shawshank
Novice Member
Hello All!
Recently my beautiful Panasonic plasma finally went out. Unfortunately I cannot justify the purchase (or cost) of an OLED right now so I have to go the LED route. Ideally I'd like to stay under 1k; which I know limits my options.
TV HABITS (BACKGROUND INFO)
I have an enclosed entertainment center. It currently hosts my dead 50' Panasonic plasma. I'm looking to get a '55 to replace it with. It will be snug however as the entertainment center is 50 inches wide. It will reside in a well lit living room. I work from home, but only watch an occasional show here or there. The reflection from my former plasma was pretty bad, but I grew accustom to it. That's not a deal breaker for me. I do like to watch TV late at night with the lights off. I typically lay in front of it on the floor approximately 6 feet away. The entertainment stand is 2ft tall. I stream a lot, watch a lot of movies, and am a fan of sports (football, basketball mainly). Every blue moon I may allow my kids to use the TV for their XBOX ONE, but rarely.
THE FAB FIVE
Now I know there are a lot more TVs out there. There is a TCL model that's relatively cheap. I have some 32' TCL's in my kids bedrooms, but I just don't know if I trust them for my main TV. Also seen a 55' Toshiba 55L621U that's cheap, but once again...I could've sworn they got bought out by another manufacturer, but are still using the brand name? Also people complained it was more like a monitor than TV. In any case, I'm looking for something under 1k, that is somewhat future proof (if there is such a thing). I've narrowed it down to five models; Samsung UN55KU6300, Vizio P55-C1, LG 55UH7700, Sony XBR-55X700D and the Samsung UN55KS8000. Hopefully you can shed light and/or educate me on making a more informed decision...
SAMSUNG UN55KU6300 ($599)
This was one of the initial models I was looking into. It was $799 at BestBuy, but found it even cheaper at WM. The price is definitely alluring for an entry level model. I read some favorable reviews, however the one thing that somewhat bothers me is the low refresh rate. That and something about it not being true HDR and only 8-bit? Not sure what all that tech jargon means (although it made sense when I listened). Also I've read when you opt into the Samsung apps, they push ads to your menu. I am not fond of that whatsoever!
VIZIO P55-C1 ($999)
I initially wrote off Vizio. Years ago I had a small 27inch in our bedroom and I was unimpressed. I know at that size TV I shouldn't judge a company, but it went out quickly so I've always associated them with being cheap. Forgive my ignorance, but that was my experience. However as I was narrowing down choices, this particular model came up a couple times highly reviewed. One thing that stood out in the reviews was it looked good in a dark room. Major plus. I also thought I read somewhere it has both Dolby HDR and HDR-10 capabilities. Another plus. But I somewhat dismissed it as I'm a new cord-cutter and it doesn't have a tuner. It's one of those tuner-free displays and I'd have to purchase an adapter for the antenna. I know they're only another $50, but eh.
LG 55UH7700 ($1,099)
This one initially caught my eye as it was on sale for $799. It became a front-runner due to its price and specs. However I looked yesterday and see it's back to $1,099; thus the hunt continues. I've always heard good things about LG and the reviews were favorable. Like the Vizio, it also had both the Dolby HDR and HDR-10 technologies. Thinking along the lines of future proofing, that was a plus. Speakers are by Harmon Kardon. I'm a huge fan of their products. But I understand the wattage is low and it is likely not the best still. The LG app system seems really smooth. Lastly it has the IPS panel which they stated should help with viewing angles. But I've read from others that the IPS displays take away from the contrast and the blacks don't look as good. I realize it's not a plasma, but I don't want to super disappointed in a dark room.
SONY XBR-55X700D ($799)
I definitely like the price. It's been getting favorable reviews. Refresh rate is decent. But it's also an IPS panel. One website said, "Below average for watching movies in a dark room. The blacks are not deep and not very uniform and it doesn't have a local dimming feature to make it better." Then they recommended the LG 55UH7700.
SAMSUNG UN55KS8000 ($999)
This 8000 is on sale for $999; down from $1299. I saw this in a store and was blown away. Now of course they put on a slow mo demo and I get it. But it impressed the hell out of me. I dismissed it for it's price, but now it's closer to 1k I have to give some strong consideration. I've seen a lot of reviews and nobody has said anything negative about it other than the ads (similar to the KU6300).
WHICH ONE TO PICK?
I figured this would be a good place to ask this question as I'm not sure what route to go? I'm still a little leery about the Vizio unless someone else can provide me with an angle I'm missing. The LG isn't rated as high as the KS8000, so unless it drops back to $799 I can't see that as an option. The Sony is not supposed to be as good as the LG <sigh>.
Which leaves the Samsung KS6300 and the KS8000. If any of you have experience with both, is the 8000 worth an additional $400? Remember I'm coming from a 720p plasma. Or should I just go with the cheaper one until I can afford an OLED years and years down the line as it won't matter anyways?
Scratching my head on this one. Any assistance is greatly appreciated!
Shawshank
BONUS QUESTION - Would any of those back-lighting strips (e.g. LEDGlow, Phillips) make the contrast issues, dimming, etc less noticeable?
