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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: gmillerdrake on February 28, 2017, 09:48:04 AM
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Long story short.....my three year constant pestering/nagging my wife about 'letting' me get a large (60"-65") TV for our living room has paid off and she's relented. I have a pretty nice expense check coming for all the travel I recently did for a project, and I 'get' to use some of it on getting a new TV.
I have about an $850-$900 budget and would like to get a 60"-65" High Def TV...even a 4k AND a soundbar. I've found a couple online at SAMS, Best Buy and what not which all have good to decent reviews....but I find myself indecisive because I'm scared I'm going to choose a 'lemon' based off the fact I can't spend $1,500 on the REALLY nice name brands.
At the moment this one is intriguing to me from Hisense and it comes with a standard 4 year factory warranty.
https://www.samsclub.com/sams/hisense-65-4k-smart-4hdmi-wifi/prod20610275.ip?xid=plp11810111-elec:product:1:3
There is also this one from Sharp that I like, and being that we have a 50" Sharp that has been nothing but great it's a contender as well.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sharp-LC-60N6200U-60-4K-Ultra-HD-2160p-60Hz-LED-Smart-HDTV-4K-x-2K/50855550
As far as sound bars...I plan to spend $100-$150 on one and just figure a sound bar is a sound bar....right?
Any advice/experiences/suggestions would be appreciate as I don't get to 'waste' this type of $$ often and would like to make it count.
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Get a Vizio at Costco. Even if you aren't a member, buy a basic membership and it will still be cheaper than anywhere else. Plus, you get a no questions asked, two year electronics warranty through them in addition to the manufacturer's warranty.
60" 4K - $800
https://www.costco.com/.product.100309723.html
Some people will talk Vizio down. I've owned six and currently have three in my house. No complaints with any of them. I can't recommend them enough.
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DO NOT get a sound bar. They are garbage. Save a bit and get a decent 5-channel receiver/speaker set. The issue is that you basically NEED a sound system with the new TV's because their speakers are garbage. But ever since the DVD revolution, there has been this movement to layer what some would consider to be WAY too much sound in the background, in terms of effects, score, etc., which drowns out dialog. Sound bars do not fix this problem. You need at least a 5 channel because, on a 5-channel system, the dialog resides mostly in the front center channel, which you can slightly boost while slightly lowering the other channels. I can almost guarantee you will not be happy with a sound bar, other than the fact that it will be louder and slightly clearer than the TV speakers. Within a couple of months, you will be asking yourself why you bought it and trying to unload it on some unsuspecting fool on Craigslist.
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Get a Vizio at Costco. Even if you aren't a member, buy a basic membership and it will still be cheaper than anywhere else. Plus, you get a no questions asked, two year electronics warranty through them in addition to the manufacturer's warranty.
60" 4K - $800
https://www.costco.com/.product.100309723.html
Some people will talk Vizio down. I've owned six and currently have three in my house. No complaints with any of them. I can't recommend them enough.
is the Chrome Cast a pain or is it reliable? I was worried about that aspect of the Vizio's?
DO NOT get a sound bar. They are garbage. Save a bit and get a decent 5-channel receiver/speaker set. The issue is that you basically NEED a sound system with the new TV's because their speakers are garbage. But ever since the DVD revolution, there has been this movement to layer what some would consider to be WAY too much sound in the background, in terms of effects, score, etc., which drowns out dialog. Sound bars do not fix this problem. You need at least a 5 channel because, on a 5-channel system, the dialog resides mostly in the front center channel, which you can slightly boost while slightly lowering the other channels. I can almost guarantee you will not be happy with a sound bar, other than the fact that it will be louder and slightly clearer than the TV speakers.
Great...something else to think about :lol but seriously, thanks for that heads up.
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Samsung smart TVs are the way to go.
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Get a Vizio at Costco. Even if you aren't a member, buy a basic membership and it will still be cheaper than anywhere else. Plus, you get a no questions asked, two year electronics warranty through them in addition to the manufacturer's warranty.
60" 4K - $800
https://www.costco.com/.product.100309723.html
Some people will talk Vizio down. I've owned six and currently have three in my house. No complaints with any of them. I can't recommend them enough.
is the Chrome Cast a pain or is it reliable? I was worried about that aspect of the Vizio's?
I can't speak to the Chromecast, but two of my three have an Amazon Firestick and they work fine. I run an old laptop to my biggest one in the living room with an HDMI cable, and I leave a wireless keyboard with a track pad in the coffee table. If I ever need to mirror anything like that to the TV, it's a piece of cake. But honestly, I haven't done that since I stopped torrenting. Anything I need on a TV is available through all the apps on the Firesticks or my PS4.
