Plasma, LCD, OLED, LED, best tv for next gen

It's becoming quite a headache for me to find a good television for my living space, as all the stores I've gone to don't carry 47 inch models, and I'm just scared with ordering the one that I want from an online store. (Especially if there is something wrong with it & I couldn't return it for an exchange/refund.)

My price range is somewhere between the $850.00-$1200.00 range, and it needs to have low input lag, great black levels, colour contrast, etcetera. Any suggestions?

Also, I've forgot to mention that I haven't bought many televisions, so outside from what was suggested already with the first post (the links we're quite helpful), I really don't know what brand to go by, let alone where to begin.
 
Also, I've forgot to mention that I haven't bought many televisions, so outside from what was suggested already with the first post (the links we're quite helpful), I really don't know what brand to go by, let alone where to begin.

There's not a TV available right now that meets all the things you want.

If you want low input lag, Sony has the lowest, but their blacks are shit. Unless you get the W900a but that's a 55" going for about $1600 and I've read that even those have some issues where you can see the backlight shining through in dark scenes.

From my personal experience, I would recommend the 2013 Samsung F7100. The lag is in the low 30ms range, which is solid. It has a really nice picture and the black levels are pretty solid too. It might be out of your budget though.

If I were you I'd wait for the 2014 models to come out which should be in a couple months, and look out for Cnet reviews on them. Cnet will tell you about the black level, uniformity, input lag, color, etc. This years crop of TV's should best last years by a big margin. Last year almost every LED TV was edge lit which equals junk. This year there will be quite a few Full Array back lit sets which are superior in every way to Edge lit. You might have to wait until late summer to get some good deals on the new batch, but it'd be worth the wait IMO.

Avoid Edge Lit TV's if you can.
 
Full array means nothing if it's in a vizio set as far as I see it.

You clearly have not seen a recent Vizio in person. The 2013 M series was one of the highest rated LED TV's on the market last year. I owned a couple, besides displaying the usual Edge Lit flaws, it was awesome. Gamma was on point, at times the blacks were very good however it was hurt by only having 16 dimming zones.

I expect the Vizio P series to be THE best bang for the buck TV of 2014 and easily hit the top 5 sets of the year, at a fraction the cost of comparable sets.
 
One thing I love about my Plasma was the way it handled non-HD games my playstaiton 2 and gamecube... Hooking those up to an LCD is horrible. Do LED LCD handle these better now?
 
so can anyone explain what the TV manufacturers are talking about when they say 120hz or 240 etc etc? IIRC my panasonic has a 500hz sub field? I was telling someone about 120hz last night but I couldn't really explain to him that tv's don't display anything over 60.
 
So, there's a new firmware update for the ST60 models on Panasonic's site (it isn't showing up in the auto-update yet).

http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/tv/index.html Patch notes for it are: Improve lip sync Issue

Any lip sync issue it'd have would most probably be due to the Input Lag it has. So, hopefully this firmware is lowering that.

Wowa, I am surprised it got updated, good to see. I do hope it fixes the input lag, should probably look more on the avsforum.

EDIT: Not out for Europe yet and the only thing it should improve is the lip sync issue, I doubt they do that by fixing the input lag otherwise they would have listed that.
 
I have no idea what this guy is talking about. What part would be welded? Also how can he claim that plastic would be sturdier? Ever heard about yield points? While true that deep scratches will show more it will not scratch even near as much, it also takes dents like a pro and will withstand them unlike plastic that will crack, break, chip etc.

Either way, thinking about a new TV and wondering if anyone has experience with the Sony Bravia KDL-42W653A? Is that the best bang for the buck in this price range?

Plenty on here have a W6.great set at that price point. I have a 50W685 and am very happy with it. Low input lag, fantastic black levels, beautiful slim bezel.

