It’s been years since I’ve bought a new TV. Years.
I’m currently still using a 46″ Panasonic Plasma. The G10 to be precise. What are you guys and girls using?
Last time I bought a TV I did a ton of reading, checking out reviews. I sort of decided back then that I wanted to go Plasma on account of the contrast ratios (and the price). Nowadays? I’m not sure which TV I’d go with.
The Panasonic Plasmas are done. LG still makes Plasma TVs but yeah… they were never on the level of the Panasonics which were using the Pioneer Kuro tech.
What are we all running with these days? I like what I see from the Bravia LCDs, but it seems like Samsung and LG is kinda running the TV market these days.
What are your suggestions?
Comments
56 responses to “Off Topic: What TV Are You Using?”
I have got a 50″ 4K TCL which my PC is hooked up to.
The only problem is that it has old HDMI 1.4 ports so all 4K content is locked at 30Hz not too bad because of the lack of 4K content but i have my PC set to 1440p at 75Hz which makes games look awesome.
I bought a Samsung LCD about eight years ago, it’s a 40″ 720p affair, and it was great at the time.
I’ve had to replace the power supply in it once, and now it’s starting to go off again.
What should I get now? I don’t need 4k or 3d, but the vast majority of my tv time is through my chromecast for Netflix or plex.
46″ Sony Bravia LCD – came with a free PS3. It’s about 5 years old now but I have no reason to upgrade any time in the foreseeable future.
A TV brand TV.
My led Bravia 55inch id approaching the three year mark and I’ll be getting ready to upgrade for next year. Really enjoyed the bravia’s. Great TV for gaming especially with the low input lag
Agreed. Got a 2 year old Bravia W900a and its brilliant, and very low input lag for a TV.
Still on my old Panasonic plasma but I’ll be upgrading when I move. Not sure what I’ll be replacing it with but I’m thinking I might go down to two 40″ 4K screens. Big screens just don’t do it for me. Depends on what the wall and lounge situation is. On a spec level I think it’s pretty hard to go wrong now but my main concern is avoiding smart TVs. I’m paranoid about ending up with a bloated, half baked OS on a device that ideally does nothing more than pass a signal to my eyes and ears.
a sony bravia something or other that crashes every time i’m browsing with the in-built media player as I try and locate video files in my external hard drive
Samsung series 6 55 inch. Looks great and negligible input lag in Game mode. I bought it for $1200 2 years ago and worth every cent
58″ Samsung LCD TV that’s about 6 years old. Great TV. No issues whatsoever. Want to upgrade to a 4K TV too though.
55″ Sony Bravia that’s about 3 years old now. Picture quality and input lag/reponse time in Game mode is excellent, i have no plans to upgrade anytime soon. My cheapie 1080P computer monitor on the other hand.. Terrible contrast ratio and not very clear compared to the 1440P monitors i’m eyeing off.
I’m using a cheapish Chinese 1080p bought a few years ago from (of all places) Catch of the Day. Main problem with it is not enough HDMI inputs; on the other hand it has inputs for just about everything else, so my PS2 is still hooked up to it…
I occasionally think about getting a new one, but the old TV is still perfectly functional, so there’s no real reason to do so.
I have one of these that works quite well. A couple of devices were picky about it, but most seem fine.
I have a 5-input HDMI switch with its own remote. I also have eight devices with HDMI output: PS4, Optus FetchTV, PS3, XBox One, Apple TV, Google Chrome, XBox 360, and a blu-ray/DVD player.
I admit this is overdoing things a bit; in practice, the 360 is hooked up via component video, the Google Chrome via the XBox HDMI input, and the blu-ray player via the TV’s second HDMI port. The 360 and FetchTV I rarely use (ditto a Wii and PS2 set up on composite video.)
In any case, you can never really have too many HDMI inputs. I used to have a Raspberry Pi hooked up as well, but disconnected it due to lack of ports.
The last TV we bought for the lounge room was in 2007, a 40″ Sony Bravia LCD KDL40X3100. It does the job quite well.
We don’t actually need to upgrade but the desire to upgrade is certainly there. I don’t care for 4K, 3D (is that still a thing?), but we could go for something Sony, something thinner, lighter and preferably LED.
What’s a TV? 😛
I do all my gaming on a monitor, hunched over in a darkened room. Occasionally I use the TV, but it’s a Sony Bravia from… I want to say 2008. Haven’t really seen much point in upgrading since then.
Bought a new TV almost a year ago. After some research I ended up with a Panasonic 55″ LED.
This one, to be exact: http://www.panasonic.com/au/consumer/televisions-projectors/televisions/th-55as700a.html
Got this LG 4k tv for $550 earlier in the year
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/12/lg-40ub800t-ultra-hd-tv-australian-review/
No TV, Everything through BENQ W1080ST projector 😀
That’s awesome, and the exact model I’ve been looking at getting myself. How do you find the lag? From all the research I’ve done, the response times seem even better than my Samsung TV using Game Mode. Also, how far away do you have it from the screen/wall, and how big of a picture do you get?