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Get a Vizio at Costco. Even if you aren't a member, buy a basic membership and it will still be cheaper than anywhere else. Plus, you get a no questions asked, two year electronics warranty through them in addition to the manufacturer's warranty.
60" 4K - $800
https://www.costco.com/.product.100309723.html
Some people will talk Vizio down. I've owned six and currently have three in my house. No complaints with any of them. I can't recommend them enough.
is the Chrome Cast a pain or is it reliable? I was worried about that aspect of the Vizio's?
I can't speak to the Chromecast, but two of my three have an Amazon Firestick and they work fine. I run an old laptop to my biggest one in the living room with an HDMI cable, and I leave a wireless keyboard with a track pad in the coffee table. If I ever need to mirror anything like that to the TV, it's a piece of cake. But honestly, I haven't done that since I stopped torrenting. Anything I need on a TV is available through all the apps on the Firesticks or my PS4.
I was confused on if since these Visio's have this Chromecast if that was the ONLY way you could view APPs or if the Firestick would still work, because we use the Firestick as well.
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Firestick should work on any TV with the right input for it.
I agree with bosky, stay away from soundbars.
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I personally don't like soundbars either, but got to consider your budget. A cheap soundbar is going to be less expensive and easier to install than a 5 speaker sound system and still sound much better than the TV speakers. If your budget it 900, you might not have room for a better sound system than a sound bar. Having said that, I refuse to buy soundbars personally. I have a 5 speaker system in my basement that was cheap (Samsung on sale for $200 at target a few years ago) and is still way better than a soundbar (you can get them around $100).
And since you are not going to be getting the best of the best, a Vizio should be fine. I personally like Samsung, but I've heard good things about Vizios (besides the fact they spy on you https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/business/vizio-television-vizio-collected-viewers-habits-consent.html?_r=0 (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/business/vizio-television-vizio-collected-viewers-habits-consent.html?_r=0) :lol ).
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Get a Vizio at Costco. Even if you aren't a member, buy a basic membership and it will still be cheaper than anywhere else. Plus, you get a no questions asked, two year electronics warranty through them in addition to the manufacturer's warranty.
60" 4K - $800
https://www.costco.com/.product.100309723.html
Some people will talk Vizio down. I've owned six and currently have three in my house. No complaints with any of them. I can't recommend them enough.
is the Chrome Cast a pain or is it reliable? I was worried about that aspect of the Vizio's?
I can't speak to the Chromecast, but two of my three have an Amazon Firestick and they work fine. I run an old laptop to my biggest one in the living room with an HDMI cable, and I leave a wireless keyboard with a track pad in the coffee table. If I ever need to mirror anything like that to the TV, it's a piece of cake. But honestly, I haven't done that since I stopped torrenting. Anything I need on a TV is available through all the apps on the Firesticks or my PS4.
I was confused on if since these Visio's have this Chromecast if that was the ONLY way you could view APPs or if the Firestick would still work, because we use the Firestick as well.
Oh, no. Chromecast plugs in via an HDMI port, just like the fire sticks. You select the input for the firestick just as you would a video game console or Blu Ray player.
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People get lemons regardless of which brand they choose. Plenty of people take their Panasonic out of the box to find it doesn't work. It's rare for any modern manufacturer, but it happens and those are the people most likely to get on Amazon and shit all over the product. Long term dependability is what matters, but it's also much harder to predict. What it comes down to is whether the manufacturer spends 3¢ on each capacitor rather than 2¢. The quality of the solder they use. The amount of Styrofoam they put in the box during shipping. All things you can't really predict or investigate. Your top tier brands are going to do everything right. Your knock-offs are going to cheap out on some of the little stuff. That was always the knock against Vizio. However, in the end you're probably going to get your usage out of it until it's time for the next upgrade, regardless of which one you choose. In 4 years you'll be clamoring for a 16k TV or something. It's just like cars. All the manufacturers need to do is make sure it outlasts joy of ownership.
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^ true. TVs don't last like they used to. Well they may, I was told my TV should last 20 years easily, but I think it's more likely that you upgrade before then to ever realize the end of life of your TV now. Also TVs are getting cheaper overall so it's just becoming another commodity you use and toss and upgrade, not something you hold onto for 20 years like my TV as a child.
