Televisions?

[FAST]

Just my opinions

Go for a smart TV. I got a honking big LG model. Love it, does almost everything.

Talked to other people with LG,...all good,...never any problems.

Got a LED 47" LG smart, 3D,...had it calibrated,...looks fantastic, grand kids love the 3D movies on it.

Mine came packaged with a receiver and 5.1 speaker system,...great deal,...and sounds great.

If you are going to be connecting multiple sources to the tv,...use optical for the audio to the receiver,...don't have the audio go through the TV.

And as others have said,...in store comparisons are a waste of time.

Had a huge Pany CRT,...36",...had to give it away just to get it out of my house,...as others have said,...weighted a ton.

FAST

 

[explorerzip]

So you want a new TV but you don't want good programming for it. OK.

Most of the stuff on TV is junk,, repeats or from another time-zone. It makes no sense to me to pay Bell or Rogers $60 to over $100 per month for that. Get a beefier internet connection, subscribe to Netflix for some exclusives and do Google Play or iTunes for movie rentals.

 

[El_Cid]

I've had good luck with Samsung LED Tv's. I've got two, one's about 5 years old (50") and the other is about 3 (55"). Kinda hoping the old one dies so I can get something bigger. Check out the prices at Canada Computers. They're opening stores everywhere and usually have some decent models on sale. Remember to get at minimum a model that has 4+ HDMI ports with at least a 240Hz refresh. If you get a 120Hz or even worse a 60Hz refresh your sports are going to look a little weird when the screen can't refresh as fast the someone running across the screen. Also depending on your room set up (how close your TV is from your couch) get something with a screen around 55". You can go into the 60" range but you better have a nice living room to accommodate that beast.

 

[WinterHawk]

Well if you looking to Sony, you can go to the oldest Sony dealership in North America, G&G Electronics on Kingston Road. They are the premier Sony dealer in Canada.

 

[NorthernBear]

Believe it or not you can often get a pretty good deal on a great name brand tv at Wal-Mart. Go for the HDDV instead of the plasma or if you are into movies pay a bit more and get a 3d-TV and a 3D Blu-Ray player to go with it.

And LG is a very quality brand. I recently bought a Phillips HDDV and am very happy with it (48') and a LG HDDV (50') for my mom and she loves it.

 

[Carvher]

It depends how much money you are willing to spend. Since you seem to own your TV's for a long time then I would definitely get a 4k. The quality is unmatched.
Other posters have mentioned the benefits of a smart tv. You need to look at whether you would use the features. The 4k's are pricey but if you have the money then that's the way to go.

 

[james t kirk]

You've been watching on a tube TV? I don't think you need to put too much thought into it. Pick the size you want at the price that you can afford and I'm sure you will be better off than you were yesterday.

I would not agree with that.

I had a Sony wega from 2003 or so and it was a great picture. The only reason I dumped it was because it weighed 500 pounds. (not quite, but being a cathode ray tube it was extremely heavy and awkward) I was renovating and got sick of the weight of the thing. It was a 2 man job to move it.

But it lasted forever with no breakdowns and unlike more modern TVs, it did not need an HD signal to have a very clear crisp picture. New TVs look like shit without the optional (and more expensive) HD signal.

 

[pussyluver]

Not sure plasma is much of an option anymore. Panasonic was the big player and they've been done for a year.

http://www.cnet.com/news/panasonics-exit-from-plasma-will-sour-tv-value-sweet-spot/

I think now it's lcd, led or oled

I believe that lg or Samsung make most of the panels for many of the manufacturers, so I would look at them

 

[WoodPeckr]

FWIW ...LG is OK

Talked to other people with LG,...all good,...never any problems.

Got a LED 47" LG smart, 3D,...had it calibrated,...looks fantastic, grand kids love the 3D movies on it.

Have a LED 47" LG currently over 3 yrs old that still has a great picture and looks as good as a Samsung which is considered the best HDTV.

