TV Buying Advice...

[GeraldV]

Hey guys, haven't bought a tv in over a decade, but mine crapped out yesterday.

Is Sony still a strong brand? I had really good luck with a Bravia last time. Anyone bought one recently?

Or does anyone else have any advice on other brands they like? I'm looking for something 75 to 85" and have a budget of about 2500 to play with.

 

[CoffeeCat]

I’ve always been happy with Samsung TVs. They are brighter than most and don’t need any 3 rd party streaming devices and cheaper than the Sonys. Had them for years and never had one go bad.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I think Sony has sort of faded, but could be wrong.

Ive always favored LG. I like their UI and picture over Samsung, and some models their remote acts as "wand" so you can have a cursor to move around. But honestly LG or Samsung is the way to go. You could go a little cheaper with tvs frim TCL or Hi-sense.

 

[cdbearde_rivals384606]

I’ve always been happy with Samsung TVs. They are brighter than most and don’t need any 3 rd party streaming devices and cheaper than the Sonys. Had them for years and never had one go bad.

I like the Samsung but also have had good luck with Phillips. I think most are made in China or another country unfortunately.
My question would be, can a regular smart TV have Roku options, because Roku TV's is what I have been buying over the last several years.

 

[MidseasonTweak]

I have a 55 inch Sony currently and really like it. I have had a Samsung in the past and also really liked it.

That's all I got.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I like the Samsung but also have had good luck with Phillips. I think most are made in China or another country unfortunately.
My question would be, can a regular smart TV have Roku options, because Roku TV's is what I have been buying over the last several years.

Any new smart TV will have pretty good built in Apps for several years to come, where you won't need a Firestick or a Roku. Now, after 5 years or so you may notice the apps will start to get a little worse, as the TV companies stop developing new code for such older models. But I have an LG B9 from 2019 and the apps still work great.

 

[katwest]

I had a Samsung for a long time and it was a very good TV. Now I have an LG and it’s been good too, they both have an excellent picture. I also have a smaller Vizio in the bedroom and am happy with it too.

 

[entropy13]

CRTs are tried, true, and time-tested technology. Some real bargains to be had at Goodwill or other secondhand places. Hell, you could probably get one for free!

My home setup is hard to beat:

 

[Old Blue Fart]

I have a Sony Bravia XR and love it. Also have Samsungs in my bedrooms and they are good as well.
But the Sony is hands down real nice.

 

[Bluegrasskingreboot]

Sony still solid but I think LG and Samsung are typically better across the line ups. Sony probably still tops at the highest end or close.

Meanwhile, more bargain brands like TLC and HiSense have closed the gap quite a bit and are worth considering if value is important.

If you have the budget then I'd look strongly at QLED mini led options and of course OLED if your viewing conditions and usage make sense.

Burn in is way less of an issue than it used to be but if most or even much of your viewing is static images and tickers then I might pass on OLED just in case plus to save money, that sort of viewing doesn't care so much about fidelity and black levels enough to go all in and QLED mini LED will more than carry the day.

 

[JIMFKFT]

I've been Samsung for many years. When I have the occasional glitch, I've always been able to contact tech support by phone to get help. Or at least that was the case the last time I reached out to them.

 

[bleedsblue5]

I can help - O L E D.
You are not going to see much a difference in a TV these days other than Oleds, and it all has to do with black levels (oleds turns blacks off while led/lcd they turn to grey giving a washed out effect). Oleds blow everything else out of the water Except for Mini- LED which are very close but Oled is still better.
Early on LG was the only one that did OLED but now Samsung and Sony does them also - they are all good just get the brand you like. for 2500 you should be able to get a c series from LG and get 75 inches or a Samsung brand around the same.

If you want to go a little larger and oled goes outside your budget, look at TCL QM8K, it is a mini-led and has the same type of black levels.

Feel free to DM me, I have done tons of research on this subject. RTINGS is your friend.

 

[DudahUK]

I like the Samsung but also have had good luck with Phillips. I think most are made in China or another country unfortunately.
My question would be, can a regular smart TV have Roku options, because Roku TV's is what I have been buying over the last several years.

You could always just get one of the external Roku setup things and hook it up to whatever TV? That’s the only way I can think of to do what you are wanting.