The only couple of negatives would be no motion flow, so the motion resolution is no better than normal LCD TVs, and if you want to wall mount it, it doesn't use standard VESA mounting (but it does come with a wall mount - the stand converts into one)
 
So according to the AVS thread, the latest Firmware update on the W900 updated it to HDMI 2.0...? Is there any way to actually verify this?

I didnt think there was HDMI 2.0 cables out yet, or outputs (PS4 for example 1.4) that would make use of it, 2.0 is extra bandwidth? I wonder if that would still benefit lower spec HDMI inputs.

This thread is going to be gold when the 2014 TV's start rolling out properly.
 
I didnt think there was HDMI 2.0 cables out yet, or outputs (PS4 for example 1.4) that would make use of it, 2.0 is extra bandwidth? I wonder if that would still benefit lower spec HDMI inputs.

This thread is going to be gold when the 2014 TV's start rolling out properly.

HDMI 2.0 can use 1.4 cables as it's pin compatible. No need to update any cables unless you want to be scammed and buy some expensive "gold" cables.
 
HDMI 2.0 can use 1.4 cables as it's pin compatible. No need to update any cables unless you want to be scammed and buy some expensive "gold" cables.

Cheers. I typically understood digital is digital, only perhaps interference being a factor, I thought there was also a bandwidth factor also. Good to know.
 
Plenty on here have a W6.great set at that price point. I have a 50W685 and am very happy with it. Low input lag, fantastic black levels, beautiful slim bezel.

The only couple of negatives would be no motion flow, so the motion resolution is no better than normal LCD TVs, and if you want to wall mount it, it doesn't use standard VESA mounting (but it does come with a wall mount - the stand converts into one)

only W8 doesnt have good blacks, and 2014 W8 fixed that.
 
Cheers. I typically understood digital is digital, only perhaps interference being a factor, I thought there was also a bandwidth factor also. Good to know.

The cable don't really care about the bandwidth, but using "high speed" cables helps here. Pretty much all cheap HDMI cables sold these days handle 2.0 just fine, the same way most HDMI 1.3 cables handled 1.4 just fine.
 
The best results would be from a totally light controlled room. In order to deal with ambient light, you'll want to look into finding a model that's rather bright.

As for vibrant images, you tell me?

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Is that your setup? If so what brand & model are you using?
 
Am I the only one that finds Movie and Warm 2 destroys the games colors?

for gaming I do Standard mode and Standard color

then calibrate with Disney WoW and its perfect
 
Question: how is a full HD image on a 4K TV? Worse than on a FHD one because rescaling?
(1920x1080) x 2 = 3840x2160

(1280x720) x 3 = 3840x2160

Meaning, one pixel of either these resolutions is gonna be either 2*2 (4 pixel squares) or 3*3 (6 pixel square's) hence scaling is supposed to be really easy to not screw up and the resolution value was clearly chosen for that.

In reality, right now it's a "not so" LG and Samsung have nondefeatable sharpening to a point that introduces ringing and Sony TV's have an issue that means they can't actually solve 1080p detail on a 4K screen (1:1 patterns get diluted) unless you tick a special option that means the TV now has bandwidth problems, which create artifacts with 1080p action scenes.

Panasonic TV's have no issues as of now (no undefeatable sharpening that I heard of, no ringing and no problem solving 1080p 1:1 checkerboard detail), but suffices to be said, they're all gonna improve, we just don't know how much they improved this year.

Buying 4K is kinda bullocks right now, and the "future proofness" involved very and I mean very, erm... in doubt.

If they can't support H.265 4K they're pretty much sitting ducks at this point when it comes to the SmartTV/media center component for instance. If one wants to dive into 4K standards, wait for the Blu-Ray standard and players to be ready, because TV's will follow, right now they're glorified beta-testing prototypes smeared with marketing one liners.

Definitely a "don't buy" recommendation from me, if that's worth anything. I've touched on it a little more in-depth here and here, it's lengthy and I think I could have worded it better in places, but it's still indicative.
So according to the AVS thread, the latest Firmware update on the W900 updated it to HDMI 2.0...? Is there any way to actually verify this?
What's in it for it? Does it downscale 4K now?
 
