OPPO Help sauce: TV's

"EL_ULY" (uly)
07/16/2014 at 10:25 • Filed to: None

TV's..... I don't know a single pinche mamada when it comes to the "specs" of what makes a good TV. All at a budget of $600-800, what is a good TV on sale? What to look for in Hz, refresh rates, 1080p's, and all them chingaderas?

I don't play video games. I have a N64 tho in a box somewhere. I hardly ever watch TV. If I do want it, I'll most likely just plug my laptop into it for the occasional Nexflix, Hulu, and such. I'm currently house shopping and know my wife will want a good new TV but being a broke ass mofo, my budget again is around the $600-$800 range.

My brother's TV looks good. It's 1080p from what I know but thing just seem to look more nice specifically moving images. Things move smooth like a home video. My parents have a 1080p but the images do not move smoothly. If we were to put a basketball game on both TV's, the players in my brothers TV are moving smooth and look like real life (is this real life?) whereas my parents TV looks old school. Is that the refresh rate or 240 Hz or something? Thanks for the help :] I give you Japan.

DISCUSSION (65)

ttyymmnn > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:28

TVs are dirt cheap these days. For those pesos, you can get something big at Walmart or anywhere. If you are a Costco member, shop there, because you can return it no questions asked. Seriously, since you don't game, watch sports, or hardly watch TV at all, just go with a name you recognize. I've got a Vizio and it's been great.

Edit: Just make sure it has enough connections for future expandability. At least three or more HDMI, component, etc.

Diesel > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:29

Check out wirecutter.com or avforums. Get knowledge bra'

Vicente Esteve > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:29

The first sentence made me laugh. I also dont know a damn thing about TVs, but Samsungs are cool.

Reigntastic > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:32

Vizio.

Huge bang for your buck. If you plan on watching sports (like racing), a 120hz screen would be money well spent.

GhostZ > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:36

1080p vs 1080i: 1080i means "integrated", this means that not every pixel (1080 is the height of the screen in pixels) is represented by a unique LCD. As a result, edges can be blurrier on 1080i screens, since the two pixels of different colors may be shared by the same 'integrated' output. 1080p screens do not have this problem.

60hz is the industry standard minimum for refresh rate. It refers to how often the TV changes images (with a projector, it would be how fast the film was fed through, for example) If it goes below that, some people notice the screen "flickers" or bothers their eyes. 120 Hz is considered high quality. This matters a lot in video games where you need very precise timing. 240hz is the highest quality you can get, and most people can't tell the difference.

Plasma TVs are preferable if you want a fast refresh rate, as they tend to refresh faster than LCDs. They also use more power (a lot more) and generate more heat.

However, in today's age, the quality of your picture has a LOT more to do with the source than with the display. If your cable box isn't outputting 1080 high definition video, then it is being "upscaled", which looks blurry and bad. Likewise, if you plug your laptop in via an old/bad standard HDMI cable, you might get a blurrier picture than if you use a high quality one.

You can pick up a decent Samsung 24" TV for under $200. In today's day and age, unless you're going for 'home theater', or you're a videophile, and/or you require a high-end gaming screen, there's no reason to spend $800 on a TV. You can get up to 40" screens for under $600 easily.

mcseanerson > ttyymmnn
07/16/2014 at 10:36

+1 on Vizio. Can't really go wrong. Don't buy 3D or smart tv since you won't use those features and spend more on a bigger screen. Also screen size is relative to viewing distance and there is such a thing as too big.

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:36

Depending on how large of a TV you are looking for the 48" and 50" Vizio Smart TV's are in your price range, about $600. I second the Costco comment, its where I bought my last Vizio and I haven't had any issues with it.

cazzyodo > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:37

I had a Vizio for three years then gave it to my brother and bought a Samsung. Didn't need a smart tv but they didn't have the regular one and my girlfriend negotiated a comparable price...which is odd cuz that's normally what I do. Ended up with this , I think. Good picture and I use it for gaming. Good amount of inputs as well...which should be a consideration for you. 1080p for sure.

