Author Topic: What TV?  (Read 13992 times)

Offline richidoo

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What TV?
« on: May 02, 2017, 06:07:30 PM »
My wife wants a "big screen TV." I'm gonna buy it for her 25th wedding anniversary present. ;)

I read some articles about screen size; we sit about 9 feet away from the screen, so I think 60" screen is correct for the 480p and 720p we watch. 4k and bluray are not a concern, but I would try it anyway if the pipe allows.

I currently still have DSL 3Mbps internet, but will be upgrading that to 50Mbps if I can stomach a new 12mo contract with ATT.  I'd like to be able to watch Amazon, Netflix, maybe Hulu directly on the TV instead of needing to fire up the Playstation 3.

I have deftech Pro60 5.1 speakers and Onkyo Rx. Been very happy with them for 10years so we'll just keep using that.

I was thinking about these two:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_68960H7700/LG-60UH7700.html
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01E6BG3L8

Any other TV recommendations?

Any other advice for a video noob is welcome,

Thanks all!
Rich

Offline tmazz

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Re: What TV?
« Reply #1 on: May 03, 2017, 05:02:35 AM »
Rich both are good sets but knowing that you like to watch the F1 races I would definitely go with the LG because it has double the refresh rate. The Samsung would be fine for regular everyday TV, but I think you would get significantly better performance on quick motion things like races with the quicker refresh.

Two things to keep in mind. There is a good chance that your 10 yo rcvr s not compatible with the latest audio and video standards. This is not fatal, but more inconvenient. The recvrmay not be able to handle the latest HMDI standard, which in the worst case would mean you have to cable things to the TV and the rcvr separately and switch the inputs on each one. While that is not a big issue to either of us, at least in my house, she who must be obeyed gets very upset when she has to make selections on multiple devices to watch TV. )I solved that problem by picking up a Logitech programmable remote and moving the one button selection off of the rcvr and onto the remote, thus preserving peace and tranquility in the homestead.  8)) Secondly with an older rcvr you will not be able to take advantage of all  of the audio options that the newer standard, like Blu-ray have to offer. You will be limited to 5.1 surround, which sounds like it will not be an issue for you (nor is it to me as i the demos I have heard at the audio shows I have never been wowed by the difference between 5.1, 7.1 and even Atmos. 5.1 works just fine for me.) And you will also be limited to the compressed DVD audio standards (Dolbly Digital and DTS) , as opposed to the multi channel hi-res audio available on Blu-Ray. the systems areall backward compatible , so with an older rcver you will still be able to get surround sound out of a Blu-ray, it will just not be as good as it could be if you were decoding the higher resolution sound that is available too you on the disc. Personally, the equipment and my audio expectations are much lower when it comes to TV sound vs my stereo rig, so I am just fine with 5.1 dvd quality sound, but YMMV. Although you very quickly get used to having 5.1 on regular TV shows and I now very quickly notice it when a show is not broadcast in surround. Even the shows on the Food Network are now broadcast in 5.1. Not saying that I think you need to upgrade the rcvr, just point out some of the downsides to not doing so.

The only thing that makes me a little nervous in your original post is where you say that you now watch 480p shows. I don't know how much 480p you watch and how important it is to you, but I have a 40' TV in my family room and the 480P stuff looks dreadful on it, and a 40" set is significantly smaller than a 60. keep in mind that when the NTSC video standard was developed in the early 50s  it was done with the thought in mind that a TV screen would never exceed the whoopingly huge size of 19 inches. (remember most home TVs in those days were in the 5 - 7 inch range) So the signal itself does not contain enough information in it to support a large screen presentation of a 480p signal. Now I have seen some wonderful results come out of 4k upscalers like the ones in the two sets you are looking at, but they were starting with a full HD signal to start with and only upscaling that to 4k. I am not sure what if anything an upscaler can do with a 480p signal. This is not an issue between the sets you are looking at , but rather one with getting a 60 inch set period.  If you need to watch something in 480 once in a blue moon this will not be a big deal, but if 480 programming makes up a good chunk of your day-to day viewing this is something you might want to look into further. Just a thought.
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Offline Nick B

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Re: What TV?
« Reply #2 on: May 03, 2017, 09:37:22 AM »
Hi Rich,
You'll enjoy HD and especially UHD. I'm not much of a video person, but certainly appreciate the much better picture nowadays. When we first got our Samsung, we watched White Christmas in UHD and were amazed at the picture quality. I agree re the better refresh rate. Definitely worth getting. Re the 480 p, geez, that's hard to watch.
Congratulations and enjoy!
Nick
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Offline richidoo

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Re: What TV?
« Reply #3 on: May 03, 2017, 10:08:08 AM »
Tom, thanks a million for all that great advice!

