New TV recommendations?

[pjcalla]

It's time to replace our 10+ year old lcd rear projection tv. I've done some research, but all the tech talk makes my head spin. I used to be up to date with all this, but it seems tech is moving so fast, it'd be a full time job to keep up.

Anyway, I think I'm sold on LED, since my room is really bright. I will be mainly watching sports, and the wife likes to watch movies. I don't need a camera or 3D, but the wife thinks she'll use the smart tv for Netflix, etc. The couch is 16' from the tv, so according to some research, 100" screen is "ideal." NOT going that big, and I would like a 65"-75". I like the Samsung line, but all the model numbers and features make my head spin.

Ideally, I would like to spend around $2,000, hopefully less. I do not mind getting a new, year-old set.

Help me spend my money.

 

[Fishersjohn48]

I'm sold on Vizio. Have 3 and all are trouble free and easy to use.

 

[MilliJac]

For your consideration:

VIZIO M70-c3 70", 4k, 240hz...
VIZIO M70-C3 70" Class 4K Ultra HD 2160p 240Hz Full-Array LED Smart HDTV (4K x 2K) - Walmart.com

OR, 5" smaller but $550 cheaper, similar specs (originally $3999, now $1650):
Toshiba 65" Class 2160P 240Hz 4K UHD LED Smart TV - 3840 x 2160, 240Hz, 4x HDMI Ports, 16:9 - 65L9400U - Walmart.com

I would certainly put more research in to either before I bought, but my next TV will be at least 4K-240hz. I didn't put much time into finding these, don't buy anything without reading several reviews.

 

[rhino400]

I would highly recomend the Samsung UN65HU7250FXZA. 65? Class LED HU7250 Series Smart TV UN65HU7250FXZA | TVs
I bought one last Thanksgiving because Amazon had a great deal on them. It is the best TV I have ever owned. I have an L shaped sectional that sits about 13' from the TV so I went with curved because it seems to reduce glare and makes it so everyone in the room sees pretty much the same picture. I haven't seen that much 4K programming yet but the 4K I have seen is awesome looking on this TV.

 

[Brandon]

We only have Samsung Tvs in our house... Never had an issue. Our oldest one is from 1998 and still works perfectly (we use it for watching the house cameras). We have LED and Plasma as well.

 

[looney2ns]

Most definitely a Samsung. In my opinion, they have the best built in sound...if you aren't adding a sound system.
I took back a Vizio, that had an ok picture and a crappy sound, and replaced it with a Samsung.
Much better all around.

Keep an eye out on www.Techbargains.com for deals.

 

[Fishersjohn48]

For what it's worth, I don't use the sound on any of the Vizios we have so that could well be a weakness.

 

[THE BIG SITT]

Don't discredit plasma. We have a 60" LG plasma hanging on the wall and love it. Our family room is pretty bright during the day, but drawing the curtains makes it very watchable. Then at night (when we do 90% of our TV watching) the picture is great. The best part? Tt cost $600 shipped to our door.

 

[mrjarrell]

Samsung are the best I've seen out there for clarity, size and features. Drop over to Sam's Club, (if you're a member or just tell them you want a membership and look around) or go by Fry's. Fry's has a good selection and have sales all the time. Sign up for email promos and you get a code that gives you discounts on advertised specials.

 

[saleen4971]

samsung for uber-quality, awesome set.

vizio for a good set with a lower price point.

 

[CountryBoy19]

As stated, Samsung gets some rave reviews and reports for being very good quality, but also commands a premium.

Vizio is good quality at a great price-point. I have 2 Vizio's (the only 2 flat-screens I have). 1 is a smart tv (internet).

IMHO, the stuff about screen size vs viewing distance is hogwash. That may be true if you're looking for a movie theatre experience, but for me I just want to watch the dang tv without spending a fortune.

The in-tv sound on my 55" vizio does leave a lot to be desired but I use it with my surround sound anyways. My 32" vizio actually has decent sound for what it is...

