New TV Time: 55/65" UHD none OLED required

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › New TV Time: 55/65" UHD none OLED required

Benoire

2798 posts

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#265717 6-Feb-2020 22:22

Hi everyone,

My 2012 Sammy Plasma is on its way out and as there are some sales on right now it seems prudent to replace it before the sales end and I end up paying more a month or so later. Coming from a Plasma with black generally meaning black etc. I'm looking to get a close to this as I can without going OLED; mainly due to price and the kids constantly leaving things on pause so screen burn.. The plasma has hideous burns up close!

Room is ~4m*5m with couches about 2.5m away from the TV. It has a large window that faces the screen that gets the afternoon sun and a side window that casts across it too. The Plasma has hideous glare as a result but with the room being so bright I need something that can work during the day as well as in evening... Most of our watching is done with light present, very little is done with the lights off.

Budget could be up $2800 if really pushed but would like to keep it lower. Have seen the LG65SM9000 and the Samsing QLED Q75R range which always look nice and fancy in the shops but I'm after some real advice around aspects such as local dimming from edge/back lit vs full array sets with local dimming... also keen to understand if anyone has any comments on Quantum Dot vs NanoCell. Happy with either Tizen or WebOS as I use Android TV currently via Nvidia Shield so screen tech is the most important aspect. Sound is via seperate 7.1 system (Yamaha amp) so sound can be as crap or good as the sets provide, don't actually care!

Size can be 55" or 65", currently our TV is 51" so a 55" would be the same screen size of the plasma plus its bezel so a decent increase in veiwable size but not overall impact; 65" would be quite a substantial jump and might be overbearing in the lounge as it would be attached to the wall.

I had my eyes set on the LG 55SM9000PVA as the tech looks good, the screen appears to be well suited to high angle watching (kids randomly sitting playing) as well as bright rooms and it would be slightly bigger than the current set which we find good at 1080p... I did however read a random comment on the LG full array and local dimming being pretty poor and it got me a wee bit worried.

Is Full array local dimming really worth the premium over edge/back lit local dimming? I'm especially interested in this after coming from a plasma TV as getting as close to true black without OLED is probably one of the most important things as I've seen how bad my VEON set performs in the bedroom!

Thanks in advance for the thoughts!

Chris

EDIT: Thinking about it, any tv that has acccess to the latest plex, disney+ and Spark Sport would be valuable as I could then potentially migrate to a different STB platform that so far doesn't have those apps.

EDIT2: Saw some posts about the Sony X95G series; https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/televisions/televisions/ultra-hd-televisions/49-59-uhd-tvs/sony-kd55x9500g-55-4k-hdr-full-array-smart-android-television/prod180393.html?&nst=SEM&gclid=CjwKCAiAj-_xBRBjEiwAmRbqYg1-TLNKDsSS2UyRkE2DOVtl-69u7KuJdGlxfJXOKF1e9Voow9zUHRoCW70QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Well within the budget etc. Don't need the Android TV bit as I've seen the issues with its performance but curious to know its panel performance, espeically against QLED/NanoCell.

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142 posts

Master Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2413931 7-Feb-2020 06:31

The Sony X9500G seems to get good reviews and if you are not liking the Andrioid part of it, maybe get something like the Apple TV4K or similar to give you other app options (this would still come under your $2800.00 budget). This link gives you a review of the Sony https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/sony/x950g if that helps.

I will say that I have the Apple TV4K and I love it, with an Itunes account I can rent or purchase movies to watch (normally cheaper than buying disks).

jonathan18

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#2413933 7-Feb-2020 06:54

Can I suggest a good start would be to look over threads in this forum from over the past few months? Many of these questions or matters have already been discussed recently, eg in these threads:

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=34&topicid=262094&singlepage=yes

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=34&topicid=262014

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=34&topicid=260166

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=34&topicid=260021

Go back further you’ll find my own rants, as a (then) plasma tv owner, trying to cope with an edge-lit LG LCD. It still does my head in watching on the ‘kids’ tv’, whereas watching on the OLED we bought last month is a pleasure every time. My point is, given you’re coming from plasma, be very careful with what tv you buy...

sbiddle

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Biddle Corp

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#2413934 7-Feb-2020 07:00

If you had a Plasma there is no LED TV that won't look bad. None. Your only option for similar performance is OLED.

It's not a great time to buy a TV at the moment price wise.

jonathan18

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#2413936 7-Feb-2020 07:07

Prices may be better in a month or so when they offer run-out prices on current models, preparing for release of the new models. That'll also give you time to research!

zyo

513 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2413957 7-Feb-2020 08:54

Any news on TCL mini-LED coming to NZ?

One vote for Sony X9500G, although the successor is just around the color

Dingbatt

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#2413965 7-Feb-2020 09:02

I poo-pooed Samsung’s QLED as marketing hype for a long time, but now I have a ‘Frame’ TV, which is QLED, I am quite impressed. The biggest downside is they are at the top end price-wise for an LCD TV. The caveat to this is My Frame is 40” and it replaced an edge-lit 40” Panasonic LCD. It cost twice as much but is definitely an improvement.

i am paranoid about burn-in on my OLED so I can understand you wanting to avoid it, particularly if the kids game on it a lot.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Benoire

2798 posts

Uber Geek

#2414090 7-Feb-2020 10:06

Dingbatt:

I poo-pooed Samsung’s QLED as marketing hype for a long time, but now I have a ‘Frame’ TV, which is QLED, I am quite impressed. The biggest downside is they are at the top end price-wise for an LCD TV. The caveat to this is My Frame is 40” and it replaced an edge-lit 40” Panasonic LCD. It cost twice as much but is definitely an improvement.

i am paranoid about burn-in on my OLED so I can understand you wanting to avoid it, particularly if the kids game on it a lot.

Thanks everyone for the comments.

re: the recent number of posts, I did fail to look properly but I also had some specific questions related to the the brightness of the room etc. which I thought would be valuable to ask directly.

The kids leave the TV paused ALOT and the missus doesn't care as she is normally fire fighting them at this point so burn in is very visible in certain locations where the logos are located; I'm not prepared to spend $3K on an OLED when this is still a risk, plus I read that OLEDs work well in darker rooms but well light or even brighter they can struggle... Not sure how true this is but our lounge is super bright due to having 1 window that faces the TV and its ~4m wide and almost the room height deep.

I'll come back with other comments when I have time... I'm liking the Sony 950G now, I'm used to Android TV which solves Disney+, spark sport issues (contemplating move to Vodafone TV for freeview functions) and the display is effectively full array dimming Quantum Dot on a VA panel so better for blacks but not so good for angled viewing... I do need to check the angle of the couches in relation to the TV... I think most of our viewing will be within 20 degrees of the centre which is still generally ok for a VA... IPS is better but apparently crap at dimming for blacks and contrast which is really quite critical for a decent viewing experience, especially coming from as a Plasma as someone else pointed out.

Chris

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zyo

513 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2414097 7-Feb-2020 10:28

Benoire:

Dingbatt:

I poo-pooed Samsung’s QLED as marketing hype for a long time, but now I have a ‘Frame’ TV, which is QLED, I am quite impressed. The biggest downside is they are at the top end price-wise for an LCD TV. The caveat to this is My Frame is 40” and it replaced an edge-lit 40” Panasonic LCD. It cost twice as much but is definitely an improvement.

i am paranoid about burn-in on my OLED so I can understand you wanting to avoid it, particularly if the kids game on it a lot.

Thanks everyone for the comments.

re: the recent number of posts, I did fail to look properly but I also had some specific questions related to the the brightness of the room etc. which I thought would be valuable to ask directly.

The kids leave the TV paused ALOT and the missus doesn't care as she is normally fire fighting them at this point so burn in is very visible in certain locations where the logos are located; I'm not prepared to spend $3K on an OLED when this is still a risk, plus I read that OLEDs work well in darker rooms but well light or even brighter they can struggle... Not sure how true this is but our lounge is super bright due to having 1 window that faces the TV and its ~4m wide and almost the room height deep.

I'll come back with other comments when I have time... I'm liking the Sony 950G now, I'm used to Android TV which solves Disney+, spark sport issues (contemplating move to Vodafone TV for freeview functions) and the display is effectively full array dimming Quantum Dot on a VA panel so better for blacks but not so good for angled viewing... I do need to check the angle of the couches in relation to the TV... I think most of our viewing will be within 20 degrees of the centre which is still generally ok for a VA... IPS is better but apparently crap at dimming for blacks and contrast which is really quite critical for a decent viewing experience, especially coming from as a Plasma as someone else pointed out.

Chris

Samsung QLEDs are VA panels too, only mid-low end TVs use IPS as far as I know.

jonathan18

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#2414100 7-Feb-2020 10:39

Re the brightness question: while there's no doubt that LCDs can go far brighter than OLEDs, a more relevant comparison for you, given your current TV, is the relative brightness between your current TV and new TV - ie comparing plasma with the other two forms.

While our home theatre isn't a good comparison in terms of space, as it's fairly easy to control light, I'm aware that our new OLED is massively brighter than the previous plasma; as such, the increased brightness of an OLED over your plasma may be enough to work in that space. (I assume they would have measured the brightness outputs of plasmas? If so, it could be interesting to find the rating for your current TV and compare; and the chances are its current output isn't the same as when first purchased, anyway.)

That said, I get your concern re paused content etc on an OLED; our kids use the LCD for their own watching and gaming, so their use of the OLED is generally limited to when we're watching as a family. I'd be worried if they had carte blanche access to use it!

But, seriously, learn from the mistakes of others (including me!) who have so regretted purchasing entry-to-mid-range LCDs. I suggest you look to the higher-quality (and therefore, unfortunately, higher-priced) LCDs in that case, so at least it's not a complete disappointment for you, coming from plasma. I'm sure some of the other posts I linked to discuss suitable options (eg, which Samsung ranges should be acceptable in terms of blacks and contrast), hence why I linked to them.

richrdh18

210 posts

Master Geek

#2414143 7-Feb-2020 12:07

For what its worth. Very late 2018 i ended up getting a samsung q9 (not the cheapest) . Best thing ever. It is bright, we have a lounge with windows all over the place and we can watch tv now without ever having to pull the blinds at all.

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#2414185 7-Feb-2020 12:17

True full array LED panels from Sony were the closest TV's to OLED performance I've ever seen...

Still, coming from a plasma, go OLED :-)

Then again, Samsung plasmas always seemed to over-drive the reds and burnt in like mofos... soooooo your mileage may vary.

Benoire

2798 posts

Uber Geek

#2414201 7-Feb-2020 13:12

jonathan18:

Re the brightness question: while there's no doubt that LCDs can go far brighter than OLEDs, a more relevant comparison for you, given your current TV, is the relative brightness between your current TV and new TV - ie comparing plasma with the other two forms.

While our home theatre isn't a good comparison in terms of space, as it's fairly easy to control light, I'm aware that our new OLED is massively brighter than the previous plasma; as such, the increased brightness of an OLED over your plasma may be enough to work in that space. (I assume they would have measured the brightness outputs of plasmas? If so, it could be interesting to find the rating for your current TV and compare; and the chances are its current output isn't the same as when first purchased, anyway.)

That said, I get your concern re paused content etc on an OLED; our kids use the LCD for their own watching and gaming, so their use of the OLED is generally limited to when we're watching as a family. I'd be worried if they had carte blanche access to use it!

But, seriously, learn from the mistakes of others (including me!) who have so regretted purchasing entry-to-mid-range LCDs. I suggest you look to the higher-quality (and therefore, unfortunately, higher-priced) LCDs in that case, so at least it's not a complete disappointment for you, coming from plasma. I'm sure some of the other posts I linked to discuss suitable options (eg, which Samsung ranges should be acceptable in terms of blacks and contrast), hence why I linked to them.

