Question Help me choose a new 55" TV! (and one other question)

Flightoficarus

Novice Member
Joined
May 23, 2018
Messages
4
Reaction score
2
Points
1
Age
36
Location
WA
Hey all,

So, I'm in the market for a new 4K TV. I recently had an LG 49 UJ6300 that I actually enjoyed watching quite a bit. Ultimately, I decided that I wanted something a little bigger, for a better viewing experience with the couch slightly further away/for groups - so I sold it. This has lead me towards the 55 and 60 inch class TV sets.

I was originally just going to pick up the 55 inch version of the TV I just sold (which would be the 55UJ6300), as I liked the 49 inch version well enough, but I figured I should get some more advice/do a bit more homework before pulling the trigger on something. Apparently, some basic research suggests that the LG 6300 series supposedly isn't that great of a product range, so I'd like to learn more about why, and some other choices that would suit my budget well.

Here's what I liked about the 49" version of that 6300 series

- Fast software/user interface (my previous TV before the LG was slooow. This felt like an enormous upgrade). Easy TV to set up.
- Remote felt great/was easy to use.
- Vivid, detailed color. It seemed like very good picture quality for the price point. Also looked pretty good from side views.
- Seemed to meet all my needs feature-wise (3 HDMI ports was enough for me, etc).

The only thing I didn't care for were the stand posts - they seemed like too thin of plastic pieces to be supporting a 49 inch TV very well.

So, if I shouldn't by a 55UJ6300....what else should I consider? I can get the UJ for $500 new right now, which would be ideal for me cost-wise. But I can push the budget up to $700 or so if it's going to make a big enough difference in overall quality (both picture and build). I will mainly be using the TV for well...TV, lol. And also movies. Gaming use would be limited. Built in Netflix/other built in apps aren't too important to me because I have a Roku Ultra. And sound quality from the onboard speaker isn't too important either - I have an old Akai stereo receiver I can connect to if need be. So please, feel free to recommend other models that might be better?

Is it a bad idea to buy a refurbished/open box (or used newer model) TV? If not, I could snag a fairly decent deal on a Samsung MU8000 series model as an option (I think they were originally around $1k, which is a bit out of my range atm).

Thanks in advance!
 
The TCL R617 is the best option I would say for the price now over in the U.S, as long as you can get a good example or the P607 which was last year's model, both have VA panels.

The MU6300 is also a good model to consider if there are anymore available.

Unless you need wide viewing angles then steer clear of IPS models such as the UJ6300, due to poor picture quality and screen uniformity.

To be honest there isn't much difference between the sizes of the UJ6300, they would be using the same SOC(System on Chip).

These LG models of 2017 and 2018 are also RGBW at the lower to mid range.
 
Is it a bad idea to buy a refurbished/open box (or used newer model) TV? If not, I could snag a fairly decent deal on a Samsung MU8000 series model as an option (I think they were originally around $1k, which is a bit out of my range atm).
This would be quite some improvement on the LG, there is of course more of a risk but its a mid range model so a step up in the respect you get 4x UHD and HDR capable HDMI ports, a 120hz panel so you can use motion enhancements more effectively, gets a bit brighter too if you view in a bright environment.

- Fast software/user interface (my previous TV before the LG was slooow. This felt like an enormous upgrade). Easy TV to set up.
- Remote felt great/was easy to use.
This is an area where the LG is better than the competition, if you put this ahead picture quality in your priorities then the UJ6300 is a good option.

- Vivid, detailed color. It seemed like very good picture quality for the price point. Also looked pretty good from side views.
You'll first need to decide whether you need wide viewing angles or not, its the most important decision when buying a TV and relates to the panel type that comes with the TV.

IPS panel on a TV like the LG UJ6300 means you are more prone to a less uniform screen (where some parts of the screen appear lighter and darker than others), this is more noticeable in the dark and in dark scenes or sport. They also have worse black levels and therefore a poor contrast ratio. But you do get wider horizontal viewing angles.

VA panel on a TV like the Samsung MU8000 or TCL models will mean you get a better picture from the front, a more uniform screen, higher contrast and better black levels but the picture looks worse at an angle.

