New 55" needed for gaming/movies. Unusual requirements

evilcorp

Standard Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2019
Messages
15
Reaction score
7
Points
53
Age
47
Location
Manchester, UK
I need a new 55" tv for gaming with an xbox one x and watching online movies on netflix.I will be using the xbox one x as a media center. My budget is flexible but ideally i would like to stay below £1100 so the mrs doesnt kill me.
I have a balance problem and im quite sensitive to motion blur and im trying to find a tv that has great motion handling. I have been looking at Tvs that are 100hz+. From my understanding i wont be able to use the xbox at 100hz while gaming due to hdmi limitations (correct me if im wrong)
Good HDR isnt really a requirement. The high brightness of most panels causes me to have headaches due to irlens syndrome. I will be viewing the tv straight on so viewing angles are not really important to me.
Any help would be gratefully appreciated. Thank you in advance
 
55 inch LG b8 oled, 120hz panel, great for gaming and Netflix, can currently be bought at Costco for £960
 
Thanks for your reply. I will take a look. I went into my local Costco yesterday but didn't see it so I will call another store and see if they have any in stock. The only thing I have found with oleds is that they are super bright I might see what they look like turned down
 
Thanks for your reply. I will take a look. I went into my local Costco yesterday but didn't see it so I will call another store and see if they have any in stock. The only thing I have found with oleds is that they are super bright I might see what they look like turned down

OLED is always the way to go but I'd read here first before committing to a purchase:

My links & guides

OLED isn't suited for a bright room though.

55 inch LG b8 oled, 120hz panel, great for gaming and Netflix, can currently be bought at Costco for £960

I said a few weeks ago that the B8 would fall below £1000, and I've been proven right.

I've seen it for 999€.
 
Thanks for your reply. I will take a look. I went into my local Costco yesterday but didn't see it so I will call another store and see if they have any in stock. The only thing I have found with oleds is that they are super bright I might see what they look like turned down
In a showroom they will be in dynamic/vivid mode which are bright, when set up at home you can turn down the oled light to whatever suits your needs
 
I checked online and the LG b8 oled is out of stock. I spoke to a Costco local to me and they said they thought the promotion ended a couple of days ago. I am waiting for them to call me to confirm
 
I don't think it did, a lad at work bought one yesterday from there, he said they had hundreds of b8's stacked up, it's instore only and not online though
 
Just to piggy back on here, I am after a similar TV but without the brightness requirements. I am looking at something may be a little cheaper than the price range mentioned.

I worried about buying something and missing out on future proofing myself if that makes sense.

I currently have a JU6800 and the back panel is on it's way out so I have lines in it and it keeps turning itself off now (a new feature) so I think I am on borrowed time with it.
 
I didnt know this. My tv is in an attic room with two windows above it so its in a very bright light. I think i need to do some more research
Oled is fine for a bright room, it's just lcd tv's can go brighter, my e6 oled was in a very bright front room with windows either side and I never had to have oled light above 55 for daytime viewing
 
Oled is fine for a bright room, it's just lcd tv's can go brighter, my e6 oled was in a very bright front room with windows either side and I never had to have oled light above 55 for daytime viewing
Thanks for letting for letting me know.

How are Samsung panels thought of on the forum I just read they have freesync now and that would give me some help when trying to game at 4k on pc and Xbox
 
Thanks for letting for letting me know.

How are Samsung panels thought of on the forum I just read they have freesync now and that would give me some help when trying to game at 4k on pc and Xbox
I think freesync is only available on the QLED models, I wouldn't personally have anything other than the Q9FN which is fald, but it's more expensive than the b8 oled, and for the money I'd choose a b8, for £960 you simply won't get a better tv
 
Given you say good hdr isn’t a priority, I’d be looking at Samsung NU8000 which does have free sync/vrr and is c£700 at 55”.
 