I agree, I don't want to purchase an entry level unit... I kinda did that with the plasma in 2013 and while the panel was ok the unit just never really felt that good, however the intrinsic plasma benefits where better than a lot of the LCDs at that time... With the kids, they do have carte blance access as our house is tiny <90m2 and being 4 and 7 do not have tvs in their bedrooms so the lounge effectively is that communal space... I'll get home to find netflix paused for over an hour and they're fighting... I don't want an OLED to suffer that pain and therefore my wallet...

I've been looking more at the Sony 950G and the only real negative is the viewing angle which as our lounge is rectangular so it might not matter for the main veiwing areas but need to check as that might force me to go OLED no matter what.

zyo

513 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2414215 7-Feb-2020 13:31

Benoire:
jonathan18:

Re the brightness question: while there's no doubt that LCDs can go far brighter than OLEDs, a more relevant comparison for you, given your current TV, is the relative brightness between your current TV and new TV - ie comparing plasma with the other two forms.

While our home theatre isn't a good comparison in terms of space, as it's fairly easy to control light, I'm aware that our new OLED is massively brighter than the previous plasma; as such, the increased brightness of an OLED over your plasma may be enough to work in that space. (I assume they would have measured the brightness outputs of plasmas? If so, it could be interesting to find the rating for your current TV and compare; and the chances are its current output isn't the same as when first purchased, anyway.)

That said, I get your concern re paused content etc on an OLED; our kids use the LCD for their own watching and gaming, so their use of the OLED is generally limited to when we're watching as a family. I'd be worried if they had carte blanche access to use it!

But, seriously, learn from the mistakes of others (including me!) who have so regretted purchasing entry-to-mid-range LCDs. I suggest you look to the higher-quality (and therefore, unfortunately, higher-priced) LCDs in that case, so at least it's not a complete disappointment for you, coming from plasma. I'm sure some of the other posts I linked to discuss suitable options (eg, which Samsung ranges should be acceptable in terms of blacks and contrast), hence why I linked to them.

I agree, I don't want to purchase an entry level unit... I kinda did that with the plasma in 2013 and while the panel was ok the unit just never really felt that good, however the intrinsic plasma benefits where better than a lot of the LCDs at that time... With the kids, they do have carte blance access as our house is tiny <90m2 and being 4 and 7 do not have tvs in their bedrooms so the lounge effectively is that communal space... I'll get home to find netflix paused for over an hour and they're fighting... I don't want an OLED to suffer that pain and therefore my wallet...

I've been looking more at the Sony 950G and the only real negative is the viewing angle which as our lounge is rectangular so it might not matter for the main veiwing areas but need to check as that might force me to go OLED no matter what.

If you can wait. The upcoming h series seem to feature x wide angle on the 55inch and up model which improves off center color shift (previously only on the larger models).

https://www.sony-asia.com/electronics/televisions/x95h-series/specifications

Benoire

2798 posts

Uber Geek

#2414218 7-Feb-2020 13:38

I'm curious to know if they've fixed the issues with X-Wide-Angle and the problems with contrast etc. Apparently it changes the behaviour of dimming and makes the blacks more grey and probably closer to an IPS panel in terms of outcome... The Plasma is progressively getting worse with lovely vertical lines failing on the screen (last time it did this it was a CGA repair in 2014 which required a brand new panel) so I know its on its way out; any ideas of cost/time for the newer Sony models?

zyo

513 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2414220 7-Feb-2020 13:41

Benoire:

I'm curious to know if they've fixed the issues with X-Wide-Angle and the problems with contrast etc. Apparently it changes the behaviour of dimming and makes the blacks more grey and probably closer to an IPS panel in terms of outcome... The Plasma is progressively getting worse with lovely vertical lines failing on the screen (last time it did this it was a CGA repair in 2014 which required a brand new panel) so I know its on its way out; any ideas of cost/time for the newer Sony models?

I'd assume they found some way to mitigate the effect otherwise wouldn't have introduced on the lower tier models.

From previous experience we are probably looking at a May launch.

Always wait for review though.

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