TV Recommendations in 2020

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › TV Recommendations in 2020 - OLED?

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902 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2792881 10-Oct-2021 21:59

We are more or less decided on either a 65" LG C1 or Panasonic HZ1000 with the C1 taking preference, but I'd appreciate clarification on a couple of points before committing. True story: the idea for an upgrade came from my wife when she was dusting and noticed that the earthquake strap was not attached (after being removed for decorating).

We've had our 60" Panasonic AS700s for several years and I'd have liked to make a decent jump in size, but the 77" screens are just HUGE, and my wife is not going to agree to one no matter how amazing the PQ is. Pluss, $7K is more than we really want to pay. I am more or less sure there are no 70" OLED TVs. Is that right?

There is no app available for TVNZ On Demand on our current TV. Is that something that all Smart TVs have nowadays?

What's the deal with Atmos? Our current Denon AVR-1802 must be 30 years old and so are the front (Rega ELA) and rear (KEF) speakers we use, but the centre speaker (Klipsch R25C) and subwoofer (Velodyne CHT-R) are about tens year old. Would any of that still be relevant? Obviously not the receiver.

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

lxsw20

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#2792885 10-Oct-2021 22:10

I have the C1 65" it has built in TVNZ on demand, but you can always grab an Apple TV or something down the line to keep up with apps after the TV stops being supported.

I've gone the "easy" route for Atmos and got an Samsung Q950A soundbar/surround setup. I'm very happy with it.

ARIKIP

233 posts

Master Geek

#2792949 11-Oct-2021 00:16

TLD:

What's the deal with Atmos? Our current Denon AVR-1802 must be 30 years old and so are the front (Rega ELA) and rear (KEF) speakers we use, but the centre speaker (Klipsch R25C) and subwoofer (Velodyne CHT-R) are about tens year old. Would any of that still be relevant? Obviously not the receiver.

I would say your speakers are fine. A newer receiver will allow you to take advantage of lossless audio,HDMI Switching,4K Support etc so would match something like the C1 OLED nicely. I still use a 15" Velodyne now and its still as good as the day i purchased it...around the early/mid 2000s. Atmos are basically height channels...so for example when rain falls....you will literally hear it fall from your ceiling. Ceiling mounted speakers would be ideal and are superior to the floor mounted "upfiring" versions available. I would say grab that new receiver and stick with your existing 5.1 speaker setup for now. Later down the track see if you may want to delve into the Atmos/DTS X realm?.

Sony 77" A80J OLED, Integra 60.7, Panasonic UB820, Toshiba HD-XE1, Apple TV 4K, JBL L100T,JBL 18Ti, JBL L20T, Velodyne HGS15

JPNZ

1547 posts

Uber Geek

#2792965 11-Oct-2021 08:00

ARIKIP:

I would say your speakers are fine. A newer receiver will allow you to take advantage of lossless audio,HDMI Switching,4K Support etc so would match something like the C1 OLED nicely. I still use a 15" Velodyne now and its still as good as the day i purchased it...around the early/mid 2000s. Atmos are basically height channels...so for example when rain falls....you will literally hear it fall from your ceiling. Ceiling mounted speakers would be ideal and are superior to the floor mounted "upfiring" versions available. I would say grab that new receiver and stick with your existing 5.1 speaker setup for now. Later down the track see if you may want to delve into the Atmos/DTS X realm?.

TLD, I would agree with the above a newer AVR will help streamline and work with a new OLED well. I did the same from a 6 year old Yammy to a new Onkyo when I got my OLED.

You are correct 70" is not an OLED size plus 65" is really the sweet point for dollar to size ratio at the moment. You'll love the difference in quality in either HZ1000 v C1. They are very similar TV's with the LG having more gaming options and 120hz.

