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A TV buying guide for newbies and average buyers and how to read reviews. (Just in time for Prime Day)
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I see a lot of people asking about TVs this time of year, and many people get confused by all the expert reviews out there. So, I thought I’d make a little guide for all the average enthusiasts and newbies. (This guide is US-based, but it’ll probably still work for Europeans and Australians too.)
Buying Guide: OLED VS LED/QLED/MINI LED
- The first thing that will cover about 65% of all questions out there: OLED is better than everything else 95% of the time. What about the other 5%, you ask? Well, LEDs could be better if you can’t afford an OLED or 4K DV/HDR10+ content. (Or if it’s a Samsung, lol.)
- If you want to take full advantage of OLED in the US, you can only go with LG or Sony. Samsung doesn’t have Dolby Vision or DTS on their TVs, so they’ll always be a tier below for purists. You may ask, “Does Dolby Vision really matter, and isn’t HDR10+ just as good?” Well, the answer is maybe—unless you are a purist here to fact-check me, in which case HDR10+ is garbage, and I hate it. Basically all your services except Amazon are using Dolby Vision over HDR10+ so the DV is probably going to last over HDR10+. Here is a guide between them if you really care.
- This is a huge one that gets skipped over a lot. IF YOU ARE NOT PAYING FOR PREMIUM NETFLIX/PREMIUM WHATEVER OTHER STREAMING SERVICE OR USING A 4K BLU-RAY PLAYER, OLEDS ARE NOT WORTH THE MONEY. (You pirates out there can ignore this.)
Buying Guide: Which OLED is Best
- First, decide if you care more about gaming or watching movies/TV. If gaming, go with LG; if movies/TV, go with Sony. You may ask, “Is there really that big a difference between the two?” And the answer is no. The difference is minimal even when comparing side by side, but it is still there and should be noted. For gaming, Sony’s don’t have FreeSync or allow 1440p gaming, so if you are in the 5% of people who can notice the difference vs. G-Sync or need 1440p instead of 4k or 1080, then LG is better. For movies and streaming, Sony’s handle gradation between greens, blues, and grays better, so if you are in the 5% of people who get bothered by a single bit of blockiness during a panning shot of an open sky, Sony is better.
- It is okay to get previous years’ models. There have been no massive upgrades in the last 3 years. If you don’t need cutting-edge technology, then save money.
- When deciding between models like the LG C series or G series or Sony A95L vs. A80L, understand what you actually need. If you are running a newer receiver and connecting your stuff to that, then you don’t need better TV speakers or more 2.1 HDMI ports that are in the more expensive models.
How to Read Reviews
- Understand what you actually need and where and with whom you will be watching. A lot of these reviews judge TVs on HDMI 2.1 ports, reflection handling, viewing angles, and other things that will not apply to many people. I’ll cover a few scenarios where a site like rtings may knock a TV’s score down vs. another for something that won’t matter to you.
- If you are running a newer receiver with devices plugged into it, you can ignore all sound and HDMI port ratings. If you plan on using an older receiver using eARC, then ports will matter, but sound won’t. (Unless it’s a Samsung since you’ll need to do some workaround for DTS.)
- If you have a bright room: A perfectly calibrated TV looks bad in bright rooms, and your wife is going to complain it’s too dark and she liked it better before. All the calibrated settings you find online will also be for dark rooms. It’s okay to use the Vivid setting or crank that Gamma up a little bit. I have an A80L in my living room that has nine 7ft tall atrium-style windows, so I watch that one on Vivid for things that aren’t Dolby Vision. (A nice trick with the new Sony’s is to watch a DV show and then adjust the Vivid settings to match the Dolby Bright Room and copy those settings to the Vivid mode for all non-HDR content.)
- If you have a dark room: all those reviews about which TV has better peak brightness don’t matter. All TVs will be fine in a dark room, and your wife is going to complain you’re trying to blind her if you max it out.
