4k TV purchase advice please...

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › 4k TV purchase advice please...

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

61 posts

Master Geek

#2323166 23-Sep-2019 09:00

ShinyChrome: Depends on size you are after obviously, but most good VA Led tv's start over $2k. If you are not fussed about dark performance, you can get some half decent edge lit ones just over $2k, but really you want FALD for about as good as LEDs get.Samsung Q70 and upwards (q60 is still edge lit), Sony x950g, can't remember if there are many others. LG SM9000 and upwards is IPS but FALD, so mixed bag really.

If you are not in a hurry, TV prices will start a downward trajectory in the next couple of months from Black Friday, Christmas, Boxing day etc until they bottom out around April when the 2020 models will be released. I'm hoping the x950g will follow it's predecessor to around about 2.5k for the 65, less if you go for the 55.

Thanks for the insight, x950g looks ideal. Going for 55", hoping to see it drops to ~2k

Regardless which model I'm going for, it should be a huge upgrade from Veon

jonathan18

7413 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2323170 23-Sep-2019 09:08

If you could stretch your budget a bit, there's a 55" Philips OLED at PB Tech for $3k; apparently a pretty good TV going by the reviews I've read of it, though note the lack of support of some HDR standards (an issue fixed by the newest model) - but personally I'd go for this than battle through the multitude of compromises that come with LCD TVs.

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/TVPHS880355/Philips-55OLED80375-55-Razor-Slim-4K-UHD-OLED-Andr

ShinyChrome

1575 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2323188 23-Sep-2019 09:32

jonathan18:
If you could stretch your budget a bit, there's a 55" Philips OLED at PB Tech for $3k; apparently a pretty good TV going by the reviews I've read of it, though note the lack of support of some HDR standards (an issue fixed by the newest model) - but personally I'd go for this than battle through the multitude of compromises that come with LCD TVs.

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/TVPHS880355/Philips-55OLED80375-55-Razor-Slim-4K-UHD-OLED-Andr

Good spot, that's a nice looking OLED for the price, hadn't seen that one before. Will have to have a bit of a read up on it.

Although if you find it, you can get a 2018 Sony A8ffor the same price, which has Dolby Vision and potentially a better processor (x1 extreme). Both use Android TV, but Sony's implementation can be a bit hit and miss though.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29763 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2323324 23-Sep-2019 12:25

I'd take Android TV any day. You can install anything you want.

bfginger

1268 posts

Uber Geek

#2324278 25-Sep-2019 06:33

Real LED TVs are still years away as they are hard to manufacture. "LED TV" is a marketing term for LED backlit LCDs but calling them an LED TV is like calling a projector a light bulb. Samsung's QLED is an LCD and doesn't have much in common with an OLED. OLEDs can have better picture quality than LCDs but they need to be viewed in a dark room for the differences to really stand out.

Any particular model with VA panel that I should be looking at? Sounds like both LG and Sony are not a great choice.

VA panels don't sell themselves very well as people prefer the look of IPS panels in shops where bright lights mask contrast, most demos don't show black levels and viewing angles are more noticeable. LG, Sony and Panasonic do still do some VA panel TVs but Samsung has stuck with them to a greater extent. I wouldn't reject the LG and Sony brands outright but I would be reluctant to buy their IPS offerings.

LG's VAs are mostly in the 50" size bracket. They do have a 50" TV this year but it's not on their website list? Panasonic has the GX700 which is called the GX800 in Europe.

I've been looking at X9500G as well but prefer not to spend that much, hoping to see a substantial discount in coming sales.

Last year there wasn't much difference in prices between the black friday and boxing day sales. Some things were cheaper before boxing day.

Motion and dark room performance on the X9500G should better than with the LG and Panasonic's more budget minded VA models.

If you could stretch your budget a bit, there's a 55" Philips OLED at PB Tech for $3k; apparently a pretty good TV going by the reviews I've read of it, though note the lack of support of some HDR standards (an issue fixed by the newest model) - but personally I'd go for this than battle through the multitude of compromises that come with LCD TVs.

It is a 2018 model, there is a review here. A Chinese company has licensed the Philips name for TVs. They do seem to be more competent than TCL and Hisense. How do you go for using all the NZ-specific Android apps designed with Sonys in mind?

There's a 2008 Sony A8F OLED available for the same price and the 2008 Panasonic 55FZ950U OLED on clearance for $2,699.

I'd take Android TV any day. You can install anything you want.

I don't think Android TV is for everyone as it's like having a computer in your TV. Panasonic's system is made to be more like using a TV interface while LG's is an intermediary step. Some people have purposely not bought Sonys because their family wouldn't be able to deal with the Android system.

ShinyChrome

1575 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2324442 25-Sep-2019 10:47

To be fair, just because a TV uses an IPS panel, it isn't inherently bad. If someone wants to buy a TV just to watch the game and share a few brew-skis' with the crew-skis', then a IPS panel from a reputable maunfacturer is perfectly fine. In bright lit rooms and situations where multiple people need to see the screen from different viewing angles, an IPS panel is gonna be more fitting. In that case, LG's SM9000 and up are worth a look given they have FALD backlights and HDMI 2.1 ports (whether the Alpha Gen 2 chip can make full use of that is a different story). VA starts being worthy when OLED is not an option and you want good contrast and dark lit performance.

Also if I am not mistaken, currently all OLED panels are made by LG display. So the only thing I would worry about that Philips is the Mediatek chip in it, which given they complain about laggy interface even on Android 7 means it is probably a budget chip.