About the audio, yes, the old Rx has no digital video switching. So we switch sources separately on TV and sound. We're all used to it, but my wife would prefer an easier switch, but would reject upgrading the Rx just to make switching sources easier. The SQ is not bad, I actually like it even from audiophile perspective when programming has good music. So I think it's not worth upgrading just for easier video switching, but final determination on that will be with the new hardware. I will look into programmable remotes if it is too crazy. That would allow her to switch without help.

We now mostly watch SD Directv on 30" (1080i) CRT, so SD looks fine. But I think you're right, the 60" from 8' distance will require HD source, which is what she wants. Previously I was limited to 3mbps internet service, but the fiber fairly came to our street last fall so I can upgrade to stream HD video. I'll probably upgrade the DirecTV to HD also, though I'd rather cut the cord. The ATT DirecTV merger is clobbering me with bundled upgrade offers as I still have 2 separate bills and expensive ancient plans. The upgrades will cost about the same as what I'm paying now for SD and 3mbps to have 50mbps and HD and new router/wifi/DVRs. I only resist because I don't want to go on 2yr contract and I'd like to cut the TV cord for my mental health. But neither of those are good reasons to postpone upgrading to last decade's technology.

I'll check whether the Rx can play 5.1 uncompressed. I know it has 24/96 DAC. But the digital audio input is limited to TOSLINK, so maybe that precludes hirez multichannel anyway?

Thanks again, Tom, and Nick.

Offline _Scotty_

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Re: What TV?
« Reply #4 on: May 03, 2017, 05:36:07 PM »
My Samsung 55in. has two "smart view" modes which are much smaller than the full 55in., this gives you the ability to make low resolution sources more palatable by watching them on a more suitable sized screen. The smallest is around 32inches.
 In fact ability to switch to these smaller screen sizes is one of the most important purchasing criteria I will look for when purchasing a new set. I am hoping to eventually purchase a 70in. LG if the price falls far enough. I don't want 3D or 4k capability if these features add to the cost of the set.
Scotty

Offline richidoo

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Re: What TV?
« Reply #5 on: May 23, 2017, 02:26:38 PM »
Update...

I got the 60" LG from BestBuy for $1000.  :thumb:   Last one on the shelf, last year's model. Gave it to her for mothers day, she was very surprised and happy. Got a nice Sanus swivel mount too, also on sale, last one on the shelf. Lucked out on the prices.

We've been watching it with OTA antenna and Netflix, Amazon video. The old DVR analog out would not play on the TV's analog input. But it's retired now anyway, since the ATT guy cam today to install new fiber, new sat antenna, new DVR, new router. I just finished programming the router, wow it's fast! 5G wifi woohoo! I'm in the 21st century at last!

The picture is very clear and bright, still need to adjust the color. Everything looks like flourescent pastels. The girls say they like it, I said that figures.

Still have to hang the TV on the wall, but needs some framing and drywall before hanging it. Need to program the DVR.

With ATT and DirecTV bills combined and bundle pricing on the upgrade I'm paying half what I paid before for the obsolete service. Plus all new equipment.

Offline tmazz

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Re: What TV?
« Reply #6 on: May 23, 2017, 03:52:30 PM »
Time to try a TWL cord on that new TV and enter the world of video nervosa.  :lol:
Remember, it's all about the music........

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Offline richidoo

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Re: What TV?
« Reply #7 on: May 23, 2017, 05:21:33 PM »
Great idea!

Hey Pete, can you fit a right angle shaver connector?  :D

Offline satfrat

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Re: What TV?
« Reply #8 on: May 23, 2017, 07:09:58 PM »
Next to having your picture professionally ISF calibrated, the next best thing IMO is a Darbee Darblet. Then replace the wallwart SMPS with a Meanwell tabletop SMPS which made a huge processing improvement in my Darbee on a Panny ST560 plasma (their last year of making them). Or maybe an Ifi Low Noise AC/DC adapter which wasn't available when I got my Meanwell.

Cheers,
Robin
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Offline richidoo

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Re: What TV?
« Reply #9 on: May 24, 2017, 10:02:06 AM »
Next to having your picture professionally ISF calibrated, the next best thing IMO is a Darbee Darblet. Then replace the wallwart SMPS with a Meanwell tabletop SMPS which made a huge processing improvement in my Darbee on a Panny ST560 plasma (their last year of making them). Or maybe an Ifi Low Noise AC/DC adapter which wasn't available when I got my Meanwell.

