When I moved a couple of years ago, I got rid of my big boxy tv (which honestly I was perfectly happy with except for the size/depth – I could watch Netflix through my Wii & DVDs on it, and used a box to translate to get regular TV channels). I kept a small digital flat screen TV (but think really small – 24" :D) that I had in my exercise area previously.
I’m thinking I’d like to upgrade to a bigger screen TV, because I’m about to sign another 18 month lease for my apartment, and have room for something larger. But holy cow. I’ve was in Costco the other day, and got nothing but confused. Thought I would research online and it might become more obvious what to get, and now I’m MORE confused. I’m still kind of looking casually, but feel ready to throw in the towel and just stick with my old little guy.
I’m thinking about something around 45". One of my worries is that I just HATE the look of some high definition TVs when watching movies. They look fake – like they were shot with someone’s home camcorder or something. They look super low budget to me. And you can see every wrinkle and zit on every character – no thanks. From researching it looks like maybe you can adjust for this, at least on some TVs, but it doesn’t sound like the method for this is the same on every TV. I’d still like to be able to attach my DVD player and my Wii box for Netflix. I’m going to get one that has a center freestanding base (that works for the place I plan to put it). Budget – would like to stay under $800, and certainly willing to spend less.
It can be very confusing. We needed a new set for our family room. We thought since TV’s had gotten so cheap we’d get a real bargain. In the end though the lower end tv’s just weren’t worth it. We went with a 50” (didn’t
want any bigger) Sony LED with 4K. Very happy with it and comes with Netflix, YouTube, and streaming for ESPN, and tons of other apps. I especially like being able to give verbal directions. The TV with delivery, new wall mount and set up ended up coming to approx $1300.
It definitely took awhile to figure it all out but S came home for weekend and showed us things like how to play our Spotify through it.
We have a 46" Samsung smart TV that we got a few years ago and we have been very happy with it. It was easy to set up ourselves and has all the apps like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu built in so we don’t need a separate box. It replaced an old Sony Trinitron 27" boxy TV that still worked fine, but didn’t have a clear picture (we didn’t have HD capability). We don’t have cable anymore–we get over-the-air channels (which are HD) using an indoor antenna and then use Netflix, Amazon, etc. to watch everything else. We also have a Samsung Blu-Ray player hooked up to it that we use to watch DVDs. The picture is awesome and 100 times better than our old TV. And it cost less than $700.
I see that there is a 50" 4K UHD Samsung Smart TV on sale right now at Best Buy for $549.99 with very good reviews. I would highly recommend Samsung as a brand, although my son, who did a lot of research before buying his own TV, bought a Vizio and is also very happy with it.
We had a Samsung before we got the Sony. Exactly 4 years later it started turning itself on and off. After countless days and going higher up the chain we got them to come to repair and had every inner part replaced - even though it wasnt under warranty. Exactly 4 years from then it began doing the exact same thing. Last Samsung I’ll ever buy. And the picture was great. Google Samsung tv turning itself on and off and you’ll fine hundred of queries about the same problem. Samsung knows it’s a problem and hasn’t done anything to fix it in their TVs.
When we got one, we went with Best Buy and paid the extra to have the Geek Squad install it. Worth every penny for this typically penny pinching family.
Best Buy also has the instore Magnolia Department for the higher end TVs. That is where we got ours. They were fantastic also. Did all the set up and we needed new wiring for the 4K. Schlepped old tv away too. Magnolia is a completely separate department (basically the home theater stuff and pricier TVs.
Most any TV you buy now will be a Smart TV and you just won’t need to hook up the Wii for Netflix - you’ll probably end up loving the ease!
I agree with BB - go to Costco, or go to Costco online and read reviews and THEN go to the store to see if they have popular well liked models. I’ll bet there are even more models online and it will get delivered right to your door. But you still have the option of returning easily.
@inparent - we needed a different HDM1 cable to support the 4K. My TV was already wired behind the walls so they had to go in the addition’s foundation to connect the new cable. We didn’t know where the original cable was because it was put in before insulation and dry wall was put up.
The sales person will tell you if you need a different HDMI cable.
A new cable isn’t difficult if you are content to let it live behind the TV with the power cord, etc. It would get complicated if you want all the wires and cords behind the wall, out of sight.
Researched TVs recently. Brand matters for quality. Check CNET reviews and others. Our Samsung LED (top tier brand) needed new circuitry after the warranty ran out- over $100 in repairs. I like our old Panasonic plasma but am looking to the future. OLED is the way to go for quality (and LG the brand) but prices need to come down- even for the ones without all of the whistles and bells. Bigger is better. My research showed that some of the inherent problems with some colors in OLED are being worked out, improvements in last year or so. As much as I want that new TV I’ll wait a bit.
Go with a top brand. LG, Samsung and Sony come to mind. There all sorts of cheaper brands but they will lack picture quality, viewing angle et al. Won’t get another Samsung for reliability but the pictures on both we have is excellent. Family room Panasonic is 11 and 750p 50" - I dream of 65"OLED which will fit the space. H opted for too small TV’s- 40" and 32" now in living room and bedroom. I would have done 50" and 40".
The old measure the size and multiply by… of years ago is out. Newer TV tech means bigger works closer than they said a long time ago. Plus- new TVs are light and thin- we transported our then two upright in the wells of the backseats of our cars when we moved and one person can manage the LED weights easily.
HDMI cables- any brand will do. Sound quality depends on your ear and any system you have (H has high mid price stuff for the main old TV)- if you hook the TV up to a speaker system the wattage won’t matter.
So back to a basic question. Some of the TVs I saw said they had wireless, some didn’t mention it. Why do I care? I don’t intend to wall mount the TV. I want to be able to connect my existing DVD player to it (which isn’t going to be wireless). I also don’t have cable, if that matters, nor do I have plans to get it.
Wireless doesn’t mean it has to be mounted to the wall… (???)
Netflix or Amazon Prime TV etc. all very easy when you can go to them via wireless. You may want to retire your Wii someday - or it may get outdated before this new tv.