I have a couple of TVs. Both around 6 years old now. An LG OLED 65 B7 and a TCL 55R617.
I had the LG calibrated by a well regarded calibrator. It is really nice. I get positive comments on it regularly.
The TCL is OK for a bedroom TV. Not being neurotic about picture quality, after watching the TCL for a bit I really don’t think about the differences to the OLED.
I have a couple of OPPO BD players. If I want to demo the OLED, I use 4K discs with Dolby Vision content. That is about as good as you can get for a source. But there is lots of content from Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and even Paramount+ (etc.) that is very good.
I have a few streaming boxes (I don’t use the built in apps on either TV.). I use my Nvidia Shields for pretty much everything. It uses a HDHomerun tuner for over the air TV. Which can be quite good. Especially using the ATSC 3 stations available locally.
I also rip everything from disc and put it on a PLEX server so I can stream that content in it’s original quality to either TV and all of my devices.
When the LG dies, I will replace it with another one. I just don’t think that the difference in the pricing between the Sony and LG make it worth going with Sony OLED. PQ difference likely not even noticeable unless you had the sets sitting right next to each other and are real picky. I really believe that a good calibration brings much more value.
Actually. I think the newer TCL models can be very good, and much cheaper… Plus just fine if one does not spend more time agonizing over PQ rather than enjoying content.
I have a Kuro plasma still in action (the other one replaced by Sony A95L). Amazing for its time and I still love it for 1080 material. But 4k in OLEDs is (of course) another level that I’ve never seen before.
Not TV, but I would also recommend OLED for computer screen. I have an Acer Edge or something with OLED screen. Nothing else, IPS LED, regular LED, 4k LED, in my other laptops comes remotely close wrt color rendition and saturation. I don’t want to spend so much but some of these Acers with serious specs come refurbished for reasonable cost ~$600 and I couldn’t help it. Look on Amazon if anyone is interested. I shoot Canon/Nikon SLR in raw format and spend hours with my photography stuffs, and continue to be amazed by this laptop.
I’ve been researching TVs extensively. There is currently no perfect TV, each one has some kind of compromise.
Buy the Sony A95L if you want the best color
Buy the Samsung S90D if you don’t want to spend $3k on the A95L and you don’t care about Dolby Vision
Buy the Sony Bravia 9 if you need a TV for a bright room with the other stats being the best possible. This one will also have the most impactful HDR.
Buy the LG G4 for slightly better-than-A95L brightness but slightly more banding in certain colors, also better gaming performance. You save about $700 currently vs an A95L
The UHD bluray is the only source that properly utilizes the capabilities of a 4K tv. Streaming services like Netflix offer 4k resolution, but at EXTREMELY reduced bitrates compared to a physical disk. I believe their audio is also lossy.
My Sony X900F is a “smart” TV but I don’t keep it connected to the network. It also opens to the last source I used which is always my A/V receiver. I don’t see any of the streaming gunk. If I want to stream, I use one of the connected devices. (PC or PS5)
I haven’t bought a TV in about 15 years. I’ve used it as a display for a home theater PC and for casual gaming on consoles. I haven’t used my TV as a traditional for a long time. Not doing anything visually important and relying on streaming and sailing the high seas, I haven’t needed 4K or high framerates… yet.
Been thinking about a projector setup instead but haven’t found many affordable ones that have decent response times. I don’t want to jump into the privacy nightmare of smart TVs (or projectors).
So I have been stuck with a little 40" Samsung. It’s still going strong. If I eventually break down and buy a TV I trust Samsung and maybe LG as mid range options.
Sony and highend models from others are probably above my price threshold. I won’t touch the budget brands. Visio was good but have succumed to enshitification and are a privacy concern nowadays. Not sure about the newer budget brands like TCL.
Interested to see if anyone has some insights into budget friendly TVs and Projectors that don’t spy on me.
Thanks for reminding me to buy some more UHD 4k discs. I only have 3. The Planet Earth and Last Reef discs are the ultimate in color, saturation, and sharpness. Jaw dropping every time I look. Unfortunately, don’t you think the days of physical discs are numbered? The number of enthusiasts buying them must be so infinitesimally low against what’s needed to make big $.
To address the question, I’m not sure if the days of Physical Media are numbered or not.
Some people are getting fed up with streaming which offers a limited number of movies. Movies can also be removed from streaming at any time due to licensing disputes. Plus, if your interests in film extends past the last decade or so good luck finding what you want in streaming.
