OT: Looking TV suggestions

[Missing smitty]

I just bought the 65" TCL from Costco, $725 with tax. I was still using my 12 year old plasma, so I don't know if my opinion is any good, but the picture is mind-boggling on it watching 4K Netflix.

 

[Weitz]

I have also been impressed by some of the Vizio TV's.

It's a little off topic but today's projectors are also a great option if you have the right room. You don't need anything exotic, mostly just a bare wall without a ton of ambient light. A $1K projector can give you a 130 inch picture that works great for hockey.

I usually end up watching hockey on our basement projector and 120" screen. The projector is about 4 years old so not filled with new tech but it still makes for a great experience watching sports.

 

[snipes]

I have a Samsung and LG.

Both are solid TVs, I think the Samsung is marginally better. Can’t go wrong with either really.

 

[ThreeOfAPerfectPair]

I usually end up watching hockey on our basement projector and 120" screen. The projector is about 4 years old so not filled with new tech but it still makes for a great experience watching sports.

+1
Budget 1080p BenQ and a 120" fixed screen, never going back to regular tv's.

 

[The Safe Play]

TCL for sure from Costco. Either way when you decide on something I would use rtings.com to see how it performs. I believe the r613 and r617 are the same.

https://www.costco.ca/TCL-65-in.-4K...-Dolby-Vision-65R613CA.product.100474671.html

TCL 6 Series/R617 2018 Review (55R617)

 

[bucks_oil]

How high are you willing to go? I'm really liking the oled65c9. Does everything really well. If you game on your tv I keep hearing the Vizio quantum TVs are very good for that. Nothing will beat the new LG's for a while though as they are putting out a gsync patch for variable refresh rates for 4k HDR PC gaming, hehe. Variable refresh may be used in next gen consoles as well.

Definitely would second buying from Costco. 90 days to price match our return (don't even need the box to bring it back) and good warranty.

Another vote for the LG oled lineup. the B9s and C9s are fantastic and often voted best TV on the market. They are a bit pricier than $1500... worth it IMO given only LG (and Sony... which are another step up in price) have OLED technology (and I'm a convert).

 

[Fourier]

I’ve definitely considered this, and it would make for fun movie nights with the kids, but from what I gather, there aren’t many options for true 4K projectors. Most are upscaled and we’ll above the price of a 65” 4K television.

There are definitely very nice 4k projectors but they are more than $1500 for sure. Honestly the 4k part is not a huge issue for hockey, at least in comparison with the size. But if a TV works best for you I'd definitely go the 4K route.

Two sites to consider:

For projectors: ProjectorCentral

And the grand daddy of AV sites: AVSForum.com - Home Theater Discussions And Reviews

and

https://www.avsforum.com/forum/index.php

If you want to know every spec and nuance of a TV you can find it here!!!

 

[gordonhught]

Free for you. But you have to come pick it up.

 

[Oilhawks]

Love my Panasonic 65” that I picked up at Visions a year ago, but the brand is a bit higher budget for that size. I’d go for the best Samsung or LG in that range if not Panasonic since they tend to be pretty good value. One thing to keep in mind is most brands tend to have higher spec and lower spec TVs and it might not always be obvious (ex: sub brand name).

I’d really recommend checking out Visions or Memory Express as they are some of the last brick and mortar stores that focus on product knowledge with staff. (Edit: @Fourier mentioned London Drugs, I’ve had good experiences with them in the past so I’d recommend them as well). They are Alberta based businesses (or at least they were last time I checked) so you can support local if that’s something you want to do.

One other recommendation would be to consider stepping down in size one or two ranges to get a higher end product for the dollars spent.

Edit: Haven’t read the thread and not sure if it’s been mentioned but you might want to stick to a brand that makes their own screens. Panasonic, Samsung and LG are the only ones that do as far as I recall. The others source theirs from third parties.

 

[Fourier]

Love my Panasonic 65” that I picked up at Visions a year ago, but the brand is a bit higher budget for that size. I’d go for the best Samsung or LG in that range if not Panasonic since they tend to be pretty good value. One thing to keep in mind is most brands tend to have higher spec and lower spec TVs and it might not always be obvious (ex: sub brand name).

I’d really recommend checking out Visions or Memory Express as they are some of the last brick and mortar stores that focus on product knowledge with staff. They are Alberta based businesses (or at least they were last time I checked) so you can support local if that’s something you want to do.

One other recommendation would be to consider stepping down in size one or two ranges to get a higher end product for the dollars spent.

Edit: Haven’t read the thread and not sure if it’s been mentioned but you might want to stick to a brand that makes their own screens. Panasonic, Samsung and LG are the only ones that do as far as I recall. The others source theirs from third parties.

Panasonic had to somewhat reinvent themselves when plasma died. They had just bought the special sauce from Pioneer from their Elite series plasmas (still amongst the best tv's I have ever experienced even this many years later). Panasonics LED is very nice but a higher price point. Their projectors are great value as well.

 

[oobga]

There are definitely very nice 4k projectors but they are more than $1500 for sure. Honestly the 4k part is not a huge issue for hockey, at least in comparison with the size. But if a TV works best for you I'd definitely go the 4K route.

Two sites to consider:

For projectors: ProjectorCentral

And the grand daddy of AV sites: AVSForum.com - Home Theater Discussions And Reviews

and

https://www.avsforum.com/forum/index.php

If you want to know every spec and nuance of a TV you can find it here!!!

One thing about 4K and sports. I did notice sports net having hockey games in 4K this preseason. At least 1 was an oilers game. I do hope that happens a lot more this season. It does look better.

 

[Fourier]

One thing about 4K and sports. I did notice sports net having hockey games in 4K this preseason. At least 1 was an oilers game. I do hope that happens a lot more this season. It does look better.

It is better. But the difference between full HD at 135 inches vs 4k at 65 is pretty significant in terms of the immersive effect even if you need to sacrifice on pure picture quality . Plus sometimes it is not the resolution that is making it look better, it is the overall processing. My old Kuro is not 4k but none of these $1500 4k sets can touch it for picture quality even if the signal is 4k. But in the end it depends on your taste and circumstances. There really is no one "best way to go".

To add to this the pixel shifting 4K projectors are generally excellent. It's probably nearly impossible to detect native 4K from pixel shifting 4K on most implementations. But the cost can be much lower. A projector like the Epson 4010 is a little over $2K with 2400 lumens. Its a 4k pixel shifting projector with 1080p native panels that is pretty much indistinguishable form more expensive native 4K panels as far as resolution is concerned. This unit can give you a huge picture.

 

[McShogun99]

I used to go to Best Buy but their return policy is garbage. I tried returning an unopened food processor with a receipt after 30 days and they wouldn’t accept it. I even called head office and they said that there’s nothing they could do. Now I buy any electronics at Costco.

 

[boredem]

Another vote for the LG oled lineup. the B9s and C9s are fantastic and often voted best TV on the market. They are a bit pricier than $1500... worth it IMO given only LG (and Sony... which are another step up in price) have OLED technology (and I'm a convert).

I bought a LG oled b6 and it’s the best tv purchase I’ve ever made. The picture quality is unreal, it even has really good sound for such a thin TV.

 

[Aerchon]

I've always heard brand doesn't matter for TVs. Check the stats on it. Review it's strengths and weaknesses. For example you don't care about sound you could go for a TV with solid picture but weaker sound and save a couple bucks.

 

[Supermassive]

I usually end up watching hockey on our basement projector and 120" screen. The projector is about 4 years old so not filled with new tech but it still makes for a great experience watching sports.

Same here. Bigger is better. Easier on the eyes too.

 

[bucks_oil]

I bought a LG oled b6 and it’s the best tv purchase I’ve ever made. The picture quality is unreal, it even has really good sound for such a thin TV.

Yep... in the 55 and 65 inch range I think they really have the market cornered. When OLED first came out, those TVs were $6000+ and nowadays LG, given they are the only OLED patent holder (Sony licenses from them) decided to price competitively with the best QLED that Samsung and other manufacturers can offer. If buying in that price range I don't know why anyone would choose to buy anything other than OLED... larger sized TVs where the OLED prices are still crazy, then yeah.... I can see where a good 4K projector is a wise purchase, but not in the 55 to 65 inch wheelhouse.

 

[rboomercat90]

View attachment 259463

Free for you. But you have to come pick it up.

My back hurts just thinking about picking that thing up.

 

[Fourier]

Yep... in the 55 and 65 inch range I think they really have the market cornered. When OLED first came out, those TVs were $6000+ and nowadays LG, given they are the only OLED patent holder (Sony licenses from them) decided to price competitively with the best QLED that Samsung and other manufacturers can offer. If buying in that price range I don't know why anyone would choose to buy anything other than OLED... larger sized TVs where the OLED prices are still crazy, then yeah.... I can see where a good 4K projector is a wise purchase, but not in the 55 to 65 inch wheelhouse.

One thing that may favor QLED is that they are typically brighter and better suited to a very bright environment. So if the TV is located in a place where there is lots of light the QLED picture might be better. But this is probably the only significant advantage short of price.

 

[stratedge]

The best electronics review site in existence at the moment just happens to be Canadian, and as such has a lot of reviews for models readily available in Canada:

rtings.com

I like how you can set your own priorities (e.g. you can negate speaker quality) to find the best TV relative to you. I've bought my TV and headphones based on the reviews here and have been very happy.

Feeling especially patriotic? London Drugs is basically the last major retailer selling electronics that is still Canadian owned, and also has a competitive warranty and prices. Now, I'm starting to question whether Albertans should really be supporting businesses in the rest of Canada given how suicidal they've been towards our economy, but I digress and leave that up to you.

 

[booyakasha]

I just bought the 65" TCL from Costco, $725 with tax. I was still using my 12 year old plasma, so I don't know if my opinion is any good, but the picture is mind-boggling on it watching 4K Netflix.

uncanny, I just bought a TCL 55" 6 series, when my plasma just crapped out also
my plasma was unreal for sports, but the TCL is a great TV, and super cheap. really good brand of TV I find.

 

[Missing smitty]

uncanny, I just bought a TCL 55" 6 series, when my plasma just crapped out also
my plasma was unreal for sports, but the TCL is a great TV, and super cheap. really good brand of TV I find.

I'm kind of wishing I went with Telus for TV though. I have Shaw BlueSky and they have no 4K sports. My dad has 4K Sportsnet on Telus and the same TV and the picture makes mine look like an old tube TV.

 

[booyakasha]

I'm kind of wishing I went with Telus for TV though. I have Shaw BlueSky and they have no 4K sports. My dad has 4K Sportsnet on Telus and the same TV and the picture makes mine look like an old tube TV.

ya, Shaw needs to get in with 4K, I wish I could get Telus fibre optic, but I'm like you and stuck with BlueSky as well.

 

[bucks_oil]

It is better. But the difference between full HD at 135 inches vs 4k at 65 is pretty significant in terms of the immersive effect even if you need to sacrifice on pure picture quality . Plus sometimes it is not the resolution that is making it look better, it is the overall processing. My old Kuro is not 4k but none of these $1500 4k sets can touch it for picture quality even if the signal is 4k. But in the end it depends on your taste and circumstances. There really is no one "best way to go".

To add to this the pixel shifting 4K projectors are generally excellent. It's probably nearly impossible to detect native 4K from pixel shifting 4K on most implementations. But the cost can be much lower. A projector like the Epson 4010 is a little over $2K with 2400 lumens. Its a 4k pixel shifting projector with 1080p native panels that is pretty much indistinguishable form more expensive native 4K panels as far as resolution is concerned. This unit can give you a huge picture.

Alright... since we are going there anyway. You seem to know your stuff on projectors. I'll bite.

This weekend I spent my whole Saturday wiring up my new Paradigm Prestige surround system with Anthem MRX 720 that has two 4K HDMI outs.

We are watching John Wick in a darkened 15 x 17(wide) room. And my beautiful 55" OLED is recessed mounted on a wall that must be at least 12 feet on the diagonal. Gosh if I didn't find myself staring at all of that white space.

If I'm going to be getting a guy to wire in my Atmos speakers into the ceiling, he could perhaps put a power & HDMI up there too. What would you consider if you were:
1) buying a projector now, and
2) maybe thinking this is a project to be fulfilled in ~2 years... worth waiting for 4K HDR projectors to drop in price?

Give me the "this is the sweet spot for price/performance" answer that only an enthusiast like you would know. I would need a retractable screen too (so that the TV can be behind the screen and available for "daily" use... kids use this room during the day).

 

[Fourier]

Alright... since we are going there anyway. You seem to know your stuff on projectors. I'll bite.

This weekend I spent my whole Saturday wiring up my new Paradigm Prestige surround system with Anthem MRX 720 that has two 4K HDMI outs.

We are watching John Wick in a darkened 15 x 17(wide) room. And my beautiful 55" OLED is recessed mounted on a wall that must be at least 12 feet on the diagonal. Gosh if I didn't find myself staring at all of that white space.

If I'm going to be getting a guy to wire in my Atmos speakers into the ceiling, he could perhaps put a power & HDMI up there too. What would you consider if you were:
1) buying a projector now, and
2) maybe thinking this is a project to be fulfilled in ~2 years... worth waiting for 4K HDR projectors to drop in price?

Give me the "this is the sweet spot for price/performance" answer that only an enthusiast like you would know. I would need a retractable screen too (so that the TV can be behind the screen and available for "daily" use... kids use this room during the day).

It is really hard to answer your question without knowing your room set-up and how picky you are about various aspects of the picture etc including what you like to watch. Judging by the sound system you are certainly not on the cheap end. So there are projectors right now that are simply fantastic for things like movies where contrast and color accuracy are big. You may want to know what projector you are getting if you are going to do the wiring as placement can vary.

Something like the Sony VPL-VW295ES is in the mid $6K range retail which is true native 4k. This is Sony's variant of LCos technology. It has features you would expect at this price range like a motorized lense which I find very useful in dealing with different aspect ratios. It even has 3d support if you care about that. But it is not the brightest beast. I like the JVC line myself though the lower end models are pixel shifters.

I'd do some asking on AVS forum. That place is simply amazing. The only problem is you might get too much info.