My Experience and Observations on buying a new TV: EG910V

dmw3

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I recently decided to buy a new TV, from a 2007 Panasonic 42PZ70 plasma (full 1080). Back in 2007 the questions were relatively simply, what is the best TV for the size within a given budget. This was the beginning of the era of CRTs being swapped for HD ready or full HD flat screens with broadcasters fully on board the new format if not all were delivering it yet.

Now, the decisions are very different, it's not just a question of 4k or HDR or 1080, in fact decisions need to be based on a number of factors:

  1. Are you buying a TV or a multi-platform, multi-media monitor? Is your new screen going to be used for serious gaming or, as a PC monitor? Do you want a traditional TV for watching film or shows?
  2. If you want a TV rather than a monitor, what do you watch, what are your sources? Are you able or prepared to pay for the additional costs of 4K/HDR? Are you actually interested in the type of films and TV currently and, potentially available in 4K/HDR? Do you still watch SD content? How will your worse sources look as well as your best?
  3. What type of TV do you currently have Plasma or LCD? Does LCD motion and colour ( blacks) bother you? Do you need a TV that works well in the dark or in a brightly lit room?
  4. Budget and size, obvious always has been but you can now add, curved or flat just to confuse the issue.
  5. How old is your TV? Do you need to replace it now or in the very near future due to fear of it dying or, can you afford to wait until the whole format UHD thing settles?
These questions need to be answered IMHO before one decides what is best for their viewing needs. It seems to me that there is no such thing as the Best TV, it's far more subjective and based on personal needs and preferences.

So my answers were:

  1. TV, not console gamers, have two PCs for internet and gaming needs
  2. Watch SD and HD via SKY, Blu-ray and streaming services. My husband watches more SD than me, as he is a fan of classic British film, read black and white. For me it's stuff like, late night Young Ones on Gold (ah my teenage years) and the odd classic, re-watching Hill Street Blues via All4 at the moment, definitely not a quality source but it stands up as a quality show :) Not prepared to pay anymore money a month for our subscription services.
  3. Plasma, have real issues with LCD; motion, lack of blacks and the room is not brightly lit being a terrace front room that is out of the sun most of the day.
  4. Budget up to £1300 dependent on size/PQ, size 49" to 58"
  5. Almost 9 years old, coming to the end of it's life, no dead pixels or anything obvious but, the picture seemed to be fading.
So thanks to Dodgealexander and a few other helpful posters, I heard about the LG 55EG910V which met all my needs, tested one out in store and bought one for just under 1200 notes with a Richer Sounds 5 year free guarantee.

It's stunning, the PQ is as good as my 42" Plasma on SD and better with a good HD broadcast signal, which is excellent seeing as our screen size has increased by 13". On Blu-ray and 1080p streaming content it ruddy sings, it's a pleasure. The blacks!!

Stuck on Bladerunner; the final cut BR last night and WOW. I saw a special premier screening of The Final Cut in 2007 on a specially calibrated HD screen in a Curzon, and it's the best PQ I have ever seen anywhere. Last night I got that same PQ in my front room

OLED has a clarity, that my Plasma didn't have. It also has something I haven't experienced since we traded in our high end CRT for the plasma, and I had honestly forgotten about, a picture that feels like you can reach into it ( I think it's something to do with the blacks). It definitely not soap opera affect popping which I hate, it's something else and it's a joy.

I have noticed a little bit of Black crush in exceptionally dark scenes but I haven't really adjusted the settings yet, just turned true motion off. The 910V has professional setting available easily via the menu so it just needs tweeking to my taste/room.

One tip from anyone moving from plasma to OLED, OLEDs are very light, my 32kg plasma sat on it's own, on it's stand like a tank, the OLED is a mere 15kg with it's stand and a moving cat could knock it to the floor. I have a very large bouncy English Bull terrier, so I modified a stand bracket to hold it in place. I think most LCDs are very light too, so you may need to think about securing any new TV in place.

apologies for the TL;DR
 
Great read, it really is difficult at the moment to buy with many things to consider. It's ironic to say the least but often the TVs manufactures don't seem to endorse or back the most are the TVs that end up most attractive to buy for consumers. I would say predominantly 70% or more people who post on here looking for a new TV end up with a FHD TV being the best solution and that's without thinking about those who don't even think twice before buying one in the shop. Alas those poor people are being flogged TVs like the Samsung KU6400 to watch normal content only to find at home normal TV channels look terrible when they could pick up a FHD LCD with a better SD picture instead. Same goes in the higher end market with around 1300 to spend. The obvious choice is the Samsung KS7000 but people will be buying this TV and not even using HDR on it meaning they could get just as good of an LCD in the cheaper Sony or Panasonic models minus good HDR. That's without taking into consideration whether they want to watch SD or not because getting a high end FHD LCD would be a LOT cheaper and getting a LG 910v would blow there minds away by comparison.