Now that I am waiting on my 900a, does anyone here use one of those with a PC for PC gaming? And for that, would you use "PC" or "game"?
 
Now that I am waiting on my 900a, does anyone here use one of those with a PC for PC gaming? And for that, would you use "PC" or "game"?

I use a W6 which is essentially the same thing when gaming. You can use either Game or Graphics scene mode, both display full 4:4:4 chroma resolution plus full RGB and have next to no input lag. If you leave scene mode on Auto it'll default to Graphics mode when it receives a PC signal through HDMI. Also automatically switches to Cinema when it receives a 24fps signal.
 
HDTVTest's review of Sony's 2014 successor to the W900 is now up.

Use's an IPS panel with even worse native contrast than last years W8 range! What the heck were they thinking. Needed to be full-array local dimming to mitigate the IPS blacks, they've really dropped the ball here.
 
HDTVTest's review of Sony's 2014 successor to the W900 is now up.

Use's an IPS panel with even worse native contrast than last years W8 range! What the heck were they thinking. Needed to be full-array local dimming to mitigate the IPS blacks, they've really dropped the ball here.

W8 purchase justified :)
 
HDTVTest's review of Sony's 2014 successor to the W900 is now up.

Use's an IPS panel with even worse native contrast than last years W8 range! What the heck were they thinking. Needed to be full-array local dimming to mitigate the IPS blacks, they've really dropped the ball here.

Those black levels are abysmal. Still so pleased with my VT65. One year on and it still makes me say 'wow' constantly.

I'm hoping this year's OLED TVs will get their input lag down to a reasonable level, so we finally have an alternative to plasma.
 
HDTVTest's review of Sony's 2014 successor to the W900 is now up.

Use's an IPS panel with even worse native contrast than last years W8 range! What the heck were they thinking. Needed to be full-array local dimming to mitigate the IPS blacks, they've really dropped the ball here.

0.2 cd/m2 black level with a checkerboard. eww. Why would they go IPS?

Thats compared to 0.04 cd/m2 on the W6 from last year (or what seems to be a similar set - the W7 this year)

last year the W6 seemed a better buy than the W8. This year the W8 seems better than the W9. Maybe next year they'll have a full range with no obvious issues :)


edit: just catching up on their reviews. Seems like the W8 is the sweet spot this year, and it looks the same size as my 50W6 for not much more money so I'd have been tempted purely for the motionflow. But the 3D seems poorly implemented with lower resolution and crosstalk. So for anyone not too worried about motionflow and 3D, the W7 is the one to go for - both seem to have identical performance otherwise.
 
just catching up on their reviews. Seems like the W8 is the sweet spot this year, and it looks the same size as my 50W6 for not much more money so I'd have been tempted purely for the motionflow. But the 3D seems poorly implemented with lower resolution and crosstalk. So for anyone not too worried about motionflow and 3D, the W7 is the one to go for - both seem to have identical performance otherwise.

Yeah, I'm perfectly happy with my 50W685 as well in comparison to this years 50W829. Especially for the £649 I ended up paying for it.
 
Yeah, I'm perfectly happy with my 50W685 as well in comparison to this years 50W829. Especially for the £649 I ended up paying for it.

ah, you got a 685 too. Love mine, the passive 3D is suprisingly good, and I found out it has a satellite tuner which can pick up freesat channels, and record them to a USB HDD. Was priceless when my Tivo broke.
 
So according to the AVS thread, the latest Firmware update on the W900 updated it to HDMI 2.0...? Is there any way to actually verify this?

from Sony´s support site:
Benefits provided by previous updates and included in version PKG4.201AAA:
•Provides HDMI® 2.0 compatibility (Applies to 4K models only)
Supports 4K 60p (3840X2160p (59.94/60Hz) YCbCr 4:2:0 8bit, 4096X2160p (59.94/60Hz) YCbCr 4:2:0 8bit)
•Improves stability of the sound output with a Blu-ray Disc™ player using an HDMI connection


the update is for several TVs, and the HDMI 2.0 stuff applies to 4k models only as it seems (x900a for example).
 
