Poasters
Computers and Technology => Electronics => Topic started by: Bill on May 25, 2018, 13:17 hrs
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I am about to get back in the search for a new TV. Last purchase was the Panasonic Plasma 55" in Feb. 2012, roughly $1700.
This time I am thinking 65", maybe OLED. I really have no interest in straight LED, I simply don't like the screen looking like its in front of a projector.
From what I can read OLED screens are all made by LG, regardless of the brand label is on the front. I thinking the real differences are the color processors and video processors and there are reported differences between them, although I haven't gotten far enough to know what's what.
Unfortunately Best Buy is still the only local vendor I have found so far. Not a lot of upscale demand in SC apparently. Same situation back in 2012. But now the prices are double. Consumer Reports look like they are going to be helpful.
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Do you have a local Costco? Even if you're not a member, it would be worth the membership to purchase a boob-tube. Their prices are excellent and the 90-day no-hassle return policy is hard to beat.
I don't have a lot of advice on what to get, but if I were in the market today I'd probably just go straight for Samsung. The 55" JVC LED that I use in the bedroom is a great TV, but the warmup period is simply too long. By comparison, my father-in-law's 65" Samsung starts up very quickly.
BTW: I wouldn't think twice about getting another LED screen. It has worked perfectly and the contrast is excellent. I have never had a problem with the screen being too bright.
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Karen and George are members. What I don't know about Costco is about delivery and set up. These things are too big to handle without 3 men and a boy. And a truck that will allow the set to stand up vertically. One of the best features about the last set was Best Buy Delivery and Setup, cost some extra but well worth the cost.
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I don't know what (if any) delivery & setup Costco offers. But I've transported them home lying flat without any concerns. I am not familiar with any such transport restrictions. FWIW: My son-in-law and I easily setup my father-in-law's 65-incher.
Still, I understand the convenience factor. Happy shopping. :)
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I think the lying flat requirement is for Plasma, not LED.
EDIT: I said that backwards. The plasma sets must be transported vertically. Not related to LED or QLED sets.
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I forgot to mention that my father-in-law's Samsung has a Netflix app preinstalled, among others. It works every bit as well as it does on my Roku. My JVC also has a Netflix app, but it's slow and not nearly as polished. Because of that I use a Roku unit with it.
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Now at day 2, I am close to deciding on the Sony XBR-65x900E. I really want to see one first, which may slow the process down. I've decided to pass on the QLED as being a couple of steps beyond my needs (and price) and probably level of sophistication.
https://tinyurl.com/yd3znddg at about $1500.00, plus delivery.
And because of limitations on my part, I think Best Buy will deliver and set up for a few dollars more. Yes not the least expensive route but, the easiest for me, the only real consideration.
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You do what you have to. Nothing wrong with paying for the service if it accomplishes what you want. Happy hunting. ;)
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This morning I went to Best Buy to see things first hand. The SONY OLED in 55" is breathtaking, colors are bold, blacks are absolutely black and the 65" is $3800.
I also looked at the Samsung QLED in 2 sizes, both IMO were unimpressive, almost washed out and this was with closed circuit content. And they were priced like budget, entry level sets, $1200 +/-. Maybe they were (Best Buy seems to move a lot of High priced, second tier quality) much like HH Gregg. There were no LG OLED sets on the floor.
(Actually is was kind of neat to read Tom's Hardware Reviews on my phone while looking at the TV set in the Review).
But the reason I went were the 2 Sonys, the 900E (2017) and the 900F (2018). The current version has an upgraded processor and color management hardware, although both actual screens are identical. Both are 4K LED with motion control. I think I could tell the difference, but no one will ever really know.
I bought the Sony XBR 900F 65". https://tinyurl.com/yagol9jw
Delivery is free while the sale continues and set up is $69.95. Old set removal is free. Delivery is scheduled for Friday 6/1.
Tonight I am hosting the McCuskers for pizza while they watch/decide if they want the Pana. Plasma. They presently have an 8 yr old 45" Samsung LED with a HT in the box sound set up. We'll see....