I stared at a wall of tvs at Best Buy for 40 minutes before leaving to go buy one elsewhere haha.

mcseanerson > GhostZ
07/16/2014 at 10:37

Cable is broadcast in 720p through all providers so no matter what the box is putting out it's not going to be better than 720p. Definitely still buy 1080p though.

ttyymmnn > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:39

http://hdguru.com/which-hdtv-spe…

http://www.techhive.com/article/183099…

If you connect your laptop to the TV, make sure the TV has the capability to connect as a monitor. I use HDMI to hook my MacBook to the TV. Had to get an adapter, but it works great. No sound, though.

GhostZ > mcseanerson
07/16/2014 at 10:41

Good point. I don't watch cable TV (I get it for free from Comcast, but I don't even want it!) so I wouldn't know this.

There WAS a time whem buying a 1080p could mean worse images than a 720p simply because 1080p content was rare outside of bluray (it even took a while for most PS3 games to be 1080, and they STILL release new games as 720 for example) but that's long past.

ttyymmnn > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:43

http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-E480i-B2…

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

I just grabbed this one as an example. It even has wifi built in. But value for money, the Vizio is a good way to go, in my experience. But as somebody else said, you can get too big a TV. Make sure you know how far away you will be sitting from it. I've got a 42" and it's plenty big.

GhostZ > ttyymmnn
07/16/2014 at 10:44

It is SHOCKING how cheap TVs are now. It's like we reached 1080p as a standard and decided "You know what? Fuck 4k resolution, we're just going to do this really really well."

It still blows my mind that I have an 1080p HD 24" monitor/TV that doesn't feel warm to the touch (ever! How do they do that?!) AND weighs less than 20 lbs. It's mind-boggling. That would be like an auto manufacturer having a 400HP sports car that got 45 mpg.

IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:44

Easy rule of thumb to get a decent TV at a decent price: Go buy a Vizio. I've had several, they're probably not the highest quality out there but they're always a good value. You can normally get that at Costco or Walmart. Here is a 60" one for $600
http://www.walmart.com/ip/VIZIO-E500I…

EL_ULY > Vicente Esteve
07/16/2014 at 10:45

that is 100% all i know about TV's... nothing and Samsungs are good :]

EL_ULY > Reigntastic
07/16/2014 at 10:45

120hz eh.. good number to looks for?

mcseanerson > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:46

Refresh rate is the smooth motion thing. Even if you have a higher refresh rate you can change the settings to lower it so you're traditional media doesn't look weird (the office at a higher refresh rate just creeps me out for some reason.) For videogames, sports, and cg movies I love the higher refresh rates. Honestly though it's a matter of taste, I play a lot of videogames and I have nothing against 60hz displays. Plasma vs LCD will give you different tradeoffs, plasmas have better contrast and refresh rates but are more prone to burn in (when a image stays on the screen for a while and the screen retains a ghost of that image.) and use more power. LCD can struggle with fast motion sometimes and struggle to display black colors as well as plasmas. Shop around and read reviews.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:46

Vizio TV's are awesome, cheaper and same components as LG TV's (I thinks its LG). Hz is more or less the refresh rate, my TV is used for mostly gaming and sports so at least 120hz was needed. You can live with 60 though. For that price range you should be able to get a good 1080p tv at 120hz, Costco usually has good deals if you are a member!

GhostZ > Reigntastic
07/16/2014 at 10:46

Vizio is to samsung what samsung used to be to LG.

EL_ULY > ttyymmnn
07/16/2014 at 10:47

yes, the more HDMI's the better for sure. A good Vizio at Walmart is a contender for sure. I just don;t know about the Hz or refresh rate stuff

Reigntastic > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:47

Yes. It's the refresh rate of the TV, higher numbers mean smoother and more lifelike appearance.

Nibbles > GhostZ
07/16/2014 at 10:48

Clarification: The I stands for "Interlaced" which means the lines are refreshed in an even-odd pattern. P stands for "Progressive" which means each pixel is refreshed at the same time.

With interlaced broadcasts, the lines are refreshed at 1/60th of a second intervals - nigh undetectable by the human mind. The biggest reason to choose 1080p over 1080i is if you're playing games with high refresh rates; otherwise the difference will be negligible.

Reigntastic > GhostZ
07/16/2014 at 10:49

I would agree, I got myself a refurb 32" 120hz vizio for just under $300 and have been more than pleased. I'll probably get a bigger screen eventually, but the color quality and refresh rate are fantastic.