Thanks for your kind words, I'm sure people sometimes think I'm mad on here suggesting to buy a curved TV with a white back, but in reality it's by far the best FHD TV available right now and probably the last of a breed. Once they are gone it will come to the point where we will have to recommend people go with UHD TVs even if they still watch SD simply because there will likely be no decent alternative.

I'm convinced there's money to be made still from LG releasing a FHD OLED again but I won't be counting on it. Likely SD will never look as good again.
 
Thanks for your kind words, I'm sure people sometimes think I'm mad on here suggesting to buy a curved TV with a white back, but in reality it's by far the best FHD TV available right now and probably the last of a breed

I agree, although I like the way it looks. Mind you my Panny plasma had speakers on the side! It was that old. It's going to a good home my son's mate is taking it away to replace his cheapish 32" LCD.

The problem with people buying 4k and HDR TVs they don't need is really down to where they shop. Big Box Electrical retailers work on profit margins and, will push TVs that gain them and their sales teams the most £££s. There is also the kudos of having the latest thing without thinking about whether it is of any use or obsolete in a years time.

The days of there being The Best TV have gone, it is no longer a world where one reads What Hifi and walks down to the local dealer and buys the best buys/award winners in the knowledge that it is the best for them. I think this will continue, as the possible usage of the TV in the front room becomes more diverse and consumers needs will vary even more than they do now.

The idea of what a TV is, what it is being used for has changed dramatically in the last decade. This isn't just about 4k, HDR or whatever, it's about what it will be used for.

What I have experienced and witnessed on this forums is that the term TV is a misnomer for some buyers, they want a display for their next gen console that can also be used as a TV on an 80/20 usage ratio respectively. The TV or rather display, that is best for them is very different to the TV for a household like mine without a console/TV as a PC display, needs.

Of course the person who wants to watch the latest blockbusters/subscription streamed shows at home and wants a TV that gives the best picture using the latest technology (UHD HDR etc) is different to my needs, which are more traditional TV watching, where sources have not kept up with the pace of TV technology. That later part is something that I regarded as highly significant in today's TV market and is frequently ignored by professional review sites especially as we only have and need, one TV in the house.

The fact is that even in households like mine with easily accessible subscription services and streaming, not everything we want to watch is in HD, SD is still the only option. Let alone parts of the country where fast broadband and a decent SKY reception are the stuff of dreams. Have friends in rural areas of Cornwall and Cumbria who can't get either of these things and have most of their TV in SD because there is no other option.

I don't think there will be a Full HD only OLED or any high end TV next year. The fact is the biggest seller of TVs are Currys, where the average customer buys a TV without a proper demo and just wants the latest model with the most features or biggest screen for their money, thinking that means the best picture..As long as that prevails TV manufacturers will continue as they are because that's what sells.
 
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Yep matching a TV for everyone's needs is sometimes like being a matchmaker for a dating agency. One person's needs can be very different from another.

I think the BBC announcing their first UHD channel will be online is a clue about what we are going to see in the future with television. Quite simply traditional television doesn't have the bandwidth to fit enough HD television channels together let alone UHD.

I feel sorry for those stuck with crappy speed internet and signal in those rural areas. Even more so in years to come as everything moves internet wide. It has been painful enough having only just been able to get fibre internet a few months ago so when TV content moves online I really hope they find a way to get good quality connections to everyone.
 
UHD is fine and I think most of it will be via streaming. However, HD was backwards compatible, UHD is not.

One could take a studio copy of a celluloid film like Laurence of Arabia and the film has more than enough lines of resolution to convert to glorious HD blu-ray, the same could be said of filmed TV shows . it simply does not work that with UHD.

I think that 4K aside, a lot of the new software formats are there to compensate for the issues inherent in the hardware.

the LCD sets and that included a top end KS9000, that I demoed had a worse picture than my Plasma. LCD looks fine as long as everything stays still! yes, I did turn the various motion controls off. You see a good LCD and it looks good for the first few minutes because the brightness and colours dazzle the eye, then movement, contrast, blacks and pixels come into view in HD. Poor salesman in Richer sounds kept looking at me grimacing and wincing everytime I switched to the KS9000.

Having said that the sales guy did point out that Samsungs have hues, especially greens that some people love or hate. The only LCD that cut it for me was the FALD, Panasonic DX 902 but at a shade under 2k for the 58", I might as well spent a few more £££s have gone for a Lg B6 OLED if I had decided to hit the 2k mark budget wise and wanted HDR etc.

