Question List of questions about current TV's

jacksparrow254

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So I'm suddenly in the position to buy a new TV. I didn't want to break the bank and get an OLED as they are much more expensive compared to the new model of TCL's that I'm willing to save 50% on the price in exchange for non perfect blacks. Buuut if I have to, I'll get an OLED, like a B7. Also my best buy/magnolia is ass and are filled with used car salesman that want me to buy the 80 inch tv or get out, they look so uncomfortable/pissed when I ask if I can do some comparison or setting changes, I just need to buy my tv and get out.

So a few questions.
1. My AVR is 4k compatible, but it's older so it's not HDCP2.2 compatible. I only use my PS4 Pro for my TV, everything else I connect my PC to my TV, I don't have a 4k player either but I plan on getting a XB1X in the future. Will I run into any issues? I don't have/use netflix, any streaming apps, cable boxes etc. I already have a few 4K blu rays laying around like Baby Driver and Fant4astic 4(got it for free).

2. What the hell is black frame insertion? I read some reviews on some tvs and some say that watching movies that the screen judders a lot, I'm VERY sensitive to microstutters,juddering,low framerates etc. Do all TV's have settings to avoid these sort of things? All the OLEDS on rtings.com have terrible scores in the stutter department, am I better off not getting a OLED then?

3. What's the input lag on the newest TCL? Can I do HDR+4K+Local Dimming without adding a ton of lag on the 2018 TV's in general or is it still a problem?

4. How does non 4K stuff look on newer TVs? I care about this pretty heavily as the vast majority of content is not 4K and won't be for a long time, I don't even have the connection to handle a 4K stream but I can 1440p youtube videos fine.

5. So what's the deal with HDR? I've seen so many threads in other places about people going on how they hate HDR that it washes everything out, they don't see a difference, and these are people with flagship TV's with the right settings and every thread turns into "get your eyes checked". I don't wanna have a "that's it?" reaction when I get the new TV.

6. I see the LG B7 or maybe OLEDs in general have a backlight flickering issue? If this is true then I will rule out any OLEDs forever because my current TV dims the entire screen at seemingly random and it pisses me off to no end.

I've been researching all day long and I landed inbetween the TCL 617, Sony X900E, and the LG B7. Have there been any owners that have owned all 3 tv's at once or know where I can get reviews comparing all 3? I'm basically asking if each choice I have here is worth the extra $400 that's inbetween them. Or do I go for broke and wait a month with no tv for the C8 to drop in price? Like is the B7 $1000 better than the newest TCL? I'm coming from a amazing 1080 set from 2012(panasonic viera), I just really wanna say "wow" when I get everything set up, seeing photos of people playing god of war/horizon looks way better than what I see at the store. Giant thanks to anyone that answers!
 
LG B7 is the best choice, OLED = Plasma.

The R617/615 has had some pretty bad feedback due to poor screen uniformity issues so I would avoid that model at the current time.

The X900E or Q7 are the best options for LCD.

For Black Frame Insertion, take a look here for a detailed explaination:

Image Flicker of TVs: Black Frame Insertion
 
1. My AVR is 4k compatible, but it's older so it's not HDCP2.2 compatible. I only use my PS4 Pro for my TV, everything else I connect my PC to my TV, I don't have a 4k player either but I plan on getting a XB1X in the future. Will I run into any issues? I don't have/use netflix, any streaming apps, cable boxes etc. I already have a few 4K blu rays laying around like Baby Driver and Fant4astic 4(got it for free).
Just like with an AVR you can switch sources through your TV. You won't be able to send any audio this way back to your receiver that is HD though, it will only send stereo PCM or DD/DTS. It also tends to add audio delay, at least in my experience...but that can depend on the TV.
2. What the hell is black frame insertion? I read some reviews on some tvs and some say that watching movies that the screen judders a lot, I'm VERY sensitive to microstutters,juddering,low framerates etc. Do all TV's have settings to avoid these sort of things? All the OLEDS on rtings.com have terrible scores in the stutter department, am I better off not getting a OLED then?
Its an alternative to the old motion enhancement of interpolation, unlike interpolation it doesn't predict the frames between one and another to smooth the picture and reduce blur but instead inserts dark frames (usually black) while flashing the backlight very fast, it causes more flicker on some TVs than others but tricks your eyes in to thinking there is less blur. It doesn't cause judder or stutter or anything like that, it may alleviate it if you use it along with motion interpolation though. It doesn't cause soap opera effect like interpolation does though.

3. What's the input lag on the newest TCL? Can I do HDR+4K+Local Dimming without adding a ton of lag on the 2018 TV's in general or is it still a problem?
Not a problem anymore like it once was, all TVs now have good enough input lag in game mode.

