What’s your FAVORITE.....TV or Monitor Brand or format these days

[Clint Eastwood]

But Clinty, if you ARE sensitive to motion artifacts, why even consider an OLED TV? As far as that rabbit hole of buying 4K discs...the same could apply to any physical discs. I have so many Surround and Stereo hi res discs in my collection in just about every conceivable format .... repeat listening can also be suspect. My rule of thumb is to pay NO more than $15 for 4K movies ..... roughly half the list price of those 40 minute MoFi/AP Stereo SACDs. And a lot of my 4K discs are $10.....1/3 the price of a Stereo SACD. In fact in the early days of $60 SHM~SACDs [I have a TON of them], I could've bought 6 UHD 4K movies when one tacks on the s/h of those SHM~SACD discs from Japan .... which I rarely play!

I have to consider an alternative to my current TV....although it's built to "outlast" me...there will come a time when it's not comparable to the current technology...and that's why I keep up on the tech...and there is a chance it will suffer a catastrophic failure...and where I live a lightning/power fluctuation is a real possibility..

Ralphie....the comparison of audio discs and video discs is a tale of 2 cities....all those blu ray movies I bought are relatively worthless today...I watched them once and they are now useless plastic with no resale value...even Criterion discs can be had for a fraction of their original value on Ebay and other outlets....HOWEVER...audio discs are the opposite...those Audio Fidelity discs we purchased several years ago have doubled or tripled in value in that short period of time..and now that putting them on a drive is a reality...they have value...whereas those video discs don't...and for me personally...I listen to music more often than watching movies...mainly because I can surf the web and listen to music...or do a variety of things and still enjoy the music...

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I also (so far) have stuck with my plasmas - 60” Pioneer Kuro plasma upstairs, and my Panasonic 55” in the man cave. They both still have terrific picture quality, and they double as room heaters during the winter. I have been looking at OLED a lot, and may switch one day soon. I especially like the ones that are nearly as thin as wallpaper.

The Kuros were the holy grails of displays....and it was a painful reminder of the cultural changes we are experiencing...here was a product that was well above the competition in quality...and yet the business failed....they built a better "mousetrap"..but nobody appreciated it...just like the current business model of Mercedes...they used to build cars that would last a long time and the quality was impeccable...now they have diluted the product line so much that their overall quality rating has dipped below a lot of car companies....poor build quality and harsh riding characteristics of their "entry" level cars has dragged the overall product line down...I just had a conversation with a long time MB customer recently and he mentioned a conversation he had with a local "Benz" manager...when confronted with the poor quality ratings the manager told him something he wasn't expecting...he didn't refute the poor ratings...he admitted the company was going in a new direction...they want to sell more cars...period....so these subpar entry level cars are part of the equation....and some "not so savvy" buyers jump at the chance of having a "Benz" for 30k...so they can tell their friends they own a MB...even though a Honda Accord is probably 5 times better...it's just a sign of the times

 

[DuncanS]

Where did you see these displays? If it was in a retail display(commercial store) the sets were probably in "torch mode"(exaggerated contrast)and they are probably being fed a "loop" designed by the manufacturer...you really can't get an accurate opinion of these sets in a retail environment....especially with the lighting in a commercial space....

I'd like to update my previous response......

Last week I saw a side by side comparison of the LG vs Sony OLED and the Sony won out!!! Much better picture quality for about $300 more!! Even though the screens are all made by LG, I guess the power engine or whatever of the Sony is more powerful and the contrast is much better IMHO

Beware of what you see in a shop, my Sony KD55AF8BU OLED TV has a "Retail Mode"! In normal mode the picture is excellent, I see no Motion Effects, and the sound is great. I really like it. But......

My issue with the Sony is its Operating System (Android TV) which is crude and sluggish (and a Google infection!), and its App software, running the TV in YouView (a UK thing) mode without an internet connection you lose the satellite channels, which is just pure cr*p! I have poor DTV reception so limited HD on it so want the satellite for BBC4 HD etc. With YouView running you get the satellite behaving as DTV so channels are easy to find, but sluggish due to internet latency (or having vanished for a second or two) why it doesn't have FreeSat (another UK thing) I don't know. So I have had to edit the satellite channel list. So the software 'lets down' a great TV.

 

[milt]

Jeez, nice to have a video based discussion on this forum with some people who know their stuff.
Clint, I too used Daryl's(D-Nice) color changing process to break-in the plasma cells. Thing is a lot of people didn't want bother with it although you really don't have to do a thing after setting it up.
Kuro, yes the acknowledged king of plasma. If mainstream consumers don't want to bother with a brainless break-in, much less paying $2-300 for a proper calibration, they weren't going to pay the considerable premium that a Kuro set cost over Panny or Samsung or the much cheaper LCD.
Almost the same situation as Oppo. Oppo players sold very well, was very profitable with an extremely loyal customer base but the parent company makes a lot more profit from phones and building the players took away valuable production line-time from the phones.
To the person still using a Kuro set, plasmas do dim over time. You're not likely to notice as the dimming is very gradual just like a projector bulb. If you were able to compare side-by-side with an new one
you would see it & be surprised at the difference.

To the poster seeing burn-in, you answered your own obvious question. You regularly watch a CNN with static and running banners. As a zillion people have posted that's exactly what causes burn-in. Period.
I've seen CRT sets that had burn-in.
Clint is also exactly right about the comparo between the Sony and the LG. You will never be able to do a valid comparo in a store like BB. Ever.

I guess I have never looked upon my audio\video software as an investment that would appreciate. IME the only audio that brought any kind of return is the vinyl I was too lazy to throw out & yeah after
35-45 years some of them were valuable but not in any sense of an investment.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Jeffrey Michael]

I have a 2016 LG OLED model. At the time, I wanted something that had black levels that was close to a previously owned Panny Plasma. Although, I kept it due to the 3D capability at the time, I hated (still do) the motion problems. I watch a lot of hockey and it’s unacceptable. The other problems is the banding in lower quality feeds and the crushed blacks in certain scenes. Other than that, great TV. It was rated the best remote control of all the television sets too. If I were to buy a TV today, I would not get another OLED unless they’ve improved on all the current problems I’ve experienced. Instead, I would probably get a FALD LCD with the deepest blacks I could find. I have a 65” model now but would probably get a 55” model due to my current room size.

As far as physical discs? I’ve stopped purchasing them and only buy the movies I know I will view several times. Though, I will purchase the next chapter of the Avengers movie since I have Infinity War but that will definitely be my last.

 

[musicmemorabiliashoppellc]

Where did you see these displays? If it was in a retail display(commercial store) the sets were probably in "torch mode"(exaggerated contrast)and they are probably being fed a "loop" designed by the manufacturer...you really can't get an accurate opinion of these sets in a retail environment....especially with the lighting in a commercial space....

That’s true so what is one to do I’m not purchasing right now.....just doing research..... I did the comparison shopping at the Magnolia store at Best Buy in St. Pete

 

[Clint Eastwood]

That’s true so what is one to do I’m not purchasing right now.....just doing research..... I did the comparison shopping at the Magnolia store at Best Buy in St. Pete

You do your research on forums like AVS...go to the owner threads...the first step is to determine your needs...what is important to you...do you want to use it as a gaming station?...a home theater?...or just casual viewing...since you live in my area...if you have Spectrum(aka Bright House..aka Time Warner)you better have some outside source if you buy a top tier TV...because the quality on Spectrum is marginal...and if you aren't planning on getting some quality source material for another source don't waste your money on a premium TV...go for the next best option...get a LARGE tv...just don't buy into the whole upscaling myth.

 

[musicmemorabiliashoppellc]

You do your research on forums like AVS...go to the owner threads...the first step is to determine your needs...what is important to you...do you want to use it as a gaming station?...a home theater?...or just casual viewing...since you live in my area...if you have Spectrum(aka Bright House..aka Time Warner)you better have some outside source if you buy a top tier TV...because the quality on Spectrum is marginal...and if you aren't planning on getting some quality source material for another source don't waste your money on a premium TV...go for the next best option...gave a LARGE tv...

What's the best outside source in our area in your opinion? I'd want it for home theater mostly, and casual viewing really not into gaming

 

[milt]

I have a 2016 LG OLED model. At the time, I wanted something that had black levels that was close to a previously owned Panny Plasma. Although, I kept it due to the 3D capability at the time, I hated (still do) the motion problems. I watch a lot of hockey and it’s unacceptable. The other problems is the banding in lower quality feeds and the crushed blacks in certain scenes. Other than that, great TV. It was rated the best remote control of all the television sets too. If I were to buy a TV today, I would not get another OLED unless they’ve improved on all the current problems I’ve experienced. Instead, I would probably get a FALD LCD with the deepest blacks I could find. I have a 65” model now but would probably get a 55” model due to my current room size.

As far as physical discs? I’ve stopped purchasing them and only buy the movies I know I will view several times. Though, I will purchase the next chapter of the Avengers movie since I have Infinity War but that will definitely be my last.