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DO NOT get a sound bar.
Samsung smart TVs are the way to go.
Quoted for truth.
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Samsung smart TVs are the way to go.
This
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I have a Vizio. No problems.
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Appreciate all the feedback :tup
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Gary, here's just another little anecdote, for what it's worth: We didn't have ANY kind of hi-def TV until just a few years ago. We bought right when the 3D TV's had been out for a bit, and the curved screens had just come out and were all the rage. We bought a "plain old" 55" Panasonic LED hi-def from Costco. It wasn't top of the line by any stretch. But we have never looked back. Prior to getting it, I was just itching to get a new TV. I could see a HUGE difference between what we had and what was out there. But since getting it, I haven't had even the slightest inkling to replace it and upgrade. Yeah, I can see differences between what we have now and some of the top of the line stuff. But the difference is relatively insignificant, and I wouldn't really notice unless I was consciously trying to. I guess where I'm trying to get to is that I wouldn't worry about spending $1500 on something more "high end." You should be able to find something nice in that range. As was already said, I cannot recommend Costco enough simply because you will get a good product and they will stand behind it if something goes wrong. You WILL need to do something about the sound, but that can wait until you can save a bit more and know what you want. Not to mention the fact that your wife will fall in love with the picture on the new set, but will hate the sound, and that will eventually boil over and she will practically BEG you to do something about it. If you go over budget now, she will be mad. But if you let her make you buy a sound system later on, everybody wins.
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Gary, here's just another little anecdote, for what it's worth: We didn't have ANY kind of hi-def TV until just a few years ago. We bought right when the 3D TV's had been out for a bit, and the curved screens had just come out and were all the rage. We bought a "plain old" 55" Panasonic LED hi-def from Costco. It wasn't top of the line by any stretch. But we have never looked back. Prior to getting it, I was just itching to get a new TV. I could see a HUGE difference between what we had and what was out there. But since getting it, I haven't had even the slightest inkling to replace it and upgrade. Yeah, I can see differences between what we have now and some of the top of the line stuff. But the difference is relatively insignificant, and I wouldn't really notice unless I was consciously trying to. I guess where I'm trying to get to is that I wouldn't worry about spending $1500 on something more "high end." You should be able to find something nice in that range. As was already said, I cannot recommend Costco enough simply because you will get a good product and they will stand behind it if something goes wrong. You WILL need to do something about the sound, but that can wait until you can save a bit more and know what you want. Not to mention the fact that your wife will fall in love with the picture on the new set, but will hate the sound, and that will eventually boil over and she will practically BEG you to do something about it. If you go over budget now, she will be mad. But if you let her make you buy a sound system later on, everybody wins.
Perhaps you should purposely adjust the audio settings so they sound extra shitty :lol
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Gary, here's just another little anecdote, for what it's worth: We didn't have ANY kind of hi-def TV until just a few years ago. We bought right when the 3D TV's had been out for a bit, and the curved screens had just come out and were all the rage. We bought a "plain old" 55" Panasonic LED hi-def from Costco. It wasn't top of the line by any stretch. But we have never looked back. Prior to getting it, I was just itching to get a new TV. I could see a HUGE difference between what we had and what was out there. But since getting it, I haven't had even the slightest inkling to replace it and upgrade. Yeah, I can see differences between what we have now and some of the top of the line stuff. But the difference is relatively insignificant, and I wouldn't really notice unless I was consciously trying to. I guess where I'm trying to get to is that I wouldn't worry about spending $1500 on something more "high end." You should be able to find something nice in that range. As was already said, I cannot recommend Costco enough simply because you will get a good product and they will stand behind it if something goes wrong. You WILL need to do something about the sound, but that can wait until you can save a bit more and know what you want. Not to mention the fact that your wife will fall in love with the picture on the new set, but will hate the sound, and that will eventually boil over and she will practically BEG you to do something about it. If you go over budget now, she will be mad. But if you let her make you buy a sound system later on, everybody wins.
This is so true. I'm trying not to get swept away by 4K and all the bells and whistles. We've had (2) "regular" HD TVs for years and they've been more than adequate. I'm trying not to spend $900 just 'because I can'....i also want to be practical.
Again....these are all great responses with 'real world' fuel behind them so i do appreciate you all taking the time to chime in.
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Until most TV is broadcasted in 4k, I wouldn't consider it. Now a 4k monitor for a PC I would consider.
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Until most TV is broadcasted in 4k, I wouldn't consider it.
I agree.