- Sometimes TVs get knocked for having bad viewing angles, but if you are often watching from an angle bad enough to notice this, you need to rearrange your seating situation. You’ll also see TVs get knocked for input lag while gaming. I’d say for 95% of people this difference will never be noticed, and for the other 5%, you should be playing on a 27” monitor if you are that good.
Recommendations for OLEDs
- Sony A95L is rated as the best TV for a reason. If you have the money and want the best, this is it. No gaming advantages in an LG would be enough to beat this.
- The LG G3/G4 and Sony A80L/A75L/Bravia 8 all tie for me here and depend on your situation. The G’s are more expensive but handle bright rooms and gaming better with their MLA technology (MLA not available on the 83” G3 or 97” G4). The Bravia 8 and A80L are going to handle streaming and TV content better. The Bravia 8 gets brighter, but the A80L is cheaper. (Also, the A80L 55” and 65” don’t have the glossy screen, so bright rooms will be worse.)
- LG C3/C4 and Sony A80K/A80J. Again, it comes down to need and preference. Basically, gaming/need more 2.1 HDMI for LG vs. streaming/TV for Sony.
- LG B3/B4. It’s a great TV. You’ll never have it in a room next to the ones above it, so if it has what you need for cheaper, get it and have no regrets. I still run my B6 from 2016 in my bedroom, and it’s amazing.
- Samsung S90C. It’s a great TV that just lacks Dolby support. If you don’t care, you could move this to even with that number 3 spot.
Recommendations for 83” and Bigger
- 83” G4/A80L. The A80L only goes to 83”, but it has the glossy screen and better processing. The G4 goes to 97”, but only the 83” has MLA technology.
- 83” G3/97” G4/C3/C4. Basically, these are all the same since these G TVs don’t have MLA, and unless you need the very specific extra features of the G series, the C is a better choice for them.
Recommendations for LED
I think rtings has this pretty much nailed, so just follow them. Just make sure you are giving more weight to the things that reflect your situation and ignoring irrelevant things.
Top Comment: Posts like this are incredibly helpful for me, as a beginner who used lurk and is now jumping into with both feet. You solidified a lot of info for me and helped me confirm my choice for a TV. Now to wait on a good sale, haha.
THE BEST TV-SHOW YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF
Main Post: THE BEST TV-SHOW YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF
Top Comment: Hate subtitles that go up one word at a time, I can't deal with them
Must watch TV Shows?
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So, I've mostly watched comedy tv shows (Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond, Modern Family etc). And maybe some random drama series (House M.D., Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, The X Files) But for the most part haven't really tried a lot of other genres. I'm wanting to try different genres and maybe shows from different places as well.
Animated or live action is fine.
I have watched a decent amount of anime and cartoons. Though if it's something newer, odds are good I haven't watched it yet. Or from before the 90s, I might not have seen it yet.
I'm from the USA. I have a ton of streaming services. If it's on Prime Video I can rent it. Or look elsewhere if I have to.
Old or new series is fine with me. Documentary shows are fine as well.
Feel free to recommend me sitcoms if you want, maybe something newer or from somewhere not in the USA, though. I've watched a decent amount of older sitcoms and mid 2000s sitcoms.
TIA.
Top Comment: The Expanse Fallout Chernobyl Fargo Squid Game The Boys Beef Severance Stranger Things Breaking Bad Better Call Saul Patriot Narcos Bojack Horseman I could go on, but that’s a good start
A cool guide to the best TV shows of all time
Main Post: A cool guide to the best TV shows of all time
Top Comment: Every time this comes up I think of how the last column should be removed cause of how much they skew things.
Please, recommend me some must watch TV series.
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I have a pretty versatile taste so not too fussed, but just interested to know what people consider to be some must watch tv series..
P.S. Yes I know The Wire, The Sopranos and Breaking bad is “the best” but a less generic list would be appreciated.
Top Comment: Black Sails!