QLED is just a bit of a marketing have really, meant to confuse people into thinking it is similar to OLED. LG (and others most likely) have similar tech under other names (Nano cell). Samsungs panels are good, but I don't think QLED is inherently better than any other LED TV (saying LCD-LED TV every single time is far too clunky for me, we only need to distinguish OLED vs. everything else until new tech like microLED arrives in force). It's just another data point to be added to the equation, so if the price works out good vs. competitors, great, but I wouldn't pay a premium for it.

Otherwise its still OLED vs. everything else. Given that the usual TV sales cycle is something like this, I would be holding off for a few more months. I would expect in the lead-up to Christmas you should see some price erosion.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29763 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2324469 25-Sep-2019 11:15

I have no issues with my presumed IPS KU6000 Samsung. No light bleed. Colours amazing. Doesn't compare with my OLED but it's fine.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

ShinyChrome

1575 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2324491 25-Sep-2019 11:29

Batman: I have no issues with my presumed IPS KU6000 Samsung. No light bleed. Colours amazing. Doesn't compare with my OLED but it's fine.

No idea how reliable this is, but this source says VA.

Really all that matters is you think it looks good, so the rest is irrelephant...

ShinyChrome

1575 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2324569 25-Sep-2019 12:50

Its a shame we can't get some of the different Chinese brand offerings here, like the TCL 6 series (old or new), or the Vizio M series Quantum or P series Quantum X. I feel like if they were introduced here sub-$2k, they would really bust up the mid-range competition.

aerir

61 posts

Master Geek

#2324570 25-Sep-2019 12:52

ShinyChrome:

Its a shame we can't get some of the different Chinese brand offerings here, like the TCL 6 series (old or new), or the Vizio M series Quantum or P series Quantum X. I feel like if they were introduced here sub-$2k, they would really bust up the mid-range competition.

Yea, we are only getting the subpar TCL models

Kiwifruta

1423 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#2324631 25-Sep-2019 15:18

jonathan18:
Based on personal experience, I'd support the post above re quality of at least LG's IPS panels - every time I watch our LG TV I regret the purchase. Stay far, far away from them.

TBH, I preferred the 1080 LCD Panasonic model we had previously; unsure what panel type it had, but its contrast and backlighting were far superior - and, I've come to the conclusion those matters are more important to me than resolution. I'm at the point that, when we upgrade our plasma in the HT with an OLED, I'm thinking about putting in that old 1080 non-HDR plasma to replace the 4K HDR LG!

Makes my feel good about keeping my 10 year old, bought at a garage sale, Panasonic plasma. The picture is still great, provided I vacuum the dust out of the back of it.

bfginger

1268 posts

Uber Geek

#2327383 1-Oct-2019 07:27

To be fair, just because a TV uses an IPS panel, it isn't inherently bad.

I agree with this but IPS panel TVs are usually sold to people who aren't knowledgeable or concerned about picture quality so they are seldom made to perform as well as they could. The contrast ratios on Sony IPSs are bad and while LGs' are better they use white pixel panels which some people hate. Panasonic's FX800/GX850/880 IPS performs better but they're relatively expensive.

LG's SM9000 and up are worth a look given they have FALD backlights and HDMI 2.1 ports (whether the Alpha Gen 2 chip can make full use of that is a different story).

LG's past attempts at FALD have been so bad it was of almost no benefit. They might have improved it this year but I wouldn't hold out too much hope.

Also if I am not mistaken, currently all OLED panels are made by LG display. So the only thing I would worry about that Philips is the Mediatek chip in it, which given they complain about laggy interface even on Android 7 means it is probably a budget chip.

The power boards are also important as they decide how long the TV lasts. That may not be important to people who buy a new TV every couple of years but those people wouldn't be buying a Philips. How long an OLED panel lasts is also decided by how clever the anti burn in and uneven wear algorithms are. So long as the power board is good an LCD is extremely durable compared with other display types which require management.

ShinyChrome

1575 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2327387 1-Oct-2019 07:51

bfginger: I agree with this but IPS panel TVs are usually sold to people who aren't knowledgeable or concerned about picture quality so they are seldom made to perform as well as they could. The contrast ratios on Sony IPSs are bad and while LGs' are better they use white pixel panels which some people hate. Panasonic's FX800/GX850/880 IPS performs better but they're relatively expensive.

Ha, ain't that the truth. I was one of those people when I bought my current LG IPS TV a few years back. After that experience, I learnt the error or my ways.

I was talking with a team leader at a big box store retailer and he admitted that he is the only person on his sales team that knew anything more than OLED vs others. But then again, he did say that 90% of people through the doors aren't really interested in the difference between tech, so I can't blame the sales people for not trying.

Most of these people can't be bothered to do a quick Google search or, as OP did, ask for advice from someone other than the person trying to make a buck off of you, so I do have a hard time feeling sympathy for them. There is a wealth of free information sitting out there for those who are willing to find it.

aerir

61 posts

Master Geek

#2331711 7-Oct-2019 09:17

Purchased a x95g from Noel Leeming sales, price would probably go lower in next couple of months but meh

Satisfied with the PQ of this TV, next thing to upgrade is gonna be the soundbar

shadybrothers

236 posts

Master Geek

#2335475 11-Oct-2019 11:18

Based on the conversation of the last page it sounds like I would be making a mistake purchasing a LG 65SM8100PVA for $2300 over the more expensive C9 OLED for $5300?

I would be serving content from plex through an appletv 4k... Is the difference in screen picture quality that big of a deal? I will be coming from a Samsung Plasma (PS59D6500)

How would negotiations go with the retail stores in terms of lowest price they would go for either set? Would we likely see further drops around labour day?

1 | 2 | 3 | 4