Shopping for a new TV... this is one deep rabbithole...


I am guessing most forum members here have TVs they are happy with and are not planning on an imminent upgrade. I am faced with the daunting task of buying at least 3 new tvs probably this year and possibly 5 or 6 depending on what we decide to do once we move back into the house post-rebuild.

That said, I have been looking a bit at local retailers, best buy, wally world, and Crutchfield. Online its Amazon...because of Amazon's stinky reputation for handling returns on big ticket items in a fair way, I wont buy from them, but I am seeing so much discontent in the reviews posted about all makes and models from all retailers regarding shipping damage, high failure rates, defects that manufacturers will not cover, worthless warranties that you pay extra for, and so on. This is coming from every retailer for the most part. It seems that any TV you buy should be unboxed in the store and powered up to check for damage on-site before being boxed back up and transported to your home. Then you have to install it or get someone to do it for you. Installation reviews of the teams from all the retail players are getting negative reviews in the extreme. Quality issues in some models exceed 10% failure either immediately or within the warranty period...further, each year new models come out that have no track record but drown you in marketing hype...its a confusing and depressing situation. How do you get a good TV? How do you ensure you get good delivery service? I have come to the conclusion that Sony has the fewest defects and that people generally like how the tv is to live with and that there is less need for warranty claims. Who to buy it from? Crutchfield is 90 minutes away so they will ship the TV, but how do you ensure you get some high level of competency in your delivery team? As much as these TVs cost, I could buy a decent car for what some of them go for, so naturally entrusting the transport to Darryl and his other brother Darryl is not something I would willingly do, but what other alternative is there? I'd love to hear what you guys think about all of this and if you have purchased a TV within the recent past, how your experience went.

 

livinon2wheels

Your admonition to go with Oled over QLed seems reasonable though for my living space I have questions about whether Oled will have a bright enough image for the space it must go into.

OLED has come a long way in this regard. This was the main concern we had since the television would be situated in our living room next to a long sliding glass door that leads to our backyard. During the day it’s bright - you can check my virtual system for reference and comparison. In the past month we went with an LG G4 and it’s plenty bright; almost blinding at times. The model below, the LG C4, would have likely been okay for our living room.

 

I was in Sam’s club the other day looking at their offerings, and was looking at 85" models for our living room and noticed that if was sitting a bit offset from the center of the screen as I normally would be, the part of the screen furthest away from me was washed out compared to the direct on view on some models. I had read about some screens having these kinds of issues but didnt realize how pronounced a problem that could be. It seems Oleds solve that problem and have great wide angle viewing. S

Beyond the blackest of blacks that OLEDs produce, the viewing angles are another strength. For example, in my living room I can sit on the side couch and not feel nearly as compromised as my previous IPS panel/television.

If you stick to the big 3 “Sony, Samsung & LG” and use a CEDIA installer ( www.CEDIA.org ) then you should not have a problem with the purchase, delivery & install of the product. If there is a problem with the display they handle it. To take it 1 step further ask the dealer if they are part of a buying group.  The major groups have signed deals with the big 3 for 90 day defective exchange. 

I always get mine from Best Buy. I get top of the line Sony OLED. They... at least as of a couple years ago had the lowest failure rates and best picture... also most expensive. With the Bravia they have the longest warrantee and best service. Mine had a few lines pop up after a year (most warrantees are 1 year) and Sony replaced the TV within a couple days. 

While in the past I have gone price shopping, for the largest available... to day the right size is probably available and I want the most reliable and great performance so I don't have to keep replacing them due to failure. So I stick with the Bravia. 

I wouldn't worry about brightness levels as TVs have, indeed, come a long way. Brightness levels on OLEDs are just fine for me as I don't keep the windows open while watching. That, and the brightness levels other types have used to be warned against back in the day as the rods and cones in your eyes can be damaged. Speaking for myself, I don't want or need a TV that can replicate looking directly at the sun or even getting anywhere near it. Don't fall for the numbers war in that respect. 

All the best,
Nonoise

 

I’d go to BestBuy, pick one out and take it home.

I don’t see the difficulty. Great deals this time of year with the Superbowl coming up. They really push them this time of year.