Didn't get the Smart or 3D version based on tech board chatter which claimed if you just plug your PC or laptop into any new HDTV via HDMI cable, you transform it into a 'SuperSmart TV' that will do/show anything on your PC /laptop, thereby outperforming all and any so called smart TV on the market.

Had no interest in 3D due to limited 3D content available. Plus found those 3D glasses to be a pain plus they caused eye strain after extended view time.

 

[Shades]

So, dropped by Best Buy today....to begin the process. Next port of call Costco.
Looked at a Samsung 55 with a 120 refresh rate....899
and a Samsung 55 with a 60 refresh rate for 599.
The dudes in the store were pushing the cheaper model.........and saying that the 60 refresh was less choppy than the 120! A little contrary to the wit and wisdom received here. Me thinks they were trying to push the end of a line out the door. I know the refresh rate isn't the only criteria on a led tv....but it seemed that it was more expensive the faster the rate.........so is the 60 really better. Would a layman notice a big difference?
Also looked at an LG 50" smart tv with 120....it looked good. But that might just have been its placement in the bank of TV's.
Now another question please........these tv's hook up with wifi directly. Is there some sort of speed or download rate in the TV that is critical to know?
Thanks for the help........appreciated.

 

[IM469]

1) The dudes in the store were pushing the cheaper model.........and saying that the 60 refresh was less choppy than the 120!
2)......these tv's hook up with wifi directly. Is there some sort of speed or download rate in the TV that is critical to know?

1) Stay away from these sales guys for one of two reasons a) they are lying sacks of shit b) they have no clue what they are selling

2) For a smartTV, the WiFi speed is determined the WiFi standard that the interface is designed. This is listed as 802.11* where * is the designation that determines speed. My guess is that your Internet supplier will be the determining speed factor - not the smartTV.

Just my experience.

 

[glamphotographer]

Have to warn you that a lot of new LED TVs don't speakers in the front, the sound kind of comes from the back of the TV. Thus you have to buy a sound bar for your TV. A way for TV manufacturers to get you spend more. The more expensive and higher end TVs should have better speakers built in. There is also 4K TVs that is 4 times the resolution of 1080p which now standard.

 

[Smash]

I have researched the fuuuck out of this for the last 3 months and decided to get the Sony 50” W800B LED HDTV. It's great for fast moving stuff like sports and games. Best in class actually. I have no regrets, picture is stunning and this TV is usually on sale at Best Buy for about $800.
http://store.sony.ca/50-w800b-led-hdtv-zid31-KDL50W800B/cat-31-catid-All-W-Series-TVs

My last TV was a Sony and it lasted me 25 years and it still worked.. I eventually just gave it to my landlord because I wanted a modern led and was waiting/hoping for it to die already. F-ing thing wouldn't die, even the remote worked 100%. Sony's last a very long time. At least they did with me.

 

[bolt.upright]

You want long lasting? I still have a Sharp 13" TV that I bought in the mid-70's with one of my first full-time paycheques. At least it's a colour TV--you could still buy B & W TV's at the time for a lot cheaper.

Still works fine too, except for the fact that it IS a 13" cathode ray tube TV. I currently have it set up near a treadmill, hooked up to a DVD player. I watch old TV episodes from the 60's while I exercise. Yeah, Ozzie and Harriet and Gilligan's Island still look great on it.

 

[Shades]

I have researched the fuuuck out of this for the last 3 months and decided to get the Sony 50” W800B LED HDTV. It's great for fast moving stuff like sports and games. Best in class actually. I have no regrets, picture is stunning and this TV is usually on sale at Best Buy for about $800.
http://store.sony.ca/50-w800b-led-hdtv-zid31-KDL50W800B/cat-31-catid-All-W-Series-TVs

My last TV was a Sony and it lasted me 25 years and it still worked.. I eventually just gave it to my landlord because I wanted a modern led and was waiting/hoping for it to die already. F-ing thing wouldn't die, even the remote worked 100%. Sony's last a very long time. At least they did with me.

Sounds interesting........how is the sound? Did you need to get an additional sound bar?

