TV buying dilemma (55")

[Gefrabal]

Hello,

I've been lurking for a couple weeks as I'm looking to buy a new TV. The 'best value TVs 2019-2020 edition' post and thread was very helpful to narrow than the search and help me understand what I was looking for. I'm looking for a new 55" TV.

Spoiler: Dodgexander questionnaire

I'll post the questionnaire up here so that anyone can see it just incase.

Please answer the following questions:

• What are your sources going to be?

BT Fibre internet
Netflix, Amazon, Catch up TV
HDR games consoles in the future (when PS5 comes out)
PC games, sometimes streaming football (if it's not available on smart TV apps)

• SD 10%, HD 50% vs UHD 40% use percentage
• Movies/TV shows 50%, sport 30%, console/PC games 20% use in percentage
• How close can you view the TV - 2m (6.5ft)
• Do you need to view the TV from the side or only straight on? Mostly straight on. This is for my room, so will get a bracket that can swivel and pull out so I can view from a sofa and my bed, depending on what I feel like at the time. It's possible that when viewing from the bed the angle will be off, maybe 25 degrees or so (have to research into brackets)
• What conditions do you view in? Mostly in the evening and at night, but some daytime too (not too much of an issue, I have curtains)
• What TV are you currently using and what are expecting to see upgrading to a new TV? I currently don't have a tv and haven't owned one for a few years, last was a samsung that I bought in 2011 (don't even know model number). Expecting crisp pictures, good motion and good connectivity and features.
• Motion - Are you interested in being able to use motion enhancements on your TV to reduce judder and/or reduce motion blur? This is not something that I have done before. My most up-to-date understanding of motion comes between 1080p and 1080i, but technology has moved on a lot since then. What I will say is that, having looked at the post talking about this, interpolation seems to look weird (at least in the video from rtings)

Please rearrange the following PQ attributes, in descending importance:

Blacks
HDR Brightness
HDR Colour Accuracy
HDR Colour Saturation
Local dimming
SDR Brightness
SDR Colour Saturation
SDR Colour Accuracy
How accurate the picture is out of the box (without having to change any settings)

Now for bugs, tell us your possible pet hates related to TVs, in descending order:

Motion Blur
Motion Judder
Motion stutter
Soap Opera Effect
Colour banding. See: Gradients on TVs: Color bit depth (warning this is not the same as vertical banding, for vertical banding see bad screen uniformity)
Temporary image retention
Bad screen uniformity, Dirty Screen Effect, Clouding, Light Bleed, Blooming
3:2 Pulldown Judder with 24hz movies. See: Judder-Free 24p on TVs
Loss of detail in dark areas
Reflective screens
Haloing

Now which is most important to you?

Price
Wide Viewing angles
Smart TV for netflix, prime, catchup tv, etc?
Connections
HDR PQ
SDR PQ
Sound

I first started looking around the £500 mark, thinking that was a good budget to get a good enough TV. The more research I've done, the more complicated this is. Most of my research comes from this page, rtings, and google searches like 'best tv for xyz/under £££'. What it's come down to is a few tv models that I like the look of and would suit different needs:

1. Samsung Q60/70R. This seems to be a good choice for gaming on both pc and console. I have an AMD GPU and having freesync is attractive to me. However, the gaming aspect is only occasionally and mainly to play RPGs/narrative heavy games like The Witcher 3, rather than FPS games, as I have a good monitor for that.
2. LG 8500/8600. I like the idea of these, but they seem to be impossible to get. I've had a look at other models like the 8200 or 8050 but they don't seem to be as good and don't offer similar value for money. I also tried looking for Hisense h8g (the h9f would be sweet, if I could find it). What I'm saying here is that there doesn't seem to be a good compromise around the £500 mark, so I'm veering towards paying more.
3. Sony XF9005. I like the look of this, both physically and on paper, although I am a little weary about android tv and some reviews of this tv that leave me with some doubts. But it's raved about on this forum as 'the cheapest tv that can handle hdr well' or something like that, so it's a strong contender.
4. LG B9. This is an intriguing option because it's over double my original budget. The reasons I'm considering this tv is the future proofing aspect of it, with hdmi 2.1 available. I understand that no one knows of VRR will work at 120hz on this or not, so I'm a bit concerned that I'll be spending over £1000 for a tv that I bought for something that it doesn't do. Burn-in is a slight concern too, but I had this risk with my previous TV and nothing happened, so not too worried.

These are roughly the options I've been looking at. My dilemma is this: I'm looking to buy something now, but I'm probably going to buy a ps5 when it comes out. There is some talk, from what I've seen, that even with hdmi 2.1 and VRR a 120hz, it'll be a while still before games come out that take full advantage of this and that it's possible that games on the ps5 will be capped at 60fps anyway. So it feels to me that the B9, as nice and beautiful as it is, is maybe a little too much of a gamble right now. My 3 options are:

1. Buy a cheapish TV now (£300-500) that will be fine to just watch stuff on and play the occasional game, and then buy a good tv in a couple years time (or sooner) that takes advantage of the technology of the PS5.
2. Buy an expensive tv (like the LG B9) that may or may not take advantage of the PS5 when it comes out
3. Buy a good TV now (Sony XF9005 or Samsung Q70) and then just see how it handles the PS5, and enjoy the other aspects of TV consumption like films/tv

I'm also open to suggestions from anyone for different models.

I will say that even when buying the PS5 I probably won't spend all day on it and will be more in the category of 'mixed use'. I just don't want to spend a lot of money and regret it.

Thank you all!

 

[LCDseeker]

Hello,

I've been lurking for a couple weeks as I'm looking to buy a new TV. The 'best value TVs 2019-2020 edition' post and thread was very helpful to narrow than the search and help me understand what I was looking for. I'm looking for a new 55" TV.

Spoiler: Dodgexander questionnaire

I'll post the questionnaire up here so that anyone can see it just incase.

Please answer the following questions:

• What are your sources going to be?

BT Fibre internet
Netflix, Amazon, Catch up TV
HDR games consoles in the future (when PS5 comes out)
PC games, sometimes streaming football (if it's not available on smart TV apps)

• SD 10%, HD 50% vs UHD 40% use percentage
• Movies/TV shows 50%, sport 30%, console/PC games 20% use in percentage
• How close can you view the TV - 2m (6.5ft)
• Do you need to view the TV from the side or only straight on? Mostly straight on. This is for my room, so will get a bracket that can swivel and pull out so I can view from a sofa and my bed, depending on what I feel like at the time. It's possible that when viewing from the bed the angle will be off, maybe 25 degrees or so (have to research into brackets)
• What conditions do you view in? Mostly in the evening and at night, but some daytime too (not too much of an issue, I have curtains)
• What TV are you currently using and what are expecting to see upgrading to a new TV? I currently don't have a tv and haven't owned one for a few years, last was a samsung that I bought in 2011 (don't even know model number). Expecting crisp pictures, good motion and good connectivity and features.
• Motion - Are you interested in being able to use motion enhancements on your TV to reduce judder and/or reduce motion blur? This is not something that I have done before. My most up-to-date understanding of motion comes between 1080p and 1080i, but technology has moved on a lot since then. What I will say is that, having looked at the post talking about this, interpolation seems to look weird (at least in the video from rtings)

Please rearrange the following PQ attributes, in descending importance:

Blacks
HDR Brightness
HDR Colour Accuracy
HDR Colour Saturation
Local dimming
SDR Brightness
SDR Colour Saturation
SDR Colour Accuracy
How accurate the picture is out of the box (without having to change any settings)

Now for bugs, tell us your possible pet hates related to TVs, in descending order:

Motion Blur
Motion Judder
Motion stutter
Soap Opera Effect
Colour banding. See: Gradients on TVs: Color bit depth (warning this is not the same as vertical banding, for vertical banding see bad screen uniformity)
Temporary image retention
Bad screen uniformity, Dirty Screen Effect, Clouding, Light Bleed, Blooming
3:2 Pulldown Judder with 24hz movies. See: Judder-Free 24p on TVs
Loss of detail in dark areas
Reflective screens
Haloing

Now which is most important to you?

Price
Wide Viewing angles
Smart TV for netflix, prime, catchup tv, etc?
Connections
HDR PQ
SDR PQ
Sound

I first started looking around the £500 mark, thinking that was a good budget to get a good enough TV. The more research I've done, the more complicated this is. Most of my research comes from this page, rtings, and google searches like 'best tv for xyz/under £££'. What it's come down to is a few tv models that I like the look of and would suit different needs:

1. Samsung Q60/70R. This seems to be a good choice for gaming on both pc and console. I have an AMD GPU and having freesync is attractive to me. However, the gaming aspect is only occasionally and mainly to play RPGs/narrative heavy games like The Witcher 3, rather than FPS games, as I have a good monitor for that.
2. LG 8500/8600. I like the idea of these, but they seem to be impossible to get. I've had a look at other models like the 8200 or 8050 but they don't seem to be as good and don't offer similar value for money. I also tried looking for Hisense h8g (the h9f would be sweet, if I could find it). What I'm saying here is that there doesn't seem to be a good compromise around the £500 mark, so I'm veering towards paying more.
3. Sony XF9005. I like the look of this, both physically and on paper, although I am a little weary about android tv and some reviews of this tv that leave me with some doubts. But it's raved about on this forum as 'the cheapest tv that can handle hdr well' or something like that, so it's a strong contender.
4. LG B9. This is an intriguing option because it's over double my original budget. The reasons I'm considering this tv is the future proofing aspect of it, with hdmi 2.1 available. I understand that no one knows of VRR will work at 120hz on this or not, so I'm a bit concerned that I'll be spending over £1000 for a tv that I bought for something that it doesn't do. Burn-in is a slight concern too, but I had this risk with my previous TV and nothing happened, so not too worried.

These are roughly the options I've been looking at. My dilemma is this: I'm looking to buy something now, but I'm probably going to buy a ps5 when it comes out. There is some talk, from what I've seen, that even with hdmi 2.1 and VRR a 120hz, it'll be a while still before games come out that take full advantage of this and that it's possible that games on the ps5 will be capped at 60fps anyway. So it feels to me that the B9, as nice and beautiful as it is, is maybe a little too much of a gamble right now. My 3 options are:

1. Buy a cheapish TV now (£300-500) that will be fine to just watch stuff on and play the occasional game, and then buy a good tv in a couple years time (or sooner) that takes advantage of the technology of the PS5.
2. Buy an expensive tv (like the LG B9) that may or may not take advantage of the PS5 when it comes out
3. Buy a good TV now (Sony XF9005 or Samsung Q70) and then just see how it handles the PS5, and enjoy the other aspects of TV consumption like films/tv

I'm also open to suggestions from anyone for different models.

I will say that even when buying the PS5 I probably won't spend all day on it and will be more in the category of 'mixed use'. I just don't want to spend a lot of money and regret it.

Thank you all!

Based on what you have said if I were you I would get a cheapish television now to keep you ticking over OR the Sony XF9005 (which I have and the android is very good, and the television is superb for the money) and then sell that when manufacturers start to release serious PS5 compatible televisions, hopefully in 2021.

 

[ooooomikeooooo]

If you're willing to buy a refurb from Sony you can get the 55XF9005 for £550 which is better than all the alternatives at that price. I've been waiting for it to pop up on the refurbs. It just has and I've ordered it. I believe you can add an extended warranty on for up to 5 years if there is any concern for it being a refurb.

Sony Centre - Refurbished TV

Sony Centre

centresdirect.co.uk

 

[pastrybloke19]

Given your situation and usage, I would buy the XF9005: great tv, good Sony motion, decent HDR and all round very good value.

I don’t think it is worth trying to future proof on the whole “HDMI 2.1, VRR etc”: even if TV makers says it will work, I wouldn’t trust them and I expect there will be issues. So better to Buy a good TV now and then you can wait/see what happens when it all settles down.

cheers

 

[Dodgexander]

If you want to future proof with a limited budget now isn't really a good time to do it. The consoles haven't been released yet so we don't know how they will play out (even with TVs like the LG C9 that are said to work fine). It would be better to purchase at a later time, or at least buy a TV capable with HDR now to tide you over without HDMI 2.1 features until you decide you want them.

Things like VRR aren't needed to work, its far more important the TV is good at displaying HDR nowadays than it for VRR, so the suggestions above for the Sony XF9005 are good.

 

[Gefrabal]

Thank you all for your replies. I think I'm. Just going to buy the xf9005, I really liked the look of it in the shop and I reckon I'd be very happy with it, and as long as it works in some way with the ps5 I'm sure it'll be fine. Then maybe I'll sell it and buy something better in a couple years. I'll also look at refurbs, although I'd rather have the peace of mind to buy it new.

Thanks!

 

[LCDseeker]

Thank you all for your replies. I think I'm. Just going to buy the xf9005, I really liked the look of it in the shop and I reckon I'd be very happy with it, and as long as it works in some way with the ps5 I'm sure it'll be fine. Then maybe I'll sell it and buy something better in a couple years. I'll also look at refurbs, although I'd rather have the peace of mind to buy it new.

Thanks!

I'd move quickly as they are selling out. For the money they are now, with a 6 year warranty from the likes of RS they are an absolute steal!

 

[pastrybloke19]

I'd move quickly as they are selling out. For the money they are now, with a 6 year warranty from the likes of RS they are an absolute steal!

selling out fast, especially if we keep recommending people to buy them!!!!