4. How does non 4K stuff look on newer TVs? I care about this pretty heavily as the vast majority of content is not 4K and won't be for a long time, I don't even have the connection to handle a 4K stream but I can 1440p youtube videos fine.
Best way to put it is UHD TVs only display good quality content well, once you delve into poorly compressed content it starts to look worse than a FHD TV. SD, particularly that of standard TV channels will look awful and HD may look softer depending how close you view.

5. So what's the deal with HDR? I've seen so many threads in other places about people going on how they hate HDR that it washes everything out, they don't see a difference, and these are people with flagship TV's with the right settings and every thread turns into "get your eyes checked". I don't wanna have a "that's it?" reaction when I get the new TV.
It's because HDR worth having comes with a large premium, TVs like the Sony X900E are really a start point for HDR and TVs like the LG B7 are when HDR starts to look good instead of decent. Sadly manufacturers misleading label every TV with HDR even when they can only accept the signal rather than display it at a decent level.
6. I see the LG B7 or maybe OLEDs in general have a backlight flickering issue? If this is true then I will rule out any OLEDs forever because my current TV dims the entire screen at seemingly random and it pisses me off to no end.
Backlight flicker and randomly dimming the screen are different things. Sounds like you are describing local dimming or ABL, the latter if you own a Plasma.

I've been researching all day long and I landed inbetween the TCL 617, Sony X900E, and the LG B7. Have there been any owners that have owned all 3 tv's at once or know where I can get reviews comparing all 3? I'm basically asking if each choice I have here is worth the extra $400 that's inbetween them. Or do I go for broke and wait a month with no tv for the C8 to drop in price? Like is the B7 $1000 better than the newest TCL? I'm coming from a amazing 1080 set from 2012(panasonic viera), I just really wanna say "wow" when I get everything set up, seeing photos of people playing god of war/horizon looks way better than what I see at the store. Giant thanks to anyone that answers!

You have to decide first whether it's going to be worth upgrading at all and then if you are willing to pay the extra to have decent or good HDR or whether you are happy to forgo HDR quality for the sake of saving money, certainly unless you have immediate plans for HDR the latter may be the best option.

Then there are other things to consider too, ambient lighting, viewing angles, viewing distance and screen size..the latter of which is a big decision when it comes to UHD content as you need to view very close to even notice UHD compared to FHD.
 
Just like with an AVR you can switch sources through your TV. You won't be able to send any audio this way back to your receiver that is HD though, it will only send stereo PCM or DD/DTS. It also tends to add audio delay, at least in my experience...but that can depend on the TV.

Its an alternative to the old motion enhancement of interpolation, unlike interpolation it doesn't predict the frames between one and another to smooth the picture and reduce blur but instead inserts dark frames (usually black) while flashing the backlight very fast, it causes more flicker on some TVs than others but tricks your eyes in to thinking there is less blur. It doesn't cause judder or stutter or anything like that, it may alleviate it if you use it along with motion interpolation though. It doesn't cause soap opera effect like interpolation does though.


Not a problem anymore like it once was, all TVs now have good enough input lag in game mode.


Best way to put it is UHD TVs only display good quality content well, once you delve into poorly compressed content it starts to look worse than a FHD TV. SD, particularly that of standard TV channels will look awful and HD may look softer depending how close you view.


It's because HDR worth having comes with a large premium, TVs like the Sony X900E are really a start point for HDR and TVs like the LG B7 are when HDR starts to look good instead of decent. Sadly manufacturers misleading label every TV with HDR even when they can only accept the signal rather than display it at a decent level.

Backlight flicker and randomly dimming the screen are different things. Sounds like you are describing local dimming or ABL, the latter if you own a Plasma.



You have to decide first whether it's going to be worth upgrading at all and then if you are willing to pay the extra to have decent or good HDR or whether you are happy to forgo HDR quality for the sake of saving money, certainly unless you have immediate plans for HDR the latter may be the best option.

Then there are other things to consider too, ambient lighting, viewing angles, viewing distance and screen size..the latter of which is a big decision when it comes to UHD content as you need to view very close to even notice UHD compared to FHD.
So I DO have to get a new receiver that's HDCP 2.2 compliant? Or else I get worse quality audio?

So I definitely do want to upgrade 100%, I view my TV in low light conditions or in pitch black if I'm watching a movie. Don't care about angles never did, I don't have a number for distance but my room is small and its gonna be 55" which is 5" bigger to what I have.

I got a decent rep when I looked at the x900F today(2017 models aren't on display anymore) that let me play with the HDR and motion settings. I have no worries about smoothing or BFI anymore, there seems to be a ton of options for it. But HDR I wasn't that impressed with unless it needs a ton of calibration. The colours just looked a little different.

I couldn't test the B7 because the floor model had really bad burn in, almost makes me wanna just ignore it entirely. I really wish I could see the TCL because I read great reviews of it from OLED owners.
 
So I DO have to get a new receiver that's HDCP 2.2 compliant? Or else I get worse quality audio?
If you want both HD audio and UHD resolution video yes.
 

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