 

[Smash]

Sounds interesting........how is the sound? Did you need to get an additional sound bar?

Yes, but my research has shown that you'll need to get a soundbar down the line no matter which new tv you buy. They are so thin that it's difficult to install great sounding speakers in them. Plus, no internal speakers would sound as good as an external quality speaker system or soundbar. Even if you purchase a $3000. tv then upgrade and add quality external speakers you would never want to go back and listen to it though the internal speakers again.

I'm sure manufacturers know that the majority of consumers upgrade the speaker system anyways so they do not try to sell it with high quality cutting edge speakers. If they did the cost would go up a few hundred and in the end the buyer would upgrade the speakers anyways. Especially regarding movies people prefer their surround sound speaker system. I'm glad that they just give us mediocre speakers since it will make the tv less expensive to purchase and I will getting quality external speakers.

For news and regular dialogue the internal speakers sound fine. Like most tv's it's only when you raise the volume significantly when watching movies or listening to music that you'll really appreciate quality external speakers or a soundbar.

There's lots of reviews on this tv on the web..
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/sony-50w800b-50-inch-tv,review-2522.html

 

[oldjones]

Go for a smart TV. I got a honking big LG model. Love it, does almost everything.

My LG 42LB5800 is dumber than a doorknob. There's no way to defeat its so-called 'smart' features, so there's always a flurry of menus and clicks to just have it do what you want, or more frustrating just to have it do what it was doing when you turned it off. Not that you can turn it off, because then you must re-set all the 'smart' parameters. Apparently no one at LG was aware of the battery technology computers have used to do that since forever. Even then it can't keep track of the incoming channels you set up, and just forgets a few now and then. The printed manual is worse than useless, and there's no better on-line. LG's idea of customers service is to make you use their 'smart' help on the TV — if you can find it in the jumbled collection of pages filled with ads for other services, and another whole furry of clicks is needed to to see anything. Which then has to be interpreted from what only looks like English The TV isn't 'smart' enough to suppress the on-screen 'keyboard' when you use a real one, and there's no way to tell it to. It's SmartServe™ media access requires third-party software, but then imposes its own ugly GUI with bizarrely translated labels.

The only thing this smart TV does that my computer and years-old media player don't do better is receive broadcasts. So far my happiest use of the thing has been to convert it as much as possible into a dumb monitor with a TV tuner. If it had a on-off for its so-called smarts, I'd be telling the world what a fine picture it has, and how convenient to use it is.

A doorknob may not be smart, but it doesn't try to do anything but what it was bought for either.

 

[WoodPeckr]

Yes, but my research has shown that you'll need to get a soundbar down the line no matter which new tv you buy. They are so thin that it's difficult to install great sounding speakers in them.

Yes, this is why all HDTVs have poor audio. You need to get better quality speakers.
I solved this by connecting the HDTV up with my stereo system, thus no need for a sound bar.

 

[IM469]

I have a 52" Sony with 120Hz panel and it is more than adequate for any sports from soccer to hockey to basketball to gymnastics. Same goes for action movies. Have never noticed any hint of motion blur or shadow.
In fact I've read reviews of sets that state " advantages of 240Hz panel not evident ".
Refresh rates above 240 are based on electronic trickery applied to the 240Hz panel and are an example of price jacking overkill ( unless they have some advantage for game players ?)
As 240Hz sets have traditionally been more expensive, this could enter into a buying decision.
Would not buy a 60Hz, though.

I have a 55" 120Hz - it looks great. It is my understanding that 240Hz is recommended for 3D sets which is placing effectively two images (left/right eye) on the same screen. Each image has a 120Hz refreshed rate. I haven't researched it in detail as 3D isn't of interest to me.

 

[Shades]

I am now pointing towards this one
Sony KDL48R550C - 48" 1080p Smart LED TV
- Motionflow 120
- 2 HDMI
I was assuming the motionflow is the refresh rate. However, when I look at the details on Best Buy it shows, at 60hz.??? Will have to make some calls on this....think I want to go 120hz for sure.