 

[BBNinSCar]

I can help - O L E D.
You are not going to see much a difference in a TV these days other than Oleds, and it all has to do with black levels (oleds turns blacks off while led/lcd they turn to grey giving a washed out effect). Oleds blow everything else out of the water Except for Mini- LED which are very close but Oled is still better.
Early on LG was the only one that did OLED but now Samsung and Sony does them also - they are all good just get the brand you like. for 2500 you should be able to get a c series from LG and get 75 inches or a Samsung brand around the same.

If you want to go a little larger and oled goes outside your budget, look at TCL QM8K, it is a mini-led and has the same type of black levels.

Feel free to DM me, I have done tons of research on this subject. RTINGS is your friend.

Exactly. I have been researching this recently. I want a 75-85” for basketball season.
The TCL QM8K constantly comes up when searching for best TV for the money. I’ve read enough to know this is the one I’m going to purchase.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Also, and maybe the most important tip:

Be very careful of black friday TV deals. All of the brands have been known to put out black friday-specific TVs that have cheaper components. Sometimes the TVs you see on Black Friday flyers were specifically made FOR that black friday.

You also should be cautious of the year. Its sometimes hard to tell which year a TV was made. Make sure to look at manufacture date. If a TV has a very good markdown, it could be a 2024 model, or older.

 

[rick64]

I'd probably stick with Samsung, LG or Sony. I've had good luck with all three.

 

[bleedsblue5]

Exactly. I have been researching this recently. I want a 75-85” for basketball season.
The TCL QM8K constantly comes up when searching for best TV for the money. I’ve read enough to know this is the one I’m going to purchase.

This guys knows, all it takes is 1 visit to best buy and see it or a good oled to be impressed imo.

 

[KOF98]

Are you trying to buy a good TV or a cheap TV? If you want good, you should be looking at OLED. Samsung and LG produce their own OLED panels in-house. Sony uses LG OLED panels in their OLED TVs. If you buy an LCD TV, there's a good chance the panel itself was ghost produced by some third-party Chinese manufacturer. That's not necessarily or bad, but I'd care a lot less about branding in that case.

 

[chroix]

I bought a cheap LG and have been really happy with it.

 

[LowerLevel]

I think Sony has sort of faded, but could be wrong.

Ive always favored LG. I like their UI and picture over Samsung, and some models their remote acts as "wand" so you can have a cursor to move around. But honestly LG or Samsung is the way to go. You could go a little cheaper with tvs frim TCL or Hi-sense.

I have one of those with the “wand”. I absolutely hate it !

 

[megablue]

I’ve always been happy with Samsung TVs. They are brighter than most and don’t need any 3 rd party streaming devices and cheaper than the Sonys. Had them for years and never had one go bad.

We have 3 Samsungs and are very happy with them.
All Smart TVs purchased at Costco. Many sizes and price points there.
GLTY

 

[TFCat11]

Sony, all day, every day, as long as it’s not one of their “entry level” products, which I believe only has the Sony name, and is made by a budget company.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I have one of those with the “wand”. I absolutely hate it !

Ha, I loved it. I also weirdly cant get used to the Samsung UI. But that TV we just got in March so I think im still used to LG.

You really can't go wrong with either.

 

[JASUN74]

Best of luck on you future TV bud. Make sure to get the 3 year or better warranty if possible. My last TV was awesome for about a year and just blacked out and quit. Thankfully I had the warranty and they sent me a replacement in three days. Three years now and it’s still great. OLED is definitely the way to go in my opinion for the best experience.

 

[BBN9]

I will not own anything other than a Samsung.

 

[exo6desmo]

Hisense and TCL are making great panels for the money. I got a top of the line Hisense last fall and I'm extremely pleased.

 

[flacat22]

Exactly. I have been researching this recently. I want a 75-85” for basketball season.
The TCL QM8K constantly comes up when searching for best TV for the money. I’ve read enough to know this is the one I’m going to purchase.

I bought a TCL for the man cave and PS5, love it!! Had it about a year and ZERO complaints.

 

[CGBlue1.0]

I bought my wife an 86" LG for Christmas, it was well under $1000 at Walmart and it's been great. I remember seeing all good reviews for that particular one before I bought it.

 

[Ford to Mashburn]

I don’t even pay attention to brand anymore. I just find one that has a good picture and check out reviews on them and go from there.