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I replied once to this thread on my smartphone yesterday, but apparently it didn't go through. Anyway, I hope the TV works out well for you, and that McCuskers can put your old Plasma TV to good use. The new Sony looks great with the thin bezels. I'm sure you'll enjoy the smart TV features.
I never thought to ask if there was anything wrong with your old TV, or if you were just looking to upgrade.
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I went back in search of the old thread that we used when I bought the Panasonic. Sort of funny, one of the comments I made was that "I had no use for streaming." Today that's almost all I do watch.
The new one is really just an upgrade for a newer, better smarter TV. Netflix, Prime, Sling will all be better with the upgrade.
George and Karen were not quite Uu s and Ah s, but I think they will enjoy the larger screen and better picture, We watched some of "Avatar" over pizza which was a good choice for judging the images on screen.
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The beast arrived yesterday and it literally took an hour to get set up and running properly. Fortunately the lead delivery guy knew what he was doing.
The advances in technology are amazing. The TV instantly recognized my Sony Blu Ray player and the remote operates both. It also recognized my Denon A/V system and the a/v system is now linked to the on/off controls of the TV. The only real use for the cable box remote is to change channels. Everything else is handled by the Sony Remote.
The picture is amazing both in size and clarity. The only problem I have found so far is the volume from the HT system is lacking. I think, at least so far, the issue is the bottom of the line receiver I bought when I first put the system together. The speakers and the sub-woofer are better quality, so I think I might be in for an upgrade for the receiver. I didn't think to take a "before" picture but here is an "after". No real way to judge but the door to the right is 3.0'. The French Open....
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It is amazing how far technology has come along. I still recall fighting with rabbit ear antennas along with the horizontal hold. I also remember pulling out vacuum tubes and taking them to the store to have them tested. It seems like I had to buy them as often as light bulbs.
The new TV sounds like a winner. Funny that the TV looks small on the photo, yet I have no doubt it was probably daunting at first. So I take it your friends relieved you of the old TV?
And yes, I do recall that you were not interested in streaming. :)
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Yes, my friends (with a helper) picked it up yesterday and when I asked around 6pm, it was networked and running fine; which made me happy too.
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That's good news. I'm happy it worked out for them, as well as for you.
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Yesterday I spent a fair amount of time trying to tune my old Denon A/R and the new TV, creating little progress and much frustration. Having the patience of a 5 year old, I finally decided to change direction.
Sony popped up, www.sony.com/electronics/av-receivers/str-dn1080
Given the magic that happened with the Blu Ray Player, I'm hoping the TV and A/R will mate easily and not require a lot of rocket science to behave properly. The receiver arrives tomorrow.
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Looks nice and simple. The rear panel probably has the cleanest layout of any receiver I've ever seen. I hope it meets your expectations.
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Thanks, me too.
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Finally installed the new SONY A/V receiver yesterday and it took me a long time. The A/V industry has made a sneaky change. When I installed my last HT system, the output from the FIOS (cable) box went directly to the HDMI on the TV. The audio channels went to the receiver. Not today.
The A/V receiver processes both audio and video signals from all sources and then allocates them to the appropriate HDMI outputs. The cable box is treated the same as the Blu Ray player or game console.
But the results are fantastic. (In the process I was able to move the center channel from the shelf above the TV to a shelf under the TV and it made a noticeable difference.) It's only a 3.1 setup but I like it.
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Well, sounds like it all worked out. :)
I am still amazed by how far technology has come along, as well as by how fast it's continuing. It's sometimes hard to keep up, especially when it comes to handing out the cash. Lol
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Yesterday, I went to exchange my Remote provided by my ISP/TV provider. I explained to CS that I couldn't do this or this with my new TV. She politely told me I didn't need a new remote, "you need our new cable system. It brings with the things you're complaining about."
So long story short, Friday afternoon 6/29, They are coming to rewire my house (not as big a deal as it sounds) and as a side benefit, the new TV and the New A/V will get professionally reinstalled to accommodate the new system and cable box. At the moment I couldn't be happier.
I will update after the new install.
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Awesome! This is getting better by the minute. Lol
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Yes indeedie, that thought occurred to me too.
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The installation happened yesterday but not without some drama. The local fios system that supports both the interweb and TV, it turns out, has some minor limitations.
When I moved my computer setup from upstairs to it's present location, my ISP installed a fios connection in the computer room to supply the router and computer.
Long story short, the fios system provides/allows only one lead into the house and everything else has to be fed by that single lead. So the installer tried a variety of gadgets and gizmos to back feed the signal into the living room to accommodate the TV. All failed. He finally decided the only way to solve the problem was to run a Cat 5 from the computer room to the living room by way of the crawl space. 45 minutes later we had a hard wired connection and he could start configuring the TV, which took another 45 minutes.
After a total of 2.5 hrs, I have a magnificent picture and lots of sound. The Sony AVR has lot of settings and options and I'm fairly certain my modest speakers don't do it justice.
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I guess we need a good bit of drama every now and then. Sounds like a lot of work, but I'm glad to hear it paid off.
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Particularly since none of it was mine!
Now I am shopping for speaker upgrades, floor standing. Not really necessary, but might be worthwhile for my listening pleasure!! :D I have passed on SONY, Polk, Klipsch and now looking at BIC America. My sub woofer is BIC and I think that's where I'll land. Speaker prices are outrageous, $50 to 2500/ unit (I stopped looking at that point.)
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I have a pair of JBL XPL-160 speakers that I bought in Germany in 1992-ish. Probably the best damn speakers I'll ever own. They still sell in excess of $1,000 used.
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Wow, bet you wouldn't spend that today, I sure wouldn't. Do you use them?
I ordered 2 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VIXH7I/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 .
And I had to think twice at that. I listened to the SONY and thought they were "thin" and lacking in depth -about $160/per. I also tested the Klipsch and while they sounded great, clear loud and bright, my overall reaction was it was just too much "presence" for my living room, and they were $400+/-. I generally don't buy junk and I don't mind spending for a quality product, but I have my limits...........
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I can't say I'm familiar with BIC products, but I hope it works out well for you.
Stupid question: is the price per speaker, or is it per pair? The site isn't clear one way or the other.
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Price is per unit, so $450 + tax. Yeah, pricey, that was my reaction too., But the BIC sub that I have (12" horn) seems terrific, for what I know.
EDIT: sometimes Amazon and/or its partners does some really stupid things. I had a notice overnight that ONE of pair of the speakers shipped and is scheduled for Thurday delivery. According to the same notice "more time is needed" for the second half of the order.
Maybe I'll get surprised and they will both arrive Thursday, but I'm not optimistic.
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Just an update: a single speaker arrived on Friday(they didn't even get the day right, let alone the rest of the order.) UPS now says 2nd will arrive on Monday.
I haven't unboxed the first on the oft chance the second half of the order will be wrong and I will have to return both.
The specs for the speaker say they are 43" tall, the box is 48". Now I'm hoping I didn't buy too much speaker for my space. Have to wait and see......
I guess I can always turn them down.
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That's gotta be frustrating, but hopefully it will all work to your satisfaction.
Big speakers don't automatically mean more loudness/volume. The JBL XPL-160 speakers I mentioned have the ability to bring the house down, but they also sound incredible at lower volumes.
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Good thought. I will let you know, the second arrives today.
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The second speaker arrived around noon. George came over to help unbox and set them up and, in typical George fashion, did all the work.
Speakers are actually pretty good looking. I ran the auto calibration x3 just to make certain the results were all the same.
High volume or moderate, the speakers sound great and, physically they fit exactly where I wanted them.
So far testing has included a collection of classics like the Ride of the Valkyries, the 1812 Overture and 10 or so others. Sound wasn't bad at all.
More to follow.....
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Awesome! Glad to hear that worked out. I'll have to keep that brand in mind.