Except for when I go in stores that are displaying 4K TVs. Then I want one.
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Women will never understand Hef.
Btw, the LED TV's these days are amazing. Not sure the pricing.
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When you say 'regular' HDTVs....what size?
This is what we purchased 4+ years ago
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/toshiba-55-class-54-6-diag--led-1080p-with-chromecast-built-in-hdtv-black/4807300.p?skuId=4807300
We love it, except.....when using the home stereo, the sound is a full second 'late'. Bought a gizmo to help that out, but it is still 'off' by a fraction.
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Talking about wives, my wife watches a lot of TV - most of it reality shows - but she is oblivious to the sound. I have a $500 receiver plus $2000 worth of 5.1 speakers, and it the sound came out of the TV, she wouldn't know the difference. She only notices the sound quality when we watch action movies.
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Audio is pretty much the only reason I EVER go to a movie theater anymore. I've never had a good home setup.
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I'm just gonna join the Vizio dogpile and say how much I love mine. I've had mine for 3.5 years and it's never fucked up once.
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I forced myself to buy a Vizio and miss my LG. Unfortunately the ex got the TV so I liken my Vizio experience to my divorce, both with pros and cons. Bottom line - Vizio is what you get after the wife takes the good stuff. I hope this helps. ;D
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Talking about wives, my wife watches a lot of TV - most of it reality shows - but she is oblivious to the sound. I have a $500 receiver plus $2000 worth of 5.1 speakers, and it the sound came out of the TV, she wouldn't know the difference. She only notices the sound quality when we watch action movies.
I feel you. Every time I talk to my wife about anything technical regarding TVs/film/blurays/resolution her eyes glaze over.
She understands that there are differences, they just aren't important to her.
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Just want to chime in to say that you should absolutely treat audio and video separately. Get the TV for the video, and as I believe Bosk initially suggested, get a receiver with 5.1+ speakers to handle the audio. No reason to spend wasted money on a sound bar or go with TV sound. In either case you'll have amazing video marred by terrible audio.
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My two cents: TVs are like any other electronic device; you have to decide the features you want and buy accordingly. In your price range (which is mine too, if it matters) you won't get the top-of-the-line in everything, so you decide. Vizio consistently gets lauded for it's picture, and that's what matters most to me. I run my sound through a Denon 7.1 system, so I don't even care if it HAS speakers. I rarely use the "smart" functions (I have a PS3 hooked up, and will soon have a PS4, as well as a Firestick) so that's not something I'm spending a lot of time on researching.
For me, Vizio fits the bill nicely; I can get more TV - more picture - for my dollar.
Stay away from sound bars. I don't quite get the benefit from them other than a little volume. Even my wife and daughters - who will gladly sit and watch Zak Bagans or Dancing With The C-List Stars on SD in mono - have commented that the 5.1 is awesome to have.
For $900, you can't really do both - big screen and 5.1 system - but you can get an awesome TV (Chino was right: Costco, or if you prefer, BJs runs some good specials too) and later watch Best Buy and pick up a decent Denon for a couple hundred bucks.
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I'd like to add, that even though I agreed with staying away from sound bars, I have test driven a couple that sounded quite nice: Klipsch G-42 and Denon HEOS. Both sounded pretty full, but could still benefit from having a sub-woofer, and for that you need an audio receiver. The Klipsch had the added benefit of being able to be used as a center channel speaker if you upgrade later to a full 5.1 or 7.1 system.
The big problem with these high end sound bars is that they cost as much as the TV you are considering buying! That's halfway to a quality "surround in a box" system that most of us are far happier with.
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Talking about wives, my wife watches a lot of TV - most of it reality shows - but she is oblivious to the sound. I have a $500 receiver plus $2000 worth of 5.1 speakers, and it the sound came out of the TV, she wouldn't know the difference. She only notices the sound quality when we watch action movies.
I feel you. Every time I talk to my wife about anything technical regarding TVs/film/blurays/resolution her eyes glaze over.
She understands that there are differences, they just aren't important to her.
Most females I have known have never cared for sound quality. However the girl Ive been seeing definitely likes my sound system better than the TV speakers. It's a noticeable difference but it's rare, to me, that a female would not only just notice but also care for that difference.
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Talking about wives, my wife watches a lot of TV - most of it reality shows - but she is oblivious to the sound. I have a $500 receiver plus $2000 worth of 5.1 speakers, and it the sound came out of the TV, she wouldn't know the difference. She only notices the sound quality when we watch action movies.
I feel you. Every time I talk to my wife about anything technical regarding TVs/film/blurays/resolution her eyes glaze over.
She understands that there are differences, they just aren't important to her.
Most females I have known have never cared for sound quality. However the girl Ive been seeing definitely likes my sound system better than the TV speakers. It's a noticeable difference but it's rare, to me, that a female would not only just notice but also care for that difference.
For those that care, Cram refers to his penis as his "sound system" and his testicles as "his speakers". Odd, I know, but you'll have to ask him.
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Do females typically like the speakers over the system? :lol That would be new to me
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Do females typically like the speakers over the system? :lol That would be new to me
There's someone for everyone. (Though one day Howard Stern was saying something similar - basically that "balls" were gross and unnecessary and ruined the presentation for females - and some woman called up and said just that: she enjoys the "speakers".)
(And don't kill my joke. It was funny in my head! :) :) :)).
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Do females typically like the speakers over the system? :lol That would be new to me
If you can't handle relations while doing a handstand then you have a lot to learn.
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Do females typically like the speakers over the system? :lol That would be new to me
It's not the size of the speaker, it's the sound of the wave...
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I'm redoing my living room (well the half that the TV is on) and I'm wall mounting my 60" to free up 18" of so of space from the wall. I have no idea what to do about sound. I'm currently using a sound system that used to belong to my dad. It's an RCA receiver from 1990ish with two monster JBL speakers that I've never turned up higher than 50% because they're laughably loud. They sound absolutely amazing, but they're really bulky. They take up a ton of room, as does the receiver.
I'm not looking for the most amazing sounding equipment. I'm happy with decent. I know you guys have spoken out against the soundbar, but for what I'm trying to accomplish, they are really ideal. I have a Bose Mini Soundlink that sounds unbelievable for its size. I imagine a Bose soundbar with a subwoofer would be decent enough.
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You should be able to go test drive a Bose Soundtouch 300 at any BestBuy. I think I remember them sounding terrific and because it's Soundtouch technology, you can expand it with actual rear channel speakers and a sub-woofer, wirelessly, later on.
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You should be able to go test drive a Bose Soundtouch 300 at any BestBuy. I think I remember them sounding terrific and because it's Soundtouch technology, you can expand it with actual rear channel speakers and a sub-woofer, wirelessly, later on.
That sounds pretty cool.
I love Bose products although they are expensive, but it's good quality.
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Yeah, if memory serves, it's in the $600 - $800 range depending on where you get it. I've seen them at Costco before and I think that's where I saw the lower price.
I'll add that I love Bose products too, but I've only ever purchased computer speakers. For the house and entertainment room I've been able to find less expensive ways to get what I need. Are my solution as good as Bose? Absolutely not, but they've worked out for me.
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I'm not looking for the most amazing sounding equipment. I'm happy with decent. I know you guys have spoken out against the soundbar, but for what I'm trying to accomplish, they are really ideal. I have a Bose Mini Soundlink that sounds unbelievable for its size. I imagine a Bose soundbar with a subwoofer would be decent enough.
The big problem I have with soundbars is the video "volume war" issue that I mentioned above. If you are watching an old movie (mid-'90s or before), it can sound fantastic on a sound bar. But not long after that, in an effort to make movies sound more dynamic and push the envelope in sound, studios added so many layers and made sound effects and scores more prevalent and just flat-out louder. In a theater, that's fine. But your lower-end home systems, including even "high end" sound bars can't handle that. I mean, they can in terms of giving you a loud, wall of sound experience. But for a small room experience, they just don't separate all those layers of sound well enough, and, as I've said, what suffers is the center-channel dialog. So when you just have characters speaking in conversational tone or speaking softly during non-emotional parts of a movie where the score is not loud, you have to crank the volume to hear them, and then you get your eardrums blown out and you have the dialog drowned out when there are loud sound effects or where the score crescendos. Sound bars just are not equipped to handle that and separate out the center channel. You have to have a 5.1 system or better to accomplish that. The fortunate thing is, you can get a theater-in-a-box pretty cheap these days, and they don't take up much space.
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bosk brings up a great point. If you do go test drive one, make sure to sit at a point typical of your watching distance and watch a long section of dialog to be sure you can hear it well. I find the TV shows Flash, Arrow, and Elementary to be the best examples of dialog deficient shows. If you can clearly hear the dialog on these shows (and not get overwhelmed during the action), or at least be able to adjust the center channel independently, then the Bose might work.