That being said my personal experience with Samsung isn't stellar (I'm sure I got a lemon, but with some customers you only get one chance). Bought a 47" internet enabled Samsung LED TV on a great sale. It was ok watching over the air stuff but if it was anything that was fed into the TV via an input line (HDMI, composite, or internet stuff like Netflix) it had this annoying flicker issue. About every 5-10 seconds the screen would flicker black for a very, very short period of time. It was just long enough to be noticeable by the human eye; it was also VERY INSANELY ANNOYING. If you were watching something and it happened to be on a bright screen it was very noticeable. I was also worried about the "LARGE BOLD PRINT DISCLAIMER" on the front page of the manual that said even with LED TVs you can still experience screen burn and that you shouldn't ever leave it set to a certain picture for longer than 30 minutes or something of the like. I know that's an issue with plasma but I thought LED was supposed to mostly solve that. Sounded to me like a "scapegoat" on warranty issues or a "lack of good manufacturing so we'll throw this disclaimer in there to CYA". I took the Samsung back, drove a couple miles down the street and bought the Vizio 55" LED with the same capabilities for significantly less money. I've been satisfied with the Vizio ever since. I also haven't had any screen burn issues even though we primarily use it for Netflix and the Netflix menu screens are all very similar and would make the TV vulnerable to burn over time (we've even forgotten to turn it off overnight once and it sat there with the same Netflix menu up all night).

 

[Kernal1984]

I have 2 samsungs, had one for 4 yrs now and just purchased the other as a Christmas gift to the wife and have been very pleased with both.

 

[VERT]

Last two televisions we have bought have been LG. Happy with them but not a high end set like the OP is looking for. Our Vizio had problems. Samsung TVs and monitors seem OK, but I bought a blue ray player that is a piece of garbage.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I'm sold on Vizio. Have 3 and all are trouble free and easy to use.

Same here. Best bang for the buck IMHO. Not awesome, but I also paid much less than other brands. I dont know of anyone who is dissatisfied with theirs.

Don't discredit plasma. We have a 60" LG plasma hanging on the wall and love it. Our family room is pretty bright during the day, but drawing the curtains makes it very watchable. Then at night (when we do 90% of our TV watching) the picture is great. The best part? Tt cost $600 shipped to our door.

Beware the plasmas. Nice, but energy hog and tend to degrade over time as they lose brightness. LED is the modern equivalent. MUCH lower power consumption, less heat output, and they will last longer. The backlight is the #1 failure... LEDs last a LOOOOONG time. Plus plasma screens are HEAAAAVY. (compared to others)

IF you REALLY want killer picture that you get from plasma, go Sony LED. Yes, you will pay a premium but I have yet to see a better picture than on a Sony.

I have 2 samsungs, had one for 4 yrs now and just purchased the other as a Christmas gift to the wife and have been very pleased with both.

Our other big screen is a Samsung. We like it. We have kids and REALLY like the auto-off feature. If the kids forget to turn it off it can turn itself off after 4 hours without any input from the remote/buttons.

 

[mom45]

I haven't seen anyone say it yet, but RCA has had a lot of problems. We bought one and it died 11 months after we bought it. They have tons of negative reviews through the BBB regarding warranty and getting them to make things right. I managed to get a refund but only because I had my receipt and only after they sent me a broken TV as my "refurbished" replacement since mine could not be repaired.

We bought a Samsung to replace it and have been happy so far. We asked at every store, which tv they get the most complaints about. RCA was the hands down winner. We then asked which ones they get the least complaints about, and Samsung was the answer every time. Price wasn't much different, so we went with the Samsung.

 

[bwframe]

I have a reconditioned 42" Vizio in the house and a low end Samsung in the shop. Both have been great for years, working on the second year for the Samsung.

I'd certainly consider another Vizio, but I'll likely continue on with Samsung as long as they compete price wise ($200 for my 32" shop television.) I have four large daily user Samsung computer monitors that have lived longer than other brands.

 

[ModernGunner]

Vizio and Samsung are both good picks.

Currently have a smart TV, which allows full incorporation of the internet. For this reason, haven't needed cable or satellite for some years.

 

[HoughMade]

We only have Samsung Tvs in our house... Never had an issue. Our oldest one is from 1998 and still works perfectly (we use it for watching the house cameras). We have LED and Plasma as well.

I have become a big Samsung fan.

 

[looney2ns]

Vizio vs Samsung pricing. My example above was a 40" internet enabled vizio vs 40" Smart Samsung. The Samsung was $32 more then the vizio. The Samsung had many more features for that $32. Be sure you are comparing apples to apples feature wise.

Remember, today's Tv's are computers that just happen to be used to view TV. In such they should all be put on a good surge protector. This will negate lots of failures. And by good, I mean something other then the $3.00 one from Walmart. Even better, a Backup UPS.

 

[mrjarrell]

Even better, a Backup UPS.

I cannot agree more on this. It acts as a surge protector but is even better. It conditions the power your TV receives and kills surges, and when power goes out it actually gives you time to shut things down normally or keep going if it's just a quick outage. They run about $75 at the low end and are worth every penny. I have about half a dozen or more around the house for TV's, computers, game consoles, etc...