Ask yourself what you will use the TV for, in what light conditions and whether wide viewing angles are important to you (for example a party of people watching a sports game).
 
Thanks for the info thus far!

Dodge, could you please elaborate on some of the risks involved in going w/a refurbished TV (other than a short warranty)?

So based on what's been posted here, and a bit more of my own research, it seems like people are a bit divided on IPS vs VN panels (although it seems like VN gets more love), and that it basically comes down to contrast level/accuracy vs angle viewing image quality and color reproduction (but at the expense of contrast/darks)? IPS also sounds like it has less input lag? (i.e - good for gaming).

Further research suggests that more expensive TVs with OLED displays attempt to offer the benefits of each panel type without the negatives, but that you pay a hefty premium for it...yes?

I'm now curious about some of the mid-range sets from LG & Samsung that offer QLED, or Nanocell (LG's jargon for similar tech?). Are these basically the "poor man's" alternative to OLED (The Q6F, and LG "Super" UHD sets)? How do they stack up against regular VN or IPS sets? It looks like LG just released some new sets w/Nanocell displays for around the top of the budget listed, and I'm curious how well it lives up to what it claims to do (IPS style viewing angle perks, but better contrasts).

FWIW, this is a probably a better breakdown of what I plan to use the TV for, and the viewing conditions.

Live TV (Sports + News) - 35%
Scripted TV shows - 25%
Movies - 20%
Gaming/Misc use - 20%

Viewing conditions will typically be in a fairly well lit room, with only limited dark room use.

The idea of good viewing from an angle is of interest, because I like to have seating far back enough/people over where it may come in handy. Am I essentially in a situation where I will have to cough up just a bit more cash, or choose to prioritize? I'd rather avoid buyers remorse twice :)
 
Last edited:
Dodge, could you please elaborate on some of the risks involved in going w/a refurbished TV (other than a short warranty)?
I bought a refurb TV and lost the gamble and later got it repaired and its fine now. The problem is when you buy a refurb you are buying a TV that has already had a fault and been repaired, so there is more of a chance a fault may still be there. It depends how they checked the TV after refurbishment compared to originally in the manufacturer factory. So more of a risk is involved. If you are buying from a reputable source with a good return policy then its less of a worry, you can still return the item just like you would have to if you received a faulty TV new.

So based on what's been posted here, and a bit more of my own research, it seems like people are a bit divided on IPS vs VN panels (although it seems like VN gets more love), and that it basically comes down to contrast level/accuracy vs angle viewing image quality and color reproduction (but at the expense of contrast/darks)? IPS also sounds like it has less input lag? (i.e - good for gaming).
What you have researched is largely true, VA panels are favored mostly because people don't need wide viewing angles and like to enjoy things like having a more uniform screen and watching movies in the dark, critical movie/TV watching if you like. For sport a VA panel is also nice because you are less prone to have a screen that is less uniform resulting in dirty screen effect, clouding, backlight bleed or the banding many people refer to. A good way to see how TVs differ in this respect would be to head over to rtings.com/TV and take a look at their comparison tool between a TV with VA panel (Say Samsung MU8000) and a TV with an IPS panel (Say LG SJ series) and note the differences in how the screen looks with both 100% black and grey screens, it's the patchiness here that you are more likely to notice with sport, watching things on a plain background. Although this is less noticeable in lighter conditions.

In terms of colour, both technologies are good, VA has the edge being able to display more colour volume though, since higher contrast ratio=more colours at darker levels, although again most noticeable in the dark.

IPS traditionally in the computer monitor world does tend to have lower input lag and response times for that matter compared to VA, in the TV world though this is often not the case as TVs have a lot of processing to deal with compared to a bare monitor anyway. Most of the best gaming TVs are using VA panels and have the lowest input lag figures. Right now there are some LG models like the SJ series that have the lowest input lag, but they are only 5ms or so away from VA panels, an noticeable amount. But I wouldn't worry so much about input lag nowadays, every TV is low enough.

Response time is something else, IPS displays traditionally do respond faster and have less blur, but with TVs where extra processing goes on anyway it doesn't really matter that much, especially in the high end market where the very best LCDs always come with VA panels.

Simply put though, you do not need to worry about using a VA panel for gaming and you do not need to worry about input lag now either. Every TV has low enough input lag.

