Help me decide on a new TV

[sdilley14]

I'm looking at replacing my 2014 Samsung 65" TV with a new set. As of now I have it narrowed down to two...

https://www.amazon.com/TCL-65R617-65-Inch-Ultra-Smart/dp/B079NJMFL8

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-65NU...r=1-5&keywords=samsung+65"&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

CNet and other reviewers have raved about the quality/value sweet-spot of the TCL. Quote from CNet, "With superb picture quality that rivals TVs costing twice as much, TCL's 6 series is the best TV value we've ever reviewed."

On the other hand, Samsung is obviously a more recognizable and perhaps a more trusted brand in regards to TV set quality (both build quality and picture quality).

They're not too far off in price. The TCL is typically $999.99, while the Samsung is in the $1300-$1400 range.

The TCL seems like the obvious choice, but for some reason I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger on a brand that I've never really heard of. Samsung seems to be pretty well known for quality TV's, but is the $300-$400 price gap justifiable?

I don't have a lot of requirements in my television set - must be under $2k price, 65" (sadly I don't think 75" will fit where I plan on mounting it), needs to support 4k...and that's about it. I don't do gaming, I don't need a ton of outputs, I don't care about built in smart apps or anything like that, and I don't care about the TV's built-in audio capabilities.

Is there a better option in the sub $2k category?

 

[eyoungren]

I'm looking at replacing my 2014 Samsung 65" TV with a new set. As of now I have it narrowed down to two...

https://www.amazon.com/TCL-65R617-65-Inch-Ultra-Smart/dp/B079NJMFL8

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-65NU...r=1-5&keywords=samsung+65"&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

CNet and other reviewers have raved about the quality/value sweet-spot of the TCL. Quote from CNet, "With superb picture quality that rivals TVs costing twice as much, TCL's 6 series is the best TV value we've ever reviewed."

On the other hand, Samsung is obviously a more recognizable and perhaps a more trusted brand in regards to TV set quality (both build quality and picture quality).

They're not too far off in price. The TCL is typically $999.99, while the Samsung is in the $1300-$1400 range.

The TCL seems like the obvious choice, but for some reason I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger on a brand that I've never really heard of. Samsung seems to be pretty well known for quality TV's, but is the $300-$400 price gap justifiable?

I don't have a lot of requirements in my television set - must be under $2k price, 65" (sadly I don't think 75" will fit where I plan on mounting it), needs to support 4k...and that's about it. I don't do gaming, I don't need a ton of outputs, I don't care about built in smart apps or anything like that, and I don't care about the TV's built-in audio capabilities.

Is there a better option in the sub $2k category?

I'd recommend Sceptre.

Another brand you haven't heard of, but we bought a 4k UHD 55" Sceptre TV from Walmart a few months back. It was less than $300 and it's performed very well.

The link below is for a 4K UHD 65" Sceptre. Looks to be roughly a third the price of your other TVs.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sceptre-65-Class-4K-2160P-LED-TV-U650CV-U/48874705

 

[sdilley14]

I'd recommend Sceptre.

Another brand you haven't heard of, but we bought a 4k UHD 55" Sceptre TV from Walmart a few months back. It was less than $300 and it's performed very well.

The link below is for a 4K UHD 65" Sceptre. Looks to be roughly a third the price of your other TVs.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sceptre-65-Class-4K-2160P-LED-TV-U650CV-U/48874705

Its crazy to me that we now live in a world where you can easily get a 65" 4k TV for less than $500. I remember buying my 42" 720p LCD Sanyo around 2008 for $1k. That TV is complete garbage by today's standards, lol.

Thank you for the recommendation!

 

[eyoungren]

Its crazy to me that we now live in a world where you can easily get a 65" 4k TV for less than $500. I remember buying my 42" 720p LCD Sanyo around 2008 for $1k. That TV is complete garbage by today's standards, lol.

Thank you for the recommendation!

Yeah, I was floored when I bought my 55". I've never heard of Sceptre so I went by the Wallmart reviews and there were far more positives than negatives.

Our TV got delivered by FedEx and has been a solid performer.

One thing to keep in mind though. Use the TV with a soundbar or some sort of sound hookup. If there is one place where they fall down it's their speakers.

Possibly that's to generate sales of their own branded sounbar but IDK. They have a standard SPDIF optical hookup though as well as all the regular audio hookups. 4 HDMI ports as well. Inside the packaging for the TV you'll get a discount code for their soundbar. The included remote will also control their soundbar (it's preprogrammed).

It was just a really bizarre (but cool) find.

If you get one, hope it works well for you.

 

[D.T.]

Take a look at the definitely check out Vizio, they're making outstanding TVs, feature/PQ comparable to Sony/LG/Samsung (within the same tech spec), and very good bang-for-the-buck. Specifically the new 2018 models in the M and P series, some sizes aren't priced/available yet in the '18 P series.

You can register and get an additional 5% off direct (where they're generally discounted to begin with, plus free shipping).