Need TV Advice

[Mynock]

i'm usually pretty good at picking out electronics but man.....I am freaking lost trying to choose a new Television. Different manufacturers have different features or the same thing named something different and propriatary to each brand. Back Lit/Edge Lit, Upscale/No Upscale......ugh.

Video guys, long story short, I'm in the market for a new TV, 65", budget is $500-$700. Will be used to watch streaming services, mostly movies, little to no sports (apparently that makes a difference?!). Just want the best bang for my buck without overpaying.

Thoughts? Suggestions? One brand in particular you swear by? Appreciate any/all advice.

[Jaina76]

I enjoy the Roku smart TVs. They are marketed by several brands, but the one I have is TCL, and have those in 2 rooms at home with no issues.

[dlodoski]

Avoid Visio.

The Samsung TVs I have bought recently have been working well.

I've been a long time Sony fan, but haven't been in the mood to spend unnecessarily for quite a while now.

[Nessie]

Thoughts? Suggestions? One brand in particular you swear by?

Most people want a lot more of a TV than I do. I've got a small (about 20 inches wide) Insignia. It's not smart but I don't want a smart TV.

But I see Roku is mentioned on this thread...I have one of those sticks and I love it. Tons of freebies on it. Plus you can subscribe to channels and pay for movies, although so far I haven't bought anything. I paid about $50 for mine at a big-box discount kind of store.

https://www.cgmagonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/roku-announces-new-portable-streaming-stick.jpg

Nessie

[Chimerix]

I feel your frustration! It's nigh-unto impossible to look at an online vendor, go through the THOUSANDS of options, make an informed comparison, weigh the reviews, then come away with something you feel comfortable about.

If you have one nearby, grit your teeth and go to a big box retailer. They'll have dozens of models on display. Take your time, walk back and forth up the aisles, and actually LOOK at the pictures on each. The last time I needed a TV, this saved my sanity, and opened my eyes to a critical detail that hadn't entered my awareness as important: viewing angle. My wife and I watch TV together in the evenings; she in her throne, me in mine, with a coffee table between. I needed to make sure that we could watch from off-angle and both be happy. I imagine I was entertaining to each, there in the Costco aisle, peering as each screen as I moved from side to side, and bobbed up and down, looking for the screens that looked god from a bit to the side and slightly below.

It's unpleasant, but do it. And take some notes. You may notice that Brand X has colors you don't like, or Brand Y is too contrasty, or that Brand Q just seems to look more natural. And don't forget to look at the remotes! You're going to rely on that item a lot, so check that it fits your lifestyle, that the buttons are labeled in a meaningful and obvious way. Hop online and see how easy it is to replace that remote, as it will certainly die before the TV itself.

Maybe you'll walk out of that big box retailer with a new TV, but don't plan on it. Plan not to. Go back to your online browsing, wiser and better informed.

[Fred588]

Four months ago I decided I should put tvs in each of the guest bedrooms, of which there are three, plus another in the so-called great room. That made price an issue. What I ultimately did was to order one as a test. I wanted a 4k about 24 inches. Apparently, they don't make them that small, so I ended up getting a 42 incher. When the one that arrived seemed ok, I ordered two more of the same size. One of those arrived with a hole in the screen but Amazon immediately sent another one. Then, when those were all set up I ordered a 65 incher for the great room. None of them are good for much, as the only broadcast TV available in four channels of public television and satellite is way too expensive, so I added two Blu-Ray players that can be easily shared, and there should be some streaming available by the end of year when the new fiber optic cable service is ready. Now all I need is some Blu Ray movies (lol).

[TK421]

i'm usually pretty good at picking out electronics but man.....I am freaking lost trying to choose a new Television. Different manufacturers have different features or the same thing named something different and propriatary to each brand. Back Lit/Edge Lit, Upscale/No Upscale......ugh.

Video guys, long story short, I'm in the market for a new TV, 65", budget is $500-$700. Will be used to watch streaming services, mostly movies, little to no sports (apparently that makes a difference?!). Just want the best bang for my buck without overpaying.

Thoughts? Suggestions? One brand in particular you swear by? Appreciate any/all advice.

This is my yard. I’m an installer/integrator.

Samsung, Sony, LG are the big 3 right now.

Sony is great but they are naturally priced higher than Samsung and their Google OS can be a learning curve for some. Lower tiered LG has never been good. Their OS can be buggy and ARC/eARC doesn’t work reliably enough to count on. I almost always have to back up an HDMI with toslink cable.

Vizio is not to be underestimated. They’re not bad for what your spend but their streaming method and GUI is a bit awkward to navigate. They used to be far better but in recent years radically changed their approach and my guess was because it is partially made by LG and LG came to realize that people were opting for their side project more than their flagship brand. Go figure.

Samsung seems to be the champion of this field. Simple. Easy to use. Great picture for the dollar. Low return rate. Solid OS. They’re running a sale right now as we speak and the QLED maybe only just outside your price range. Check out the price of a 65” Samsung Q60.

[TK421]

Avoid Visio.

The Samsung TVs I have bought recently have been working well.

I've been a long time Sony fan, but haven't been in the mood to spend unnecessarily for quite a while now.

Vizio is hit or miss. They been a miss lately. Their older M Series was to be a force to be reckoned with if they would have just figured out what was going on with their firmware updates periodically knocking out streaming services randomly. Operationally speaking, their E Series I could have easily put over LG LED tvs in the day. If not for OLED, LG probably wouldn’t be doing much more beyond appliances and personal portables like Phones.

[Mynock]

Avoid Visio.

Vizio is hit or miss. They been a miss lately.

Guess what brand the one that died was?

Samsung seems to be the champion of this field. Simple. Easy to use. Great picture for the dollar. Low return rate. Solid OS. They’re running a sale right now as we speak and the QLED maybe only just outside your price range. Check out the price of a 65” Samsung Q60.

Q60 is def out of my price range, but I actually did keep going back to the Samsung CU8000.....I'd rather not deal with the hassle of getting a tv delivered, my local Walmart has it but it lists as the CU8000B......?

https://www.samsung.com/us/televisions- ... CU8000FXZA

[Fred588]

About 20 years ago I had a Sony that I'm convinced died by suicide. I was working at my computer with my back to the TV while the Red Sox played the Yankees in a playoff game. I would look up whenever the sound told me something had happened. I did that about one out before the game ended. Then the game ended and the Red Sox lost and were eliminated. I looked up. No picture, the TV was dead.