Is a new tv an upgrade?

[Agent 17]

Hi All
I would really like some advice or what your thoughts would be on this.. I currently have a Panasonic tx-55as650 3d tv which I bought 6 years ago and am quite happy with it but I do have a great 5.1 surround system and was looking to get a 75 inch tv to get that cinema type experience. However I only have a budget of £1000 and a lot of tvs in that price range seem to get poor reviews on here. I mainly watch dvds,blu rays,sports and stream Netflix. I am currently looking at the Samsung AU8000 and my question is basically this,would I be downgrading picture quality to gain a bigger tv? Should I stick or twist?
Thanks for reading

 

[Hixs]

For 1k youd get a decent 65". The sony XJ range. Though no 3D as with all new sets.

Save a little longer and get a 65" oled. That'll be a good upgrade. The new LG are out soon , so I'd imagine there is some decent discounts on the outgoing C1.

 

[Agent 17]

Hi Hixs
Thanks for the reply, yeah. I know I wont get 3d which really isn't an issue but I'm not sure if I go for 65" then is it worth the outlay for the sake of 10 inches. I kinda had my heart set on at least 70". Btw HDR isn't a priority to me but nits are, my Panasonic is approx 450 ,are your suggestions on par with this?
Thanks again

 

[pastrybloke19]

Hi Hixs
Thanks for the reply, yeah. I know I wont get 3d which really isn't an issue but I'm not sure if I go for 65" then is it worth the outlay for the sake of 10 inches. I kinda had my heart set on at least 70". Btw HDR isn't a priority to me but nits are, my Panasonic is approx 450 ,are your suggestions on par with this?
Thanks again

You can get a cheap 75” tv but it will be poor at HDR: they just can’t get bright enough (nits) and most content will have HDR = issues. You can disable HDR content by not buying the UHD package or using an external box and disabling it via the TV, but sounds like a faff to me.

If size is key, look at 75” LCD as they are much better value: and 2021 TVs should be getting fab discounts from retailers who want to get rid.

Budget wise, you need more than £1k for a half decent 75”: refub or 2nd hand could be worth considering. if budget can’t increase, then you can go cheap but need to be confident you will be ok with a cheap/cheerful tv.

 

[Agent 17]

Hi pastrybloke
Thanks for the reply, what do you mean in your second paragraph? 'You can go 75 LCD' sorry if I appear thick here but are you saying you can get LCD tvs that don't cater for HDR? If so I'd be fine with that.If that's right any recommendations?

 

[rccarguy2]

TV Series & Movies = OLED.
LCD and it's varients purely for heavy gaming

 

[Agent 17]

Hi rccarguy
Thanks for the reply

 

[pastrybloke19]

Hi pastrybloke
Thanks for the reply, what do you mean in your second paragraph? 'You can go 75 LCD' sorry if I appear thick here but are you saying you can get LCD tvs that don't cater for HDR? If so I'd be fine with that.If that's right any recommendations?

You can get 75” LCD that say they can do HDR, but they can’t: they just can’t get bright enough. Basically marketing crap.

Check out this:

NEW: My best value TVs, 2021-2022 Edition

My best value TVs, 2021-2022 Edition Please read this post before posting and asking for advice. Include all the information we need to recommend you the right TV! Its also worth reading my useful links here: My links & guides (Also found in my signature, desktop view) These are my own...

www.avforums.com

 

[Agent 17]

You can get 75” LCD that say they can do HDR, but they can’t: they just can’t get bright enough. Basically marketing crap.

Check out this:

NEW: My best value TVs, 2021-2022 Edition

My best value TVs, 2021-2022 Edition Please read this post before posting and asking for advice. Include all the information we need to recommend you the right TV! Its also worth reading my useful links here: My links & guides (Also found in my signature, desktop view) These are my own...

www.avforums.com

Yeah I gathered its all BS regarding HDR, just means they can process the signal not produce it with quality. I'll check out the link...thanks again.

 

[Dodgexander]

You'll see from my guide, but I won't recommend cheaper TVs because of the issues associated with HDR.
However, if you have a plan to avoid HDR content on the TV, for example an Apple TV connected with HDR turned off, then a cheaper and larger TV is fine.

Part of what you're buying into nowadays is with HDR though, so I'd think about that being a priority when buying a TV nowadays even if it does mean you have to go for a smaller model.

 

[Agent 17]

Hi Dodgexander.
Thanks for the reply and advice. I've been checking out the 75inch Sony x90j, obviously more expensive but some good reviews . Would it be worth paying the extra £450 over the Samsung ue75au8000?
Cheers

 

[Dodgexander]

It definitely is worth the extra, the Sony X90J whilst not perfect will at least give you an avenue into enjoying HDR on a TV and will give you much less picture problems than a cheaper TV like the Samsung AU8000.