Further research suggests that more expensive TVs with OLED displays attempt to offer the benefits of each panel type without the negatives, but that you pay a hefty premium for it...yes?
OLED is basically a replacement from Plasma TVs, just like those days a OLED display being self emissive means its virtually blur-less. It also means that you can view at the tightest angle and have no degradation in picture quality. It has its disadvantages though just the same as any tech, the risk of burn in depending on your usage patterns and also the possibility of noticing more stutter, if you are sensitive to that.

I'm now curious about some of the mid-range sets from LG & Samsung that offer QLED, or Nanocell (LG's jargon for similar tech?). Are these basically the "poor man's" alternative to OLED? How do they stack up against regular VN or IPS sets? It looks like LG just released some new sets w/Nanocell displays for around the top of the budget listed, and I'm curious how well it lives up to what it claims to do (IPS style viewing angle perks, but better contrasts).
I wouldn't waste time trying to make sense of the marketing terms, each manufacturer has its own buzzword for certain technologies that mean the same thing. QLED is short for Quantum Dot Light Emitting Diodes and it just means the same as Nanocell which is a way for a TV to display a wider colour spectrum. Samsung's method on the QLEDs happens to be a lot better than LGs, but that only matters with HDR content, for SDR any TV will have more than good enough colour.

Not only that but the Samsung QLEDs aren't competing with the LG LCDs, they are competing with the OLEDs.

On the lower end Samsung TVs they call it active crystal colour or something like that.

The new LG LCDs are an improvement on last years models and if both were sold at similar prices I'd recommend going for the newer models, but since 2018 TVs are not long released they currently will likely fetch a large premium, they also may be better slightly than last years offerings, but they do not compete overall with other manufacturers offerings, especially in North America with TCL and Vizio too.

There is a lot to take in but I'd say you need to figure out how wide of an angle you need, if you say you view further away from the TV, you need less of an angle, the closer and to the side, the tighter the angle.

Get the protractor out and place it centre of the screen, draw a line at 30 degrees each way and you have your limit where a VA panel starts to look more washed out to the side.

Draw that line at 50 and you start to get to the point where an IPS TV will look poor to the side (a VA panel will be even worse at this angle too).

Then draw a line for 75 degrees and you get OLED/Plasma level viewing angles.

That should help you decide.

The other advice I can give you is perhaps to try and see these TVs in the flesh also, whilst the shop demo reels won't give you any idea, if you can take some of your own content to demo on the TVs in a store and they let you have the remote to put the TV in the right picture mode and adjust motion settings then you should have an idea of what to expect. Not only this but you can check out what you make of the viewing angles, perhaps its not so bad in your opinion at the side of a TV with a VA panel and it doesn't warrant the need to go for a lesser TV overall with picture quality for the sake of it looking better sometimes by other people to the side.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks again for you help!

Well, I learned a lot both here, and through doing additional research of my own. Ultimately, I chose to bite the bullet and allocate a bigger budget towards a TV (like I said, I'd rather avoid buyers remorse twice!).

Thanks to Memorial Day weekend sales, and the budget increase, I chose to pull the trigger on one of the new 2018 QLED 6-series Samsungs (a 55 inch). I spent quite a bit of time comparing numerous TVs in person, but I was quite impressed with the QLED stuff, and it was pretty hard to go back to a standard LCD model after spending some time with it :p.

I was originally planning to check out an LG 55SK9000PUA (Nanocell display w/FALD) as a possible purchase, but the store ran out of stock, and I didn't want to leave without a TV. They did have the 65 inch version available (for quite a bit more than I spent/65" is too big for my space/TV stand) that I must admit looked quite great too, but I think the "entry level" QLED stuff still edges it out. I do still prefer the LG WebOS operating system, but the Q-series was still a breeze to set up, and I'm quickly getting used to Samsung's OS.

Another thing I will say - you definitely notice the differences between the IPS and the VA panels on the more wallet-friendly TVs - and I definitely now see why VA panels seem to be favored on the more affordable sets. But I'd also say that the higher end you go, the less flaws you'll notice among the many TV options out there - certainly a good time to be a TV buyer.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom