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Thornblom

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 4, 2011
67
53
Hi,

I've decided to upgrade my old non-smart 10 year old TV to a new smart solution.
Apple TV 4K is a no brainer, but I can't seem to find a good display option.

My scenario:
I ONLY use streaming services and local tv streaming apps, haven't used cable or internet tv for years now. In my mind, it makes no sense to buy a fully fledged smart tv for 1500 bucks just to use it as a display for the Apple TV.
Shouldn't I be able to get a 4k display as good as that 1500 bucks TV for less money? I don't like buying stuff I won't use, and modern TV's are loaded with stuff I'm not interested in.
 
Good question and being TRULY honest the LG B9 55" OLED TV is currently on offer in the UK at £1100. Maybe similar price wherever you are buddy.

It's got EVERYTHING that will bring out the best in Apple TV 4K - the BEST OLED panel with 4K DOLBY VISION and Dolby Atmos sound.

We were in a similar position two years ago and bought an LG B7 OLED TV because at the end of the day 1. We only use Apple TV 4K for either films or surfing videos/vlogs 2. Bought film from iTunes in 4K Dolby Vision and wanted to get the very very very best from what iTunes and Apple TV offers.

If you keep this very nicely made TV for 5 years (5 year guarantee included) then £1100 is not over hard to justify considering the absolute enjoyment and performance that it's going to offer.

It even includes HDMI 2.!

I really don't believe that it's fair to expect more at a lower price. OLED is expensive but once you've experienced it on a TV, you simply won't accept LCD.


PS I remember when a 22" LCD TV cost £3000 and it's picture was horrific - grainy, motion blur and washed out greys instead of black!!!
 
Good question and being TRULY honest the LG B9 55" OLED TV is currently on offer in the UK at £1100. Maybe similar price wherever you are buddy.

It's got EVERYTHING that will bring out the best in Apple TV 4K - the BEST OLED panel with 4K DOLBY VISION and Dolby Atmos sound.

We were in a similar position two years ago and bought an LG B7 OLED TV because at the end of the day 1. We only use Apple TV 4K for either films or surfing videos/vlogs 2. Bought film from iTunes in 4K Dolby Vision and wanted to get the very very very best from what iTunes and Apple TV offers.

If you keep this very nicely made TV for 5 years (5 year guarantee included) then £1100 is not over hard to justify considering the absolute enjoyment and performance that it's going to offer.

It even includes HDMI 2.!

I really don't believe that it's fair to expect more at a lower price. OLED is expensive but once you've experienced it on a TV, you simply won't accept LCD.


PS I remember when a 22" LCD TV cost £3000 and it's picture was horrific - grainy, motion blur and washed out greys instead of black!!!

Thanks, LG B9 seems like a really good TV for a decent price.
I'm just annoyed that I need to buy a smart TV loaded with stuff I never going to use :confused:
 
i have the lg oled from a couple years back
i do occasionally use the amazon app on the TV, only because Amazon can't seem to get their act together on quality. (but seem to be better recently)

Netflix (and pretty much every service) - plays the best quality available with your hardware.

amazon - search to make sure you're on the 4k item (since 4k and regular are separate items)
- search again, because sometimes the 4k version doesn't come up.
- open app on TV to make sure you're getting the best quality on aTV (i've had TV be 4k HDR, and aTV be 4k SDR)


----
all that said, the TV is stunning, you'll love every minute of it

a couple things to keep in mind, the different dynamic ranges have different settings. So if you disable motion smoothing for SDR, you'll have to do it again for HDR and Dolby Vision.

you'll want to turn on range and rate matching in the aTV settings, SDR converted to HDR can give less than optimal results.
 
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I'm just annoyed that I need to buy a smart TV loaded with stuff I never going to use

Even more annoying is that they also display ads. Keeps the cost down. You can get a 4K TV for ~$500 which is pretty amazing. As for the smart TV stuff some people like it. Only upside is that it might increase sales volumes a bit, which again keeps the cost down. Otherwise you just ignore them and use the Apple TV. Smart apps are appearing everywhere (TV's, Receivers, optical disk players, etc.) so we're stuck with them. It does give you the option of choosing the best application implementation.
 
Good question and being TRULY honest the LG B9 55" OLED TV is currently on offer in the UK at £1100. Maybe similar price wherever you are buddy.

It's got EVERYTHING that will bring out the best in Apple TV 4K - the BEST OLED panel with 4K DOLBY VISION and Dolby Atmos sound.

We were in a similar position two years ago and bought an LG B7 OLED TV because at the end of the day 1. We only use Apple TV 4K for either films or surfing videos/vlogs 2. Bought film from iTunes in 4K Dolby Vision and wanted to get the very very very best from what iTunes and Apple TV offers.

If you keep this very nicely made TV for 5 years (5 year guarantee included) then £1100 is not over hard to justify considering the absolute enjoyment and performance that it's going to offer.

It even includes HDMI 2.!

I really don't believe that it's fair to expect more at a lower price. OLED is expensive but once you've experienced it on a TV, you simply won't accept LCD.


PS I remember when a 22" LCD TV cost £3000 and it's picture was horrific - grainy, motion blur and washed out greys instead of black!!!

I am about to go with the 65" B9. I will be coming from a 47" LCD TV so I would assume the difference would be mind blowing!
 
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I am about to go with the 65" B9. I will be coming from a 47" LCD TV so I would assume the difference would be mind blowing!

WOW!!!! Absolutely!!!!!! I came from a 40" LCD which I thought was great until I saw OLED!!! It's in another dimension :)

Apple TV 4K and iTunes 4K with Dolby Vision are a match made in heaven with the LG OLED TVs.

The B9 is excellent! Have lots of fun!
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Thanks, LG B9 seems like a really good TV for a decent price.
I'm just annoyed that I need to buy a smart TV loaded with stuff I never going to use :confused:

I hear you on that!

The B9 is exceptional value at £1099 for the 55". Will we see it for £999 this Black Friday???
 
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Hi,

I've decided to upgrade my old non-smart 10 year old TV to a new smart solution.
Apple TV 4K is a no brainer, but I can't seem to find a good display option.

My scenario:
I ONLY use streaming services and local tv streaming apps, haven't used cable or internet tv for years now. In my mind, it makes no sense to buy a fully fledged smart tv for 1500 bucks just to use it as a display for the Apple TV.
Shouldn't I be able to get a 4k display as good as that 1500 bucks TV for less money? I don't like buying stuff I won't use, and modern TV's are loaded with stuff I'm not interested in.

Not really. The processing power required to run those smart tv apps is nothing compared to decoding 10bit HEVC so the hardware needed to be there. The apps themselves likely don't cost the manufacturer to much because they will likely get a kick back from the content provider of those apps in one way or another. Adding a different SKU for non smart just wouldn't be worthwhile to them (tv manufacturer).

My only recommendation is getting a TV that can natively support 4K HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision right out the box. I'm not a huge fan of the LG company but they make one of the best looking TV's on the market.

Something to consider is latency if you video game. That can make all the difference in the world.
 
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