybe 14-15 mbps and the player has good buffering capabilities.
I think the one good thing about Charter (putting aside that they're not shitty DSL) is that they're not overzealous throttlers, if only because I can never think of a time when my connection was throttled (now, going out on the other hand...). But that's very informative, thanks. The issue is more the wifi in my apartment--even though the router would be less than a meter from the HDTV. Given that no one's confirmed it, I have to assume that sets like the Vizio Ultra DON'T have ethernet ports, in which case I might have to break down and buy something more modern than my N300 (I really don't think it can carry a full 60 mbps down, but this is really far out of my range of expertise).
Yep, pretty much all of them have the wired option. I can attest that the Vizio M has 5 HDMI, optical audio, component, wired network and wifi.
Thank you, that's good to know.
Amazon's begun it's pre-Black Friday deals apparently, including some on televisions (nothing really remarkable yet, though maybe I should expand my search out of just Sony and include Samsung, LG, etc.). I guess I can look forward to scouring the sales every day until December for that perfect 55" to 60", 1080p or 4K, Sony or Samsung set.
EDIT: Also, apparently I'm an idiot--I thought Sony owned Vizio (and used the two almost interchangeably). Apparently this is NOT the case.
Are there any resources for comparison of US and UK model numbers?
I've seen some favourable reviews of the Sony XBR55X810C and am trying to determine if the KD-55X8005C is the equivalent model number in the UK. I've seen someone say so on some AV forum but would like a bit more confirmation.
PSN: AngryPuppyEsq
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ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
Looking over the specs, that looks like the same TV. The main difference between the 810C and the 850C is the Sony Tri-Luminous display thingie, so the 810C still looks good, but isn't quite as vibrant.
Amazon had a Samsung 60" 4K for $800--53% off. Really, really tempting. Of course, it was part of the daily deal and was snapped up immediately, so that made my decision for me.
I think I'm going to stick with Vizio anyway, if only because I much prefer their remotes.
So, the amazing deal I was hoping for never materialized, but honestly, that has a lot to do with my own stubbornness: I pretty much settled wholly on a Vizio, committed to 4K, and really wanted to get it from Amazon on account of all the store credit/gift cards I have saved up with them. So I ended up getting the set with the largest percentage discount this morning--24% off ($400) of their 65" M-class 4K TV (the more research I did, the bigger the differences between the M and cheaper D-class picture quality was suggested). Ended up being $1,298 which, while a steal for a 4K TV in 65", is not the amazing deal I was hoping for.
Basically, I was kind of tired of waiting, since I having deals waiting on a new entertainment unit to put it on, etc.
If I'd actually paid really, really close attention (which I thought I had) I could have knabbed a 60" Samsung for a lot less, but I wasn't quick enough on the trigger. Also, the idea of going out on Friday or Monday to an actual retailer makes my skin crawl.
So let's say I wanted to get a sound bar or sound system for my TV.
I don't really have room to run speakers for a 5.1 system, but I want something a little more impressive than the speakers on my TV. It's an older TV, but I think it's got appropriate hookups for whatever. Do you basically get a sound system that funnels everything through itself then pushes it out to the TV?
I want something that's the least cumbersome to use, so that I don't have to do 5 steps to switch inputs or whatever.
I mean I have room for speakers, but I don't have the ability to run wire or put that plastic wire run stuff around the apartment, the cable-in comes in a half wall in the middle of our living room so I can't run a wire. I'm open to wireless but that seems sub optimal compared to a system with a sound bar or something?
My ultimate goal is to have something that has like 5+ HDMI/3+ RCA inputs that I can control with a remote instead of walking over to the TV to press a button on a device next to it. I don't know if a 'sound system' would solve this problem for me. But we're having issues with reverb on our TV when the volume is at 20, which isn't exactly super loud either.
Any recommendations for what I should look out for? My price range is probably low 400ish, that's probably too low, but if possible I'd like to stay there. If I can get cheaper, that's fine too, I don't need amazing hifi quality or whatever, just something that makes my viewing experience less shitty.
not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
Most soundbars don't have that many inputs, but if your tv does then most of them allow you to output to the soundbar instead of the built-in speakers.
Is there any kind of sound system that outputs to a soundbar but that also works as an HDMI switch? I think that's ultimately what I'm looking for in the end. Something I can funnel all my consoles and cable box to and control with a remote instead of going to the TV and flip flopping or using a push button/shitty remote HDMI selector.
not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
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LG is 100% focused on OLED's, so I wouldn't expect much out of their LCD sets.
So, we ended up getting a steal of a deal on a Bravia 4k that we couldn't pass up. We saw it in action, saw the price it would be for us, and had to jump on it. It comes next Wednesday!
I'm not really opposed to either--I just want to avoid plasma screens (the images still bother me for anything but playing video games).
Interesting. I'm kind of sticking in the 60" area (maybe 55")--I'm hoping there'll be a 15% or so price or more come Black Friday/Christmas/whatever on the Vizio Ultra 4K.