Cheers,
Robin

Thanks Robin. There's no external PS, just 2 conductor lampcord PC.

I found some calibration suggestions online. I will try those, if not good enough maybe hire a calibration. How do I find local calibration service?

Offline satfrat

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Re: What TV?
« Reply #10 on: May 24, 2017, 08:28:32 PM »
Next to having your picture professionally ISF calibrated, the next best thing IMO is a Darbee Darblet. Then replace the wallwart SMPS with a Meanwell tabletop SMPS which made a huge processing improvement in my Darbee on a Panny ST560 plasma (their last year of making them). Or maybe an Ifi Low Noise AC/DC adapter which wasn't available when I got my Meanwell.

Cheers,
Robin

Thanks Robin. There's no external PS, just 2 conductor lampcord PC.

I found some calibration suggestions online. I will try those, if not good enough maybe hire a calibration. How do I find local calibration service?

To be clear, I was talking about replacing the Darbee power supply. With the supplied wall wart PS, I could only to to 55-60% processing before seeing over processing in the picture . But with a tabletop Meanwell, I'm up to 90%. I likened using a Darbee Darblet in picture quality to comparing a component video picture to HDMI, it's that stark. But you'd really want a calibrated picture to start with.
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Offline richidoo

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Re: What TV?
« Reply #11 on: May 24, 2017, 08:41:17 PM »
What is a DArbee?  :oops:

Oh, I see it's a video processor
http://www.darbeevision.com/   $180
Interesting!

I got a long way to go to get current. Learning Genie GUI is enough for now. I miss my Tivo series 2   :rofl:

Switching to 4x larger screen takes some adjusting mentally. It is a little overstimulating.

Offline richidoo

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Re: What TV?
« Reply #12 on: May 25, 2017, 09:49:24 AM »
I found an ISF calibration service in my town, he is level 2 certified.
EDIT: He's retired... He suggested using a disk to get 75% there. He doesn't know of any other certified ISF in our area. So I asked him about the local demand for cals. Seems like a fun job if there's enough demand.  :-k

Trying to watch F1 practice with the stock color setting is tough on the eyes. Flourescent Pastels!  :shock:
« Last Edit: May 25, 2017, 10:20:57 AM by richidoo »

Offline satfrat

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Re: What TV?
« Reply #13 on: May 25, 2017, 06:33:33 PM »
I found an ISF calibration service in my town, he is level 2 certified.
EDIT: He's retired... He suggested using a disk to get 75% there. He doesn't know of any other certified ISF in our area. So I asked him about the local demand for cals. Seems like a fun job if there's enough demand.  :-k

Trying to watch F1 practice with the stock color setting is tough on the eyes. Flourescent Pastels!  :shock:

I'm not sure where you actually live but if it's around South Carolina are, try http://www.imagingscience.com/dealers.php?search=United%20States:%20South%20Carolina

For other searches for ISF dealers, try http://www.imagingscience.com/dealers.php Try finding a Level 2 Certified calibrator. Expect to pay at least $300 but IMO it's well worth the expense if you're serious about a theater grade picture. As for as Darbee is concerned, Oppo in years past developed the 103D and 105D video players that included Darbee technology. Of course 4K makes Darbee obsolete but an ISF calibration is still a desired option.

I've had my last 2 TV's ISF calibrated by Jim Doolittle from Waltham, Ma. It's over a 3 hour drive to Vermont for Jim but he still only charged me $300 for each calibration where most would charge $50/hr for travel time. Really nice guy

Cheers,
Robin
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Offline richidoo

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Re: What TV?
« Reply #14 on: May 26, 2017, 07:23:56 AM »
I used to live next town over from Waltham, yeah that's a big hike to VT.

I'll look in the dealers page for another. Gonna g2g to talk with this guy in my town next week about the business and technology. Should be fun!

I found a preset in memory that improved the color over the "Standard" default setting, so now it's tolerable. Looks pretty good, but still a slight tinge of green and pink.

Big BIG TV weekend upon us with Indy 500, Monaco GP, Charlotte NASCAR, French Open, America's Cup Challenger Series, etc.

Now I'm rebuilding the wall that used to be a huge built in cubby hole for CRT into a flat wall for LCD with a smaller cubby behind it for the Rx and DirecTV. Got a Sanus swivel mount and remote extender for Rx.