Nibbles > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:50

Super +1 for Visio. Just bought the wife a 32'' Visio smart TV for 210 (open box, marked down from 280). Didn't think we wanted a smart TV because we netflix and such from the Xbox, but since it's there and easily navigable she uses the built-in app much more. Excellent TV, great picture, awesome price. Speakers suck.

EL_ULY > GhostZ
07/16/2014 at 10:51

oh ok good info. I did notice on some TV's the images having a odd looking blurry shadow around moving images. At my budget, a 40" 1080p at 120Hz should be fine with Comcast Cable.

mcseanerson > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:51

1080p 120hz led backlight

Textured Soy Protein > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:52

In your price range you should be able to get a perfectly fine 50" or 55" that'll last a good long while.

Since you mention Netflix, Hulu, etc there could be some value in having something that works with those things with a remote. But I wouldn't worry about whether a tv has these things built in because you can always get a Roku Streaming Stick for like 50 bucks.

You want 1080p for sure.

Refresh rate and Hz are the same thing. Think of Hz just meaning how many frames per second the tv shows. The higher the frame rate, the smoother motion appears on screen. Pretty much all video content is between 24-60 Hz. So a "120 Hz" tv is actually taking say a 60 Hz signal coming in and filling in the missing frames frames to give you "120 Hz."

Like you mentioned, this makes sports look a lot better. But for everything else I kinda hate it, it gives that " soap opera effect " and makes things look worse. You can always get a tv with this feature and turn it off when not watching sports.

Anyway, here's one option for you: Sharp Aquos LC-55LE643U for $749 from Best Buy . It's a 55" 1080p 120 Hz, 3 HDMI inputs, and it comes with a Roku stick included.

Nibbles > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:53

Definitely. 240hz is cool but unnecessary, especially for cable.

GhostZ > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:53

You could buy TWO of those for your budget if you wanted. Save the extra ~$200 and spend it on parts or something.

EL_ULY > mcseanerson
07/16/2014 at 10:54

lol yeees! I saw was watching an episode of The Office on Blu Ray a while back at a friend's house and it looked too real like if I recorded it on my phone lol. I think a good TV from Walmart at a 120 Hz is very possible to find :]

Nibbles > cazzyodo
07/16/2014 at 10:55

Where'd you go to buy that you could negotiate the price? I don't need a smart TV - I have an XBone for that - but it seems to be all they carry in the 60'' - 65'' category and I don't want to pay for it.

EL_ULY > ttyymmnn
07/16/2014 at 10:55

Yeah i have the HDMI connector right to the back and whamo :] Plus with a TV source, usually that would leave one spare HDMI port.

EL_ULY > IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK
07/16/2014 at 10:56

oh wow that is awesome!!!!!

EL_ULY > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif
07/16/2014 at 10:57

I have a Sam's card :] You know, I completely forgot that they have all those TV's. Need to check out. 1080p and 12ohz are what i'm aiming for from what i've been reading here

EL_ULY > ttyymmnn
07/16/2014 at 10:58

oh wow niiiice! It has wifi !

Vicente Esteve > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 10:59

I think just try and find the one thats in biggest offer. Almost all of them will be 1080p, and there isnt the need to go for the ultimate TV.

mcseanerson > ttyymmnn
07/16/2014 at 10:59

That's the same one I have. I bought a smart tv because everything we watch is hulu or netflix, no cable. I did it with the PS3 until it overheated from running day and night in a cabinet just to watch tv. Then I realized I could save electricity and video game consoles by running it off the tv. I love mine.

mcseanerson > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 11:00

Yeah that's basically what I have. I got a 42 inch because my living room is not that big and I don't really need a huge tv.

EL_ULY > cazzyodo
07/16/2014 at 11:00

yeah the amount of inputs are key since more things are HDMI. I think the LED 1080 with 120hz are the numbers to hunt. Thnx buddy

Textured Soy Protein > IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK
07/16/2014 at 11:00

That's a 50".

