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The TV Thread: More for Less

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Posts

  • ectoidectoid Registered User regular
    I've been looking to upgrade TVs recently and have really gotten wrapped around the axle. I could use some opinions/guidance.

    I currently have a 55" Samsung H6350 from 2014. My living room is normally of average brightness I would guess. Several windows perpendicular with blinds/plantation shutters to give a diffuse light. I spend my time with a solid mix of gaming(PS5, Switch), streaming content(Hulu, Netflix, Prime and HBO).

    The primary contenders are a Samsung QN90A, LG C1, or Sony A80j -- 65" preferred.

    I have not seen the Sony screen in person but it gets great reviews for picture quality -- lacks in gaming features for some reason.

    The LG C1 and QN90A I have compared in person and watched a great deal of reviews for. Best Buy would not, however, allow me to change the demo content. What was displayed looked outstanding on both. The brightness of the QN90A made it stand out more, but I understand this comes at the cost of potentially losing detail due to the dimming zones. It is difficult to track down numbers for my 2014 TV, but it looks like the C1 has brightness levels comparable to or greater than my current Samsung(~212cd/m2 for the Samsung and SDR ranging from 130-412cd/m2 depending on the window size for the C1).

    I have some concerns over OLED burn in but understand it is probably not a realistic concern on the C1 with normal use.

    I can get the QN90A for $1600 and the OLEDs are currently ~$2100.

    Sorry this post has rambled, but I've been stuck on this for a few weeks. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

  • emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    I think the first thing you should figure out is whether you want an OLED with the potential for burn in and worse bright room performance, or a LED for better bright room performance and no (low?) risk of burn in, but worse picture quality (admittedly this depends on how much you notice blooming, the whiteish tint in dark/black scenes where only a portion of the dimming zone is depicting an object but the whole dimming zone needs to light up). Also Samsung doesn't support Dolby Vision if that matters to you.

    I was in a similar boat, though I was looking at the 77" A80J/C1 vs the 65" A90J/G1 and I ended up with an A80J.

    My use case is mostly streaming tv/movies with light gaming and currently none of it on a next gen console so the lack of proper VRR support wasn't super important to me. I'll probably end up with a PS5 at some point and apparently the Sonys have a pseudo VRR function with the PS5 (full VRR functionality is promised for this year, but who knows whether they'll be able to deliver).

  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    We've seen burn in claims drop considerably over the last couple models. Whatever mitigation they've been putting in the panels is doing some good at least. OLED panels have also gotten much brighter this generation. They still won't top the luminance in a Q90, but you make up for that in detail.

    Between them all, I tend to lean toward the LG C1 only because it's usually a bit cheaper than the Sony variant. They both have the same panel, just different processors underneath.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • schussschuss Registered User regular
    ectoid wrote: »
    I've been looking to upgrade TVs recently and have really gotten wrapped around the axle. I could use some opinions/guidance.

    I currently have a 55" Samsung H6350 from 2014. My living room is normally of average brightness I would guess. Several windows perpendicular with blinds/plantation shutters to give a diffuse light. I spend my time with a solid mix of gaming(PS5, Switch), streaming content(Hulu, Netflix, Prime and HBO).

    The primary contenders are a Samsung QN90A, LG C1, or Sony A80j -- 65" preferred.

    I have not seen the Sony screen in person but it gets great reviews for picture quality -- lacks in gaming features for some reason.

    The LG C1 and QN90A I have compared in person and watched a great deal of reviews for. Best Buy would not, however, allow me to change the demo content. What was displayed looked outstanding on both. The brightness of the QN90A made it stand out more, but I understand this comes at the cost of potentially losing detail due to the dimming zones. It is difficult to track down numbers for my 2014 TV, but it looks like the C1 has brightness levels comparable to or greater than my current Samsung(~212cd/m2 for the Samsung and SDR ranging from 130-412cd/m2 depending on the window size for the C1).

    I have some concerns over OLED burn in but understand it is probably not a realistic concern on the C1 with normal use.

    I can get the QN90A for $1600 and the OLEDs are currently ~$2100.

    Sorry this post has rambled, but I've been stuck on this for a few weeks. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

    bias note: I hate samsung products, but will try to be objective.

