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65" TV advice

9K views 23 replies 10 participants last post by  kimk 
#1 ·
Hello everyone,

I'm looking for a new 65" TV. Where can I find some info about different options (brands, flat vs. curved, 4k vs. HDTV etc.)? Any info would be appreciated.
 
#3 ·
Thank you. I remember this forum used to have a lot of discussions about different models and features. Isn't this the case anymore?

Just trying to understand if it's worth for example to go for 4k or not. How about curved TV? Also there are some huge differences in pricing.

For example:
Samsung 65" 4K Ultra HD LED Tizen Smart TV (UN65KU6290FXZC) - Dark Titan : 60 - 69 inch TVs - Best Buy Canada is $2,100
Samsung 65" 4K UHD HDR LED Smart TV (UN65KS9000FXZC) : 60 - 69 inch TVs - Best Buy Canada is $4,800

Both are 65" Samsung 4k. Why such huge difference in prices? I noticed that on average, 65" 4k is around $2,500, but some models are as high as $5k+ or as low as $1.5k.
 
#6 ·
At 65", I would go for 4k. At this size, a lot depends on budget. The sky is the limit for features and pricing. It's not easy to make a recommendation without knowing a price range. The Wirecutter picked the 65" LG Electronics OLED65E6P but the retail price is US$7000. They also picked the Visio M60-C3 60" which supposedly retails for US$1,660 ($1,349.99 at Costco.ca. Be sure to get the Visio M series, not the D-series.) Even with the cost of a membership, Costco is often cheaper than the competition and Costco provides a free 1 year extended warranty.
 
#8 ·
Thank you.

At this point I'm trying to understand what contributes to those huge differences in price. I would prefer to go with Samsung or Sony, but even those brands have huge price differences. I don't mind paying a bit more (maybe 3000-3500 compared to entry level models of 1500-2000) but need to understand what I'm paying for. For example, the links I posted to bestbuy - can someone explain why the huge difference in price?
 
#9 ·
The biggest difference in cost is panel technology. Some of the newer displays, such as OLED, cost considerably more but provide a better picture. There are slight price and picture variances in LCD displays, IPS vs TN, but they tend to be much cheaper than OLED. Take into consideration that new technologies tend to get cheaper with time so an OLED panel display that commands a huge premium today will most likely be much cheaper in 5 years. If a standard LCD display is good enough for a few years it is a wiser choice in financial terms. UHDTV (4K) displays tend to cost more than HDTV displays but the cost difference is quickly narrowing.

Another determining factor is display back lighting. Side lit are the cheapest but tend to have poor contrast and black levels. LED array back lighting is much better. There is a wide variation in back lighting implementations. The better sets have adaptive back lighting with a higher number of zones (LEDs) in the panel.

Features such as more HDMI inputs, built in Android media player, faster processors, curved screens and full 4k support also add a premium but they tend to be supplied with high end sets. It's only in cheap, budget sets that these types of features are omitted.
 
#11 ·
I can say that I'm not impressed by the picture quality or features on low end Samsung TVs these days. The main difference in lower priced panels is IPS vs TN. IPS panels are usually used in TVs since they have slightly wider viewing angles. TN panels are often used in gaming or sports monitors due to faster response times. Most people won't notice much difference with either and panels can be changed at any time by set makers. Smaller panels are only made by a couple of suppliers who sell them to other companies, like Sony and Samsung, who don't make small panels any more. Some companies don't even make a lot of their own TVs and buy them from suppliers like Foxconn. The exception will be in the high end sets where a lot of R&D is required and high profit margins still exist.
 
#12 ·
You reference entry level $1500- but of course all of this depends on what you will be displaying on the TV. Entry level for me was $800 for Blu-ray and Shaw cable and Shaw Direct. No point in looking at 4K TV's when I don't see it happening here in the next 5 years. A TFSA is a better investment! :)

Just a note. Years ago when I had access to Sony I received 38-44% off. It was good value at those prices.
 
#13 ·
The price difference between HD and UHD panels is getting small for sub-50" sizes. Not sure about the larger sizes bit that's where UHD might be more desirable. It all depends on the program sources. I don't have any 4k program sources, yet, but the best set I could find just happened to be 4k and the price wasn't a lot more than HD sets by other makers. It was worth it just for the extra features, never mind the incredible 4k display.
 
