Having just moved, we are looking to replace our current 1080p LCD Sharp Aquos TV. I recall paying about $2500 back in 2004 for it.

The TV works fine but its only 10 years old and to be honest, my head is spinning now with 4KTVs, LED and OLED and the like.

Looking for maybe a 60-70 inch flat screen TV to hang on the wall. Whats the best technology right now?
(I think OLED will be best in the future but opting to hold off now & watch prices and the tech improve.)

LED tech has gotten so good now that the old argument that Plasma has better picture quality is pretty much out the window.

Prices have plunged too - Walmart was selling a 60-inch HDTV for $400 and change a few weeks ago - crazy.

OLED sounds cool, but LED has just gotten so damned good, why pay more?

If you really want to hang it on the wall (and I presume you have external speakers), I would suggest Samsung. I love their slim design (virtually no edge), like this one.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN60H6...s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1420317731&sr=1-3

BTW, also think of other recent features. Do you want 3D capability? How about the curved screens that are becoming popular?

As for 4K, the content for it is virtually non-existant now, but I was looking at a demo the other day (on something crazy like an 85 inch unit) and it does look amazing. But I'd wait until they have more content.

LED is just the backlighting replacing neons, otherwise it's the same panel technology. Depending on how it's used it can benefit image quality, but it's not automatic. Power use however is much better. On my computer my 3*24" classic screens (with high end IPS panels for good color rendering) produce enough heat for the room ! The new LED version of the same screen, otherwise very similar, uses a third of the power (from 100W to 30W).

OLED is totally different (but not ready for prime time IMHO).

You can't avoid reading professional reviews before buying, in my opinion. And I would definitely go 4K since you seem to keep your TV for much longer than average (I'm the same, in fact I don't watch much TV so I still have a CRT one !).

Quoting Dreadnought (Reply 1): As for 4K, the content for it is virtually non-existant now, but I was looking at a demo the other day (on something crazy like an 85 inch unit) and it does look amazing.

Wait until you see it on a 110" unit, I saw one in Dubai in January and it is incredible.

What's the opinion on Samsungs curved TV's?

Quoting Dreadnought (Reply 1): Do you want 3D capability?

Not really a consideration at all. We still can't figure out the draw here. Life is 3D and 4D. To sit through simulated 3D is redundant and odd IMHO.

Quoting KiwiRob (Reply 4): curved TV's

They do make optic and ophthalmic sense from an human eye visual perspective.


thank you for the recommendations. Just came across this today: http://gizmodo.com/sharps-80-inch-be...d-tv-is-overstuffed-wit-1677451590

Don't want to go that large but if ultra 4 K plays all the current stuff, 780p , 1080i and 1080P and the contect is developing, I would consider it!

Quoting KiwiRob (Reply 4): What's the opinion on Samsungs curved TV's?

I have seen numerous demonstrations and still not convinced.

My suggestion is keep an out eye for of the number of HDMI inputs (go with > 2) and refresh rate (go with 120Hz or higher). The Samsung one linked above looks like a good set and probably all the high end TVs you'll look at already meet this requirement.

However, I find it odd manufacturers are offering only 2 HDMIs for many mid level sets. I was searching for a mid level $500 -600 set last month for a friend and noticed many with only 2 HMDI inputs and the refresh rate wasn't always most noticeable in the spec. One might overlook these details when purchasing the set. I bought a $200 cheap 720p TV over a year ago, and even that had 3 HDMIs inputs.

[Edited 2015-01-05 10:53:12]

Quoting rtalk25 (Reply 7): My suggestion is keep an out eye for of the number of HDMI inputs (go with > 2)

If you're doing a home-theater type system and running everything through an A/V receiver, it really doesn't matter how many HDMI inputs there are (so long as there's at least one!).

Quoting mirrodie (Thread starter): Whats the best technology right now?

Right now is actually a bit of an awkward time to buy a TV. The reason for that is the best technology for TV will be OLED, but it's not quite there yet. The OLED TVs that you can buy right now (pretty much the LGs) are fairly buggy. They produce outstanding picture but you will have to deal with all the headaches of being an early adopter. However, I think in a couple of years 4k OLEDs will be the outright best TVs to buy.

Apart from OLED you have a choice of 4k LEDs and 1080p plasma. I'd say if you can get your hands on a Samsung F8500 series plasma, go ahead and buy that. It has won the best TV in the value electronics TV shoot out for two years in a row beating comprehensively all the 4k LED TVs out there today.

http://www.cnet.com/news/lg-wins-value-electronics-shootout-2014/

Another reason I recommend the 1080p plasma over the 4k is because you will pay a lot of extra money for a technology that has very little content to support it. The only way to get 4k content right now (apart from a couple of Netflix shows) is to buy expensive hardware add-ons from Sony or Samsung with your TV that then allows you to purchase movies in 4k.

Furthermore, the standards for 4k haven't been fully defined yet and are likely to change, so your 4k TV that you spend a ton of money on maybe obsolete in a couple of years!!!

Bottomline - If you don't need to buy right now, wait a year or so till 4k standards are finalized and 4k OLEDs mature. If, however, you must buy now, I'd recommend getting a Samsung plasma.

Quoting Dreadnought (Reply 1): LED tech has gotten so good now that the old argument that Plasma has better picture quality is pretty much out the window.

I'd like to respectfully disagree. Even the best LEDs that money can buy today do not produce anywhere close to the black levels of a plasma. Deeper blacks not only make the picture more realistic, but also makes the rest of the picture pop out more.

Motion processing is also much better in a plasma than an LED. Try watching fast action sports in a plasma and an LED kept next to each other and you will see what I mean.

The one area where plasmas do tend to lag behind LEDs is in brightness - however, the latest plasmas, especially the Samsungs have vastly improved brightness and are as good as the LEDs for day light viewing.

The question then becomes - is there enough difference between the two to matter? I think the answer to that is it depends on how critical your vision is and how close to the director's intent and reality you like your picture to be.

Quoting KiwiRob (Reply 4): What's the opinion on Samsungs curved TV's?

I have found the curvature to make absolutely no difference to viewing experience. It does not enhance (nor reduce) the picture quality in anyway, so if you like the aesthetics of the curved display, go for one. I personally prefer the flat ones.

Quoting rwessel (Reply 8): so your 4k TV that you spend a ton of money on maybe obsolete in a couple of years!!!

Well I think we'll always be affect by that.   Look at my case. Spent 2500 on an LCD 10 years ago. Works fine.
But will likely get something bigger and better for less now.

No hurry but would like to purchase again next month once the Presidents week sales come around.

Im leaning toward LED. My folks got one and although its the standard Samsung LED, the image seems to appear so much better ,vibrant, different. Even on a kids film like FROZEN, the screen motion seems to make the images really pop off the screen. And its not a 3D tv.

Amazing stuff.

I like the concept of OLED going forward, especially this...http://gizmodo.com/oled-wallpaper-could-be-the-future-of-lighting-1643373103

No one needs a 70" tv

Quoting mirrodie (Reply 10): Quoting rwessel (Reply 8): so your 4k TV that you spend a ton of money on maybe obsolete in a couple of years!!! ....

Kindly watch your quoting. That was actually written by AKLDELNonstop.

Quoting Frostyj (Reply 11): No one needs a 70" tv

Most of what we have or want we don't actually need.

Quoting mirrodie (Reply 10): Well I think we'll always be affect by that

Agreed. However, what I was implying was that buying a 4k LED right now might affect you more than normal, i.e. be obsolete real soon.

Quoting rwessel (Reply 12): Kindly watch your quoting. That was actually written by AKLDELNonstop.

I think there might be a bug wherein some browsers misquote the posts. Has happened to me a few times too.

Quoting rwessel (Reply 12): Most of what we have or want we don't actually need.

   This definitely falls in the realm of a want and not a need. Hey but i do want, therefore...

Quoting rtalk25 (Reply 7): and refresh rate (go with 120Hz or higher).

Refresh rates. 120 or higher. Is there a point though of diminishing returns?

Quoting Frostyj (Reply 11): No one needs a 70" tv

True, I don't need it. But our flat screen 37" in the office is going to shit, so I'll replace that with the 46" I have at home.

The room from which I am taking the 46" out of is about 30 feet long but 2 stories tall.(Catheral/high ceiling) So Im looking at flat screens VS....
some type of projection screen....