    OLED's - LG was there first and Sony always make great sets, I think both would be great, just pick your preferred firmware.
    Samsung - unless you're getting 10+ inches, it's just straight worse technology. They've pushed it to the limit and they're likely great looking sets, but they'll still be a half step past traditional sets to OLED.
    If you want to keep the TV 3+ years, I'd go OLED, but it also depends on room/use etc.

  • DixonDixon Screwed...possibly doomed CanadaRegistered User regular
    Yeah OLED burn-in is incredibly low, just check rtings.

    They all have a much lower failure rate then any other tv. LG and Sony specifically.

    The picture quality is a big difference for me personally, it feels like another level with the color.

  • emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    For what it's worth whatever tv you end up woth is probably going to be good. I spent a lot of time watching and reading a lot of info about the C1/G1/A80J/A90J leading up to my purchase and while it was helpful (and probably convinced me to get the 77" A80J over the 65" A90J, although the price tag did a lot of heavy lifting there too) I very quickly acclimated to my new TV.

    Which isn't to say I dont think/notice it's a definite improvement from where I was coming from (2014 Vizio), picture quality is great and the small details it helps pop are really impressive (fire looks really good, like oddly good, and 1080p up scaling is fantastic to the point where it can be hard to determine whether I'm watching 1080p content or 4k). But I expected to be wowed by the extra 22" I added to my tv, and for a time I was, but now I'm only reminded that I went stupid big with the TV after seeing someone else's TV and I have that oh right I basically have a wall for a TV moment.

  • ectoidectoid Registered User regular
    Thank for the input. Went with the LG c1. Have only had it a few hours and am happy so far. The setup was unpleasant-- the TV is heavy(~90 lbs) and feels so fragile. The base is also not the greatest(old stand had clearance for my soundbar and swiveled).

    The size and resolution upgrade are astounding.

  • DashuiDashui Registered User regular
    ectoid wrote: »
    Thank for the input. Went with the LG c1. Have only had it a few hours and am happy so far. The setup was unpleasant-- the TV is heavy(~90 lbs) and feels so fragile. The base is also not the greatest(old stand had clearance for my soundbar and swiveled).

    The size and resolution upgrade are astounding.

    I just got my C1 today! I was so nervous about it for the same reasons you were, and still am to a degree, as this would become my first OLED. My last panic was whether constant subtitles would cause burn in (we almost always use subtitles in our house).

    And yeah, the setup was horrible. Best Buy first warned us not to lay it flat in the car. It could flex and break, they said. That made the drive home and every interaction getting it put together a nervous experience. I feel like I need to go back soon and get an extended warranty.

    It's not as bright as the Vizio PQ65 it's replacing, which could hit 2000 nits, but blooming drove me crazy on the Vizio. I'm really sensitive to blooming, light bleed, and uniformity issues. I can too easily spot zone transitions. The LG C1? Flawless.

    We watched Blade Runner 2049 as our first movie on the set. Contrast, the pop of the image, the colors, and motion performance (TrueMotion's cinematic setting is rather good) made the movie almost seem three dimensional at times. I'm still cautious about my use of the TV, but I've never had a TV with a more perfect picture.

    Xbox Live, PSN & Origin: Vacorsis 3DS: 2638-0037-166
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    The OLED tvs are probably the only ones I'm kinda ok with lying flat to transport since they're packed so tightly in the box. But this is mostly a "don't do this" warning because on the off chance the panel did break, they won't allow returns.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • Trajan45Trajan45 Registered User regular
    Maybe a question for @Shadowfire around wall mounts and connection panels. Our builder wants to put the connector panel at 5 feet. We want the TV at 4 feet as we have a low couch and that's as high as we want to go before we're craning our neck up. My worry at 5 feet is that the connector panel is really close to the top of a 65" panel. If I'm measuring right, there will be a couple inches covered still. The builder said they could move it down to 4 feet, but that's where we want to mount the TV. Currently we have an ECHOGEAR Full Motion TV Wall Mount which has some space to the sides, but I'm not sure I trust the builder not to center the connector panel.

    Is there a standard around this? Maybe I'm making too much of it and should just go with 5ft.

    Origin ID\ Steam ID: Warder45
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    What are we talking about with a connector panel here? Is this the thing that goes in the wall for power and cables to run through, like an in wall power kit? Or something else?

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • IncindiumIncindium Registered User regular
    edited October 2021


    Dang the 75" TCL 5 series is a great deal.