Lekker > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 11:01

Here is a tv that I personally can recommend (sin mamadas):

http://www.samsung.com/us/video/tvs/P…

that particular model you can buy off Best Buy or similar stores for less than 750. Plasma looks stupid good, fast refresh rate, and as long as you pay attention, nothing will be burnt into the screen which is what most people fear with plasma tv's. New ones even come with a "burn cleaning mode" which basically puts on an intensely white screen to get rid of artifacting caused by images left there for a while. I've had nothing but Samsung Plasma TV's for the past 4 years, and had amazing experience. Before that I had a Vizio, and they're actually quite good. Now tho they've gone up in price to similar of a Samsung, so they're not that much of a steal as they used to be. Check out Costco, they always have great selection and you can see them in person

cazzyodo > Nibbles
07/16/2014 at 11:02

We were at Sears. It was a series of (un)fortunate events. I hate buying stuff at Best Buy but asked if they had the one I wanted in stock, they were out. Walmart was out. Sears online said it was in stock. Went down to see and they had one left that was bought by a couple in front of me. I was looking at it (not-smart tv, I have a Playstation for that) next to the smart version and there was a $150 difference. I asked if I could buy the display model and the sales manager who came over said no...they would be getting more and it would be a waste of a unit (which does make sense). My girlfriend was listening to another sales person talking with a couple and picked up their conversation that the sales person was discounting the smart tv to the non-smart price to make up for not having the product stocked. We talked to the couple and they confirmed this for us. So I asked a sales person about it and they got the manager again who told us that they had purchased a tv that failed them and that they were just getting the replacement. I told him how that was not what we were told and that it made no sense that they would be having a customer purchase a tv rather than they replace the model that crapped out on them after less than two weeks. That was getting nowhere. I was ready to leave and then my girlfriend went off on the guy.

In less than three minutes I had $120 off the smart tv and my girlfriend telling two other couples who were interested in what I had told them about my research on the tvs that they should do the same thing we did and get the deal because of the bull we had gone through.

GF: 3 - Sears Manager: 0

ttyymmnn > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 11:03

You can do the same thing in a hotel, as long as it has a modern TV, and most do. Stream your Netflix or whatever, play a movie from DVD or ripped file, you name it. It's especially handy with my kids on trips, when there's no kids programming on the TV.

Thing is, HDMI is the way that everything is hooking up these days. So if you ever have a PS3 or WiiU (I think it uses HDMI), or both, you'll need multiple ports. The more HDMI the better for future reference.

That being said, I started looking at TV sound systems a while ago, though I haven't bought anything yet. What I learned is that the sound system will act as a hub, and everything—TV, PS3, Wii, laptop, AppleTV—will connect to that, and then there will be just one HDMI going out to the TV. Instead of switching your input source on the TV, you'll do it on the amp. So if you have a setup like that, you won't need so many HDMI ports on the TV.

ttyymmnn > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 11:04

Yup. It's a brave new world.

EL_ULY > Textured Soy Protein
07/16/2014 at 11:05

yeah that's true. It sucks to be in that in between times before the deals of X-Mas. 1080p and 120hz it seems to be the numbers to look for. It's true that it is not required for all programs, that on/off feature would be sweet. I was telling someone earlier about watching an episode of The Office and it looked way too real lol. That Sharp is freaking sweeeet!

Nibbles > cazzyodo
07/16/2014 at 11:05

That's a fun, though probably non-reproducible, situation :|

Too bad, too. Like my cars, I don't like paying for features I'll never use

EL_ULY > ttyymmnn
07/16/2014 at 11:09

oh ok that makes sense since the HDMI is for audio as well and will run through the sound system. Though, a good sound system will be for later later even thoug they are rad as hell. That's another episode :] Thanx for the brain droppings, much appreciated.

cazzyodo > Nibbles
07/16/2014 at 11:09

Yeah...it was something else, I'll say that much. Best I can suggest is price matching and trying to toss in the "beat this and I'll buy it now" pitch.

Roundbadge > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 11:11

Everyone has pretty much covered the important stuff already. Vizio is great value, but I'd throw my hat into the Samsung ring. I have a 40" Samsung that we bought in 2008 for like $1300 and it's great...but the $400 Samsungs out there now blow my TV out of the water. Absolutely go for the 120hz refresh rate...mine is only 60 and I really see it watching NFL games (some blurring, more pixelation during fast action).

ttyymmnn > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 11:12

Thing is, both TVs and amplifiers are pretty inexpensive, and you could have both for the amount of money you are looking to spend.