It’s actually amazing. Works well during the day or with the lights on directly above it, colours are fantastic, I don’t notice any lag whatsoever compared to my previous LG LCD tv. I have it 1.5m away from the screen (sitting on the coffee table) for an 80″ screen size. I could zoom that up to about 100-120″ without moving it back any further.
Only issue I have had is with FarCry 4. I don’t know if the refresh rate / frame rate or something was a bit out of sync, or if it was just the janky camera movements on a big screen when you are climbing or hit walls… But, I couldn’t play for more than 20 mins without wanting to throw up every single time. My friends didn’t have this problem when they played at my house though.
My only other gripe, is that occasionally the screen goes black for a second or so when I’m playing a game. This may be because of my wireless transmitter to the projector, but it’s bloody annoying when your about to score a goal in rocket league and the screen decides to do a refresh (going black) for 2-3 seconds. Only happens every hour or two, I’m fine with that trade off for the big screen. The 3D works pretty well too.
That sounds awesome. All my consoles will be running directly into the unit, so I guess that blacking out doesn’t happen with direct connections? Regardless, I’m pretty much sold on it from the reviews I’ve read, and your testimony pretty much seals the deal for me. Good to hear you get a good size image from that distance. I’ve done my measurements, mine will be about 2.3 meters from the wall, so yeah, I can’t wait to get it, haha
Very very happy with it, best $1000 I’ve spent all year and it absolutely lives up to the reviews, You will not regret it!
I recently started plugging my laptop in directly and I can’t recall it happening, so very likely a problem with my wireless.
It’s nice being able to move it, but having this projector back too far with the widethrow lens will make it have a massive screen. 2.3m is about 130-150″ depending on how it’s configured. Which means you need quite a large room for proper viewing distance. Check this link if you haven’t already.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/BenQ-W1080ST-projection-calculator-pro.htm
The W1070 uses the same hardware and a different lens, so depending on your room configuration this would be worth considering too.
Panasonic ST60. One of the best bang for buck TVs I’ve owned. Could do with some more HDMI inputs.
If using a TV for gaming it’s DEFINTELY worth switching off post image processing which add lag and reducing sharpness which corrupts the purity of the pixels displayed.
I have one of these but i am only using it for TV and Netlix, I am using an older LCD Panansonic for gaming. Does switching of the post image processing help that much on the ST60 for gaming?
Hi. It makes a difference. Less jaggies. It’s more noticeable on older games on the SNES which goes through the Frameiester. From my understanding for games you want to keep the signal as pure to the source as possible.
It’s worth having a google there was a good article on CNET about it
http://www.cnet.com/how-to/turn-down-your-tv-sharpness-control/#ftag=CAD5457c2c
I recently bought one of these.
http://www.panasonic.com/au/consumer/televisions-projectors/televisions/th-60a430a.html
It’s awesome. No 3d, no smart TV bloat, it’s pretty much just a giant monitor that I have my xbone, ps4 and wii u hooked up to.
Some old Samsung LCD bought who-knows-how-long-ago. I believe that it’s 36″. It’s so old that it only has one HDMI port, and doesn’t have an in-built digital tuner, so I have to use PlayTV on my PS3 if I actually want to watch anything.
We’ve reached a point where better graphics and higher resolutions mean basically nothing to me. 720p is fine for this size screen. 1080p is good for most of the larger TVs (up to a point). I’m way more interested in better gameplay than better graphics.
I have a Panasonic 55″ but it has some major screen buzz occasionally that is annoying. Can’t bring myself to replace it whilst it still has great picture and the buzz isn’t frequent enough to warrant it.
If I was going to buy another TV I would go for a Samsung.
Had a Sony Bravia, was excellent, but sold it and fitted a projector instead about 3 years ago, and haven’t owned a TV since. More than bright enough during the day, screen is over 2 metres wide, and there is no ugly TV clogging up the loungeroom wall.
The new Sony 4K TVs give a really, really great image though. I am a colourist by trade, and they really are close to our reference monitors.
http://www.sony.com.au/product/kdl-48w600b
Great TV for under $700 (Got it for about that from Dick Smith on sale), has Netflix, Wifi etc built in, awesome picture quality. Only complaint is that the Smart TV part is a little slow, but definitely not annoying enough to dislike it.
Don’t game on it much but when I do it looks sharp via my PC.
I’m kind of there with you Mark.
Panasonic 60″ plasma from 2011. Still going strong and is my main lounge room TV.
In the living room I have the old 50″ Pioneer Kuro 2008 model.
It is missing a few modern features but the image and build quality is amazing. It actually came with a 5 year warranty straight out of the box.
Pioneer kuro was one of best TVs ever made. Would part with this. I do rate the Panasonic plasma TVs. Shame they stopped making them
My xbox one uses a 64″ samsung plasma 3d smart
My wifes xbox one has a 50″ samsung LCD
Both picked up during sales from HN
I have a panasonic something something from 2011. I wish they still made CRTs. Been wanting something for my PS1 and the hdtvs look terrible. Also been wanting to find something real small for older consoles so it’s not stretched out, maybe a portable dvd player?