#15 ·
Thank you.

At this point I'm trying to understand what contributes to those huge differences in price. I would prefer to go with Samsung or Sony, but even those brands have huge price differences. I don't mind paying a bit more (maybe 3000-3500 compared to entry level models of 1500-2000) but need to understand what I'm paying for. For example, the links I posted to bestbuy - can someone explain why the huge difference in price?

The 2 Samsung TVs you mentioned from BestBuy are quite different. One is a entry level model, the other is the flagship model. The more expensive one has features such as HDR, Wide Colour Gamut, 10-bit panel, 120hz refresh rate, local dimming, Bluetooth, better design/build quality etc. If you have the money and want the absolute best TV, this is the TV to get.

If you just want a simple, budget friendly 4k TV with good enough picture, mostly cable tv watching etc then the cheaper KU6290 is good enough.

You can go to BestBuy in-store and check out the HDR demo to see if it's worth it for you. Keep in mind HDR content is hard to find right now.
 
#18 ·
New member here

The TV scene has certainly gotten more complicated in last 10 years.
Every year new jazz words and lingo -- just to complicate things further. examples UHD, 3D, 4K and many more
Almost every letter in alphabet or numbers used in model numbers.

I've heard that Vizio P series exclusive to Costco are very good. In fact I've got my eye on the Vizio P55-C1 for $1,800.00
But I'll probably wait till Boxing day sales

I happened across this website which appears to give excellent reviews. 4k TV - Best Review Smart, LED, Curved & Flat Screen TVs for Sale
 
#21 ·
I think the worst part is manufacturers not stating panel types and who manufactures it. It's generally not a problem finding out the panel type for high end tv's.

Just keep in mind the Vizio M and P series don't have a TV tuner.(If you want OTA) I think it's pretty much googlecast from the provided tablet?
 
#22 ·
Vizio wants people to use the built in apps. They do extensive tracking of viewing habits and may use them for on-screen advertising in the future. There is an option to turn off tracking but it's grayed out on my TV. Some people report that turning the tracking feature off in the menu does not fully disable it. There is no way to easily disable the wi-fi once it's connected either. I ended up disabling the tracking and internet apps by resetting the TV to remove the wi-fi password. A generic Android box is better than the Vizio TV apps anyway. I didn't want the "smart TV" feature in the first place but there isn't much choice in TVs without it.

As far as I am concerned, the lack of a TV tuner is an advantage. It lowers the cost of the TV. I use PVR software on a media server to record OTA. The OTA is streamed to media players connected to each TV.
 
#23 ·
I just got the XBR65X750D from Sony. Price was $1999 at Best Buy Canada. Like it in all ways. Good 4K (UHD BDs), excellent with 1080P/I and very good upscaling of 480i/SD. Tons of possible adjustments to picture and sound provided. I haven't yet had time to try more than a few of them. No light bleeding at the corners or sides (it's not that thin) and really good blacks. Also has good side viewing angles. No motion blur that I've noticed so far. Sound is better than most of the flat panels I've heard in friends' homes. WI-FI is built in of course and WI-FI Direct also included for which you don't need a WI-FI network. Loaded APP choices are bit on the light side but Android Play Store is included. Four HDMI inputs and 3 USB ports one of which is the latest USB 3.0. There is a rumour that in the fall or winter there will be an update for HDR available for this set which would give it all of the latest 4K bells and whistles.

I'm not saying this is the only set for you but you might want to give it a look.
 
#24 ·
After talking to couple people, I decided to go for 75" set. My viewing distance is around 12-14 feet, so 75" sounds appropriate.

A friend of mine did some research and recommended the following set - Samsung 75" 4K UHD LED Tizen Smart TV (UN75JU7100FXZC) : 70 - 79 inch TVs - Best Buy Canada

He says that it is very well priced for 75" set and he believes that Samsung at the moment provides better value than Sony or LG.

Again, I'm not looking for absolutely best TV, and not the cheapest one, but something that provides good quality and good value for money. I know that this set is from 2015 and it's not HDR, but since HDR content is very rare anyway, I'm not sure it's worth the money at this time.

Thoughts?
 
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