TV sets 2025-26

Fabbs

Fabbs

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Please bring me whatever info and insights you got. All ears if you think features must be had.
Hole burning in my pocket to make the purchase, ideally on or before Black Friday. ElNono banged out a solid choice on the old board. I've kicked the can down the road and have given up on seeing Lamar Jackson in a Jim Harbaugh Super Bowl. But i am ready for real to puchase now.

Budget 3K
65" screen +/- For this particular mancave anything over 80" would be overkill. 55 would be passable but 65 is about the sweet spot.

Examples (if you think any of these are overkill for $ or the opposite, well worth the squeeze then feel free to post.
Best Buy
Sony Bravia 8 II Oled 4K $2250


Costco
Sony Bravia 8 65" $1700
77" $2600
Samsung 65S90F 65" $1600

Gamer? No. Not saying i won't become one but not currently.
Throw whats on the PCs screen up on the TV? You high techers are messing with me now but ya, that sound great.
 
the prices you listed are fine. even cheap oleds are good, i think the higher models have better internal computers, more audio choices, etc. i would check for burn in warranties.
 
k.... said:
the prices you listed are fine. even cheap oleds are good, i think the higher models have better internal computers, more audio choices, etc. i would check for burn in warranties65"
Click to expand...
Main criteria is as kick ass a picture as possible.
TV room is not huge, viewing would be from approx 10-12 feet from eyes. Thus 65" is probably max.
LED vs OLED?
I'm doing ChatGPT and Google to gain some clues. But for you who have been there done that I'm open to advice.
 
I have multiple TCL tv's I'm happy with.

At this point, I'm not sure it's worth buying anything other than the cheapest, biggest one for what you want to spend at Costco.
 
Punch your tv model number into this website, in that search field.

www.rtings.com

TV Reviews

510 TV reviews. Start with our picks for the best TVs below. These are the ones we recommend based on our testing and in-depth TV reviews.
www.rtings.com www.rtings.com
You want to get above 7.0 for mixed use.
 
scott said:
I have multiple TCL tv's I'm happy with.

At this point, I'm not sure it's worth buying anything other than the cheapest, biggest one for what you want to spend at Costco.
Click to expand...
TLC is well spoken of by the few articles I've read so far. Your testimony is another one, thanks.
Yes the display models that have the absolute blinging pictures are without fail fed by an in store chip or DVD, not broadcast tv.
Tech told me you're seeing legit 4K in the stores, whereas most of the mainstream stations ABC etc are pumping out probably 900K, mmaybe 1.5K tops. Will that improve in the near future? Hope so. He said YouTube TV is already blasting legit 4K.
As you mentioned some of the lesser priced models seem to have just as blinging a picture in the stores.

I'm attempting to continue to add to my noodle the knowledge of TV sets.
Thanks, it's an interesting field for sure. Maybe we can keep this thread as TV tech including streaming continues on.
 
I watched something the other day in "4k" - I think it was on AppleTV - and honestly it looked a little funk to me.

I should note, all of my TCLs are "older" models that have Roku built in. I don't think TCL has this deal anymore, but I've had one of them since 2016 or 17 and the other since 2019 and have had zero issues with either. I also have a Samsung from 2015 that also works with zero issues so these things are plenty durable.

I just picked up a 58" 4k Hisense with Roku built in for my office at work for only $200. These things are just so dirt cheap.

I have heard great things about The Frame, if you have a spouse or partner who cares about that sort of thing.

One other note, I use soundbars for most of my TVs, so I can't really speak to the audio on any of these. I used to have a really high end Definitive Technologies soundbar that crapped out after a few years... now I just go with whatever cheap one from a reputable brand that is available at Costco. Consumer electronics have gotten so good and cheap these days that IMO there is no reason to really fret over them. Only if you are putting together HiFi or a Cinema Room should you really care. Just my $0.02.
 
"QLED TVs use quantum dots to enhance brightness and color, making them ideal for bright rooms, while OLED TVs have self-lighting pixels that provide superior contrast and true blacks, making them better for dark environments. The choice depends on your viewing habits and room lighting conditions."

8K QLED. :LOL:
Don't think I'm gonna pursue, but Samsung hyping this as their latest greatest.
 
scott said:
I just picked up a 58" 4k Hisense with Roku built in for my office at work for only $200. These things are just so dirt cheap.
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this is basically what ive been doing even for home use. i have a 65 inch hisense roku that i got from best buy or whatever for 300 or so. TV before that i think was a 58 in variant back when i was in VA.

its always served well enough for me but i could see somebody wanting to splurge on the OLED stuff. just not something thats been a priority for me

the only time i notice issues is if im playing a dark video game when theres daylight. but that happens exceedingly rarely. i dont game as much as i used to, and with kids around, i dont have the TV on much when theres daylight anyway
 
scott said:
I have multiple TCL tv's I'm happy with.

At this point, I'm not sure it's worth buying anything other than the cheapest, biggest one for what you want to spend at Costco.
Click to expand...
I agree with this, my reason being that the current high end model will be the next cheap model in 6 months.
 