Given you say good hdr isn’t a priority, I’d be looking at Samsung NU8000 which does have free sync/vrr and is c£700 at 55”.
They only state that that hdr isn't a priority due to brightness, but hdr isn't about overall brightness, in fact hdr is sometimes dimmer than the sdr version, it's just the specular highlights that are brighter, I think the op is misinformed about what hdr entails and just presumes it means a brighter image, which isn't necessarily true
 
They only state that that hdr isn't a priority due to brightness, but hdr isn't about overall brightness, in fact hdr is sometimes dimmer than the sdr version, it's just the specular highlights that are brighter, I think the op is misinformed about what hdr entails and just presumes it means a brighter image, which isn't necessarily true

Let’s see what they have to say.
 
They only state that that hdr isn't a priority due to brightness, but hdr isn't about overall brightness, in fact hdr is sometimes dimmer than the sdr version, it's just the specular highlights that are brighter, I think the op is misinformed about what hdr entails and just presumes it means a brighter image, which isn't necessarily true
I have a fairly good understanding of hdr. It isn't just brightness that affects my eyes. When there are brighter highlights they tend to cause headaches and eye strain. I spent a week at a friends watching the 65 inch Sony oled. I think it was the af9? I tried hdr content and the brightness turned down and ended up with eye strain after a few hours. It could have just been that particular model though that was causing the problem. I spoke to someone from richer sounds today who said that freesync is available on the nu8000 55" model and upwards. They also said I could take my Xbox one X and spend some time playing on a few different TVs to see if they caused me any problems
 
I have a fairly good understanding of hdr. It isn't just brightness that affects my eyes. When there are brighter highlights they tend to cause headaches and eye strain. I spent a week at a friends watching the 65 inch Sony oled. I think it was the af9? I tried hdr content and the brightness turned down and ended up with eye strain after a few hours. It could have just been that particular model though that was causing the problem. I spoke to someone from richer sounds today who said that freesync is available on the nu8000 55" model and upwards. They also said I could take my Xbox one X and spend some time playing on a few different TVs to see if they caused me any problems
The thing is even the nu8000 will do hdr when playing games or Netflix so will be bright, it just won't be displaying hdr correctly as tv's need to hit certain parameters to meet hdr premium specification, of which the nu8000 doesn't meet, its obviously your choice and if hdr is a big issue then you'll be better off buying a decent 1080p panel that can't display hdr at all, that way your games and Netflix will just display in sdr, I'm guessing your friend had the Sony oled in vivid mode on hdr instead of the professional modes which give a much more accurate image without being too bright to give you eye fatigue or headaches, but again as you're extra sensitive with the fact you have irlens syndrome that could be playing a part
 
You can't get away from HDR being bright unless you just don't use HDR at all. If you just search for a TV that does HDR but doesn't get bright then you will end up with poor HDR picture quality and you will be better off watching the SDR version.

My suggestion since you seem not to be able to cope with it even on an OLED (they do not get as bright as high end LCDs with HDR)! would be to stick with what you are currently using if possible and keep gaming in 1080p in SDR.

Why? Well if you game at UHD you have to game at lower frame rate anyway and if you aren't using HDR then you won't be getting any benefit at all really.

OR

Buy something cheap (and possibly larger too) like the Hisense U7A if going LCD or an OLED if you want an overall boost in quality and just disable HDR where possible. It has to be said though sometimes you cannot disable HDR if you are intending on using the built in apps on the TV. Netflix for example auto enables it if you have the UHD plan.

It may be worth trying to get to the bottom of why you are getting eye strain, it may well be because of your balance problem but there are sometimes specifics people are sensitive too with TVs motion aside from brightness.

This would be PWM flicker on certain LCD TVs (like Samsungs) and with the OLEDs, frame stutter. Only way really to know would be to buy each TV and try them out since its impossible to draw conclusions in store showrooms.
 
Buy something cheap (and possibly larger too) like the Hisense U7A if going LCD or an OLED if you want an overall boost in quality and just disable HDR where possible. It has to be said though sometimes you cannot disable HDR if you are intending on using the built in apps on the TV. Netflix for example auto enables it if you have the UHD plan.

