Question Which 2018 OLED?

HenryHonda

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2018 OLED Choice

Firstly, apologies to users and mods if this is being covered elsewhere... (directions to appropriate threads welcome)

Having recently purchased an OPPO UDP-203 - which will soon be able to cover both dynamic metadata systems (Dolby Vision, HDR10+) - my choice of 55" OLED for my first venture into 4k appears to be open to:

Panasonic TX-55FZ802 - £2,300
Sony KD55AF8 - £2,500
LG OLED55C8PLA - £3,000 (£2,700 with £300 redemption)

Firstly, I'm suprised that the Panny has started cheapest this year. Equally, that the Sony is not the most expensive and that the LG is so expensive!

Now, I realise that the 'season' has only just kicked-off, and that prices will see-saw to some extent until they stabilise - and until AVF and others have had time to evaluate and review the models. However, here is my thinking so far (I'm not rushing to be an early adopter:

Panasonic TX-55FZ802
I haven't considered the higher model with sound bar as, like many of us, I already have a surround system. Panny have always been a favourite with calibrators due to their extensive picture controls - and I'm guessing that this year's models have the same auto-calibration facility for Calman software as before? I'm not sure what has been done about the previous 'judder' issues experienced by the 2017 Panny OLEDs? I would suggest that the real 'elephant in the room' is Panny's adoption of HDR10+ dynamic metadata system, as opposed to Dolby Vision. AFAIK, there are, as yet, no HDR10+ discs 'in the wild', and the only film studio signed-up at the moment appears to be 20th Century Fox. Also, although my Denon receiver can pass DV, I don't know if a future firmware upgrade will add HDR10+?

I should say at this point that, due to a useful comparison video by Vincent Teoh, I understand that, when we are talking about DV vs HDR10+, we're talking about systems that are there to squeeze the last nth performance out of HDR, and that the fundamental HDR layer will always be there on all UHD discs. So is it worth agonising over?

Sony KD55AF8
Again, I understand that the A1 will remain top of the range - but I wall mount on an articulated bracket and don't like the amount of chunky hardware behind the screen. The 'elephant in the room' here is the half-baked (frankly, flaky to me) implementation of DV - forcing player manufacturers (at least, those who want to support DV on Sonys) to change the firmware to suit - crazy IMHO... The Sonys never appear to have had as comprehensive calibration controls as others, so I don't know how much of a problem this is for calibrators? Where Sony do appear to be strong is in motion processing and upscaling. One last thing that ocurred to me (having worked in consumer electronics for a period) is the novel idea of using the screen as a sound transmitter. I've heard it on an A1 in JL, and it was impressive. However, I can't help wondering whether, long-term, this constant vibration may somehow damage/sever the sub-micron circuit connections in the OLED panel? (may be totally unfounded)

LG OLED55C8PLA
With black frame insertion, Calman auto-calibration at hardware level, DV, and also their own on-board dynamic metadata 'on the fly' processing - the LG OLEDS this year appear to have it all... Perhaps why they are most expensive at release? I'd appreciate a lot more comments/thoughts on the LG, as my brain is now in meltdown!


So, my thinking at the moment. I don't pretend to be an expert, and I may have got some of the above wrong - so please do correct me/comment as you wish...

Mods - as I started, if this is the wrong thread for this discussion, please feel free to move as appropriate.
 

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