Guys i have all but swiped the card for
Samsung S90F Oled $1400.
I heard all of you esp Scott saying hey some of the 300-500 models kick just as much ass. This is a once in a 5 year buy for me so i guess I'm getting perhaps snookered by Samsungs long term rep + Costcos superb return policy.

As to the additional warranty beyond Costcocs out the door coverage (3 year and 5 year available by Allstate)
would you say go for or no, waste of money giving sneaky weaseling insurance Co's anything?
 
Costco is very upfront about what they cover and then at the start of the 3rd year what Allstate would (theoretically) cover.

Does Costco offer an extended warranty on products?

Welcome to Costco Technical and Warranty Services page. Explore our many helpful self-service options and learn more about popular topics.
techsupport.costco.com techsupport.costco.com
 
costco's return policy, in general, is pretty goated

the funniest shit was back when the moviepass gimmick was a thing. i had bought the annual thing from costco for something like $90 iirc. and then when that business model predictably crashed and burned and they began limiting uses, blacklisting certain blockbuster releases, i submitted a return request to costco (something like 9 months out of a 12 year subscription) based on their policy changes and they just issued a full refund. i was expected a pro-rated refund for the remaining time, but nope, they sent it all back. my wife and i basically enjoyed 9 months of free movies on costco. and given the deal, we saw a lot of movies lol

then a new competitor called sinemia emerged and for a short time basically delivered the same product before that one crashed and burned too within a few months. all in all, it was a good year for movie watching
 
meanwhile i have a 2011 panasonic and jokes on you with modern TVS and their spyware and cheap ass processing power upscaling BS. I want 1080P cuz my eyesite sucks and only dicks pay for 4k content. i dont want to see actors pores and wrinkles. It's not about the size it's about the reliability and absence of the MBA brain software. When it dies i will gladly pay $2000 for a restaurant services TV without the dumbfuckery software prone to premature failure.
 
Fabbs said:
Guys i have all but swiped the card for
Samsung S90F Oled $1400.
I heard all of you esp Scott saying hey some of the 300-500 models kick just as much ass. This is a once in a 5 year buy for me so i guess I'm getting perhaps snookered by Samsungs long term rep + Costcos superb return policy.

As to the additional warranty beyond Costcocs out the door coverage (3 year and 5 year available by Allstate)
would you say go for or no, waste of money giving sneaky weaseling insurance Co's anything?
Click to expand...
Congrats! I'd say your are golden with Costco's policy, no need for anything beyond that.
 
scott said:
Congrats! I'd say your are golden with Costco's policy, no need for anything beyond that.
Click to expand...
Ah the christening being Spurs 132 Lakers 119 was indeed joyous.

Allstate additional insurance for years 3 4 5:
Costco currently has a promotion whereupon if you buy the Allstate for $100 they reimburse $99. Instantly. On that note i bought it.
 
Fabbs said:
Ah the christening being Spurs 132 Lakers 119 was indeed joyous.

Allstate additional insurance for years 3 4 5:
Costco currently has a promotion whereupon if you buy the Allstate for $100 they reimburse $99. Instantly. On that note i bought it.
Click to expand...
No brainer then!
 
k.... said:
meanwhile i have a 2011 panasonic and jokes on you with modern TVS and their spyware and cheap ass processing power upscaling BS. I want 1080P cuz my eyesite sucks and only dicks pay for 4k content. i dont want to see actors pores and wrinkles. It's not about the size it's about the reliability and absence of the MBA brain software. When it dies i will gladly pay $2000 for a restaurant services TV without the dumbfuckery software prone to premature failure.
Click to expand...
But in 4k you can see all the herpes in porn
 
Is there some reason OLED monitors all of a sudden got reasonable in price? Just shitty demand from this recession we're in or did something fundamentally change in OLED production to make them way cheaper now? Might see if I can score a deal on a good 1440p144Hz OLED around CES when the new shit comes out and they're dumping last year's models.
 
I have built and installed home theater systems for 35 years, both professionally and as a hobby. I've spent lots of hours tuning my televisions and monitors with transparencies and pluge patterns and tweaked audio systems and mixed and matched components of all kinds.

Flat screens from today produce all the colors, including black and darker-than-black, with more processing power than the top of the line televisions from a few years ago. You can buy an 80-inch mid-tier TV that produces a completely enveloping picture without flickering or artifacts.

There is some arbitrary guideline about TV size and viewing distance. Every movie theater you've ever been to violates that guideline. Buy the biggest TV you can afford and make your room as dark as you can get it and thank me later.

The best test IME for a TV is to play a black signal in said darkened room. Look at your screen and edges for light escaping or gray. If it looks black, you're good to go.

If you're going to spend money on a system, invest in your amplifier, your center channel and your sub. Get those right and you can throw whatever is left over at your monitor.

I have a DD/DTS 5.1 audio system I've thrown together with 30 years of speakers, a good quality sub and center channel, and the last of the Toshiba monitors. Nothing is ludicrously expensive, and I'd put it up against just about anything. I'm not even running Atmos yet because my Onkyo receiver just won't die. Entertainment value per dollar is about as good as you can get.
 
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