TV 55''-65'' Recommendations

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blackjack17

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#289736 26-Sep-2021 11:57

Yes another one of these threads.

We currently have a 55" Veon that is obviously not great, it has lasted 3 years and we only paid $550 for it but now it is developing a red line through the middle and the power button has popped out.

So upgrade time. Was looking at 55" ones but it seems the 65" aren't too much bigger. Budget is hard cap of $200 but would like to spend less.

Found this Samsung AU9000 65" for $1998

or the LG 65" UP8150 for $1749

are the Philips from pb tech any good, they seem very cheap (but look identical to the Veons?)

Philips 65PUT6703 65" $1129

Don't need smarts as have a vodafone TV and Mii box with kodi.

Most of the content will be either freeview or downloaded content with maybe a little youtube/apple tv but very little 4K content.

Maybe a little light gaming from an xbox 360 if I get it working again.

Looking at the TVs in this price range they all seem kind of the same?

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#2784422 26-Sep-2021 12:11

I picked a new Panasonic TH55HX900Z yesterday and very pleased with it, I purchased it second hand but it was still in the box with receipt and paid 1k for it. Was going to buy one from the shop and just happened to find this one on Trademe

0verdose

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#2784475 26-Sep-2021 14:11

Have sent you a PM

Deanonzl

51 posts

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#2784610 26-Sep-2021 17:00

After my TCL 55" 55C2US died 1 day before lockdown, JB sent me a LG 55" UP8150

Picture is much richer. Newer technology. 😬

Azzura

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#2784688 26-Sep-2021 21:20

Just picked up a Panasonic JZ2000(TX-55JZ2000)...4k picture is amazing. It replaced my 15 yr old Panasonic plasma.

michaelmurfy

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#2784693 26-Sep-2021 21:40

My recommendation:

1) Don't go with the Philips. This was my last TV (now demoted from the living room to the Mancave)... It doesn't really support HDR, it's interface is painfully slow and only 2 of the 3 HDMI supports support its "fake HDR" while the third port still advertises HDR compatibility anyway meaning if you've got newer devices you're really limited to 2 ports.

2) Spend a little extra. The Sony X85J is hard to beat and within your price range from the looks, interface is snappy and is a really nice TV as a whole. You also get the added benefit of Android TV.

My goal was to get the best bang for buck for PS5 gaming and went with the Sony XR X90J 65" to replace my Philips TV and seriously don't have any regrets. It is a huge, huge upgrade from my 65" Philips and gaming, movies etc are amazing on it (seriously thanks @ShinyChrome for this advise!).

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PANiCnz

989 posts

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#2784720 27-Sep-2021 08:01

Linux:

I picked a new Panasonic TH55HX900Z yesterday and very pleased with it, I purchased it second hand but it was still in the box with receipt and paid 1k for it. Was going to buy one from the shop and just happened to find this one on Trademe

I've got the slightly older TH-55GX850Z and have been really impressed by the HCX processor and the quality of upscaling. It still an edge-lit LCD so it has it limitations but from the price I paid its been great.

I otherwise agree with michaelmurfy if you can squeeze the budget to accommodate a XR-55X90J its a great TV.

ShinyChrome

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#2784795 27-Sep-2021 11:23

The two options that stand out at that price point for me are the 65" Samsung AU9000 and the 55" Sony X85J.

Normally I wouldn't touch the Samsung with a 10ft pole since, no doubt about it, the Sony is the superior TV (using the AU8000 as a proxy here), but since it sounds like your use case isn't actually too intensive, I actually wonder if you would notice the bigger screen real estate more than the higher quality/features the X85J has to offer. Ideally it would be both, but definitely not achievable at that price point.

If you were planning to buy a PS5/Xbox Series X, then definitely the Sony is the choice, since it has HDMI 2.1 features, or ditto if you were big on your high quality 4k HDR/1080p content, but it doesn't sound like this is the case, and coming from a Veon TV, I would imagine either one is going to be a big upgrade. And since you have an external box for content, OS isn't such a big deal.

I really don't like the 60hz panel on the Samsung vs. the 120hz on the Sony though, but it will ultimately depend on how fussy you are on things like judder and motion. Going by the above review of the AU8000, the brightness seems pretty poor on that Samsung model range as well, so if you typically watch content in a well-lit room, it might struggle to overcome ambient light and doesn't actually achieve the required luminance for HDR either.

On the other hand, the Samsung at least has a VA panel, so it should achieve better contrast than an IPS equipped model, albeit still not as good as the Sony panel. Going from 55" to 65" is 40% more surface area though, so I still think you will likely notice that. How far away do you typically sit from your TV?

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mulac

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#2784802 27-Sep-2021 11:41

Do the VA panels on the Panasonic HX900's perform well in daylight, and how do owners find the viewing angle? At which angle would viewing diminish noticeably? I love the dark blacks and contrasts you get from VA panels, but don't want to risk poor daytime viewing.

blackjack17

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#2784805 27-Sep-2021 11:46

We have a media room downstairs with a projector which has the xbox x connected to it. The projector is only 1080P (Epsom EH-TW5600) but I am happy with the near 100 inch screen.

The family room tv (which the new one would be replacing) use would mainly be free for view (through a vodafone tv), kids movies and TV, Kodi (through a mii box) with mainly 1080/720/sd content streamed from the NAS. The room is quite brightly lit. The tv would hopefully last for at least 5-10 years.

Which is why I am thinking size over quality of image (but still want something decent).

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ShinyChrome

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#2786771 30-Sep-2021 08:40

if you can stretch the budget an extra $300...

alavaliant

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#2786804 30-Sep-2021 09:48

I don't really like Sony as a company but I have to grudgingly say that Sony tv quality seems very good. I've got a 50" Sony tv that I've had for something like 10+ years now with no actual issues with it ever - closest we ever had was the cat climbing on top of the set and stepping on a power button we had forgotten about (as we never use), so we thought for half a day it was dead before we realized what the cat had done..

Jp576

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#2786846 30-Sep-2021 11:13

Hey guys just bought the x85j 50" from jb hi-fi for click and collect. After doing a bit more research just wanting to check or mainly get some reassurance is the Samsung q70a 55" worth the extra $300. Not even sure if it would still be possible to swap now but if it is a worth the extra 300 might think about giving them call. Will be connecting my Xbox series x to it.
Btw they're 1595 and 1999 respectively.
The Samsung would be stretching my budget and not too fussed about the size as it's going in a small bedroom so really just wanting some reassurance i made the right decision especially with the Samsung being qled.

ShinyChrome

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#2786926 30-Sep-2021 12:17

@jp576 TBH there is very little gap between them.. Apart from preference on OS, the Q70a supports VRR now vs. Sony's "future update", but the Sony supports the more prevalent Dolby Vision vs. Samsungs HDR10+. Both are decent TVs with good VA panels, but lack local dimming though. There may be slight differences in motion processing, but that comes down to personal preference again

IMO, I would only return it if you were going to do the big upgrade to the next tier (Qn90a/X90j/OLED) or the slightly smaller for the 65" X85j model for $2399 at Noel Leemings I linked above.

Edit: QN90a, not Q80a