Panasonic 65GZ1000, Onkyo RZ730, Atmos 5.1.2, AppleTV 4K, Nest Mini's, PS5, PS3, MacbookPro, iPad Pro, Apple watch SE2, iPhone 15+

TLD

902 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2793044 11-Oct-2021 10:58

Thanks guys. Some good information there, and I am getting a handle on Atmos. It's funny how these things grow and expand into bigger projects. I started thinking that I could maybe use some old computer speakers to supplement the existing speakers, but then I thought there are vents in the ceiling for the heat pump, so she who must be obeyed shouldn't object to some flush mounted ceiling speakers. Would Harvey Norman have an Atmos demo I could use to impress my wife and persuade her it was a good idea? Why is it that blokes are into this stuff, but women not so much so?

Question: Do Atmos ceiling speakers connect by wire to the AV amp? I'm thinking Bluetooth would be problematic because ISTM you'd need to have access to the speakers to reconnect when they inevitably drop out. At the same time, while I could get away with flush mounted covers on the ceiling, running four pairs of cables down the wall would definitely be an ask too far.

I'm getting nervous about the COVID as well. If we have a lunch time report of cases spreading to the South Island, I'll be heading straight to town to make some purchases I have been holding off on.

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

JPNZ

1547 posts

Uber Geek

#2793093 11-Oct-2021 12:28

TLD:

Thanks guys. Some good information there, and I am getting a handle on Atmos. It's funny how these things grow and expand into bigger projects. I started thinking that I could maybe use some old computer speakers to supplement the existing speakers, but then I thought there are vents in the ceiling for the heat pump, so she who must be obeyed shouldn't object to some flush mounted ceiling speakers. Would Harvey Norman have an Atmos demo I could use to impress my wife and persuade her it was a good idea? Why is it that blokes are into this stuff, but women not so much so?

Question: Do Atmos ceiling speakers connect by wire to the AV amp? I'm thinking Bluetooth would be problematic because ISTM you'd need to have access to the speakers to reconnect when they inevitably drop out. At the same time, while I could get away with flush mounted covers on the ceiling, running four pairs of cables down the wall would definitely be an ask too far

HN may do but more higher end audio places should have a demo area. Yes wired for ceiling speakers would be my preference. Some of the higher end ones are "Dolby atmos" certified but almost any will work. Not sure about Bluetooth options but wouldn't be advisable unless easy to access.

Panasonic 65GZ1000, Onkyo RZ730, Atmos 5.1.2, AppleTV 4K, Nest Mini's, PS5, PS3, MacbookPro, iPad Pro, Apple watch SE2, iPhone 15+

ShinyChrome

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#2793103 11-Oct-2021 12:44

HN probably not, but specialist shops are more likely to. My local has both a mobile demo rig and a demo room.

Some companies offer wireless connection kits, but then you are in for all the issues that come with that. Like all other channels, wired is by far the most reliable.

TBH in-ceiling height speakers can be reasonably cheap, as they don't need to necessarily handle the same level of audio as your other channels. Just depends on your ability to wire really. If not possible, you could look at mounting angled speakers ie. the KEF Q50a as high up on the wall as possible, if in-ceiling is not possible. There are even DIY designs, if that floats-your-goat. Upfiring is just not worth the investment IMO.

Side note: when you are shopping for AVRs, you want to keep in mind how many channels of atmos a receiver can process/amp. It usually advertised as a "point number" in conjunction with the other channels ie. 5.1.4 = 5 horizontal channels, 1 LFE channel, 4 height channels. Dolby has a range of configuration guides to show you what is possible.

Some receivers can also process more channels than they can amplify, so need an external amplifier to enable extra channel processing. If you are buying a receiver anyway, I would look at four height channels minimum, to get the "front-to-back" transition.

Samsung

Shop now on Samsung phones, tablets, TVs and more (affiliate link).

lxsw20

3552 posts

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#2793104 11-Oct-2021 12:51

There is more than one way to do ATMOS. You can have upward facing speakers, rather than ceiling mounted downward facing. The type of thing as shown below.

KEF Dolby Atmos-Enabled Surround Speaker. – Avalon Audio NZ

shelford

115 posts

Master Geek

#2793122 11-Oct-2021 13:20

Can I just jump in and ask what brand is best for a 65" TV wall mount? And type? Are there benefits to being able to tilt it at all or have it swing out?