But if there isn't, I'll just grab the same size as an Vizo M I guess? I think the Ultra's are slightly thinner, which is a plus for my space constraints. Unless there's a major reason to get 4K, as I said.
I guess what I'm saying is if there's a Costco near you I'd check their prices since they're pretty competitive to actual Black Friday deals without the hassle.
That's not a bad idea by any means, but I don't have a Costco Membership. Which may be just as well, since the nearest Costco is roughly an hour away in good traffic.
I hope that Amazon will come pretty close to matching those prices, once the sales start (right now, the VIZIO M552i-B2 is $899.99 without any sort of discount).
For what it's worth I have zero regrets about buying the tv, although sometimes the local dimming is annoying (it works in quadrants so if you're looking at an all black screen with a logo in the middle the area around the logo will look grey) and a couple months after purchasing it a software update made it so I could no longer Chromecast things to the tv without an actual Chromecast device.
$680 is a great deal, but as you described, extremely circumstantial for an hour drive and a membership I wouldn't use otherwise. Hence my preference for Amazon.com--though I wouldn't turn it down if I happened to run into it. If the price difference is small, I'll go 4K anyway.
Biggest pain in the ass when buying my TV wasn't picking out the model, but fretting about the deal.
Thankfully, I'm in absolutely no rush (in fact, I think I'd be a little embarrassed to buy it now), and don't mind waiting for whatever Amazon or anyone else has down the pipe for later November/early December (for starters, I also need to buy a not-awful entertaining unit to replace my shitty wooden stand my current TV is resting on, something low to the ground, long rather than tall and with enough space for ~4 consoles and accessories).
If both the Vizio M and Ultra 4K have 4 HDMI ports (and presumably at least one component port for my Xbox 360--you run out of HDMI ports a lot faster I'd say), they're both very suitable, so it comes down to price in the 55" and 60" range. Given that I used my last TV for 6 years, making an investment in future proofing (with the assumption that this one will last the same length of time) isn't unreasonable. At some point, 4K televisions will probably be considered normal in the same way 1080p HDTVs have been for years, even if a lot of our devices don't actually make use of that resolution regularly.
the native apps let you actually watch the 4k content that exists without having to buy an expensive 4k player or have a computer nearby
Helps that I don't own a Chromecast, Apple TV, and no longer have my HTPC though.
True--I had considered that, but I'd sort of ruled it out because of my internet: I probably have the best internet of anyone I know in person, but it's still "only" ~63 mbps down and 4.28 mbps up. It's basically ten times what most of my neighbors have,.
That, combined with a very run of the mill Linksys N300 router, leads to believe that streaming 4K over Netflix or Youtube is pretty much a pipe dream (even though my router is literally right next to my television). Do smart TVs come with ethernet ports, or are they only Wifi? Or is that actually enough and I just grossly overestimate it?
As shit as Youtube apps seem to be on all consoles, I have to imagine they're as bad or worse on smart TVs (at least Google finally fixed theirs on Xbox, so it doesn't freeze on opening every other time). Crunchyroll, Amazon, Funimation all run fine.
EDIT: Fixed it on you Xbox, not Google, hah.
It's sort of the key right now with 4K, companies have really only agreed to a format standard for physical content not that long ago and we won't see much physical content until the adoption rate improves, yet the only way adoption rate will improve is with more content being delivered. Digital content is improving greatly but requires a shit hot connection to get running correctly.
What makes all this more annoying is that with a number of premium brands desperate attempts to get 4K displays out, have seem to make standard HD and SD content look considerably worse to sets 1/3 of the price, which is why budget 4K brands seem to stomp all over the top end of the market.
You don't say--interesting. I mean, ultimately, I could get a better router, or use an ethernet cable (if that were possible), but I'm not sure that'd be enough to actually watch Youtube in 4K. If some service that doesn't seem to be constantly fumbling over itself, like Crunchyroll or Netflix (the later of which IS doing 4K video, right?) was in question, I'd feel more optimistic. Maybe I'm being too pessimist.
You have things like the new amazon fire tv that does 4K, or apps like ultraflix that are trying to do 4K on top of Netflix/Youtube. The other options are that Sony and Samsung do sell 4K media boxes to download and stream content, however the Sony one is about $500 but it does have the biggest selection of films.
Its also worth remembering to avoid any 4K sets from 2013 or earlier due to being incompatible with modern standards, and having the newer 4K video codecs ready.
That's good to know--I wasn't planning to buy an older set, obviously, but if there'd been a good deal...
I'm definitely not buying a 4K media box though. I don't even have Chromecast or the like, I've been spoiled by how insanely easy it is just to have my television constantly plugged into my PC in the next room (even after Nvidia's drivers pissing me off with monitor misidentification). That money will go towards the set, or the furniture it'll rest on.
We sit 103" away from the TV right now, so it seems that 1080p is the way to go according to the chart in the OP. Is there any reason to get a 4k TV? I'm just not seeing it. I don't ever foresee us sitting closer than 5 feet to the TV.
