Need a new TV

[Dave Lehnert]

Came home from work and my TV took a dump. 11 years old so not even going to try a repair.
Old TV is an LG Plasma 50 or 52" not sure.
Before I over think things and research for a year and a half (Yep going on now with a compact tractor purchase)
Help a woodworker out and just tell me what I want to get. I tend to go middle of the road when buying things.

[Erik Loza]

We've been really happy with Samsung TV's. They are all smart TV's (app-based). We also use a Roku stick. I'm a neanderthal about anything tech but have no problems operating them. Not sure if you are a Costco member but we have bought all ours there. Mostly around $400, never seen the need for 4K or anything like that. Hope this helps.

Erik

[Jim Becker]

I have one Samsung and two LGs; one of the latter was left in this house by the previous owner. The Samsung is a 50" class and has an excellent picture. It used to be in our master bedroom but is now over the fireplace in our family/bird room where it's also visible from the kitchen. The new LG is a 55" class and is in our new master bedroom it also has an excellent picture and is a more modern smart TV. It was only about $400 from Costco, too. We are streaming only here and I feed the TVs with AppleTV devices which I also brought from the old property. We technically don't need that for the new LG, but for consistency of interface, that's what I use.

I will also note that I use small soundbars with a wireless sub for room filling sound from the TVs in the bedroom and family room.

[Anuj Prateek]

Came home from work and my TV took a dump. 11 years old so not even going to try a repair.
Old TV is an LG Plasma 50 or 52" not sure.
Before I over think things and research for a year and a half (Yep going on now with a compact tractor purchase)
Help a woodworker out and just tell me what I want to get. I tend to go middle of the road when buying things.

Any mid-priced TV will have good picture quality.

I would start with laying out the requirements. Something like:
- number of HDMI ports required.
- do you need component video or other ports
- do you need good inbuilt sound
- do you need a smart tv (I prefer separate Roku)
- LED: viewing angle range
- if room is going to be bright, then contrast etc
- size: you may be able to buy a bigger size with very little extra cost ​

Once all other requirements are met you won't be left with many choices.

https://amp.reddit.com/r/HTBuyingGuides/comments/k7n3z2/2021_uscanada_tv_buying_guide/

Above link has some models listed by price.

I used their list for in-wall speakers and it helped narrowing down the choices.

[Stan Calow]

We just picked the biggest TV we could find at Sams Club for $1000. But also test the sound system and see if it works for you. We replaced our 55" Panasonic with a 70" Samsung and glad we did . But the sound seems to be weaker with the new one. Getting a smart TV makes it easier to access premium channels.

[Jim Becker]

'Kinda hard to get good sound internal to such slim designs, so if sound is important, even a $150 soundbar solution with a small subwoofer is going to kick butt over anything internal to most TVs. Nature of the beast...

[Stan Calow]

'Kinda hard to get good sound internal to such slim designs, so if sound is important, even a $150 soundbar solution with a small subwoofer is going to kick butt over anything internal to most TVs. Nature of the beast...

Yes. We bought a Bose sound bar soon after, and it helps, but still annoying that I have to crank that up to understand what they're saying. And its not all my admittedly bad ears. My wife (who can hear any complaining I whisper a whole house away) also says so. In hindsight I would at least look at the sound ratings in Consumer Reports.

[Jack Frederick]

We have a smart Samsung and we got rid of cable and run YouTube tv now. Some time back I was in Bestbuy talking tv sound with the salesman and he said just forget the built in sound on the TVs. As Jim pointed out, not a lot of geography in the boxes. My SIL bought a small, about 24-30” Sonos Sound Bar at Costco and to me it has been excellent.
Now, on the tractor, I have two Kubota BX’s. One a BX23 with BH and FEL and a 2660 with BB, FEL, MMM, tiler and Ratchet Rake. I looked at Mahindra and Kioti too, but when I bought the only local dealer was Kubota and it being my first tractor, I wanted and have needed dealer support. I’ve had them for 8 & 12 yrs now and they have been excellent.

[Adam Herman]

we are happy with our TCL from costco. if you have a costco, just go there with a budget in mind and pick on.

now tractors... hahah. that's a whole other thing. I would like to spend the money on a cabbed utility. maybe an lx 3310 but need to take time to go to the kioti dealer. i may crack and decide I don't need a cab, which makes used much easier to find. my old Allis Chalmers is ok, but we need more capability on the new property.

[Jerome Stanek]

I bought a Hisense that is 10 years old and still working fine. I did replace it with another larger Hisense as the first on gave a great picture and sound but wanted a bigger unit. The old one is my CNC monitor now and only gets shut down when power goes out. It has been 7 years since I put it in the shop.

[George Yetka]

Dont buy the best.
Buy any name brand.

I made the mistake of buying top of the line samsung 6 years ago and the software was outdated pretty quickly. The smart features get better and better. I had to add a Amazon firecube to make it usable.
Picture is good but a tv 1/3rd the price now would be better. the sound is great but a new soundbar would be better. Its a 65 but in the room its in a 75-85 would be more appropriate. But i'm so heavily invested in this tv I have to make it last another 5 years. If I spent 1000 id have no problem replacing it.

