Which is better for watching TV - Sony 55 X80J, Samsung 55 AU9000, LG 55 NANO75?

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Which is better for watching TV - Sony 55 X80J, Samsung 55 AU9000, LG 55 NANO75?

mcarans

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#290555 19-Nov-2021 12:25

The Sony 55 X80J and Samsung 55 AU9000 are about the same price.

Which is better for general television and movie watching (not gaming or sports)?

Are these models much better than the LG 55 NAN075 which is a bit cheaper?

What model would you pick if you were choosing a 55 inch TV that is under around $1700?

ShinyChrome

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#2815710 19-Nov-2021 13:29

At just a little bit over your budget, the 55" Sony X85J @ $1795 would be my pick over any of the above. You will appreciate the better contrast of the VA panel over any of the above

If you can stretch that budget a little more, there is also the 55" Sony X90J @ $1997 which adds a FALD (Full Array Local Dimming) backlight to the mix, which will help with even better contrast and peak brightness.

mcarans

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#2815715 19-Nov-2021 13:38

ShinyChrome:

At just a little bit over your budget, the 55" Sony X85J @ $1795 would be my pick over any of the above. You will appreciate the better contrast of the VA panel over any of the above

There is also the Sony X90J at $1997 which adds a FALD (Full Array Local Dimming) backlight to the mix, which will help with even better contrast..

Thanks for your reply and suggestion. How can i tell the panel type of a TV from the specs?

The reason I ask is that I saw that the Samsung 55Q80A is similarly priced and I read that "US Q80A = ADS (except 50, 85'') EU Q80A = VA" (from here)

So I'm trying to work out if the NZ Q80A is ADS like the US or VA like the EU. If it were VA, would it be a good choice?

ShinyChrome

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#2815746 19-Nov-2021 14:44

mcarans:

Thanks for your reply and suggestion. How can i tell the panel type of a TV from the specs?

The reason I ask is that I saw that the Samsung 55Q80A is similarly priced and I read that "US Q80A = ADS (except 50, 85'') EU Q80A = VA" (from here)

So I'm trying to work out if the NZ Q80A is ADS like the US or VA like the EU. If it were VA, would it be a good choice?

Good question; unless the manufacturer is forward with their specs (which most use flowery marketing-speak instead), real review sites like rtings.com, flatpanelshd.com, and sites like displayspecifications.com.

It looks like you are right about the Euro Q80A, which is news to me. I notice their models begin with a QExxQ80A model number, whereas the US models are QNxxQ80A, and ours are QAxxQ80A, so it is hard to tell what is going on. Unless a GZ member has one, hit up a retailer and see if you can find a knowledgeable salesperson. The link above also seems to have instructions to find out through the service menu if you can get your hands on a demo model remote.

If it's a VA model, it brings it back into consideration, but Sony's measured performance, better OS, and more natural picture processing would be pulling me more that way TBH. The lack of Dolby Vision support on the Samsung is another thing too.

freitasm

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#2815764 19-Nov-2021 15:10

I have a Panasonic JX900 LED 4K HDR for review here this week and it's pretty impressive. It may be a couple of hundred more than the Sony for the 55" model.

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mcarans

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#2815774 19-Nov-2021 15:29

freitasm:

I have a Panasonic JX900 LED 4K HDR for review here this week and it's pretty impressive. It may be a couple of hundred more than the Sony for the 55" model.

Does the Panasonic JX900 have a VA panel? For the 55 inch model, it's $1748 with cashback currently compared to $1795 for the Sony X85J. Which model is better for TV watching?

KitChan

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#2819472 26-Nov-2021 03:03

mcarans:

ShinyChrome:

At just a little bit over your budget, the 55" Sony X85J @ $1795 would be my pick over any of the above. You will appreciate the better contrast of the VA panel over any of the above

There is also the Sony X90J at $1997 which adds a FALD (Full Array Local Dimming) backlight to the mix, which will help with even better contrast..

Thanks for your reply and suggestion. How can i tell the panel type of a TV from the specs?

The reason I ask is that I saw that the Samsung 55Q80A is similarly priced and I read that "US Q80A = ADS (except 50, 85'') EU Q80A = VA" (from here)

So I'm trying to work out if the NZ Q80A is ADS like the US or VA like the EU. If it were VA, would it be a good choice?

I bought one yesterday and can confirm the 55" is VA. It's supposedly identical to the Q80T but with the 2021 OS.

I didn't know about the issue until reading up while waiting for a hand to get it set up and I specifically bought it for it's IPS panel as I dread VA gamma shift, so Smiths City has offered a refund.

It seems that LG are the only IPS brand available in NZ, though I heard some of their 2021 models may be VA.

VA has better contrast ratios and cinemaphiles love it, however VA panels are prone to poor viewing angles which can cause the colors to look off from an angle. Which is bad for groupwatching, photography slideshows or watching TV while you're busy in the kitchen.

Supposedly the Q80T/A has better viewing angles than most VAs due to a viewing angle filter Samsung uses on the Q80 and higher models, but gamma shift is still poorer than LG's Nano TVs.

The amount of gamma shift I noticed on a JB store demo today seems minor, but the JB black friday ad it was playing was pretty lacking in color to begin with so it could be worse on actual content. Conversely I noticed brightness shift (screen getting darker) on a 55" Nano 86 demo at Noel Leeming, but colors seemed more consistent even with a more colorful demo reel that showed various vibrant landscapes as well as some plain red Noel Leeming ads.

Ultimately, just look in store and pick which one running a decently varied demo reel you like best at the angles you might view it from.

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mcarans

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#2823271 2-Dec-2021 14:57

In the end, the OLED screens were heavily discounted for Black Friday so I decided they were a better long term investment and went for a Sony A80J 55 inch price matched to a reduced price LG C1 55 inch that had sold out.