Would changing the HDMI port to PC on my Vizio E420i-B0 improve game performance or is game mode fine? I'd like to get as much out of this TV as possible.
 
HDTVTest's review of Sony's 2014 successor to the W900 is now up.

Use's an IPS panel with even worse native contrast than last years W8 range! What the heck were they thinking. Needed to be full-array local dimming to mitigate the IPS blacks, they've really dropped the ball here.

Gaming seems good on it, input lag recorded at 16.9ms with a smooth option for gaming that only adds 8ms if you like that feature, 25ms.

Anyone here use 2.4?

"Sony continue to fly the 2.4 gamma flag high, and we absolutely respect them for it. After all, the International Communications Union (ITU) has since 2011 recommended 2.4 as the EOTF (electro-optical transfer function) for flat-screen HDTVs used for dark-room studio mastering."

Would changing the HDMI port to PC on my Vizio E420i-B0 improve game performance or is game mode fine? I'd like to get as much out of this TV as possible.

My TV and alot of people tv's do benefit slightly from the PC mode. Definitely worth a try. Also worth trying PC mode, RGB High on PS4 + Black levels on High /recalibrate brightness/contrast.
 
Gaming seems good on it, input lag recorded at 16.9ms with a smooth option for gaming that only adds 8ms if you like that feature, 25ms.

Anyone here use 2.4?

"Sony continue to fly the 2.4 gamma flag high, and we absolutely respect them for it. After all, the International Communications Union (ITU) has since 2011 recommended 2.4 as the EOTF (electro-optical transfer function) for flat-screen HDTVs used for dark-room studio mastering."

I leave it at the default 2.4 gamma for films and television. Dial it up a couple of notches to 2.2 for gaming though.
 
HDTVTest's review of Sony's 2014 successor to the W900 is now up.

Use's an IPS panel with even worse native contrast than last years W8 range! What the heck were they thinking. Needed to be full-array local dimming to mitigate the IPS blacks, they've really dropped the ball here.

Holy shit this years W9 ( Sony's flagship 1080p set) performs worse than last years entry level Vizio. It'll cost about 4X as much to add insult to injury.

WTF ? Why would they do that ? At the very least they should've just re-released last years W9.
 
Gaming seems good on it, input lag recorded at 16.9ms with a smooth option for gaming that only adds 8ms if you like that feature, 25ms.

Anyone here use 2.4?

"Sony continue to fly the 2.4 gamma flag high, and we absolutely respect them for it. After all, the International Communications Union (ITU) has since 2011 recommended 2.4 as the EOTF (electro-optical transfer function) for flat-screen HDTVs used for dark-room studio mastering."



My TV and alot of people tv's do benefit slightly from the PC mode. Definitely worth a try. Also worth trying PC mode, RGB High on PS4 + Black levels on High /recalibrate brightness/contrast.

This is a terrible gaming TV. Aside from low input lag what else does it do well ? Motion is a downgrade from last years model, black levels are record breaking bad for a flagship TV. The blacks are like Olevia bad, or Sceptre bad. This TV is a huge Fuck You to Sony customers. They're going to charge $2k + for this turd. Did you see the god awful screen uniformity from the pictures? Holy shit !


You'd be better off getting the W7 if you must have below 20ms lag.
 
Holy shit this years W9 ( Sony's flagship 1080p set) performs worse than last years entry level Vizio. It'll cost about 4X as much to add insult to injury.

WTF ? Why would they do that ? At the very least they should've just re-released last years W9.

Wow, what a huge piece of shit.

There's always next year... and S60/ST60/VT60 if you can find one of those.
 
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