Also I hope 1080ps stay around a bit longer 4k will be ugly for this gen and older.
Yeah, it’s amazing how ugly LCD’s make anything not in their native res. I hooked my Dreamcast up for the first time in years via VGA to a 21 inch CRT monitor I picked up for 5 bucks, and despite only outputting 480p, the sharpness and clarity is amazing, still. So much better than the ugly LCD scaling I got used to because I lost my VGA box, haha.
Couldn’t you just get a PS3? They’re getting cheap now and I’m pretty sure all of them are backwards compatible with PS1.
I have two PS3s with 44 PS1 games on their hdds and they still look like arse. The discs are even worse.
I don’t think there’s anything outside of emulation that would make a PS1 game look good, but I would have thought it would have at least cleaned up the picture quality (like a RGB modded N64).
By good I mean as good as ps1 games can get.
The problem with discs is the ps3 doesn’t support them as well as people say. The picture slowly degraded the more I played definitely not as good as ps2 or psx.
Also the tv upscales them and makes them a pixelated mess.
You can downscale the ps3 and get component cables with a crt which looks better than hdmi to hdtv but it’s hard to come by a good condition crt.
I ended up getting a psp you can transfer ps1 games to it and they look pretty good on the small screen compared to a 40″. But still want a crt for my ps2 and gamecube.
A 32 inch Toshiba LCD that I received as a birthday present.
One of the HDMI ports on it is busted, but otherwise, it works just fine.
LG 55UB8200 55″ UHD which only has the 360 connected to it.
And a TEAC FHD (that is balls) that is replacing my monitor that fried last week. So bad…. Awfully bad.
I’ve got a 46″ Bravia LCD that I bought back in 2006. It’s been very good, but I kind of wish it would up and die on me so I’ve got an excuse to get a nice, shiny new one 😛
55 inch LG LED tv. cost me 2k about 4 yrs ago. no desire to get another tv until i can buy another 55 inch+ that can output over 120fps like my asus ROG monitor.
Two Sony Bravias:
Was very impressed with My KDLHX820 (The one with Gorilla glass) So when i wanted a new tele for the gaming room last year I went all out and grabbed the KDL55W900A – Beautiful picture!!
That W900 is the exact model I have, its brilliant. Curious though, have you had any problems with the HDMI ARC audio?
No i havent but as its just for gaming mines a pretty simple setup. I have a soundbar in the HDMI Arc port I believe and then PS4 plugged HDMI direct to the tv
All seems to work very very seamlessly
And yes it is a brilliant tele!!
55″ Samsung LED in the games room, a 46″ LG LED in the Bedroom and an Epson Projector on a 110″ screen in the theater. The projector isnt as good on the low lag as the LEDs and its used more for movies or sport but its still pretty epic when your in cockpit view on a racer or GTA. Probably wouldn’t use it for any competitive fighters or shooters though.
My main TV is a 55″ Samsung. It’s their second generation LED backlist on (the C series) and is going on about 6 or 7 years old at this point. It’s probably going to need replacing in the next year or two which I’m not looking forward to with the current value of the dollar spiking up imports. The HDMI control board has started to go a bit funny so every so often I have to give the TV a big of a smack on the back to get it to pick up HDMI video again.
46″ LG Plasma 🙂 old reliable 🙂
55″ Samsung 4KTV UA558500 or something along those lines, bought earlier this year. Love it, quadcore, smart, just bought a tube soundbar to match.
Just upgraded at EOFY to a 60inch LG 3D/4k (the newest model which I cant seem to remember atm). I was using a Panasonic 50inch plasma prior (about 8 years old I think)
not much 4k content atm but man the picture is good for both gaming (consoles and pc) and FTA tv, but where it really shines is streaming, Netflix looks so dam good it is a shame to go back to FTA if or when I need.
Currently I run my gaming rig on one of the new 1440 144hz ASUS (with display port).
Dem grapics I tells ya dem grapics looks good they does and stuff!
7 year old Series 6 Samsung LCD 46″ 1080p (not to be confused with current Series 6..). Has the awful motion flow feature in its early state which I leave turned off. And due to a firmware bug (which never actually got firmware updates despite having the ability) everytime I change to the channel ABC 1 it goes to the secondary ABC 1 channel which has no sound and it still does it even if I delete the secondary channel!
Otherwise its a good tv except incredibly reflective making it awful during the day and even though its 46″ its still on a swivel stand. Would like to upgrade to 4k though and a slightly bigger tv – 4k merely a bonus for future content
65inch Sony Bravia
Picked it up from JB Hifi for $1500 on 5 years interest free.
Go large , its worth it.
I have my Xbone hooked up to an LG 60LB5820 60″ TV. Great picture took a while to get used to the soap opera effect on movies though!
I have a Sony Bravia W800 42″. It’s a really great TV especially for gaming with a low latency gaming mode. The best thing about this TV though is the great customisability you can have with different presets.
You can change loads of different picture settings as well as 3 levels of overscan. Very happy with it. Definitely wouldn’t go for a Samsung. I had a samsung once. Worst TV I ever owned. It wouldn’t even let me turn overscan off.