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garyfritz
Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 12026 Location: Fort Collins, CO
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Link Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 5:37 pm Post subject: Low-end TV recommendations |
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My son is working a triple-overtime day today. He texted me "This is my 'Earning a Black Friday TV' day" and "GOTTA GET DAT 4K GOODNESS"
I told him 4k is basically a marketing scam, especially for the size / price point he'll be buying. I said unless he sits a foot or two from the screen he probably wouldn't notice the extra resolution -- especially since there isn't much 4k source material out there.
Then he started asking about HDR, and "Do you think OLED is better than HDR?" I said they're different things. OLED is the hardware tech used to display the pixels, HDR is software that changes the signal you send the to pixels. Basically displays don't have the dynamic range that your eye does, so HDR tries to "fake" more dynamic range. I haven't seen an HDR display, but the HDR pictures I've seen look artificially enhanced. I wouldn't want that on my TV.
But they have "HDR" TVs now and I don't know how that fits into things. I think they have wider dynamic range and a larger color gamut, both of which are good. I've read that if you put a lower-res HDR display next to a non-HDR high-res display, reviewers pick the HDR almost every time. So it must work pretty well.
Given that he's a 22-yr-old with a very limited budget who really shouldn't be blowing his money on a new TV, I'd like to reduce what he spends and make sure he gets good bang for his buck. I would tell him to just get a regular 1080p TV like I did, and it'll be good enough. But I doubt he'll listen to that. Next-best would be to get a 1080p HDR display, but there don't seem to be many of those. Seems like you have to go whole hog UHD 4k to get HDR from almost any manufacturer.
Any suggestions for him?
Gary
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kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 17860 Location: Ottawa, Canada
TV/Projector: JVC DLA-NZ7
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Link Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 1:05 pm Post subject: Re: Low-end TV recommendations |
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garyfritz wrote: | I think they have wider dynamic range and a larger color gamut, both of which are good. |
As long as the source is HDR too. Otherwise you're artificially stretching the colours out to be different from what the original content creator intended if you actually use the HDR space.
Quote: | I've read that if you put a lower-res HDR display next to a non-HDR high-res display, reviewers pick the HDR almost every time. So it must work pretty well. |
Probably because the colours are unnaturally oversaturated. That doesn't make it right however - it's been faked. It's a common thing that TV manufacturers have done for years: They crank the default saturation up to artificially boost colours so that their display has the most 'pop' on the showroom floor.
Unless you have and watch HDR content, HDR on a display is pointless and is screwing up the image if you use the extended colour gamut.
Quote: | Given that he's a 22-yr-old with a very limited budget who really shouldn't be blowing his money on a new TV, I'd like to reduce what he spends and make sure he gets good bang for his buck. I would tell him to just get a regular 1080p TV like I did, and it'll be good enough. |
Agreed. Unless he has a 4K Blu-ray player that supports HDR, or can watch other 4K content like the limited stuff on Netflix/Amazon/Youtube, there's little point to it today.
On direct view sized sets I agree that HDR is more interesting than the jump from 1080p -> 4K.
Kal
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Curt Palme CRT Tech
Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 24301 Location: Langley, BC
TV/Projector: All of them!
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Link Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 1:57 pm Post subject: |
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Serious advice: Not Vizio.
Less serious advice: Since he's not listening to dad, he will probably do what he wants anyway, so let him make the decision, buy some no name brand that will fail at the 14 month point, and he will learn a life lesson.
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garyfritz
Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 12026 Location: Fort Collins, CO
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Link Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 2:14 pm Post subject: |
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Ooohh, harsh. But apropos.
Thanks guys!
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jbltecnicspro
Joined: 23 Apr 2016 Posts: 512
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Link Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 5:29 pm Post subject: |
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Let us know what he decides to do. Some people have their hearts set on something and just will not let it go. I know someone who insisted on getting HDR and 4K and I told him that there's no point in it now because:
1. 4K on 65 inches is extremely small, especially at his family's viewing distance.
2. HDR is eventually moving to Rec 2020, which his set cannot do, so I estimate in a few years it'll be unable to fully deliver what HDR has to offer.
3. His pick was an IPS panel with just over 1200:1 contrast (ick).
But it's his money and his choice. I calibrated it and I must admit it looks pretty good for what it is, until you try to view it in a darkened setting and the blacks are just grays. Oh well.
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jmetal88
Joined: 06 Apr 2017 Posts: 108
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Link Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 4:27 am Post subject: |
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jbltecnicspro wrote: |
1. 4K on 65 inches is extremely small, especially at his family's viewing distance.
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I guess I haven't gotten with the times yet, as it sounds super weird to me to hear a sentence including "65 inches is extremely small" regarding a TV. Though I guess I can kind of understand it as I run a 1080p 40" set in my living room and have realized that my eyes can't fully resolve 1080p content on it while I'm sitting on my couch.
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jbltecnicspro
Joined: 23 Apr 2016 Posts: 512
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Link Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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jmetal88 wrote: | jbltecnicspro wrote: |
1. 4K on 65 inches is extremely small, especially at his family's viewing distance.
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I guess I haven't gotten with the times yet, as it sounds super weird to me to hear a sentence including "65 inches is extremely small" regarding a TV. Though I guess I can kind of understand it as I run a 1080p 40" set in my living room and have realized that my eyes can't fully resolve 1080p content on it while I'm sitting on my couch. |
The intent-impact gap is quite large with my statement. What I was trying to get at was that it felt silly how my buddy was insisting on 4K on a 65-inch television. At the distance at which his family watches the thing you would see no discernible difference between a 1080p-only TV and his TV. I get that more pixels is always desirable but at that size - unless you're sitting stupid close to the TV (they aren't) - that size is too small. 65 inches in and of itself isn't a small TV - but to actually see tangible benefits of the higher resolution it is. That was what I was trying to say.
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garyfritz
Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 12026 Location: Fort Collins, CO
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Link Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2017 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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jbltecnicspro wrote: | Let us know what he decides to do. Some people have their hearts set on something and just will not let it go. |
He ended up buying a refurbed 55" LG -- 55LF6300 or something similar. 4k and HDR so he's happy, and it only cost him something like $250. Looks like quite a nice set. The "smart" features are a helluva lot slicker than in the Samsung I bought last year.
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