[Brian Elfert]

I have used a receiver with speakers for the sound on my TV for years. I never have issues with TV audio. My TV is actually just a monitor so it has no tuner and no speakers.

My personal choice for a TV would be the Samsung QN90A QLED Neo LED TV. It is fairly expensive and most people won't want to spend that much on a TV. If my Pioneer Plasma TV were to die this year that would the TV I would buy. OLED doesn't really work for me.

[Erik Loza]

+1 for getting a sound bar. We have a Sonos unit (not cheap, but made sense because we have other Sonos speakers throughout the house) and it's awesome. If it was "just the TV", you would probably be fine with any budget version.

Erik

[ChrisA Edwards]

Our last two TV purchases, 65" and 80", have both been Sony's. We a couple of Samsungs as well, but to be honest. I don't think we've had a bad TV or one quit working in the last 20_ years.

We are about to replace our bedroom TV, only because we arranged the bedrooms furniture and I want a larger screen.

I purchased sound bars with the last two TV's and my only suggestion here, buy the same brand sound bar as the TV as they'll play better together.

We cut the cable a couple of years ago and now stream everything. we have a mix of smart and dumb TV's, but use a Roku box, on each TV, to control all the streaming.

My next TV will be what fits my size and budget from Sams club.

[Tom M King]

Another one here not impressed with the Bose soundbar for speech.

[Brian Elfert]

Don't choose a TV based on the "Smart" part of things. I would get a Roku, Fire TV, or similar instead. Personally, I use the Roku Ultra because it is supposedly faster than some of the less expensive Roku sticks.

It is a lot cheaper to buy a new Roku, Fire TV, or similar when things are outdated than to replace an entire TV.

[Doug Garson]

Check out XVOS soundbar for your new TV, rated among the best for those with hearing loss but more economical than other brands. As far as TVs, I'd bet most of us couldn't notice the difference between the best and a middle of the road model when it comes to picture quality. I'd go for the features you want and reliability over absolute best picture.

[Mark Carlson]

My previous TV was a TCL 55in LED. Lasted about 18 months before the LEDS burned out. Latest TV is a Samsung 6 series LED. Nice tv for around $500. I also opted for a samsung sound bar. Its only fault is only two HDMI ports. The lastest 8 series models have 3 which would be perfect.

[Brian Elfert]

It is pretty hard to choose a TV based on reliability. Two TVs of the same model might have completely different life expectancies. Some Panasonic plasma TVs are still running years after last production while others of the same model barely made it out of the warranty period. I am 11 years in on a Pioneer plasma that seems as good as new all these years later. (It is 1080P and no desire to replace it.)

My employer moved into a new office in 2015. We bought a bunch of Sharp Aquos TVs in 37", 55", and 65" in early 2015 for the new office. I don't know that any of the 37" TVs have died and they have been on 24x7. Pretty much all of the 55" and 65" TVs were replaced by the beginning of 2020 as they kept dying one after another. My boss has been buying cheap TCL TVs to replace the Sharp TVs and no issues yet, but the oldest is maybe three years. We moved a cheap 32" Insignia TV from our old office that was bought around 2008 and it didn't quit until the middle of 2020. The Insignia was on 24x7 for most of those 12 years.

[Doug Garson]

Another thing to consider if your budget conscious is an open box return. Where I live there is a chain of 4 or 5 stores that sell big box store returns with full factory warrantees (and extended warrantees). We have bought 3 Samsungs from them, the first about five years ago, all trouble free and at substantial savings.

[Jim Braun]

If you purchased a Plasma years ago then picture quality was probably one of your top reasons, back in the day plasma tvs had the best blacks. If PQ is still important to you then I would suggest an OLED tv. We just purchased a 77 inch LG unit that is great, Costco carries the 2021 version, and if 77 is too big then it also comes in smaller sizes.

[Chris Walls]

Our last TV was a Samsung CRT , about 32". It died a slow death and one night I took it outside , sat it in the rain on the porch. Never replaced it. Still don't have a tv after more than 10 years. Can't say that I miss it either. I listen to the news on the radio a lot, watch the news on the computer on You Tube , read the paper every day. And I no longer worry about people who show up in the media who I don't know who they are. That seems to happen often lately, I don't let it bother me. And I don't miss the bill from the cable company either !
Chris

[lowell holmes]

I go to Sam's Club and pick something and take it home. I drive an F150.

[Aaron Rosenthal]

There is only one thing about "Smart" TV sets that put my teeth on edge - the voice control.
I have a set in the bedroom, and with the ability (if not the need) to have an outside service listen to your speech in case you say a command to the TV, my exponential sensitivity to privacy kicks in FAST.
Make sure whatever you buy can have the listening service be shut off, completely.

[Ole Anderson]

Another vote for Costco. I would stick with either LG or Samsung. I went with a 65" Samsung from Costco several years ago. Personally I prefer going with the smart aspect of my TV over an add-on device such as Apple TV (I have one). Just another remote to loose. I have the Xfinity remote which controls my TV and Yamaha/JBL/SVS surround system and has voice control. Love it.

