Another "Which TV should I buy?" thread

[sdilley14]

As the title suggests, I am selling my current TV (55" LG LED) and looking to purchase a new one.

The 55" is a good size, though I would like something bigger. 60" doesn't seem like a real noticeable upgrade, so I'm shopping in the 65" category.

I'm looking to keep the price around $900-$1100.

I really don't have much for specific requirements. It doesn't need to be "smart", it doesn't need to do 3d. I just want the most high quality TV in that size/price range.

I have been looking at the following...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00II6VWAK/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A17MC6HOH9AVE6

This one is a bit out of my price range at $1299. Though it appears to be a quality TV - lots of quality reviews, lots of funtionality and "extras". I like the look/design of the panel. And I've always been a fan of LG.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I94IPXS/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

This one is a little more affordable at $1199. Same as the LG - lots of great reviews, lots of funtionality and "extras". Though some reviews say the panels on the 65" variety of this TV aren't Samsung panels and are inferior panels made by 3rd party vendors.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JEVHX9C/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I found this Sharp, $999. Looks like a decent, basic 65" TV.

http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronic...ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1X0K6G1L0ZZAD

And this LG. Another "basic" 65" TV. Though it appears to have some mixed reviews.

I haven't been able to find a Sony in this price range. Something like Vizio wouldn't be out of the question, but I would prefer LG or Samsung over Vizio, strictly from a brand/reputability standpoint.

Something in the 60" category isn't out of the question either. And they are more affordable. But I am leaning towards 65" for the time being.

Thoughts on any of these TVs or a TV I might have missed?

 

[oneMadRssn]

I only have a suggestion regarding price. I have purchased two TVs and one monitor from Amazon Warehouse Deals - essentially their open-box / returns. Those times I saved a solid 10%-20% off the price of a "new" one, and they were always as good as new. I usually buy ones marked "like new" or "very good." Indeed, all 3 times it came in the original box with plastic still on the bezels and stuff.

It was a way to squeeze a bit more value, or go slightly over your regular budget. The ones you linked to are all available through this.

 

[sdilley14]

I only have a suggestion regarding price. I have purchased two TVs and one monitor from Amazon Warehouse Deals - essentially their open-box / returns. Those times I saved a solid 10%-20% off the price of a "new" one, and they were always as good as new. I usually buy ones marked "like new" or "very good." Indeed, all 3 times it came in the original box with plastic still on the bezels and stuff.

It was a way to squeeze a bit more value, or go slightly over your regular budget. The ones you linked to are all available through this.

Good though, I'll look into that!

 

[bandrews]

I've got an LG WebOS TV and love it. Not sure about the US but in the UK it has all bar one of the catchup services I need and has pretty much all the streaming services. By far the slickest execution of smart tv that I've used. Apart from a soundbar, that's all I now have. No boxes connected to it - everything I need is on the TV. ATV and Chromecast are on my other set.

 

[sdilley14]

I've got an LG WebOS TV and love it. Not sure about the US but in the UK it has all bar one of the catchup services I need and has pretty much all the streaming services. By far the slickest execution of smart tv that I've used. Apart from a soundbar, that's all I now have. No boxes connected to it - everything I need is on the TV. ATV and Chromecast are on my other set.

Right on. LG is sort of the direction I'm leaning towards. I think I prefer the physical design of their panels a bit better, and WebOS UI looks interesting.

Any other suggestions? I'm going to be buying in about a week.

 

[Truefan31]

I think if u can wait for 4k to go down I would.

 

[sdilley14]

I think if u can wait for 4k to go down I would.

I've considered going that route. I see there are a few 4k TV's that are below $2k now.

 

[sdilley14]

For anyone that is interested, I went with this...

http://www.cnet.com/products/vizio-e480i-b2/

60" Vizio. I chose this one almost solely based on the "professional" reviews. CNet seems to be in love with this line of TVs as far as "bang for the buck" goes. This line is the top "Editor's Choice".

