Buying advice for an OLED TV in Nov. 2021

[joshk03]

I just started browsing for a new TV, and am looking for recommendations from others that have been down this road recently.
For comparison, my search so far has landed on a 55" LG G1 OLED. My priority is image quality, but not necessarily 8K. I want vivid colors, high contrast, 4K. If it's not too much to ask, I prefer it without spyware like ACR and a microphone.
Ideas?

 

[lovinthehd]

Let me put on my tin foil hat and project into the future....dang its not working. I've seen nice things said about the LG and a somewhat equivalent Sony. They seem to be the leaders for now....good luck on not getting a "smart" version, tho.

ps J/K about the tin foil hat thing, probably overkill just for November, too.

 

[Replicant 7]

Same here, I've been researching All makes and models in 65". I like LG, Sony OLED'S but with the burn-in issues plus color diminishes over time I just can't see spending 2K and up for a tv that has a build in issues with diminishing returns for that kind of money. No LED can match the Pop of color a OLED, plus the blacks. On the other hand pretty much anything under 1K for a LED isn't gonna give a good HDR experience. And all LED TVs all of them from who ever made it has issues be it back light bleed, banding issues are Halo issues. Was gonna get Sony's X90J but at 1500 even it has issues. Found a Hisense 65U6G that comes very close to that Sony X90J for half the price. Either way for the money we're paying for these units we're not getting the quality no matter what model you take.

 

[joshk03]

I have a 42" LG LED now. I could write a book about how trashy the smart-features are. We had to abandon the smart features and buy a Roku stick just to use it. The LG features were so slow it was like a frozen computer every time you clicked something. The remote would shutdown to save power while you waited after EVERY click. Then you had to shake the remote and wait for the REMOTE to boot up before you could click the next button. It is utterly shameful. Believe me, if anyone can recommend another brand with a good OLED reputation, I would appreciate it a LOT.
From what I understand you would need to use the TV a lot and have stationary images to have the OLED issues. That's not us. To put that in perspective, I don't think our TV was even turned on today.

 

[slipperybidness]

LG OLED is the way to go, I like the magic remote that they use too!

 

[jliedeka]

I went with a C1 because I don't thing the G1 adds enough for the price difference. I would have gone with a Sony but I also use my TV for console gaming. I'm not a fan of WebOS or the remote. I have a Roku for streaming so I only need the remote to turn the set on and off and to switch between my Xbox and AVR.

I wouldn't even consider the other OLEDs (except Panasonic if you have a lot of money). Next year, we may see a Samsung OLED but for now Sony and LG are the only realistic choices. I'm too picky to take a chance on a Visio.

Jim

 

[MaxInValrico]

I just started browsing for a new TV, and am looking for recommendations from others that have been down this road recently.
For comparison, my search so far has landed on a 55" LG G1 OLED. My priority is image quality, but not necessarily 8K. I want vivid colors, high contrast, 4K. If it's not too much to ask, I prefer it without spyware like ACR and a microphone.
Ideas?

Look at the Sony Bravia Master Series.

 

[Replicant 7]

Look at the Sony Bravia Master Series.

My Son has that Sony 75" Master Series, absolutely gorgeous picture. But he has burn-in from the TV channel logos at the bottom that they display. It isn't noticable untill you change the channel and the screen goes black it's faint but it is noticeable.

 

[joshk03]

Interesting.
The LG C1 seems to be identical but lower price and more bulk. I'm undecided on that. Good recommendation.
The Sony Bravia seems to be built using the same LG screen as the LG C1/G1, so I am unsure why the price is higher. ?

 

[jliedeka]

Sony's processing is better than LG's and they can get away with charging a premium. That said, you would have to put a Sony and LG side by side to really see the difference.

 

[Trebdp83]

Costco has a special on the Sony A80CJ at the moment and Best Buy knocked a few bucks off of the A80J as well.

 

[Mr._Clark]

My Son has that Sony 75" Master Series, absolutely gorgeous picture. But he has burn-in from the TV channel logos at the bottom that they display. It isn't noticable untill you change the channel and the screen goes black it's faint but it is noticeable.

Do you mean the 77" OLED? I thought all Sony 75" TVs were LEDs, and I wouldn't really expect burn in on an LED. Unless of course I'm missing something here (I'm not that familiar with the Sony TV lineup).

 

[MaxInValrico]

Costco has a special on the Sony A80CJ at the moment and Best Buy knocked a few bucks off of the A80J as well.

The 90J series is this year's version.

 

[Trebdp83]

Actually, they are concurrent models with the A90J being a step up in specs and available size. That 83” A90J is a little pricey, though.

Sony A80J OLED vs Sony A90J OLED Side-by-Side TV Comparison

The Sony A80J OLED and the Sony A90J OLED are very similar TVs overall, and both offer stunning picture quality in a premium, well-built package. That said, the A90J uses Sony's new heatsink technology, which allows it to get brighter in HDR, although the difference is relatively small. The A90J...

www.rtings.com

 

[Replicant 7]

Actually, they are concurrent models with the A90J being a step up in specs and available size. That 83” A90J is a little pricey, though.