ShinyChrome

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#2793253 11-Oct-2021 14:02

shelford:

Can I just jump in and ask what brand is best for a 65" TV wall mount? And type? Are there benefits to being able to tilt it at all or have it swing out?

This is a bit of a one-size-fits-all thread, so sure.

I use this Loctek one and it seems to be a pretty good quality for the price. Vertical tilting is good for matching the viewing angle of your TV to your main viewing position, since some TV panels work best viewed straight-on and it's just a better viewing experience IMO.

Horizontal tilting or swinging style ones are good if you can't have your TV in an ideal spot for your viewing position, or for access to the rear of your TV. I avoided swinging types, as I wanted something more flush and less linkages, especially with a bigger TV.

lxsw20

3552 posts

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#2793292 11-Oct-2021 15:50

I'm quite a fan of the full motion ones, just because it makes it easy to get behind the TV for the odd cable swap out etc.

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/MOALCK0105/Loctek-Eco-Mount-32-70-Full-Motion-TV-Wall-Mount

Handle9

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#2793312 11-Oct-2021 16:26

lxsw20:
I'm quite a fan of the full motion ones, just because it makes it easy to get behind the TV for the odd cable swap out etc.

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/MOALCK0105/Loctek-Eco-Mount-32-70-Full-Motion-TV-Wall-Mount

The TV sticks out a lot further from the wall with those. Unless you actually need to move the tv angle they aren’t worthwhile IME.

TLD

902 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2793404 11-Oct-2021 20:17

OK, so I have an LG C1 now and are liking it but not loving it, as there's a bit of a learning curve. At thee moment I am watching an MP3 video file via the USB socket and unable to turn off subtitles. I have been into Settings > Accessibility and disabled them there, and the subtitles are not hard coded. Does anyone know how to turn them off?

[EDIT] I found it. Pause the video, scroll down to options.

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

ARIKIP

233 posts

Master Geek

#2793708 12-Oct-2021 10:14

Congrats on the new TV. WEB OS is great once you get the hang of it. Dolby Vision/HDR content via the streaming services/Disc looks superb. Ensure HDMI Deep colour is switched on via the menu for all the HDMI inputs. Hopefully you stick with the more accurate picture modes when viewing content eg Cinema Mode.

Sony 77" A80J OLED, Integra 60.7, Panasonic UB820, Toshiba HD-XE1, Apple TV 4K, JBL L100T,JBL 18Ti, JBL L20T, Velodyne HGS15

TLD

902 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2793817 12-Oct-2021 11:57

ARIKIP:

Congrats on the new TV. WEB OS is great once you get the hang of it. Dolby Vision/HDR content via the streaming services/Disc looks superb. Ensure HDMI Deep colour is switched on via the menu for all the HDMI inputs. Hopefully you stick with the more accurate picture modes when viewing content eg Cinema Mode.

Thanks for the tips. I have only had a limited play with it, but I do think it is less intuitive than previous TVs I have owned, but with so many options that goes with the territory. Just knowing the terminology helps as 'Web OS' gives me a point of reference to base my research on, and I have found some useful YouTube videos already. Note: I am of an age where printed user guides are useless to me as even with my strongest reading glasses I can barely make sense of the fine fonts and even the diagrams. I mad a mistake when setting it up — I later realised I should have limited inputs to my Sky Plus box and USB drive as it kept wanting to search for stations via a non existent coax input.

One nice thing is that even using my aging AV amp the TV was putting out noticeably better surround sound. It's so long since I last set anything up I'd forgotten that I already had an optical cable between TV and amp, so I used that and an HDMI cable without changing anything, so there's work to be done there. I also have RCA cable between amp to behind the TV, but ISTR I connected that to the Blueray player that I have not yet connected. On a more positive note, my wife did not bat an eyelid when I mentioned updating the AV amp. She has to go to the UK for a couple of months to look after her mum, so I am seeing the ceiling speakers just being there when she gets back LOL. I bet she won't even notice.

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

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