Recently my beautiful Panasonic plasma finally went out. Unfortunately I cannot justify the purchase (or cost) of an OLED right now so I have to go the LED route. Ideally I'd like to stay under 1k; which I know limits my options.
TV HABITS (BACKGROUND INFO)
I have an enclosed entertainment center. It currently hosts my dead 50' Panasonic plasma. I'm looking to get a '55 to replace it with. It will be snug however as the entertainment center is 50 inches wide. It will reside in a well lit living room. I work from home, but only watch an occasional show here or there. The reflection from my former plasma was pretty bad, but I grew accustom to it. That's not a deal breaker for me. I do like to watch TV late at night with the lights off. I typically lay in front of it on the floor approximately 6 feet away. The entertainment stand is 2ft tall. I stream a lot, watch a lot of movies, and am a fan of sports (football, basketball mainly). Every blue moon I may allow my kids to use the TV for their XBOX ONE, but rarely.
THE FAB FIVE
Now I know there are a lot more TVs out there. There is a TCL model that's relatively cheap. I have some 32' TCL's in my kids bedrooms, but I just don't know if I trust them for my main TV. Also seen a 55' Toshiba 55L621U that's cheap, but once again...I could've sworn they got bought out by another manufacturer, but are still using the brand name? Also people complained it was more like a monitor than TV. In any case, I'm looking for something under 1k, that is somewhat future proof (if there is such a thing). I've narrowed it down to five models; Samsung UN55KU6300, Vizio P55-C1, LG 55UH7700, Sony XBR-55X700D and the Samsung UN55KS8000. Hopefully you can shed light and/or educate me on making a more informed decision...
SAMSUNG UN55KU6300 ($599)
This was one of the initial models I was looking into. It was $799 at BestBuy, but found it even cheaper at WM. The price is definitely alluring for an entry level model. I read some favorable reviews, however the one thing that somewhat bothers me is the low refresh rate. That and something about it not being true HDR and only 8-bit? Not sure what all that tech jargon means (although it made sense when I listened). Also I've read when you opt into the Samsung apps, they push ads to your menu. I am not fond of that whatsoever!
VIZIO P55-C1 ($999)
I initially wrote off Vizio. Years ago I had a small 27inch in our bedroom and I was unimpressed. I know at that size TV I shouldn't judge a company, but it went out quickly so I've always associated them with being cheap. Forgive my ignorance, but that was my experience. However as I was narrowing down choices, this particular model came up a couple times highly reviewed. One thing that stood out in the reviews was it looked good in a dark room. Major plus. I also thought I read somewhere it has both Dolby HDR and HDR-10 capabilities. Another plus. But I somewhat dismissed it as I'm a new cord-cutter and it doesn't have a tuner. It's one of those tuner-free displays and I'd have to purchase an adapter for the antenna. I know they're only another $50, but eh.
LG 55UH7700 ($1,099)
This one initially caught my eye as it was on sale for $799. It became a front-runner due to its price and specs. However I looked yesterday and see it's back to $1,099; thus the hunt continues. I've always heard good things about LG and the reviews were favorable. Like the Vizio, it also had both the Dolby HDR and HDR-10 technologies. Thinking along the lines of future proofing, that was a plus. Speakers are by Harmon Kardon. I'm a huge fan of their products. But I understand the wattage is low and it is likely not the best still. The LG app system seems really smooth. Lastly it has the IPS panel which they stated should help with viewing angles. But I've read from others that the IPS displays take away from the contrast and the blacks don't look as good. I realize it's not a plasma, but I don't want to super disappointed in a dark room.
SONY XBR-55X700D ($799)
I definitely like the price. It's been getting favorable reviews. Refresh rate is decent. But it's also an IPS panel. One website said, "Below average for watching movies in a dark room. The blacks are not deep and not very uniform and it doesn't have a local dimming feature to make it better." Then they recommended the LG 55UH7700.
SAMSUNG UN55KS8000 ($999)
This 8000 is on sale for $999; down from $1299. I saw this in a store and was blown away. Now of course they put on a slow mo demo and I get it. But it impressed the hell out of me. I dismissed it for it's price, but now it's closer to 1k I have to give some strong consideration. I've seen a lot of reviews and nobody has said anything negative about it other than the ads (similar to the KU6300).
WHICH ONE TO PICK?
I figured this would be a good place to ask this question as I'm not sure what route to go? I'm still a little leery about the Vizio unless someone else can provide me with an angle I'm missing. The LG isn't rated as high as the KS8000, so unless it drops back to $799 I can't see that as an option. The Sony is not supposed to be as good as the LG <sigh>.
Which leaves the Samsung KS6300 and the KS8000. If any of you have experience with both, is the 8000 worth an additional $400? Remember I'm coming from a 720p plasma. Or should I just go with the cheaper one until I can afford an OLED years and years down the line as it won't matter anyways?
Scratching my head on this one. Any assistance is greatly appreciated!
Shawshank
BONUS QUESTION - Would any of those back-lighting strips (e.g. LEDGlow, Phillips) make the contrast issues, dimming, etc less noticeable?