 

[CoffeeCat]

I like the Samsung but also have had good luck with Phillips. I think most are made in China or another country unfortunately.
My question would be, can a regular smart TV have Roku options, because Roku TV's is what I have been buying over the last several years.

I’ve never needed Roku so have no idea how it would perform but on my Samsung smart tv I can find any app I need then click that app and works fine. The apps I use are YouTube, YouTube TV, Netflix, Disney, Hulu, Amazon video, Twitch and in the past ESPN app. I’m not sure what Roku would do beyond what I allready get.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

Hey guys, haven't bought a tv in over a decade, but mine crapped out yesterday.

Is Sony still a strong brand? I had really good luck with a Bravia last time. Anyone bought one recently?

Or does anyone else have any advice on other brands they like? I'm looking for something 75 to 85" and have a budget of about 2500 to play with.

Sony is still great, for that you could get an amazing Samsung Mini Q-led with a super high refresh rate. Get native 120hz plus. I bought one for around $1000, 55 inch. Wanted a 65, but the wife was like “It’s too big.” Of course now she loves this one, the 65 would easily fit in the basement as well. Great TV.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

I’ve always been happy with Samsung TVs. They are brighter than most and don’t need any 3 rd party streaming devices and cheaper than the Sonys. Had them for years and never had one go bad.

I watched a tech video the other day and you can actually get into the hidden menu that is used in store and sales shelves, it uncaps the settings so it looks like it did when they sold it to you. The sharp color and brightness. It’s pretty cool.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

I think Sony has sort of faded, but could be wrong.

Ive always favored LG. I like their UI and picture over Samsung, and some models their remote acts as "wand" so you can have a cursor to move around. But honestly LG or Samsung is the way to go. You could go a little cheaper with tvs frim TCL or Hi-sense.

Yeah Hi-Sense and TCl have some banger TV’s with amazing specs for like half the cost of the bigger brands. They are legit TV’s.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

I’ve never needed Roku so have no idea how it would perform but on my Samsung smart tv I can find any app I need then click that app and works fine. The apps I use are YouTube, YouTube TV, Netflix, Disney, Hulu, Amazon video, Twitch and in the past ESPN app. I’m not sure what Roku would do beyond what I allready get.

I love my USB-C chargeable remote they come with now, solar charge too. The apps run great as you say. Samsung TV is cool. I watch the first 48 and Dateline channel all the time lol.

 

[Laparkafan]

Do not get a Visio

 

[MachineHead]

Hey guys, haven't bought a tv in over a decade, but mine crapped out yesterday.

Is Sony still a strong brand? I had really good luck with a Bravia last time. Anyone bought one recently?

Or does anyone else have any advice on other brands they like? I'm looking for something 75 to 85" and have a budget of about 2500 to play with.

Haven’t read the thread, but LG C3 if you want to go a couple of years old, or the C5, which is newer and therefore more expensive. We have the C3, a 55 inch version. It’s a fantastic television. Still looks amazing, it’s a 4K OLED display. VRR capable, and 120 Hz capable as well.

We’ve owned Vizios, Samsungs, Panasonic, and Sharp. The LG is miles better than any of them.

 

[MachineHead]

Do not get a Visio

Also, this. 100% this. Do not buy one.

 

[CoffeeCat]

I watched a tech video the other day and you can actually get into the hidden menu that is used in store and sales shelves, it uncaps the settings so it looks like it did when they sold it to you. The sharp color and brightness. It’s pretty cool.

The only thing I don’t like about the Samsung is Samsungs own channel called Samsung live tv would appear when u turned on the tv. Very annoying because it’s a worthless channel as far as i can see. Somehow I managed to get that channel to stop appearing. Do you know anything about that?

 

[JMcClinton slaps like a grl]

Check out rtings.com. Best TV review site out there. I love LG oled. Still have an oled I bought in 2015 that looks great

 

[OliverSimmonsTwinBrother]

Im 3 years in on our living room Samsung. No complaints. I'd recommend Samsung for a main tv.

Prior to that we went cheap and got an Onn. Lasted 1 year. If your just watching tv it may be fine but the inputs for our PS5 and Xbox quit so I gave it my brother.

In my bedroom I got a cheap Hisense Roku tv and its not been bad, so if you looking for a cheap tv Id recommend Hisense.

In our gameroom we have a TCL. We mostly play retro game systems on it but I hate the Google UI , its super slow.