What's your favourite TV

[mjf]

I'm looking for a 65" because I watch movies often with the 2.39:1 ratio.
Every time I see one with a good review I see some damming reviews (yes you often get that).
Key criteria for me are:
1) greater picture quality
2) reasonably good sound quality through inbuilt speakers
3) good viewing angle. Someone sitting 30 degrees off center axis has good picture quality.
4) Price ~ US$2000

Major brands I see are Sony, Samsung, LG, ...maybe Panasonic.

Viewing angle limits has been my bugbear.

 

[bigmck]

The viewing angles have been corrected. I bought a big screen in 2004 and you had to be directly in front. The one I have now can be viewed from angles. The brand name is of little use in reviewing as there are only a few makers of TV's who all the sellers buy from. When comparing go by LCD, Plasma and LED. Those are what to judge. Check them out on Google. It gets pretty confusing. == I have found that the sound in the flat screen are not real good, the speakers are small. Spend a few extra dollars and get a sound bar with bass. It will make a vast improvement. This is an example Samsung 300 Series 2.1-Channel Soundbar with 5.25" Wired Passive Subwoofer Black HW-J355/ZA - Best Buy Good luck

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Can anyone point to a current model that's say 37 inches or larger that has traditional RCA cable sound outputs---like you'd see on a standard stereo system 20 or 30 years ago? One connection for the right channel and one for the left.

That's a major sticking point for me.

I want to run a standard set of RCA cables to a bedside radio. No can do. They seem to be all HDMI or some other fancy dan sound output. I see a 45 dollar adapter/converter on Newegg that might work, but I'm unsure.

The built-in sound is mediocre at best. I've got a 3 or 4 year old Panasonic that isn't even mediocre for sound.

 

[bigmck]

Can anyone point to a current model that's say 37 inches or larger that has traditional RCA cable sound outputs---like you'd see on a standard stereo system 20 or 30 years ago? One connection for the right channel and one for the left.

That's a major sticking point for me.

I want to run a standard set of RCA cables to a bedside radio. No can do. They seem to be all HDMI or some other fancy dan sound output. I see a 45 dollar adapter/converter on Newegg that might work, but I'm unsure.

The built-in sound is mediocre at best. I've got a 3 or 4 year old Panasonic that isn't even mediocre for sound.

You won't find RCA on TV's now. The RCA is only sound. The HDMI is sound and picture, DVI is only sound. I wouldn't recommend the RCA adapter as that will make good sound turn into bad sound. Are you wanting to improve the sound so that you can hear while in bed? There are a lot possibilites for that. There are speakers you could substitute for the radio. I have a set of headphones that are wireless that receives the TV sound that are good. What is the end result of your needing the RCA cables?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

You won't find RCA on TV's now. The RCA is only sound. The HDMI is sound and picture, DVI is only sound. I wouldn't recommend the RCA adapter as that will make good sound turn into bad sound. Are you wanting to improve the sound so that you can hear while in bed? There are a lot possibilites for that. There are speakers you could substitute for the radio. I have a set of headphones that are wireless that receives the TV sound that are good. What is the end result of your needing the RCA cables?

Thanks Bigmck.

Here's the deal: I live in an apt with very thin walls. You can hear neighbor's conversations pretty easily.

So--after 10 pm I need to quiet things down and get sound to my bedside radio where I can control it---in order to keep peace with neighbors.

My cable TV box DID have RCA outs. I just ran a 20 foot RCA directly to my little bedside radio, which provides good enough quality.

But.............I gave up cable TV and the cable box. My TV has HDMI out only.

I need a solution.

Something like wireless headphones would be a last resort, but feel free to wise me up on what I need for that.

I'd much prefer direct cables, no wireless, something that can plug directly into my radio, which has the standard 3.5 mm input jack, not RCA. I have an adapter to convert RCA cables to 3.5 mm.

I do have a nearby standard hifi sound system, but it does not have HDMI in and I don't want to involve it anyway.

The $40 adapter/converter gizmo I found on Amazon apparently will NOT work as it requires PCM input. My TV (Panasonic 32 inch circa 2012 or 2013) does not have a menu choice to send PCM out to the adapter/converter.

Do some, any, or most 2016 models near 40 inches have that menu choice?

A sound bar theoretically might be OK if it had RCA outs to my radio.

Given a choice, I'd probably rather go wireless headphone than sound bar.

I hardly need "good sound" by any audiophile standards. I just need to understand what Bogart or Perry Mason are saying and my bedside radio does that, given tolerable input like you'd get with RCA cables.

Oh--I'd need to assure that any proposed solution would work when the TV or soundbar speakers are muted.

 

[bigmck]

If you are looking for a TV just get an external speaker that works with your TV. I think the RCA might be a problem with the new stuff.

Also here is the headphones I was speaking of. I use them since I am hard of hearing and they work great. The transmitter has RCA and plugs into the cable/satellite box. I suppose it could plug into the TV also. It transmits to the head phones and there is no difference in the sound and lips as can be a problem with external speakers. Sennheiser RS 135-9 RF TV Wireless Headphones The headphones would be a pain to lay in bed and wear. Since you are in the market for a TV, just get an external speaker that fits it. == I just went and looked at the back of the 32 inch TV we got two years ago. It does have HDMI and RCA plugs. The new TV's do have it. I just did a google for "40 inch TV with RCA plugs" and came up with a lot of hits. Walmart has several.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Bigmck:

You must have misunderstood me.

I don't have a cable box.

I don't have RCA on my radio.

RCA on my radio would not help me.

My TV does not have RCA out.

I need some way of getting sound to my ears without using the TV speakers.

That might be wireless headphones.

Or it might be some wired connection to my existing radio that is NOT RCA.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Sony is the one and only
As long as you can get past the price but they usually have the best basic spec's others seem to lack on purpose to hit a price slot.
Gaming TVs | Stream PlayStation® & Google Play™ Gaming Apps | Sony US

Televisions | Smart TVs, 4K and Flat Screen LED TVs | Sony US

 

[bigmck]

I completely misunderstood. Sorry for leading you astray. == I have googled quite a few things but have not found anything that might work. Sorry

 

[mjf]

I have an old Sony but viewing angle on newer/larger units appears to be an issue. In a lounge room you want people sitting say 30 degree off center to see a good image. Sony don't seem to be good in terms of viewing angle.

 

[z3r010]

For me it's always between Samsung and LG, for my newest 65 I went with LG as the picture just looked nicer and it had better viewing angles than the 65 Samsung we have in the bedroom.

 

[bigmck]

The newer TV's don't have that "angle problem". I have a 60" plasma (4 years old) and can be viewed from 45 degrees probably.

 

[mjf]

I think it is difficult to buy plasma TVs here anymore. I think they may be history.
As to viewing angles here is a review
Viewing Angle of TVs
The OLED screen technology appears to the way to go. But they are expensive!
Once you move below IPS screens (which are also expensive) to LED you get the narrow viewing angle according to this review.

 

[bigmck]

I think it is difficult to buy plasma TVs here anymore. I think they may be history.
As to viewing angles here is a review
Viewing Angle of TVs
The OLED screen technology appears to the way to go. But they are expensive!
Once you move below IPS screens (which are also expensive) to LED you get the narrow viewing angle according to this review.

OLED are the 4K Ultra High Definition TV. They are the most expensive. There are not that many shows in Ultra HD now so it would be a waste to buy that in my opinion. == The LED are the next best. That is just your regular HD TV. There is also a LCD which has different technology than LED, but LED seems to be the higher rated. The LED are in the 40 degree range which should be all you need for a room of people.

 

[alphaniner]

@ignatzatsonic

Did you ever find a satisfying solution to your RCA output query? There are definitely some current models with that output, even if they may not be called RCA. For example this RCA brand HDTV describes them as "Audio L/R". Just to be clear I know RCA connector isn't related to RCA brand HDTVs, it was just a coincidence this was the first example I came across.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Alphaniner:

No, I have no current solution.

Thanks for that link to the RCA TV. Do you know for a FACT that "audio L/R" refers to 2 common ordinary audio jacks a la 1970? Or something more new-fangled?

I can't recall last seeing an RCA TV and don't know where I'd go to view one in person. It's conceivable I'd take a chance with an online purchase, sight unseen.

But---surely there's a sane way of doing what I need to do with my current TV....I just don't know what that might be.

The TV has only HDMI out. I need to get the sound to my ears so as not to disturb neighbors. So that could be through a wireless headphone setup or a wired connection/converter/cable to my bedside radio, which has ONLY a 3.5 mm miniature sound input.

There may be a wireless headphone solution, but I know nothing about that. It would have to work with the TV sound muted completely. And it would have to use that HDMI connector on the TV as far as I know.

Anyone with TV wireless headphone experience--or a way to use my TV's HDMI out directly to my radio?

 

[alphaniner]

Yeah, I didn't realize RCA was making HDTVs either. I just googled HDMI, and it was the first >37" TV that showed up in the little Google shopping box. I don't know for a fact that the connectors I pointed out are RCA, but I think it's a safe bet.

I also know for a fact that the Toshiba 40RV52R (obsolete) has RCA out, so it seems reasonable that RCA out is not a white whale. If I were you I'd ask a salesperson at Best Buy or such, they probably have a better idea than most people.

 

[ThrashZone]

Ouch 2600.us I don't see that happening