Advice? Finally upgrading 12 yr old Plasma

doner005

Novice Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2022
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Points
26
Age
37
Location
Southeastern PA, USA
Hey Guys,

New here and looking for some advice. It’s been awhile since I’ve shopped for a TV since my Panasonic tc-p50gt25 has served me well for about 12 years now. I’m a little worried I will be disappointed with motion on newer TV’s after seeing my dad’s newer 85” Vizio. My Panasonic looked fantastic out of the box in THX mode and there is virtually no motion blur at all.

My TV is in a pretty bright room, although the majority of content is watched in the evening when it is dark. Absolutely everything will be streamed through an AppleTV 4K so I could care less about the TV’s smart features or user interface. I want something that will look good with 4K hdr10 and Dolby vision content. I don’t believe many things I stream are hdr10+ (At least they aren’t labeled that way). The couch is also pretty far from the TV at about 13’. I have a budget of $2000 and was hoping to get something 75” but could settle for 65” since it’s still an upgrade. So far from the research I’ve done and from looking at the buying guide thread here, I’m leaning towards a 75” Sony x90j. What do you guys think about that model or is there something else you would recommend around the $2k price range? Thanks!
 
Problem is your budget is stretching getting a good all-rounder at 75" the Sony X90J is probably the best you can get but still not very bright which means HDR for an LCD TV, so it won't always look so good on the TV.

A better option would an OLED like the Sony A80J, that will be more of a similar TV to your old Plasma with per-pixel dimming and no motion blur.

Your want of good motion limits your options pretty much only to Sony, but motion is very much in the eye of the beholder so who knows, you may get along with better value TVs like the Hisense U8G or TCL R646. Some motion tweaking will always be needed on an LCD or OLED compared to Plasma because they are sample and hold displays.
 
Problem is your budget is stretching getting a good all-rounder at 75" the Sony X90J is probably the best you can get but still not very bright which means HDR for an LCD TV, so it won't always look so good on the TV.

A better option would an OLED like the Sony A80J, that will be more of a similar TV to your old Plasma with per-pixel dimming and no motion blur.

Your want of good motion limits your options pretty much only to Sony, but motion is very much in the eye of the beholder so who knows, you may get along with better value TVs like the Hisense U8G or TCL R646. Some motion tweaking will always be needed on an LCD or OLED compared to Plasma because they are sample and hold displays.
Thanks you. Do you think it might be worth it to wait for the 2022 models to come out. The A80J may drop in price after the new models come out.
 
Prices usually are lower this time of year just before, or when the new models come out. It depends on availability though, since sometimes the older models can sell out before price reductions happen. Best thing to do is look at historical price graphs and make sure you aren't paying more for the TV now than you would come black friday last year. Usually right now is when the best bargains can be found but it's not always reliable.
 
Problem is your budget is stretching getting a good all-rounder at 75" the Sony X90J is probably the best you can get but still not very bright which means HDR for an LCD TV, so it won't always look so good on the TV.

A better option would an OLED like the Sony A80J, that will be more of a similar TV to your old Plasma with per-pixel dimming and no motion blur.

Your want of good motion limits your options pretty much only to Sony, but motion is very much in the eye of the beholder so who knows, you may get along with better value TVs like the Hisense U8G or TCL R646. Some motion tweaking will always be needed on an LCD or OLED compared to Plasma because they are sample and hold displays.
I was looking into the tcl r646 but was a little worried about the quality. Seems like a lot of people have issues with those panels. I’ll have to do some research on the Hisense. Any other cons to those 2 compared to the x90j beside the motion?
 
Picture processing isn't as good on the Chinese models but I'm an U8G and I'm very happy with the TV. It has its quirks, mainly software related on the smart TV side but I think every TV does, including the X90J.

I think the TCL R646 is similar, its issues are software related, if you aren't using the built in apps it won't matter so much.
 
Picture processing isn't as good on the Chinese models but I'm an U8G and I'm very happy with the TV. It has its quirks, mainly software related on the smart TV side but I think every TV does, including the X90J.

I think the TCL R646 is similar, its issues are software related, if you aren't using the built in apps it won't matter so much.
Thanks for all the help. I may just bite the bullet and pull the trigger on the A80j since I hope to keep this tv long term. Maybe not 12 years like the Panasonic but hopefully 5-10.
 
Picture processing isn't as good on the Chinese models but I'm an U8G and I'm very happy with the TV. It has its quirks, mainly software related on the smart TV side but I think every TV does, including the X90J.

I think the TCL R646 is similar, its issues are software related, if you aren't using the built in apps it won't matter so much.
So the wife shot down the A80j due to it being to far over budget. Do you have any experience with the Sony X950H? Seems to be very similar to the x90j but with more dimming zones and higher peak brightness. It isn’t on your recommended TV’s post so I was wondering if that might be a little better choice than the x90j.
 
So the wife shot down the A80j due to it being to far over budget. Do you have any experience with the Sony X950H? Seems to be very similar to the x90j but with more dimming zones and higher peak brightness. It isn’t on your recommended TV’s post so I was wondering if that might be a little better choice than the x90j.
The X950H is the 2020 version of the newer X95J and in some ways is a better TV. You get an older smart platform with Android TV instead of Google and no HDMI 2.1 but its still a very good TV for picture quality.

Today its up there with the newer X95J and QN90A, a step up from the X90J.

Lineup goes a bit like this from 2020 to 2021
2021 - X90J | X900H - 2020
2021 - X95J | X950H - 2020
 
The X950H is the 2020 version of the newer X95J and in some ways is a better TV. You get an older smart platform with Android TV instead of Google and no HDMI 2.1 but its still a very good TV for picture quality.

Today its up there with the newer X95J and QN90A, a step up from the X90J.

Lineup goes a bit like this from 2020 to 2021
2021 - X90J | X900H - 2020
2021 - X95J | X950H - 2020
Thanks for all the help so far. I think I’ve narrowed it down to 75” X950H ($1999) or 75” X95J ($2199). Do you think the X95J is worth the extra $200? I don’t care about the android vs Google tv because I’m strictly using Apple TV.
 
Thanks for all the help so far. I think I’ve narrowed it down to 75” X950H ($1999) or 75” X95J ($2199). Do you think the X95J is worth the extra $200? I don’t care about the android vs Google tv because I’m strictly using Apple TV.
Main drawback to the X95J is the lower contrast ratio, whereas the biggest downside for the X950H is the lack of HDMI 2.1.

If you don't need HDMI 2.1 then you could just save the money.

However, given the fact the X950H is coming up now to 2 iterations old I'd say it should be selling for a bigger discount than only £200. Some places will negotiate so it may be worth a try with the X95K being out soon.
 
Main drawback to the X95J is the lower contrast ratio, whereas the biggest downside for the X950H is the lack of HDMI 2.1.

If you don't need HDMI 2.1 then you could just save the money.

However, given the fact the X950H is coming up now to 2 iterations old I'd say it should be selling for a bigger discount than only £200. Some places will negotiate so it may be worth a try with the X95K being out soon.
I was thinking the price is a little high but it’s pretty much only online retailers that have the x950h left. Even then, there’s only one left on Amazon and hard to find elsewhere so they may not budge on price. Sounds like it still might be worth saving the $200 since I don’t do any gaming so hdmi 2.1 isn’t a huge issue. The x95j might lower in price a bit when the x95k comes out but I care more about picture quality so it might be the last chance to jump on a new x950h. Also, I see a lot of people post panel issues with the X95J. I’m not sure if that is something to be concerned about or just overblown because that is the more common model that’s being purchased now. now.
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom