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Television recommendations?

Blue Howl

Blue Howl

Team Dogo Argentino
10 Year Member
I am moving in a few weeks, and I need to get a larger television for the living room. I am cheap so I am planning to use airline miles (United), which will limit my choices but will also save me money. :Banana:

I just want something that sits on a table. I don't want to have to mount it on the wall.

Do any of you have any tips for what I should look for or should avoid? What about the curved screens...any thoughts on those?

Thanks.
 

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RDR, that isn't too far from what I have now sitting in my 1980's-era entertainment center! :p
 
I keep coming back hoping someone with some insight shares something in this thread. I have a 8 yr old 48" Samsung DLP and it's getting the dreaded "left side edge shadow" that I guess is indicative of a death prognosis so I'm looking for ideas as well. Was really curious regarding smart TV's and the curved screens as well as resolution numbers. Thanks
 



This probably isn't helpful but over the last 10-15 years it's crazy how TVs have gone from kind of pricey to relatively cheap. You can get a big, quality TV for well under a grand. I think your best bet is to go to whatever your big TV box store of choice is, check the prices on the usual suspect brands, and buy the biggest TV you can get for your budget.
 
joestrummer said:
This probably isn't helpful but over the last 10-15 years it's crazy how TVs have gone from kind of pricey to relatively cheap. You can get a big, quality TV for well under a grand. I think your best bet is to go to whatever your big TV box store of choice is, check the prices on the usual suspect brands, and buy the biggest TV you can get for your budget.
Click to expand...

I'm getting mine on the cheap (basically for free, although I paid with a lot of pain and suffering to fly those miles!), so I am limited to the models that United offers through their rewards program. They actually offer quite a few choices, though, but I really have no idea what features to look for. Is bigger always better, or are there specifications to look for to ensure good quality picture and sound?

And I do want to hear from anyone who knows whether the curved models are advantageous or just a gimmick.
 
1. Stay away from the no-name brands. Stick to Samsung, Sony, LG (and MAAAAAAAAAAYBE Visio). Choosing between these brands, though, is like choosing between Chevy or Ford, Coke or Pepsi: no real difference, just individual bias.

2. Bigger is definitely better. It makes HD/4K much more noticeable compared to non-HD/4K, and it's obviously easier to see more things happening on the screen. It also allows you to sit farther back from the screen and have a more open living room/TV viewing room/etc.

3. If you have a choice, get one with 4K capability, because that's going to be the standard soon and you're not going to want to get a new one right after getting a new one.

4. Get a TV with the deepest possible shades of black, because the contrast between black and colors is one of the most important parts of TV picture quality.

5. Get the TV calibrated. It's not useless or a scam, it actually does make a difference. A calibrated crappy TV can look better than an uncalibrated good TV, so keep that in mind.

6. Most TVs now are fairly light-weight when compared to TVs of the past, so they can all be simply set on a table rather than mounted on a wall. Keep in mind, though, that all flat TVs can be knocked over MUCH more easily than old tubes. If you have small children or wandering cats/dogs/iguanas/whatever, always be wary of unsecured TVs on tables or consoles.

7. I'm not a personal fan of the curved screens (personal bias again), but I've heard good things about them. I'd suggest you go to Best Buy or wherever and just give them an eye test, see if you like them better than flat or vice versa.
 
I currently have a 420 inch LED TV from Vizio. That sum~bitch draws the bugs in from far and wide. I usually have to sit about 100 yards away to watch it, but man, the graphics on this thing....
 




Back when I got my DLP there were basically 3 choises in large screens... DLP, LED or plasma? Everything LED today?
 
No TV is too big. I have a 50" in my living room. I want to redo the cabinetry to be able to put in a 70". I have a 75" upstairs (both 1080p). Buy a UHD 4 K. You can get them as low a a thousand. I also like the smart TV that Samsung has. Direct wifi and connect to internet. You can get that inexpensively in a blue ray player, but you might as well have it in the TV. I'd also make sure it has an ethernet jack. I still think a direct ethernet tie is faster than the latest wifi; but you definitely want the wifi option.

Also, if you are close enough to the broadcast TV, you might buy an antenna. I just gave mine to my son, the digital reception is as good or better than what comes over cable. Wal Mart now carries them; I got mine at Fry's. My main interest is a backup in the case of an outage of the cable system due to a Hurricane.

I'd reconsider the "no wall mount." Of course I have never actually done one. My 75" is on a table, not yet mounted. I will get around to it some day.
 
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Are you sure you want a "smart" tv? Maybe its just me but the less devices I have on my wireless network, the better. IMO, I would just be introducing an unnecessary, possible threat/vulnerability.
 
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Blue Howl said:
I'm getting mine on the cheap (basically for free, although I paid with a lot of pain and suffering to fly those miles!), so I am limited to the models that United offers through their rewards program. They actually offer quite a few choices, though, but I really have no idea what features to look for. Is bigger always better, or are there specifications to look for to ensure good quality picture and sound?

And I do want to hear from anyone who knows whether the curved models are advantageous or just a gimmick.
Click to expand...
First on the airline miles. I have 835,000 miles on United and am careful how I spend them. Nothing like using them for a last minute emergency on what would have been a $1,000 ticket. Buying merchandise is pretty much the most expensive way to use your miles. I almost always pay for my ticket unless you are getting at least a $400 ticket for 25,000 miles.

Looking at some of the TV's for example, there is a LG 60UH7700 for 306,000 miles. You can buy that same TV at Best Buy for $1,200. That is a dilution in miles value to $100 for every 25,000 miles.

And that doesn't even include shopping for a deal. Best Buy also has a 60UH6035 for $600. Both are 60" LED, 4K Smart TVs with wireless.

And you can go even less and get a good deal under $500. There isn't much 4K content out there, so not much value if you don't have a 4K source. Even the Smart TV feature can be matched with a $50 Roku stick if that feature isn't in the TV.
 



Thanks to all of you for your input. Very helpful! :thumbsup:

To Red Rum...I hear you with regard to the miles. But I haven't used airline miles for a personal trip in over ten years. I fly so much on business that the thought of getting on a plane and going somewhere when I don't have to is not appealing. Plus isn't United now also charging fees to use the miles for trips? I gave some away last year to a friend who needed to fly to Finland to visit a sick family member and I ended up paying a couple of hundred dollars in fees for a fare that otherwise would have cost about $1,500.
 

My thoughts on this:

You do not need a 4k TV. There is not enough content in 4K to warrant that expense. it is wasted lines on the TV as everything in broadcast is only going to be about 1080i or 720i/720p. If you are looking at BluRay or digital streaming like NetFlix, or Hulu, or progressive downloads like iTunes, again 4k is not there. They may claim that it is 4k, but it is not. A 4k stream is going to be gigs in size, even for the segmented bits for adaptive streaming. Stick with a really good 1080i/1080p set. This will offer the best bang for the buck.

Smart TVs, do not get one. I got one for some of the development we were doing. Absolutely worthless. Roku, Chromecast, or AppleTV provides better than a Smart TV. I am not sure why they thought that was a good idea, but run away from those.

For brands, it all depends on your wants and what are you going to be watching on this? Is it more sports, more movies with darker scenes, or video with quick/rapid changes. All of those are handled differently and the TV can handle those items differently, so you would want to judge those. If you go to a Target or Best Buy or wherever, always ask to change the channel on the TV to get to something that matches what you regularly watch. It will help you decide when you purchase it with the miles, as you will be familiar with that brand.

I would recommend a curved Tv though, those are sweet and they improve the viewing of the whole room, and for me anyway, are easier on my eyes.
 
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