Hunt is on for new TV

[Mark C Flick]

Little disappointed that my old Sony KDL-40S5100 TV died yesterday. As some of you may know I have been wanting to upgrade both my Denon 3805 and my S5100 for a couple of years now but they were both working flawlessly so I had a hard time justifying the cost. I've had my eye on the LG C7, C8, C9 but have to wonder if it's worth it. I suspect I could get a TV with significantly better picture quality than the S5100 for a lower price today than what I paid for the Sony 12 years ago. I also have to say that I liked the picture on the Sony, Maybe I was just accustomed to it and don't know what I was missing or I just happened to tweak the picture quality to my liking. My Panasonic TC-L32C3 is still going strong and I love the picture, I had set up the Sony and Panasonic side by side until I got the picture looking the same on both.

So looking for suggestions. Thinking I'd like to stay in the, oh, 40" to maybe 55" range and to stay under $2K. Though I do have to wonder, if based on my last two televisions, do I have to spend 2k or 1.4k to be happy or would a $300 - $500 49" LG Nano XXXXXXX whatever fit the bill?

 

[Todd Anderson]

Here's my 2 cents: If you value picture quality, go OLED. No questions asked. Over the last several years, I've purchased a 65" OLED for our living room, a 65" Sony XF900 LCD for our basement, and a less expensive 50" LG Nano (something) LCD for our bar area. Honestly, there's a huge drop off in performance from the OLED to the LCDs... and a noticeable difference between the Sony and LG.

Now, if budget is paramount, I'd go to RTINGS.com and buy the best TV that makes the dollars work. But, if you have the cash to go with a 55" OLED, I'd pick up the phone and call Robert at Value Electronics and see which Sony or LG model makes the most sense.

 

[Mark C Flick]

That brings up an interesting question. For me, money is not really a driver but it is a player. For example:
Nearly perfect TV = 20K
99.6 TV = $10k
99.2 TV = $1.4K
99.0 TV = $699,99
72.1 =$379.99
I'm probably gonna go with 699.99.
Can I afford $1.4 or $10k for a new TV? Yes. Would I pay $20k for a near perfect TV? No.
So I guess I'm looking for suggestions that are in the sweet spot.
I'm thinking a 55" LG-C9 tweaked by Robert and his team would be pretty close to the sweet spot but could I still save $1k by going with an LG Nano that might be a 50% improvement over what I've grown accustomed to and just tweak it myself for a fraction of the price?

 

[mechman]

What I'm seeing is that money is the most important issue to you Mark. I would do as Todd said and go to RTINGS.com and search thru their 'Best TV' pages until you satisfy yourself. They have a best 4K TV page, a best TV under $500 page, a best movie TV, a best budget TV, etc.

Just about anything you buy today should be significantly better than a 12 year old display. And if you spend more and get an OLED (go with the B9) it will be significantly better than the comparable LCD/LED display. Nothing can compare with the contrast ratios of the OLEDs or the viewing angles.

 

[Grayson Dere]

I haven't seen one in person but I've read on professional film colorist forums that the LG C8 has really excellent black level performance. Maybe this is true of all the LG 'C' OLED displays?

 

[mechman]

I haven't seen one in person but I've read on professional film colorist forums that the LG C8 has really excellent black level performance. Maybe this is true of all the LG 'C' OLED displays?

It is, as well as the Sony OLEDs. The advantage of LED/LCD is the brightness. They’re closer to the required nits for HDR. But they don’t have the floor that OLEDs have.

 

[Mark C Flick]

It may sound like money is the most important but it's not, value is. Size is also an important consideration. I once bought a 65" tv and returned it the next day, felt like I was always watching a tennis match. Now that I have sold my house and live in a smallish apartment I'd really like to stay under 50". I gotta say I did not realize that all OLED TVs are 55" or larger or am I missing something?

 

[mechman]

Yeah they don’t make anything smaller than 55”. How far back do you sit?

 

[DELAMOTTE]

Je suis surpris que personne ne parle de Panasonic, ils ont pourtant de bon produit comme le Panasonic TX-55GZ950

 

[mechman]

Translated:


I am surprised that nobody talks about Panasonic, they have a good product like the Panasonic TX-55GZ950

 

[DELAMOTTE]

Thanks for the translation. For me all the texts are automatically translated by Google

 

[Mark C Flick]

I sit about 8 feet back from my display. For the time being I have moved my Panasonic TC-L32C3 to the living room from the bedroom (never really watched TV in the bedroom) and it does quite well, if a bit small. It'll do until I can decide on a new one. Only problem with it is, I think it is just as old as my Sony was so who knows how much life is left in it.

 

[Mark C Flick]

Thinking I can live with the old Panny for a bit. I'm interested to find out a little more on the LG OLED 48CXPUA. That might be just what I'm looking/waiting for.

 

[mechman]

Good call Mark! I'd be interested if it was reasonably priced. I've been keeping an eye out for a replacement for my bedroom.

 

[Mark C Flick]

Yeah,... well,... impulse buy on Friday. LG OLED55B9PUA. The 55 fits better than I expected.

 

[mechman]

That's a good choice!

 

[Mark C Flick]

Yes, seems like a pretty good compromise between quality, cost and performance. Really like the black level. I've also read that the B9 peak brightness is not as good as the C9... that may be true as far as measured performance but wow, it's plenty bright in my room. Now to decide if I want to get it calibrated beyond what my patterns and filters can do?