I’m hoping that if records and record players can make a comeback then blu-rays can keep a market share even if it is a bit niche. Currently it’s a bit worriesome that the major electronics companies haven’t introduced a new 4k player model in several years. There have been some of high-end releases though from Magnetar and Reavon.
I will buy older movies I enjoy or are hard to find in complete unedited versions from Thrift shops, Epay, Flea markets etc. Very inexpensive and if I tire of the movies it gets donated for someone else to enjoy.
On the other hand Whole lot to not like about steaming movies;
Internet down or crappy, pic sucks or is unavailable.
Movie gets bounced from one stream company to another and then becomes rent only $3.99 for 48 hr window even though you already pay to have stream service (Looking at you Prime)
Bloopers, additional scenes, commentary usually not included
Dialog missing or changed due to the relentless PC cops.
This week wanted to show wife 2 movies in entirety, True Grit 2010 version and Christmas vacation. Neither was available on my Prime or Netflix.
Not interested in BS network, ad filled scene cutting 3 hr for 2 hr movie.
True Grit is coming from Epay now and I will find Christmas Vacation at one of the many thrift stores local this week.
I still stream some movies just hate the drama of the services not keeping them very long anymore.
Peace out.
Streaming is good, but it’s not better. Streaming means worse bitrates, reduced catalogs, and network-dependent availability. Licensing disputes can render entertainment unreachable for years.
You don’t need to buy EVERY movie on Blu-ray, just the ones you know you’ll rewatch. Additionally, thanks to sales you can own most movies for substantially less than the cost of a theater ticket with a little patience. (and that’s ignoring the second hand market of library sales, pawn shops, and thrift stores)
While the plastic may technically just represent a license, it’s still physically in your possession and will likely last your lifetime. It’s also totally possible to back these disks up with a little research.
I used to think the same way. “I want to own it.” Then I realized I never watch a movie more than two times.
Also eventually all movies become free on Netflix and on Prime. After two to theee years they free.
Seriously, what is the point of owning a movie on VHS? Or on Laser Disk. Its damn obsolete. DVD, Blue Ray will also be obsolete soon. 5 years, 10 years. Not more than that.
Yes you may name one two or theee movies that you wathed 100x and you saved money owning over streaming but these are a handful at best.
Then I realized I never watch a movie more than two times.
I watch many of my movies once a year, some of them every other year.
Also eventually all movies become free on Netflix and on Prime. After two to theee years they free.
Netflix and Prime are not free… are you joking? $269/yr for Netflix’s bad 4k which only applies to select titles. SDR bitrates lower than a bluray… They also have a penchant for uploading tons of fodder movies mixed with just a few popular movies. I don’t need the fodder. I already own the good ones.
Seriously, what is the point of owning a movie on VHS? Or on Laser Disk. Its damn obsolete. DVD, Blue Ray will also be obsolete soon. 5 years, 10 years. Not more than that.
Not if the ISPs get their way and institute data caps on all customers. I’ll be sitting back with my crystal clear picture instead of paying twice for a the dribble of low bitrate content. And if I’m wrong and they stop printing new disks and selling new players, I’ll simply backup my existing collection to hard drives.
It is, but with DD+ the bitrate is higher and codec more efficient. DD+ Atmos can be pretty darn good. I still swear I hear a difference between that and Atmos/TrueHD tracks on a disk though. It is simply better.
I much prefer physical media, but some of the best streaming stuff is not bad. Far superior to the stuff I used to find acceptable… like copies of VHS tapes… or even DVDs
Someone go check out Louis Rossman’s channel. Even if you pay for hi-def, unless you got the “right” computer and processor and teevee and everything else along the way that absolutely gets checked to be able to preserve DRM, you WILL NOT get the hi-def you already paid for.
Find your movie of choice on The High Seas, and you get full 4k and all the trimmings if you want.
Sure. Whether you like lossy or lossless audio, streaming video or hard disc, there’s no wrong or right. Personal preference, what each of us is looking for, etc., matters. I agree with both “sides’” viewpoint.
For my living room system with the Sony OLED, lossy audio and streaming video are more than good enough. But if you have a hometheater with projector, huge subwoofers, and all separates, then lossy audio and streaming video are STILL pretty good, but lossless audio with uncompressed 4k HD might make some nutty OCD people happier . Personal preference and need, no wrong or right. It’s exactly the same situation as the different hobbyists on this flashlight forum.
. Personal preference and need, no wrong or right. It’s exactly the same situation as the different hobbyists on this flashlight forum.
But I also do quite a bit of streaming and it is fine.