Steve Zissou > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 11:17

Probably have all the advice you need specs wise, 1080p, 120hz, etc. The one tip I would give is that you should take the size of the room into consideration when considering the size of the tv. a large tv in a small room could be overwhelming, a small tv in a large room where you're sitting really far away from the screen is no good either. the second tip i would give is Woot! http://www.woot.com/plus/vizio-tvs…

EL_ULY > Lekker
07/16/2014 at 11:19

whoa damn, that is high quality right there! Costco seems to be the place everyone is pointing me towards. I now have more info on what to look for. It sucks being in that time before X-mas specials lol. Chido!

EL_ULY > Steve Zissou
07/16/2014 at 11:26

oh wow what an awesome website! Dem deals! I don't have my home yet but i'll keep that in mind. Thnx buddy :]

EL_ULY > ttyymmnn
07/16/2014 at 11:28

true true, but hey, that is what garage sales are for lol. I once bought an entire Bose home theater set up (back in 2008) down in Pearland TX for $70. Seventy! :]

EL_ULY > Roundbadge
07/16/2014 at 11:29

Yeah the prices are down for sure from what i was thinking. I was thinking at least $1400

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 11:59

Do you know where this TV will be located? As in does the area have high light or low light?

Also refresh rates are not everything. 240 looks smooth, but the truth is that the human eye cannot detect anything over 120 so its more of a false marketing thing.

Do you have a specific size in mind? Your budget is actually really good for a project like this!

Do you want a smart TV that has everything built in or do you have a roku box or console for that?

Sorry for so many questions but I've done a lot of TV research before.

EL_ULY > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
07/16/2014 at 12:40

I'm still looking at home the rest of the week but yes i'll definitely keep that in mind. 120 Hz seem to be what i'll go for. I didn't think that my budget would give me such good options lol. I've been away from this market for way too long lol :]

StoneCold > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 13:26

It's a real shame they don't sell DLPs anymore; those were my clear favorites. 65" Mitsubishi for $640 out the door? $50 lamp replacement makes it look like a brand new TV again? Clear winner, but they stopped selling them 2 years ago :(

I agree that Vizio and Samsung are solid brands, especially bigger than 32". Just remember that if you have a PS3 or you like hooking up your computer to it, you don't need a 'smart' feature. And FYI, the 'smart' feature is like a car's infotainment system: not really ever as good as the dedicated device it's supposed to replace.

http://slickdeals.net/deals/tv/

^ That's where I keep my eye on TV deals.

StoneCold > GhostZ
07/16/2014 at 13:29

This. The television market is absurd. I keep looking at the weekly Best Buy ads, waiting for the prices on 40"+ TVs to bottom out, but they keep dropping . It's sort of worrisome.

EL_ULY > StoneCold
07/16/2014 at 13:34

yeah i'm going to skip that Smart TV feature unless it is included in a good deal. I'm just surprised something somewhat decent can be purchased at around $800. I've been out of that market for too long I guess.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 14:17

If the TV is going in a place that doesn't have a ton of natural light, I'd really consider a plasma.

The new ones are great. I have a 43" Samsung that I paid $350 for. Its the best picture I've ever had. No blur no lag. And plasmas have the deepest darkest colors. Its more efficient than the LEDs as well!

Best Buy has sales on the big 55" LG plasmas as well. Last week they had one with the smart functions (built in Netflix and stuff) for $550. The 3D 55" was $600

IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK > Textured Soy Protein
07/16/2014 at 19:44

Whoops, typo. Still pretty big.

Telumektar > EL_ULY
07/16/2014 at 20:48

I work at a Sony tech. service, I know some about their TVs (we don't use exactly the same lines as in the US, but pretty close) and their competitors'

If you still have questions I can give you an answer to most stuff.

I think that having in mind what YOU want is the most important thing when buying a TV (many people end up buying way above their needs). For reference 240Hz and up is normal for framerates nowadays. Less than 120Hz is where you notice some stuttering.

Cheers

EL_ULY > Telumektar
07/16/2014 at 20:56

that's buddy, I'll keep that in mind. I don't really kniw much about them to kniw what I want but after all the comments here I have a good Idea at a reasonable price. If I require more specific details I will come back here. Thanx in advance :]

michael bleggi > StoneCold
07/18/2014 at 10:39

Once you regularly use a 4k tv though, every other tv truly looks like it is worth $400