Sony A80J OLED vs Sony A90J OLED Side-by-Side TV Comparison

The Sony A80J OLED and the Sony A90J OLED are very similar TVs overall, and both offer stunning picture quality in a premium, well-built package. That said, the A90J uses Sony's new heatsink technology, which allows it to get brighter in HDR, although the difference is relatively small. The A90J...

www.rtings.com

I was gonna get that Sony 65 X90J, reviews are good, but some people who have it are reporting (dark) corners. Even one Pro reviewer reported dark corners. He even reported that even though he liked it and it did spec out really good in many areas of his test he went on to say that it wasn't as good as some of Sony LED TVS of past. Went on saying that Sony seems to be focusing more on their OLED line ups. And the panels seem to be a hit and miss with get a (dirty) look what ever that means. But so are other manufacturers with panel issues QC issues.

 

[Replicant 7]

Do you mean the 77" OLED? I thought all Sony 75" TVs were LEDs, and I wouldn't really expect burn in on an LED. Unless of course I'm missing something here (I'm not that familiar with the Sony TV lineup).

You may be right, it's been a few months since I went visit him. It very well could be their 77" He paid umm 6500 for it before tax and it is a umm 3 years old I think. Tell you what though, it is very heavy!! I helped him move it to his bedroom last year for a hurricane that was blowing threw, like to broke my back.

 

[BMXTRIX]

If you want the absolute 'best' image, then I would get the Sony OLED. If you can live with a fairly lower price point, then the LG C1 is the way to go. The G1 is considerably more money to get the true flush mount option it offers, but that's paying for a pretty mount, not for a better image.

The LG C1 is about $1,500.
The LG G1: $2,000 - So 33% more for no improvement in image quality.
The Sony A90J: $2,800 - That's almost 100% more for what is a small, but real, improvement in image quality. You pay twice as much for a 10% improvement. That matters to some people, but is a personal call. I would expect Sony electronics to be better than LG.
The Sony A80J at $1,800 may be a reasonable improvement over the C1 for not a lot of extra cash.

Please keep in mind how far away you will be viewing the TV and if 55" is actually large enough to be the right size. I wouldn't want a 55" TV if I were sitting anymore than about 7 feet from the screen. If you are more in the 10' range, then you should have at least a 65" TV, and preferably a 77" OLED, or go to a 85" Samsung/Sony LCD model.

 

[joshk03]

Hmm, I wonder why I didn't get a thread updated notification. Anyway...

I have mixed feelings about the Sonys after looking more into them. What concerns me is I think they are falsifing colors with their "Cognitive Processor XR". I get the strong feeling it's just a marketing gimmick I will come to despise. Movie creators spend hundreds of man hours making things look the way they do, but then Sony seems to comes along and say, "we can sell more TVs if we blow out the colors more than the competitor".
Am I wrong?

 

[TLS Guy]

I have a 42" LG LED now. I could write a book about how trashy the smart-features are. We had to abandon the smart features and buy a Roku stick just to use it. The LG features were so slow it was like a frozen computer every time you clicked something. The remote would shutdown to save power while you waited after EVERY click. Then you had to shake the remote and wait for the REMOTE to boot up before you could click the next button. It is utterly shameful. Believe me, if anyone can recommend another brand with a good OLED reputation, I would appreciate it a LOT.
From what I understand you would need to use the TV a lot and have stationary images to have the OLED issues. That's not us. To put that in perspective, I don't think our TV was even turned on today.

I don't know what you guys are talking about. I have had a C class 77' OLED in use for over two years now. There is no burn in and no color fade.

I have used the Netflix, Amazon apps, and downloaded the BPO app. The remote works fine, and my biggest issue is that the buttons do not illuminate. The ergonomics could be improved. However the system is driven mostly from my 4K HTPC via my Marantz pre/pro. The eARC, much to my surprise, has worked well without hassles.

I would take the problems about OLED TVs circulating on the Internet, with a very heavy grain of salt.

If you are having slow ups, I bet it is your Ethernet/Wi-Fi at fault. This complicated AV gear should have hard wired Ethernet, and your router needs to be exemplary.
If you are using a Comcast router for instance, expect trouble. With modern AV gear your home Ethernet infrastructure, router, WI-Fi, and Internet access need to be to the highest standards, and obsessionally planned, engineered and installed, or expect issues, and lots of them.

From what I have seen Ethernet and Internet is not planned, and is a disaster in most homes now.

 

[joshk03]

I don't know what you guys are talking about. I have had a C class 77' OLED in use for over two years now. There is no burn in and no color fade.

I have used the Netflix, Amazon apps, and downloaded the BPO app. The remote works fine, and my biggest issue is that the buttons do not illuminate. The ergonomics could be improved. However the system is driven mostly from my 4K HTPC via my Marantz pre/pro. The eARC, much to my surprise, has worked well without hassles.

I would take the problems about OLED TVs circulating on the Internet, with a very heavy grain of salt.

If you are having slow ups, I bet it is your Ethernet/Wi-Fi at fault. This complicated AV gear should have hard wired Ethernet, and your router needs to be exemplary.
If you are using a Comcast router for instance, expect trouble. With modern AV gear your home Ethernet infrastructure, router, WI-Fi, and Internet access need to be to the highest standards, and obsessionally planned, engineered and installed, or expect issues, and lots of them.

From what I have seen Ethernet and Internet is not planned, and is a disaster in most homes now.

LED is different than OLED. My 42" LG is about 10 years old.