If it's a consistent 60+ mbps, then that should be enough to stream 4K from Netflix or Youtube. Netflix streams 4K at up to 16 mbps and recommends a 20 Mbps connection, and Youtube 4K is 10-20 Mbps depending on codec and if it's HTML5 or Flash. Real world performance would depend on prevailing network conditions and if your ISP messes with your connection.
I have an "up to 1 Gbps" internet connection and while I've seen 900+ mbps, I've also seen it bounce around wildly and cut out entirely when I have large downloads queued up, so I'm pretty sure they are doing some throttling. I usually don't stream much video outside of Netflix's standard HD, but when I have it hasn't been an issue, and when I'm streaming non-Netflix HD it's 1080P VC-1 transcodes needing maybe 14-15 mbps and the player has good buffering capabilities.
Eh, really just depends on pricepoint that you want to hit, as most of the top level tv's are now 4k, so getting the good quality 1080p sets will be increasingly hard as they just won't be produced as much anymore.
We just pulled the trigger on a 70", because we're crazy. Moving from a 46 inch. This TV is freaking huge (don't get to watch it until tomorrow as my wall mount hasn't come yet).
I guess I'm looking at spending $500 to $800, what would you recommend?
~ Buckaroo Banzai
I'm in the same size range and keeping my eye on the Vizio M series. Right now it's about 950.
Yep, I got the 70 vizio M. It's pretty rad so far. The one problem is that it makes you say "WTF, why isn't there more 4k content".
Just remember to turn "Smart Interactivity" off in the menu, as it's basically spyware that will phone home your viewing habits paired with your IP to Vizio to sell.
Note that there are also a lot of good deals on samsungs at best buy and Target for black friday.
We got our Bravia yesterday and man, the smart apps are great. And since it's an Android TV, the Netflix/Hulu/Amazon etc apps are from the App Store, so they will update when the Android versions come out.
I think the one good thing about Charter (putting aside that they're not shitty DSL) is that they're not overzealous throttlers, if only because I can never think of a time when my connection was throttled (now, going out on the other hand...). But that's very informative, thanks. The issue is more the wifi in my apartment--even though the router would be less than a meter from the HDTV. Given that no one's confirmed it, I have to assume that sets like the Vizio Ultra DON'T have ethernet ports, in which case I might have to break down and buy something more modern than my N300 (I really don't think it can carry a full 60 mbps down, but this is really far out of my range of expertise).
Yep, pretty much all of them have the wired option. I can attest that the Vizio M has 5 HDMI, optical audio, component, wired network and wifi.
Thank you, that's good to know.
Amazon's begun it's pre-Black Friday deals apparently, including some on televisions (nothing really remarkable yet, though maybe I should expand my search out of just Sony and include Samsung, LG, etc.). I guess I can look forward to scouring the sales every day until December for that perfect 55" to 60", 1080p or 4K, Sony or Samsung set.
EDIT: Also, apparently I'm an idiot--I thought Sony owned Vizio (and used the two almost interchangeably). Apparently this is NOT the case.
I've seen some favourable reviews of the Sony XBR55X810C and am trying to determine if the KD-55X8005C is the equivalent model number in the UK. I've seen someone say so on some AV forum but would like a bit more confirmation.
Oh god, yesssssssssssssssssssss.
4k vs 1080, plus $100 more for only 10"
I think I'm going to stick with Vizio anyway, if only because I much prefer their remotes.
Basically, I was kind of tired of waiting, since I having deals waiting on a new entertainment unit to put it on, etc.
If I'd actually paid really, really close attention (which I thought I had) I could have knabbed a 60" Samsung for a lot less, but I wasn't quick enough on the trigger. Also, the idea of going out on Friday or Monday to an actual retailer makes my skin crawl.
Hopefully, it'll be everything I expect.
I don't really have room to run speakers for a 5.1 system, but I want something a little more impressive than the speakers on my TV. It's an older TV, but I think it's got appropriate hookups for whatever. Do you basically get a sound system that funnels everything through itself then pushes it out to the TV?
I want something that's the least cumbersome to use, so that I don't have to do 5 steps to switch inputs or whatever.
I mean I have room for speakers, but I don't have the ability to run wire or put that plastic wire run stuff around the apartment, the cable-in comes in a half wall in the middle of our living room so I can't run a wire. I'm open to wireless but that seems sub optimal compared to a system with a sound bar or something?
My ultimate goal is to have something that has like 5+ HDMI/3+ RCA inputs that I can control with a remote instead of walking over to the TV to press a button on a device next to it. I don't know if a 'sound system' would solve this problem for me. But we're having issues with reverb on our TV when the volume is at 20, which isn't exactly super loud either.
Any recommendations for what I should look out for? My price range is probably low 400ish, that's probably too low, but if possible I'd like to stay there. If I can get cheaper, that's fine too, I don't need amazing hifi quality or whatever, just something that makes my viewing experience less shitty.