I went into this TV quest expecting to get a better picture than a 9 year old first gen, full HD plasma for less than £800! How have TV pictures got worse in general, in the last decade?:confused:....
 
Exactly, even with just viewing angles VA panels may have better contrast and blacks but they're actually worse than the older IPS panels and much more worse than plasma.
 
So, to summarise, dmw:

1. When it's time to replace my Kuro I should really only look at OLED?
2. OLED is like plasma but better in some ways?
3. Assuming I don't change my viewing habits and preferences (Freeview SD/HD, DVD and Blu-Ray, Wii U and PS3), then this will be seen as an upgrade?

Does your OLED panel buzz or give off any heat? My Kuro does - the buzz is only noticeable if I focus on it, the heat is a happy bonus in Winter!
 
So, to summarise, dmw:

1. When it's time to replace my Kuro I should really only look at OLED?
2. OLED is like plasma but better in some ways?
3. Assuming I don't change my viewing habits and preferences (Freeview SD/HD, DVD and Blu-Ray, Wii U and PS3), then this will be seen r!

Yes absolutely OLED is self lighting pixels, a natural cinematic picture, etc it is the new plasma with richer colours and real blacks. Deep pools of black not, flat black, stuff that feels you can reach into your screen and swim in, blacks.
I have noticed light too, beautiful rays pour through windows in scenes that use lighting. Sunlight looks real...OLED doesn't mute light like plasma can do, I think it's to do with having higher overall brightness levels coupled with better blacks, that brings colour, light and dark scenes to life with a natural luminance that's just stunning.
Just turn off all the motion smoothing gizmos in settings but, you know that already....

I didn't have a Kuro, although my Panny plasma was good, it was 1st gen full HD. My suggestion is go get a proper demo.

The OLED does emit a buzz but I can only hear when standing right next to the tv ..my Sky box makes more noise. There is a little warm spot at the back after its on for more than 6 hours...

As I indicated in my earlier posts the fact you have console gaming as a TV need means looking into input lag, connections etc.The 910v only had 3 HDMI inputs enough for my BR player, Sky box and amp. It has some legacy connections too, nice as we are not replacing g our Onkoyo 605 and KEF eggs we bought when we got the Panasonic.
 
Yes absolutely OLED is self lighting pixels, a natural cinematic picture, etc it is the new plasma with richer colours and real blacks. Deep pools of black not, flat black, stuff that feels you can reach into your screen and swim in, blacks.
I have noticed light too, beautiful rays pour through windows in scenes that use lighting. Sunlight looks real...OLED doesn't mute light like plasma can do, I think it's to do with having higher overall brightness levels coupled with better blacks, that brings colour, light and dark scenes to life with a natural luminance that's just stunning.
Just turn off all the motion smoothing gizmos in settings but, you know that already....

I didn't have a Kuro, although my Panny plasma was good, it was 1st gen full HD. My suggestion is go get a proper demo.

The OLED does emit a buzz but I can only hear when standing right next to the tv ..my Sky box makes more noise. There is a little warm spot at the back after its on for more than 6 hours...

As I indicated in my earlier posts the fact you have console gaming as a TV need means looking into input lag, connections etc.The 910v only had 3 HDMI inputs enough for my BR player, Sky box and amp. It has some legacy connections too, nice as we are not replacing g our Onkoyo 605 and KEF eggs we bought when we got the Panasonic.
thank you for your review and experience its made my mind up to get one at xmas time I'm also coming from a 42 inch plasma.
 
The 910v is running low on stock in general so Christmas might be too late ..

Richer sounds have knocked the price of the 55" EG92OV down to £1499.99...that's a UHD OLED so probably won't deal with SD as well as the 910v
 
thank you for your review and experience its made my mind up to get one at xmas time I'm also coming from a 42 inch plasma.
currys still have them in stock but there price has gone up and marks electrical .
 
currys still have them in stock but there price has gone up and marks electrical .
Just checked, 1399 at Currys mine was £1150 just over a week ago at RS:eek:.

The 920v is only 100 notes more at RS and you get their 6 year guarantee thrown in for free.
As you use consoles might be worth auditioning the 920v due to the minor price difference...
 
Just checked, 1399 at Currys mine was £1150 just over a week ago at RS:eek:.

The 920v is only 100 notes more at RS and you get their 6 year guarantee thrown in for free.
As you use consoles might be worth auditioning the 920v due to the minor price difference...
if i miss out i will wait for the b6 to drop in price be back off my holiday mile of December about six weeks before i buy one.
 

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