[Dave Lehnert]

Thanks everyone. Went to Walmart across the street from work and purchased another LG but a 55" vs my old 50". To be honest with the 55" you would never know it wasn't the same TV as my 50". I was wanting something a little bigger and thought a 55" would be perfect. But like I said, looks the same size. Got to love it was cheaper than my 11 year old 50" by about $300.
I did look at Costco. Good option for sure but I dont have a Membership and it is located in the part of town I just never up that way.

One things I did find out. The store only has a limited quantity on display. They have a much larger selection on line AND in stock at the local store. In my case they displayed the smaller size of the same model with no mention a larger size is available. And at a cost of only like $20 or $30 more.

[Jim Becker]

I agree that the 55" class doesn't feel all that much larger than the 50" class! 'Glad you were able to take care of the need.

[Robert LaPlaca]

Check out XVOS soundbar for your new TV, rated among the best for those with hearing loss but more economical than other brands. As far as TVs, I'd bet most of us couldn't notice the difference between the best and a middle of the road model when it comes to picture quality. I'd go for the features you want and reliability over absolute best picture.

Did you mean ZVox soundbar? I bought three ZVox sound bars (one for each tv) for the boss lady, she is very happy with the difference in voice quality.

[Doug Garson]

Did you mean ZVox soundbar? I bought three ZVox sound bars (one for each tv) for the boss lady, she is very happy with the difference in voice quality.
Yes that is the one I meant, sorry for the misspelling.

[roger wiegand]

Lots of TVs now put a bigger screen in a smaller frame. The higher end ones have almost no bezel at all.

I find it important to match the TV to your personal information "ecosystem". If you have all Apple devices then a TV that plays well with Apple Airplay makes your life easier, likewise for Android and their system. I have one TV that doesn't work with AirPlay and it's a PITA. I'm on a never-ending campaign to eliminate wires, dongles, and extra boxes from our TV area. I want the screen that hangs on the wall and one remote, that's it. That's about where I am now, almost every other function can be controlled from my phone. I do have to keep the cable remote in a drawer nearby for one or two obscure settings. Very close now to ditching the cable and getting rid of that box and remote entirely.

I personally avoid all of the Android/Amazon devices that listen to you all the time. Apple says you can turn it off completely and they seem to be serious enough about privacy that I tend to trust them (though not too much) on that point. Lots of evidence that Alexa is always listening, no matter what.

[Jerome Stanek]

My 50 inch doesn't look any bigger then my 42

[Bill McNiel]

I am late to the discussion, as usual, but I recently went through the TV buying research process and learned a few things.

LG makes the OLED screens for themselves, Samsung and Sony. They are considered the best available by the AV crowd for "darker" rooms.

Samsung's QLED is rated better for rooms with more light. They have numerous options from Q60, 70, 80 90 depending on your budget and visual requirements.

Video Only pricing was better than Costco or Best Buy here and their sales personnel were more knowledgeable and helpful than the others.

Sound bars are pretty much required to have a decent audio experience.

[Richard Hart]

I have a Samsung. I hate it. The TV is fine but the software positively sucks. Takes longer to boot than it does for a tube TV to warm up. Turn it on... "preparing the TV"... eternally. They should stick with tablets and phones.
I'm an electronics geek, can fix/mod almost anything but the TV is one of the things that I want to just work. Period.
I said the hell with it and I ran a tablet into it through the HDMI port. So it's more of an expensive monitor than a TV, but now without being infuriated. I'd look for another make.

Rich

[Larry Frank]

I have a Samsung Smart TV and have no issues at all. I do check for software updates and install as available. It comes on quickly and works with my DirecTV and FireTV.

[Richard Hart]

I have a Samsung Smart TV and have no issues at all. I do check for software updates and install as available. It comes on quickly and works with my DirecTV and FireTV.

Mine is from 2015 though so maybe they got smart and fixed things.

[Larry Frank]

TVs have really changed with the numerous ways of watching. You have cable, satellite and over the air. In addition, there are many ways of streaming and services. Oh, there are a variety of formats and picture quality levels.

I had issues with too dark picture when viewing 4K type. I did the upgrade to the TV software and fixed that issue. TVs are just more complicated today.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

We have a 55 Samsung that is 6 years old. Another Samsung 32 and our kids have 43 inch LG tvs all of the smart TV's. I do not understand why Samsung doesn't just go ahead and put the computer works in a TV. Heck fairly sophisticated AI can be found in $100 discount tablets. We have the 32 Samsung in the kitchen. Not hooked up to cable, but an antenna, because when the power is out, the cable doesn't work. But between the generator or inverter, we can operate the tv. I frequently look up videos on my phone and cast them to the 32 TV. I can prepare dinner (I am retired much younger wife wants to work a few years yet) and watch old TV shows, or videos, or just have music on. I often watch some foreign singers TV shows that are not on US TV.