    Edit. The $700 TCL 6 Series is 55" actually not 65" as per the tweet.

    Incindium on
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    Nintendo ID: Incindium
    PSN: IncindiumX
  • Trajan45Trajan45 Registered User regular
    Shadowfire wrote: »
    What are we talking about with a connector panel here? Is this the thing that goes in the wall for power and cables to run through, like an in wall power kit? Or something else?

    Should just be one of those things with HDMI and power. Nothing like Atmos or 5.1 connectors or anything.

    Origin ID\ Steam ID: Warder45
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    Oh alright, so this is just a thing to pass the wire through the wall then? Because it doesn't have to be centered at all, you're not going to be looking at it. Figure out the height you want the TV to be, put the mounting bracket on the wall, and then decide where to put the pass through. Mine is just to the left of the bracket on the wall, and the TV covers it by a good amount. When I'm installing TVs, sometimes I put them above, beside, or below depending on a ton of issues. I've even put a few right inside the mounting bracket because that's where they'll work best.

    0kvk4tet6vu8.jpg

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • Trajan45Trajan45 Registered User regular
    I think I'm going to just keep it at 5ft haha. I don't trust the installer that much since they are just the cookie cutter company the builder uses (1 star reviews on google lol). I'd love for them to offset it like that, but I have a feeling they'll just center it and I'll have monkey with it.

    Origin ID\ Steam ID: Warder45
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    You could do it yourself. ;)

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    Shadowfire wrote: »
    You could do it yourself. ;)

    I did all of my conduit myself for speaker wire and my AV stuff and I am very pleased EXCEPT I bought a wall mount expressly because it was wide enough to mount into three studs instead of just two and I was paranoid about hanging an 85 inch QLED on just two.

    It just doesn't come out very far so wiggling behind the screen to plug something in is annoying.

    I am in the business of saving lives.
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    MegaMan001 wrote: »
    Shadowfire wrote: »
    You could do it yourself. ;)

    I did all of my conduit myself for speaker wire and my AV stuff and I am very pleased EXCEPT I bought a wall mount expressly because it was wide enough to mount into three studs instead of just two and I was paranoid about hanging an 85 inch QLED on just two.

    It just doesn't come out very far so wiggling behind the screen to plug something in is annoying.

    TVs weigh nothing anymore, hanging an 85" on two studs is no problem.

    But then I've also pulled an awful lot of tube TVs off mounts that were on a single stud. Basically, if my fat ass can hang from the bracket once I put it on the wall, no TV we sell is going to fall off.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • a nu starta nu start Registered User regular
    Did ya'll know Sony (among others) can't be bothered to put a Gigabit ethernet port in their "flagship" TVs? Nor could they be nice enough to put Wifi 6 in their either.

    Number One Tricky
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    Because honestly, why bother? You don't need that kind of speed to stream to a TV.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • a nu starta nu start Registered User regular
    I mean, some of us do or else I wouldn't be complaining. Besides, I can't imagine the cost savings on a $1000+ TV is significant enough anyway.

    Number One Tricky
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    For what?

    The vast majority of people (I mean vast) need no more than 25-30Mbit. Unless you're doing direct Plex streaming that's pushing 200Mbps+ rates because you did bit for bit rips from 4k BDs, you don't need the crazy speeds. And if you are doing that, you're also a person who would be running another device like a Shield or AppleTV.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    In general I dont think you (currently) need more than 100Mbs down, but Sony tvs have access to their Bravia Core service which requires up to 80Mbs to get the best picture so I could see the possible upside of a gigabit wired connection.

    I think it'll do 500Mbs over wife though and I assume most people aren't running cat cables to their TV, even if I am.

  • MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    I'm getting the feeling I'm in the minority where I just want the TV to be a display because I already have all the other shit that does everything the TV tries to do, but better.

    I am in the business of saving lives.
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    MegaMan001 wrote: »
    I'm getting the feeling I'm in the minority where I just want the TV to be a display because I already have all the other shit that does everything the TV tries to do, but better.

