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Coffee50

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 23, 2015
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Hey all,

So I'm finally upgrading to a 4K TV (my 4K Apple TV is on the way.....)

I wanted to ask if anyone has any suggestions for a (mid range) 4K TV brand....

Samsung, Sony, Vizio?

Anything I should specifically look for or stay away from? Thanks!
 
Great question and I'd love to see everyone's opinions. Here in the UK, SONY and Panasonic have beautiful mid ranges. There's even a new 43" SONY for £1000 which would be perfect for me :)
The cheaper LG TVs seem to look a bit cheaply made around the frame etc - lots of plastic etc.
I have the Panasonic EX700 and I love it - great picture.
I hope that you love your Apple TV 4K. It's incredible in every respect! I'm sure that you'll love it. I sold my 4K BluRay player a few months ago (it wasn't getting any use) and i'm 100% Apple TV now. It makes for a very stress free - everything in one place lifestyle :)
 
Great question and I'd love to see everyone's opinions. Here in the UK, SONY and Panasonic have beautiful mid ranges. There's even a new 43" SONY for £1000 which would be perfect for me :)
The cheaper LG TVs seem to look a bit cheaply made around the frame etc - lots of plastic etc.
I have the Panasonic EX700 and I love it - great picture.
I hope that you love your Apple TV 4K. It's incredible in every respect! I'm sure that you'll love it. I sold my 4K BluRay player a few months ago (it wasn't getting any use) and i'm 100% Apple TV now. It makes for a very stress free - everything in one place lifestyle :)

Thanks! Yeah, I'm a huge fan of the 4th generation, so I know that I'll like the 4K!

I'm going to be getting rid of my blu rays / blu ray player as well. Most of my movie collection I have in iTunes anyway, just makes it easier!!!
 
Thanks! Yeah, I'm a huge fan of the 4th generation, so I know that I'll like the 4K!

I'm going to be getting rid of my blu rays / blu ray player as well. Most of my movie collection I have in iTunes anyway, just makes it easier!!!

Absolutely and the quality is great in HD and incredible in 4K HDR. The HD to 4K upscaled in the Apple TV 4K is also top quality - it really makes a great job of making your iTunes HD films look incredible!

I hope that you really enjoy the ATV 4K and the iTunes route. I certainly do and i'm really pleased that I chose the iTunes path way back! Everything that I own music wise, film wise, video wise is in my iTunes library on my MacBook. It's lovely having everything in one place PLUS it's so easy to sync to the iPhone/iPad and stream to the Apple TV via iCloud, HomeSharing or Airplay.

I believe that you will be bowled over by the picture of a iTunes 4K HDR film!
 
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If you're not worried about having the latest model, Best Buy has the Sony 900e series on closeout-type prices. I picked one up a couple of weeks ago and have been very satisfied so far. Well I say Best Buy because that's where I bought mine, but I'm guessing they're on sale all over, as the 900f series is available now. From everything I saw, the 900e series was generally regarded as one of the best non-OLED tvs available last year. Like you, I am just making the jump to 4k, ATV included.
 
If you're not worried about having the latest model, Best Buy has the Sony 900e series on closeout-type prices. I picked one up a couple of weeks ago and have been very satisfied so far. Well I say Best Buy because that's where I bought mine, but I'm guessing they're on sale all over, as the 900f series is available now. From everything I saw, the 900e series was generally regarded as one of the best non-OLED tvs available last year. Like you, I am just making the jump to 4k, ATV included.

Cool! I was actually looking at that model. Have you had any issues with blurs or jitters? I noticed the refresh frame rate is 60 (vs the standard 120).

My HD is 120. Just curious if you’ve noticed any lag or anything. Thanks!
 
Last week, I picked up the SONY 75" X9400E (X940E / X94E) and also the Apple TV 4K. I was initially quite disappointed with the softness and washed out colors but after making some simple changes to the settings, I got the screen looking very nice. Setup was done with two Belkin Ultra High Speed HDMI cables running the ATV4K through my receiver to the TV. Based on the size and features I wanted, the X9400E was the most attractive option and I'm very happy with my decision. No issues with blur, jitters or lag etc. Hope this helps with your decision :)
 
Here are the top displays as rated by Sound and Vision magazine. They have been doing these review for decades, and often do extensive testing using stuff like SpectraCal CalMANsoftware, Photo Research PR-650 and Klein K-10A color meters, a Murideo pattern generator, and an Oppo UDP-203 UHD Blu-ray player.

Visio pretty much rules the lower price points.

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/top-picks-flat-panels

For a fast screening you can just go through all of the reviews

https://www.soundandvision.com/category/flat-panel-reviews

and look for 4+ star ratings of the features that are most important to you, in your price range. For me I look for 4+ star performance and value. There are some 5 star performance ratings (expensive OLED), but I couldn't find a 5 star value in a quick screening.
 
@Coffee50 Could I point out something that I feel will be an absolute game changer - especially in today's streaming world - HDMI 2.1!!!
It's what all TVs will be highlighting next year. I have a feeling that ALL manufacturers are going to make a HUGE thing of this and make some very tasty TVs!!!
Personally, I think that anyone buying a TV this year will very much regret not waiting for HDMI 2.1.
I can see Apple updating the ATV 4K next year (September or March 2019?) with HDMI 2.1 and that they'll give the UI 120fps rather than the 60fps. The instant frame rate detection/switching on HDMI 2.1 will be as effortless as it is on Apple ProMotion.
I'm excited by what 2.1 offers and I really recommend that you consider this :) Could be very exciting times ahead!
 
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