I ended up getting it for $789 (no tax) through Amazon.

Picture quality is supposed to be excellent, which was my primary concern. It has some "smart" functionality, which I didn't really care about, but I'll take it I guess. I chose 60" over 65". I compared the two sizes and 65" just felt *too big*.

I was able to sell my 2-3 year old LG for $700 (originally bought for $800), so its almost an even trade.

Now I just have to cross my fingers and hope it doesn't get damaged in shipping.

 

[oneMadRssn]

Out of curiosity, where did you sell the used one?

 

[sdilley14]

Out of curiosity, where did you sell the used one?

Craigslist. Took a couple weeks but I eventually got it moved.

 

[GreatDrok]

I've considered going that route. I see there are a few 4k TV's that are below $2k now.

I wouldn't touch any UHD TV at the moment. Everything on the market isn't full UHD and the standard is still evolving anyway. If you buy a 4K set now, you'll then find that the new sets will have HDR and 8K both of which are required for full UHD support. You'll basically end up with the equivalent of the old 'HD Ready' sets from when HD was new - and they weren't even full HD, usually 720p but some were even 1024x768.

TV standards are in flux at the moment. I would stick to the current Full HD standard because they're not expensive and then when the whole UHD thing shakes out and there's actually material for it in quantity, then move.

 

[sdilley14]

I wouldn't touch any UHD TV at the moment. Everything on the market isn't full UHD and the standard is still evolving anyway. If you buy a 4K set now, you'll then find that the new sets will have HDR and 8K both of which are required for full UHD support. You'll basically end up with the equivalent of the old 'HD Ready' sets from when HD was new - and they weren't even full HD, usually 720p but some were even 1024x768.

TV standards are in flux at the moment. I would stick to the current Full HD standard because they're not expensive and then when the whole UHD thing shakes out and there's actually material for it in quantity, then move.

That's sort of what I figured out in my research. It seems like we're still a couple years away from 4k really taking off. Between now and then there are going to be a lot of high priced 4k TV sets that are "1st generation" quality, and don't have much content to show off. The quality should go up and price should go down dramatically in the next couple years I think. Until then, a nice 60" HD LED TV for $780 should work just fine.

 

[hallux]

I guess I should have come in here earlier this week. I actually have the 42" version of the LG TV you linked in your one post, the LB6300. I've been VERY happy with it. One thing it doesn't have, that not many have anyway, is surround pass-through. I connect my HDMI devices to the TV then use optical to get sound to my A/V system. My old LG (37LC2D if I recall) DID pass surround when connected in this manner. I suppose it's time to replace the receiver I bought in 2000...

Other than that one complaint, the TV was easy to set up and does all I NEED it to (and then some as I didn't NEED the "smart" functions but needed 3+ HDMI ports).

I was also going to mention, this is not the BEST time of year to buy a TV as it's generally around now that new models start appearing.

 

[sdilley14]

I guess I should have come in here earlier this week. I actually have the 42" version of the LG TV you linked in your one post, the LB6300. I've been VERY happy with it. One thing it doesn't have, that not many have anyway, is surround pass-through. I connect my HDMI devices to the TV then use optical to get sound to my A/V system. My old LG (37LC2D if I recall) DID pass surround when connected in this manner. I suppose it's time to replace the receiver I bought in 2000...

Other than that one complaint, the TV was easy to set up and does all I NEED it to (and then some as I didn't NEED the "smart" functions but needed 3+ HDMI ports).

I was also going to mention, this is not the BEST time of year to buy a TV as it's generally around now that new models start appearing.

I looked hard at the LB6300. That was actually my front runner. I just couldn't seem to find a 60" or 65" model under like $1k-$1.1k. And I had a lot of apprehension buying a used/refurb just based on the fact of how much of a pain it would be to return it if I ever needed to. And after seeing how other comparable sets were priced, I took my target price range down more in the $800-$900 range.

The Vizio looks fairly promising. CNET absolutely raves about it in terms of quality and value. We'll see!