It may be worth trying to get to the bottom of why you are getting eye strain, it may well be because of your balance problem but there are sometimes specifics people are sensitive too with TVs motion aside from brightness.

This would be PWM flicker on certain LCD TVs (like Samsungs) and with the OLEDs, frame stutter. Only way really to know would be to buy each TV and try them out since its impossible to draw conclusions in store showrooms.

Thanks for your great advice. I didnt even think to consider PWM frequency and strobing in TVs. I have always had to buy monitors that are pwm free and high refresh rate.
My problem with lights is def down to neurological balance related issues and flickering.
I looked at the u7a a short while ago due to the high refresh rate on panel. Is it a world away from the quality of big name VA panels?
 
Thanks for your great advice. I didnt even think to consider PWM frequency and strobing in TVs. I have always had to buy monitors that are pwm free and high refresh rate.
My problem with lights is def down to neurological balance related issues and flickering.
I looked at the u7a a short while ago due to the high refresh rate on panel. Is it a world away from the quality of big name VA panels?
For sdr the u7 will be a great panel, for hdr it will struggle, and it has been pointed out above about the fact you can't get away for displaying hdr via Netflix unless you have something like an apple TV and you disable hdr, if you were going to do that you'd be better off looking for a second hand high end 1080p panel, I personally think the best bang for buck you can get at the moment is the b8 if you can get one from Costco for £960, it's great for sdr, gaming, and meets the minimum specs needed to do hdr justice, and also supports dolby vision hdr aswell as hlg and hdr10
 
'My tv is in an attic room with two windows above it so its in a very bright light' - which cannot be ideal for someone who suffers from headaches!

Controlling the ambient light and reducing the brightness level of the Display is worth considering.

How close do you sit to the TV?

Joe
 
I didnt even think to consider PWM frequency and strobing in TVs.

Only make I know is Sony so you would need to look at XF85/87 or XF90, this will guarantee you a PWM free panel.

This was one of the reasons I went with the XE70 over other Samsung models this time last year.

Monitors are one of the worst cases of PWM causing eye strain, migraines and headaches.
 
'My tv is in an attic room with two windows above it so its in a very bright light' - which cannot be ideal for someone who suffers from headaches!

I agree Joe, adjustable blinds would be a good idea I think in that type of environment, that way you are in control of the amount coming in, which is what I use a lot.
 
'My tv is in an attic room with two windows above it so its in a very bright light' - which cannot be ideal for someone who suffers from headaches!

Controlling the ambient light and reducing the brightness level of the Display is worth considering.

How close do you sit to the TV?

Joe

We have velux windows so blinds are fairly easy to sort. I will be sitting in bed 3 meters away from the TV. I was looking at 65" tvs as well i just thought my budget would have to stretch a lot further for a 65"
Its not ideal that the room is so bright. Im stuck in bed though a lot will illness so sometimes its the only light i get some days.
 
I think the Hisense U7A and if you want to keep HDR disabled, a Roku streaming stick+ would be a good combo. Panasonic even do UHD Blu-Ray players that will strip the brightness layer of HDR and only deliver better colours, if you are intending on viewing UHD Blu-Rays too.

I'm not sure exactly which panels Hisense use but they are VA type and will likely be from a big vendor just the same as Samsung.

If you did want a step up from that TV, for example with better connectivity, the Samsung NU8000 would be the model to go for..but really the Hisense is just as good for SDR.

Then there is OLEDs, which you can get the B8 for less than £1000 which is bargain, that will give you the biggest gain in picture quality across board. They have good HDR performance too unlike the above LCDs, but you don't have to use it if you use an external smart system.

OLED TVs are flicker free unlike phones, but they have more "stutter" which some people get along with more than others.

If you wanted an LCD flicker free, I'd look at Sony. They have the XF83 range in 60" and 70" which are good value flicker free options.
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom