Any TV suggestions?

[luckyman]

Hard to search for just 2 characters successfully, hopefully I didn't miss any discussions....

My 8 year old Samsung is dying. It has to reboot itself about 10 times before it successfully turns on. I've confirmed it is definitely the TV, not another component or a cable, and I tried both HDMI ports.

The new TV will be used as the [main] family room TV for the next year and a bit until I retire/move, then will be pressed into bedroom use. Both rooms are pretty big, and can be bright at times. I have wall space for as big a TV as I want to spend money for.

Constraints/thoughts:

• My wife now hates Samsung after our refrigerator, clothes washer, and now TV experience. No Samsung.
• I'm naturally the type to buy last year's new hotness, to save some money. This is balanced somewhat by my wife thinking of this as "her" TV so I can't go too cheap/old.
• I get irritated / confused by the fact that the big chains like Costco, BestBuy, etc seem to always get their own slightly unique model numbers, making it hard for me to compare.
• Pretty much want to buy with little or no in-store investigation, due to Covid.
• I don't care about the sound quality of the TV; will be using a soundbar or receiver.
• I currently have cable TV + Amazon Prime and Netflix. Planning to drop the cable TV when we move.
• Am currently leaning towards a 65", but not for sure.
• $1800 or so would be nice. Could spend double that if I thought it was actually worth it.

What do people think? What technology and brand? Where to buy?
Is OLED worth it? Especially given the room will be bright in the daytime?
Amazon Prime, BestBuy, Costco, somewhere else?
TCL, Vizio, Sony, LG, ...?

[RJ]

No more Samsungs for us either. Our 2017 model developed a wide band of non-picture at the left edge. After LITERALLY SIX MONTHS DELAY between the so-called Costco "Concierge" service (which was worthless) and the Samsung customer no-service department, they ended up giving us another...of the exact same model. We have since donated it to the kids, as they needed a bigger TV. So we are in the market for something as well.

Be interested in what you end up with. My family is partial to large Sony's but I'm not sure what's the best price/performance these days. They all look good at the store with those vibrant 4K sources of Air Balloons or wild animal Africa scenes they put on.

[mtnbkr]

Nevermind. Saw your budget and realized you were shopping in different region than me.

Chris

[luckyman]

Nevermind. Saw your budget and realized you were shopping in different region than me.

Chris

Ah, you should have kept your post anyway!

If I have my budget set in the "wasting money" category I'd like to know, and always good to have related info for others to refer to.

[HeavyDuty]

TVs are commodities to me. I personally spend as little as possible while still getting the features that I want.

I have two lower end LG 55” 4K models that I like very much. The first one was purchased in 2016 for around $600 on sale, the second last year for under $300. The larger ones are under a K the last time I looked.

[Andy T]

I primarily like to buy TVs from Costco because of their extended warranty, especially if you use their card.
I just got home form Costco with Samsung's 65" Q8DT. This is the same as Q80T.
I agree with no go on Samsung's major appliances - I fought to get money back for their fridge, but hoping the TVs are still OK.
An alternative is the Sony X90CH (X900H in normal world). The reason I picked them and they are so expensive is the 4K @ 120HZ ability that is recommended for next gen consoles for for use as a computer monitor. If you aren't using either, you can probably go with 4K @60HZ (most other smart TVs) and get a larger size for the same budget.
I too bought the TV without "in person" viewing purely based on online research. However, I plan to do mine when I figure out the stand situation. The nice thing about Costco is 90 day return on TVs as well.

rtings.com seems to be the go to site for TV reviews/comparisons.

[luckyman]

I primarily like to buy TVs from Costco because of their extended warranty, especially if you use their card.
I just got home form Costco with Samsung's 65" Q8DT. This is the same as Q80T.
I agree with no go on Samsung's major appliances - I fought to get money back for their fridge, but hoping the TVs are still OK.
An alternative is the Sony X90CH (X900H in normal world). The reason I picked them and they are so expensive is the 4K @ 120HZ ability that is recommended for next gen consoles for for use as a computer monitor. If you aren't using either, you can probably go with 4K @60HZ (most other smart TVs) and get a larger size for the same budget.
I too bought the TV without "in person" viewing purely based on online research. However, I plan to do mine when I figure out the stand situation. The nice thing about Costco is 90 day return on TVs as well.

rtings.com seems to be the go to site for TV reviews/comparisons.

Good thoughts; I’m not a gamer of any sort and would only be doing things like sharing YouTube videos via airplay from my iPad. Just looking for good colors, ok performance in bright rooms, ability to see dim scenes (when the room is not bright), etc. So maybe I can save some money for some nicer optics for my firearms [emoji1]

[vcdgrips]

Both wire cutter and consumer reports like OLED LG in your price point.

Wire cutter like TLC in more budget models.

[luckyman]

Both wire cutter and consumer reports like OLED LG in your price point.

Wire cutter like TLC in more budget models.

Thanks, wasn’t really familiar with wire cutter. Would love to hear personal opinions on if OLED is that big a difference for the extra money you pay.

[mark7]

I have a 65 LG OLED. Bought on close out two seasons ago. In my opinion the best picture I've seen. I'm not sure how you would make out with one in bright sun light. While my living area is far from dark, it rarely sees direct bright sun light. I have had zero issues with the tv.