 

[Agent 17]

Great, thanks for the reply

 

[Agent 17]

Was about to pull the trigger on the sony x90j at £1300 but just seen a Panasonic 75HX940BZ at costco for £999. What do you think?

 

[Dodgexander]

The Panasonic is nowhere near as good as the Sony X90J, it doesn't have a proper FALD system and can only reach 500 instead of 800 nits.

 

[Agent 17]

Thanks for the info and advice ,saved me making a mistake .Sony it is

 

[Agent 17]

Quick update, was about to order the sony this morning but seen that Costco have taken a further £200 off the Panasonic(now £799) making the sony ( £1300) £500 more. My pocket has won the day hope I don't regret it but been positive , my original budget was pointing towards a Samsung au8000 costing £850 so all things considered I think the Panasonic will be better , cheaper and got a 5 year warranty. I will update when I get new tv. Thanks

 

[Agent 17]

Hi All
Update on the Panasonic tx75hx940b. Well good news was that costco gave a further £100 discount so I got it for an unbelievable £700. After organising sitting room and eventually hanging it on the wall ,( its heavy,53kg) there appears to be a very faint verticle bar down centre of screen.this is only barely visible if looking for it, say on a green screen ,like a football game.Which I think I can live with however the picture isn't impressive, the true cinema and game settings are fine but when i put my own settings in the colours seem to bleed and can only get rid if i take the brightness level into the minus,surely this is not right? Any suggestions of how to set up picture or does it seem theres a fault and it will have to go back and that I will have to fork out the extra cash as its now out of stock Thanks for any advice. I've uploaded a photo of the bar .

 

[Dodgexander]

I'm not sure what you mean by colours bleeding. What are you trying to achieve by using your own settings that differs from the presets? True Cinema should be most accurate out of the box.

As for the line, that is just a form of poor screen uniformity, there's not much you can do about it. Some units will be better than others, even of the same TV. Sometimes people return a TV because of it and get one with better uniformity, sometimes it can be worse.

If you find it too distracting or believe it to be a fault you have a reason to return the TV. Really the closest alternative would be Samsung's Q70A or Sony's X85J/X91J series, both these models are edge lit VA panels without local dimming like the Panasonic.

If you don't mind spending more to up your chances of better screen uniformity, then the Sony X90J is a good idea.

 

[Agent 17]

Hi Dodgexander
Thanks for the fast reply.Yes your right the true cinema is a good setting which is ideal gor films etc but normal sd tv it seems a little dark so that's why I like to create my own in the custom menu. Hard to describe what happens to the colour when I use my own settings and I forget the correct term for it ,I think its appearance is like what they call polarization but if I take the brightness right down it disappears.( I will try to upload a pic )
Panasonic customer service said the bar was image retention which had to be nonsense as it has only been used for a few days ( unless its a previous return) They also said it wad not covered by the warranty I don't think so.
On normal everyday content etc you don't notice it and I could live with it but its the picture settings that concern me. Any sources I can use to help me?
If I can't get this to a satisfactory setting then I will have to bite the bullet and go for the other I originally debated with,the Sony x90j.

 

[Dodgexander]

I don't think its image retention, if it was it would only be temporary.
You should be able to keep the TV in the True Cinema mode and still raise the brightness of the TV. They key is not to use the setting brightness, but instead search for backlight.

If you are using brightness you are adding image processing to the image which will bring adverse effects.

Bear in mind the TV is also pretty dim for modern standards anyway, so if you are having a dark picture when using HDR on the TV, its completely normal. That's one of the reasons I don't recommend cheaper TVs in my guide.

 

[Agent 17]

Ah right,I will leave the brightness alone which I have always done on previous tvs and lift backlight settings to see if it improves.The HDR performance when streaming from Netflix in dolby vision is very good and quite bright,no issues there. I know I got this tv cheap but its double the price I paid elsewhere ,currently about £1400 unless that is considered cheaper tvs,depends on your pocket and her indoors
I will upload a pic of issue mentioned soon as I can. Thanks again

 

[Agent 17]

Here is some pics of the issue plus my own settings.

 

[rccarguy2]

Vivid colour seems you want that off

 

[Dodgexander]

Looks like colour banding...or poor near to black handling. Near to black on the newer HDMI 2.1 sets isn't too great but I don't think it should look bad. I'd stick with the theater night preset or theater day and raise the backlight. It's a bad idea to be using other presets, although if you do disable settings like Vivid Colour you can sometimes get the picture pretty accurate.

Apart from Vivid Colour there's I'm not sure its right to have colour remaster is correct and colour temp is definitely not meant to be standard for an accurate image.

If you insist on using the standard preset you could take a look at what settings are used for Filmaker mode or Theater Night and take a picture to make sure they are the same in standard.

Last thing to check is to make sure you view the TV head on, not at an angle. The picture will look worse if you view at an angle.