New TV, what to buy?

[Lsbcal]

Don't buy Vizio. I have two that are each 15 years old and the damn things just won't die.

Our 50" plasma Visio is about 20 years old and still works fine. I personally don't enjoy trying to set up such things with surround sound. If there were one simple system I might consider it but I guess the component way of doing things is still the way to go ... or is it? And do we really need a bigger screen?

 

[Lsbcal]

We had our 77” delivered.

And the winner is ....

 

[Luvtoride]

Sounds like it to me. I went with the LG C1 OLED last summer. I don't recall how I decided on LG over Sony.

+1 the last 2, 65” replacement TVs I’ve purchased were LG OLED’s . It has been the highest rated TV brand / type for several years. I am very happy with these TVs performance. In addition, the “magic remote” (I think that’s what they call it) that has the scroll wheel and pointer which comes with it is excellent and easily integrates into your cable box and sound bar.

Let us know what you decide.

 

[robls]

If you are a AAA member(or EDU/EPP), they are offering tremendous deals on Samsung tvs.
Going to see if Best Buy will price match the 75" QLED or 77" OLED they are offering.
75 QLED QN90C is $2,079.99 - MSRP is $3,299.99 (37% off)
77 OLED 90C is $1,999.99 - MSRP is $3,599.99 (44% off)
https://slickdeals.net/f/16971328-s...es-oled-tv-65-1440-55-1170-more-free-shipping

 

[jimy]

Our Samsung is 8+ years old. Still looks fine to us.

Finding quality content to watch is the hard part.

Jim

 

[ExPatKiwi]

I have a wall mounted 65" Sony with a full surround sound home theater system installed last year in the new house. Now I'm planning to buy a 75" Sony this Black Friday and install that on the wall. My DS wants my 65" so it's to a good cause. The big reason for upgrading is Sony's new TV's now have S-Center Acoustic Sound input. Basically the TV's 4 internal speakers can act as the center channel speaker when the surround sound audio system is on. It allows me to remove the center channel speaker from the fireplace mantle below the TV for a nice clean look and the 75" will look more proportional on the wall

 

[Trooper]

I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on a 77" LG C3 at Costco. It's come down in price to $2300, and it would replace a 65" Panasonic plasma TV from 2011.

My only concern is glare from a wall of south-facing windows. Most of our TV watching is currently done at night, save for an occasional afternoon sporting event. Have any of you faced this issue? I'm thinking the newer OLEDs like this one are bright enough to overcome that and most reviews confirm this but just wanted to see if anyone had any experience.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on a 77" LG C3 at Costco. It's come down in price to $2300, and it would replace a 65" Panasonic plasma TV from 2011.

My only concern is glare from a wall of south-facing windows. Most of our TV watching is currently done at night, save for an occasional afternoon sporting event. Have any of you faced this issue? I'm thinking the newer OLEDs like this one are bright enough to overcome that and most reviews confirm this but just wanted to see if anyone had any experience.

I've got an LG C2 I got at Costco for Christmas a year ago. Opposite where my TV is located I've got a sliding patio door that faces south plus a window also on the south wall. I've never had a problem with the brightness of my C2 during afternoons. In fact I've not thought about this since the first couple of days I've owned the TV.

Previous to my purchase I had read the reviews saying that OLEDs aren't as bright as LED TVs. I was worried about the same thing you've mentioned here. However, in reality it's a total nothing burger.

These "brightness wars" amongst reviewers is silly. As far as I'm concerned it's a load of crap. Now consider that the C3 is brighter than the C2.

You'll be just fine with the C3 and south facing windows. That's a good price at Costco. I say jump on it.

 

[jim584672]

My $228 TCL Roku TV 65" I got at Walmart at Thanksgiving is actually surprisingly OK.

 

[DrRoy]

An addendum, I bought an all-in-one soundbar, and it's wonderful.
I really didn't want 3, 5 or more speakers all over the family room for better sound. YMMV

A couple years ago we did a remodel of the family room and had the wires for our 5.1 surround system sunk into the walls. We have Harmon Kardon in the front and the rest are Sony. Really love it.

 

[Qs Laptop]

My $228 TCL Roku TV 65" I got at Walmart at Thanksgiving is actually surprisingly OK.

I had a similar TV before I got my LG C2. I had a HiSense Roku TV, 55", which was from Target for $299 in 2019. the HiSense Roku is now in the family room and is the secondary TV. LG C2 is in my man cave and is primary viewing device.

"Surprisingly OK" is an apt description. If you watch a lot of cable TV or over the air TV, or 720p or 1080p streaming TV, it is pretty darn good. However, the TV's shortcomings are exposed if you stream 4K content, especially HDR or Dolbyvision content on platforms like Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, or Paramount+.

 

[jim584672]

I had a similar TV before I got my LG C2. I had a HiSense Roku TV, 55", which was from Target for $299 in 2019. the HiSense Roku is now in the family room and is the secondary TV. LG C2 is in my man cave and is primary viewing device.

"Surprisingly OK" is an apt description. If you watch a lot of cable TV or over the air TV, or 720p or 1080p streaming TV, it is pretty darn good. However, the TV's shortcomings are exposed if you stream 4K content, especially HDR or Dolbyvision content on platforms like Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, or Paramount+.

I have played some 4K streams and it works and looks OK. I had to upgrade my media computer graphics card to play 4K @ 60 fps.

 

[Cobra9777]

I just got a 77" LG C3 on Amazon for $2.2K. I'm really loving the deep blacks and sharp contrast. It's also our first 4K TV. No issue with brightness, though I turned off all the energy-saving settings for max brightness.

Question for all you LG owners... For basic navigation and apps, do you use the webOS smart TV system? Or do you still use a streaming platform like Roku or Fire TV?

So far, I sort-of like the webOS system. It's snappy and does everything we need, with one exception... no MLB app. I also like the remote and the tight integration with other TV functions from the home screen.

But we've been all-in w/ Fire TV since 2015. I really like the consistent UI+remote across different TVs. Also, in the past, we always had better updates and performance compared to any smart TV platform. But that's comparing to 8 year-old Vizios, and the like.

It seems that the differences may be negligible now, at least on top brands like LG, Samsung, and Sony. DS ditched all his Rokus a couple years ago when he upgraded all their TVs to Samsung. He swears it's better than Roku and simpler to use.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I just got a 77" LG C3 on Amazon for $2.2K. I'm really loving the deep blacks and sharp contrast. It's also our first 4K TV. No issue with brightness, though I turned off all the energy-saving settings for max brightness.

Congratulations! I know you are enjoying it. Yes, the first thing you should do is turn off the energy saving settings. (Otherwise known as picture quality sapping settings.) The so-called brightness problem with OLEDs is a non-issue.

If you want to discuss other picture settings DM me.

Question for all you LG owners... For basic navigation and apps, do you use the webOS smart TV system? Or do you still use a streaming platform like Roku or Fire TV?

So far, I sort-of like the webOS system. It's snappy and does everything we need, with one exception... no MLB app. I also like the remote and the tight integration with other TV functions from the home screen.

I wanted to stay with the webOS system. I like the magic remote also. For those that don't know the Magic Remote is a remote control that works like a mouse cursor. Instead of navigating choices on your screen with a sequence of up-arrow, left-arrow, down-arrow, etc. you simply point the remote at the icon/item you want to select on the screen. There is a pointer that moves like a mouse cursor on the screen. Makes navigating around the screen super easy.

But no MLB app on the LG app list was a deal breaker for me. I got a Roku Ultra so I can watch MLB.TV. There are other streaming services that webOS does not have.

But we've been all-in w/ Fire TV since 2015. I really like the consistent UI+remote across different TVs. Also, in the past, we always had better updates and performance compared to any smart TV platform. But that's comparing to 8 year-old Vizios, and the like.

If you can live with no MLB TV you will probably like webOS, at least until it's not supported anymore, or until streaming services don't send updates for the webOS versions of their apps. Unlikely to happen until 5 years from now, but it will happen.

It seems that the differences may be negligible now, at least on top brands like LG, Samsung, and Sony. DS ditched all his Rokus a couple years ago when he upgraded all their TVs to Samsung. He swears it's better than Roku and simpler to use.

A friend of mine just got a Samsung S90 OLED TV. I didn't like the remote. Consisting only of a circular pad and up/down arrows, it was small and takes way too many steps to navigate around. I suppose once you get accustomed to it, it would be fine. But it seems there is a learning curve that isn't present with most conventional remotes.

My son is getting his 77" C3 delivered from Costco either today or tomorrow. It's a great TV.

 

[Cobra9777]

If you want to discuss other picture settings DM me.

Thanks. I might take you up on that. I've been through all the picture settings at least 2 or 3 times. But it's all a little intimidating at first. I don't want to screw anything up. But I don't want to miss out on any great features either.

I wanted to stay with the webOS system. I like the magic remote also. ... But no MLB app on the LG app list was a deal breaker for me. I got a Roku Ultra so I can watch MLB.TV. There are other streaming services that webOS does not have.

Yeah, that's what bugs me... What other apps (or future apps) have no webOS version? I really don't want to keep the FTV Cube just for MLB, but I suppose I could.

Right now, I'm leaning toward sticking with FTV full time. I just hate to ignore all the obvious effort that LG put into webOS. I actually remember webOS from the Palm Pre days. I was an early adopter of the Palm Pre smartphone, and a big fan of webOS. It failed back then for lack of interest by developers. But I can't really see that happening with LG, given their market share and dominance with OLED. So, still sort-of undecided.

 

[Trooper]

I just got a 77" LG C3 on Amazon for $2.2K. I'm really loving the deep blacks and sharp contrast. It's also our first 4K TV. No issue with brightness, though I turned off all the energy-saving settings for max brightness.

Question for all you LG owners... For basic navigation and apps, do you use the webOS smart TV system? Or do you still use a streaming platform like Roku or Fire TV?

So far, I sort-of like the webOS system. It's snappy and does everything we need, with one exception... no MLB app. I also like the remote and the tight integration with other TV functions from the home screen.

Congratulations! I know you are enjoying it. Yes, the first thing you should do is turn off the energy saving settings. (Otherwise known as picture quality sapping settings.) The so-called brightness problem with OLEDs is a non-issue. If you want to discuss other picture settings DM me.

My son is getting his 77" C3 delivered from Costco either today or tomorrow. It's a great TV.

Glad that you both love the C3. I may be picking up one at Costco shortly; their $2300 price ends 2/11/24.

I plan to use my Roku Ultra with the C3, mainly because of Q's comments and my experiences with future app updates. I also use the Plex app for media serving and I'm not sure the C3 (webOS) will have it. Lastly, it's easy for me to connect the Roku to my now aging Denon AV receiver for 5.1 sound through my sound system. I'm sure I could do something similar without the Roku, but I'm just used to it.

Thanks for the energy-saving setting tips - I've read the same. Q - I may take you up on DM'ing you for settings. Looks like it could be overwhelming .

 

[rayvt]

Our first smart TV was a Samsung. The built in apps and the ability to install new apps was good. We particularly enjoyed being able to watch Amazon Prime videos on the TV.

Until one day the Amazon Prime app disappeared. Both from our TV and from the Samsung app store.

That's the problem and risk of the smart TV company's apps.

A cheap Roku and a cheap Firestick are, um, very inexpensive especially if you catch a sale. Easy to keep permanently plugged in to the TV for the cases where you need it.

The other problem with smart TV's is that they are so reliable that they never fail! Is that a or a ?
We eventually gave away the Samsung to a friend's son. It still worked fine except for no Amazon Prime video.

 

[Samething]

"Surprisingly OK" is an apt description. If you watch a lot of cable TV or over the air TV, or 720p or 1080p streaming TV, it is pretty darn good. However, the TV's shortcomings are exposed if you stream 4K content, especially HDR or Dolbyvision content on platforms like Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, or Paramount+.[/QUOTE]

I have the Sony A80L 77”. I found nearly all HDR content displayed with Dolby Vision to be too dark. Our cable provider’s interface allows us to disable DV and stream HDR content without DV. Such an improvement to our eyes. There has been much discussion about this on AVForums. A Firestick, Apple TV and other devices will also allow you to disable DV. That being said I personally think my 14 year old plasma had just as good of a picture. Even with the 1080p limitation. But the added screen size is a big improvement since we sit about 12 feet from the screen.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I have the Sony A80L 77”. I found nearly all HDR content displayed with Dolby Vision to be too dark. Our cable provider’s interface allows us to disable DV and stream HDR content without DV. Such an improvement to our eyes. There has been much discussion about this on AVForums. A Firestick, Apple TV and other devices will also allow you to disable DV. That being said I personally think my 14 year old plasma had just as good of a picture. Even with the 1080p limitation. But the added screen size is a big improvement since we sit about 12 feet from the screen.

Then you should adjust your brightness settings on your Sony for DV content.

 

[statsman]

The other problem with smart TV's is that they are so reliable that they never fail! Is that a or a ?

We are not hardcore 4K movie people, so we still have two Samsung 1080p smart TVs that are the same model and 55" size. One was purchased in September 2014, and the other was purchased used off of Craigslist in February 2018 to replace an older TV that had failed. The used TV was purchased by the previous owner in April 2014.

We purchased the latter because we were planning to move soon, which we did in the fall of 2018. We figured we would get a new TV after the move rather than risk potential damage during transit. Six years later, we still have that TV that was picked up for $350.

That said, the app setup for this model TV leaves something to be desired, and Samsung does not offer a few apps we ended up needing (like Sling TV). So, like you we went the streaming device route. We probably will still use them if we ever need/want to replace either/both TVs.

 

[shanehus]

I would personally go for the one you selected, Sony Bravia A80L OLED 4K. It seems a good choice to me.

 

[Trooper]

Last Friday I picked up the LG 77" C3 at Costco. It replaced a 65" 2011 Panasonic plasma TV, and while the picture on the plasma is still good, it is nothing like the LG C3. I'm very happy thus far.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Last Friday I picked up the LG 77" C3 at Costco. It replaced a 65" 2011 Panasonic plasma TV, and while the picture on the plasma is still good, it is nothing like the LG C3. I'm very happy thus far.

My son got his C3 last Thursday, just in time for the Super Bowl. He was able to watch the Super Bowl in Dolbyvision via Paramount Plus. He was absolutely dazzled by the picture quality.

 

[qwerty3656]

Just bought the 77-inch Samsung S90c OLED. It was replacing an old rear-projection TV, so finally made it into the 21st century. I'm using a Roku on HDMI because I've heard people aren't too happy with Samsung operating system.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Just bought the 77-inch Samsung S90c OLED. It was replacing an old rear-projection TV, so finally made it into the 21st century. I'm using a Roku on HDMI because I've heard people aren't too happy with Samsung operating system.

Excellent choice, on both TV and Roku for streaming.

Please report back in after you've got it set up and running to your liking.