Perp, yes LG has addressed a lot of issues since the 2016 model year.
That's why it's so important to follow the model years for these sets no matter what the tech or brand
Not all of the remaining "issues" have been totally solved yet but no video tech is ideal. As with everything else, ya picks yer poison.

Clint, have you ever considered or had DirecTV? I know that all providers are scum but when I switched to them from Comcast, I immediately noticed the better video quality.
DirecTV was one of the first if not first to offer 4k content. Cord cutting is becoming a significant factor and these companies will have to offer more value\quality alternatives or they're toast.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

Perp, yes LG has addressed a lot of issues since the 2016 model year.
That's why it's so important to follow the model years for these sets no matter what the tech or brand
Not all of the remaining "issues" have been totally solved yet but no video tech is ideal. As with everything else, ya picks yer poison.

Clint, have you ever considered or had DirecTV? I know that all providers are scum but when I switched to them from Comcast, I immediately noticed the better video quality.
DirecTV was one of the first if not first to offer 4k content. Cord cutting is becoming a significant factor and these companies will have to offer more value\quality alternatives or they're toast.

I've had Directv for over 15 years...Comcast is a bottom feeder...not just their signal...but they are total scumbags in the business end....Directv is still good but since AT&T assumed control things have slipped a little...they are still better than my local cable system...they all have some problems...Fios is probably a little better than Directv NOW...but the problem with FIOS is that you have to deal with Verizon...and they are a mess...so as you see...I live in a great place with awesome weather...but not exactly the best tech area of the country..

 

[Clint Eastwood]

What's the best outside source in our area in your opinion? I'd want it for home theater mostly, and casual viewing really not into gaming

Both Directv and Fios are the best options...anything except Spectrum...that name cracks me up...they are like the shabby car dealers who change their names to avoid detection

 

[beerking]

This is my TV

This is a site, I regularly use, to find good deals on a wide range of goods.
https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/so...t-4k-ultra-hd-hdr-led-tv-84999-currys-3190933
This is where its being sold:
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-an...HotUKDeals~Communities & UGC~47868&awid=47868
I compared it extensively with OLED TV's and in the end it came down to size. I felt 55" was too wide for my bat cave and this had great reviews, so bought it last summer with a very handy, free, 6 year warranty.
I'm very happy with it.
I don't use the Android OS

 

[musicmemorabiliashoppellc]

Both Directv and Fios are the best options...anything except Spectrum...that name cracks me up...they are like the shabby car dealers who change their names to avoid detection

So true

 

[milt]

If Fios was available in my area I would have it as it is synchronous.
Fios had a big expansion plan here years ago but it stalled & the coverage area is really spotty
Since then it's been sold a couple\3 times ending up at Verizon.
Zero expansion since then.

Comcast has been teasing gigabit here for a few months which is synchronous but nothing yet.
Currently, the only way to get equal upload\download speed is to get a small business sub & they charge a buttload for "installation".
Total rip.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

If Fios was available in my area I would have it as it is synchronous.
Fios had a big expansion plan here years ago but it stalled & the coverage area is really spotty
Since then it's been sold a couple\3 times ending up at Verizon.
Zero expansion since then.

Comcast has been teasing gigabit here for a few months which is synchronous but nothing yet.
Currently, the only way to get equal upload\download speed is to get a small business sub & they charge a buttload for "installation".
Total rip.

They(Fios) did the same thing here...they started and then ran out of money...beware of Comcast and their claims...

 

[milt]

Don't worry, I know you're not, but I believe when I see it.
One last TV story to share until I get my LG C8 65" this Friday

In the fall of 2015 my Toshiba 1080i CRT in the bedroom croaked after 10 years. Literally on Thanksgiving eve.
Did some hurried research & on Friday headed to BB. Not having a BR TV is not an option.
Ended up with a 55" Sony LED.
Looked at the comparable Vizio & while it had superior dimming, the color fidelity stunk after they let me tweak both.
I knew I was getting a non-optimal set with crappy blacks & off-axis viewing but straight on it was more than acceptable for my immediate needs.
I got 24 month no-interest, a nice existing discount & a another one for opening a BB CC.
I spent at little as possible to get acceptable performance for the application.
In Sony's defense they did release a number of firmware updates to address numerous quirks.
I usually avoid Sony TVs but one thing they've always done right is color & great build quality
Sometimes you have to compromise.

 

[musicmemorabiliashoppellc]

but not exactly the best tech area of the country..

Tech? What tech? Here .... LMAO!!!

 

[musicmemorabiliashoppellc]

LG Model C8 65 inch now on sale to make room for 2019 models for $1800 huge drop in price available at Best Buy & Amazon