    That is a minority of people, yes. I use the streaming apps that are built in, but that's mostly because all my HDMI ports are full (Switch, SNES classic, 4k Blu-ray player, Xbox one s). I've been toying with the idea of getting an Nvidia Shield but they're way overdue for an upgrade at this point so I'm still waiting.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • NosfNosf Registered User regular
    edited November 2021
    Picked up a 65" OLED LG C1. I've been dropping off and setting up 65" TCLs I bought last year for our various client houses, and they're trivial to knock together and setup. The box says two man lift and like a jackass, I sneer and drag/wrangle the damn things out of a company pickup into the house and set them up on Ikea Besta stands. I've transported 10 of them now in a pickup, laying flat and no problems. The packaging is pretty good on those and they look pretty good and setup is pretty simple. We've got a few with Series S xboxes on them which look great and are pretty popular.

    This thing though, the LG, yeah that's a two person lift. The box does have markings for how to orient it if transporting it flat. I wasn't prepared for how thin the upper portion of the screen is and after getting it assembled had to have my wife help me hoist it into place. It was actually fairly nerve wracking, given how flimsy the upper part of the screen looks and you can't use it for gripping during the move. The base is nice and heavy though and the thing is very stable, unlike the TCLs which are wobbly on their four little legs. It replaces a Vizio P55 that did good work for a number of years, but once in a while has to be rebooted because the motion on it gets all herky jerky.

    Got my PC connected to it and it looked great, sort of but uh, terrible refresh. Did a bunch of dicking around and I can get it a little better but I'll have to spring for a 2.1 30' HDMI cable which after some searching today will be tougher to find a certified one than I expected.

    Nosf on
  • emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    Nosf wrote: »
    Picked up a 65" OLED LG C1. I've been dropping off and setting up 65" TCLs I bought last year for our various client houses, and they're trivial to knock together and setup. The box says two man lift and like a jackass, I sneer and drag/wrangle the damn things out of a company pickup into the house and set them up on Ikea Besta stands. I've transported 10 of them now in a pickup, laying flat and no problems. The packaging is pretty good on those and they look pretty good and setup is pretty simple. We've got a few with Series S xboxes on them which look great and are pretty popular.

    This thing though, the LG, yeah that's a two person lift. The box does have markings for how to orient it if transporting it flat. I wasn't prepared for how thin the upper portion of the screen is and after getting it assembled had to have my wife help me hoist it into place. It was actually fairly nerve wracking, given how flimsy the upper part of the screen looks and you can't use it for gripping during the move. The base is nice and heavy though and the thing is very stable, unlike the TCLs which are wobbly on their four little legs. It replaces a Vizio P55 that did good work for a number of years, but once in a while has to be rebooted because the motion on it gets all herky jerky.

    Got my PC connected to it and it looked great, sort of but uh, terrible refresh. Did a bunch of dicking around and I can get it a little better but I'll have to spring for a 2.1 30' HDMI cable which after some searching today will be tougher to find a certified one than I expected.

    I bought a couple of these off Amazon and the QR code/holo scan verifies them as authentic HDMI 2.1 cables.

  • NosfNosf Registered User regular
    Yeah, I just need to find a 30' one. I'll get it eventually, I want to grab a simple wireless keyboard, mouse and some kind of lapboard as well so it's not a big rush.

  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    Even the 55" LG C1 is heavy as hell, but probably more than half the weight is the stand itself.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • NosfNosf Registered User regular
    I do like the stand, the TV feels very stable with it unlike the TCLs I've installed.

    re: OLED burnin - I was asking about it and someone pointed me to this.

    https://www.rtings.com/tv/learn/real-life-oled-burn-in-test

  • DixonDixon Screwed...possibly doomed CanadaRegistered User regular
    It seems like after the C8 models the burn in issues were really mitigated. I assume as well they only get better in the even new models. It's definitely still a thing but it seems like you really have to abuse them to get that.

    Mine gets about 5 hours of use a day if not more, sometimes I use my 65" as a 2nd monitor with airplay when doing work.

    Overall though the failure rate of the OLED's for LG and Sony are much lower then any other tv on the market.

  • NosfNosf Registered User regular
    I noticed it dims and agressively pops into a screensaver more than any other TV I've owned. Our trusty Panasonic Viera plasma had some burnin - because of course, CNN that my wife used to watch. Pretty annoying that stations will leave up those obnoxious and useless graphics for extended periods.

  • el_vicioel_vicio Registered User regular
    edited November 2021
    re: OLED burn-in: I appreciate the testing and use cases, but

    I know me, and when games like, say Elden Ring, or a new Zelda, etc hit, I will waste at least a weekend playing it. Long sessions. Prooobably not a good case for an OLED? Am I wrong in thinking that?

    e: oh and another thing: are 60hz fine if I would just play games and watch movies/shows, and don't care much about sports? Or is 100/120hz better overall (I suspect yes?)

    el_vicio on
    ouxsemmi8rm9.png

  • McFodderMcFodder Registered User regular
    edited November 2021
    I've been gaming on my B7 OLED since early 2018 with no issues with some long sessions in there and also literally hundreds of hours of some games in shorter sessions - some Switch stuff (which being SDR should be even less likely to cause any issues, but something like 500 hours in Animal Crossing between my wife and I), but also lots of HDR gaming on PS4/5 and Xbox - I think 60ish hours in Horizon: Zero Dawn is probably the longest I've played one game on this TV in HDR but plenty of others not too far behind, and including some weekends of nothing but gaming and sleeping (friend and I just played through TLoU again together for the first time since it came out over a couple of days). The anti-burn in has only gotten better since then too.

    Most games so far are struggling to hit 4k/60fps, any I've seen with 120fps modes are pretty stripped back graphically to get there and/or it's only for smaller multiplayer areas. I must admit I'm not sure on if having hz higher than FPS makes things look any smoother or anything.

    McFodder on
    Switch Friend Code: SW-3944-9431-0318
    PSN / Xbox / NNID: Fodder185
  • el_vicioel_vicio Registered User regular
    wrt gaming, it'd be my Switch and my PC, so the tv would have to upscale 1080p anyway - that is a resolution however, that my pc can push >100fps in many games, so...

    ugh, there's a LG C1 55" OLED for 999€, and it's really tempting, but just thinking about static UI elements for extended sessions of play makes me anxious

    ouxsemmi8rm9.png

  • McFodderMcFodder Registered User regular
    If it helps, I know of people with B6 (so 5 year old+) model TVs that have had LG send someone out to swap panels for burn in as recently as the last few months.

    You've seen the rtings torture test, right?

    They also sell the 48" model I think aimed at the PC monitor set, so I think they're pretty confident in them now.

    Switch Friend Code: SW-3944-9431-0318
    PSN / Xbox / NNID: Fodder185
  • DixonDixon Screwed...possibly doomed CanadaRegistered User regular
    edited November 2021
    I personally don't think it will be an issue but def my subjective take.

    Like my tv gets a lot of time on it and I've got no issue, and the 8 series and on had a lot of improvements to help with burn-in. I would say taking that and the fact that the general failure rates of the tv are much lower it's a very safe choice to make.

    The only negative I can really say about the TV is glare/reflections, but even then it's not catastrophic in any way.

    Dixon on
  • el_vicioel_vicio Registered User regular
    edited November 2021
    Well

    I ordered the TV, folks. I feel so frivolous. It even has G-Sync!

    el_vicio on
    ouxsemmi8rm9.png

  • Trajan45Trajan45 Registered User regular
    McFodder wrote: »
    If it helps, I know of people with B6 (so 5 year old+) model TVs that have had LG send someone out to swap panels for burn in as recently as the last few months.

    You've seen the rtings torture test, right?

    They also sell the 48" model I think aimed at the PC monitor set, so I think they're pretty confident in them now.

    I’ve been using a 55” C6 since it launched. It’s only a PC/PS4 monitor. I use it every day for web browsing and gaming.

    I’m somewhat careful with black background and such. I usually game for only a couple hours but every once in a while i’ll be on for 6+ hours playing something like Civ6, Gladius, Humankind.

    I had a small case of IR but using the inbuilt software got rid of it. No burn in.

    At some point i’d like to upgrade to one with 120hz, but i do like the 3D with the C6. Tron Legacy looks amazing on it and Trine is really cool with it.

    Origin ID\ Steam ID: Warder45
  • el_vicioel_vicio Registered User regular
    TV's coming tomorrow, so I have two probably silly questions. 1) to play the vidya on it via PC, I could use the steam app via wifi or just hook a hdmi cable up. Cable is probably the superior option, right?
    and 2), that ties kinda into the first question, streaming video to the tv from the pc - also possible via chromecast, or via hdmi (?). In that case, is there a more elegant solution than mirroring my desktop and fullscreening whatever I want to watch?

    ouxsemmi8rm9.png

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