Next gen TV hunt

sems4arsenal

Nissan Sunny FTW
Premium
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Egypt
Cairo, Egypt
GTP_SEMS
Hello one and all.

My 10 year old LCD has served me well, but I decided to upgrade to a next gen TV that's good enough for the PS5.

I've done a lot of digging and I've narrowed it down to few options.

I know people will recommend the TCL, but the TCLs here are locally manufactured and aren't as good as what you get in the US.

The LG OLEDs are very expensive and I'm not risking burn in.

My best bet are the Samsung QLED range. My number one option is the Q70R, but I'm struggling to find one. The Q60R and Q70T are easily found, but both don't have local dimming.

My question is, how necessary is local dimming? The Q70T has advantages over the 70R like HDMI 2.1 support.

Now, note that I'm coming from an ancient LCD TV so ignorance is a bliss.

Is there any other option I'm missing?
 
Hello one and all.

My 10 year old LCD has served me well, but I decided to upgrade to a next gen TV that's good enough for the PS5.

I've done a lot of digging and I've narrowed it down to few options.

I know people will recommend the TCL, but the TCLs here are locally manufactured and aren't as good as what you get in the US.

The LG OLEDs are very expensive and I'm not risking burn in.

My best bet are the Samsung QLED range. My number one option is the Q70R, but I'm struggling to find one. The Q60R and Q70T are easily found, but both don't have local dimming.

My question is, how necessary is local dimming? The Q70T has advantages over the 70R like HDMI 2.1 support.

Now, note that I'm coming from an ancient LCD TV so ignorance is a bliss.

Is there any other option I'm missing?

I went through the same process earlier this year. I ended up with the Samsung Q80R 55" and I couldn't be happier with it. I'm not sure I understand what local dimming is and that's even after Googling it. I know mine has a smart mode that will dim the picture at times like when the credits are rolling on a black screen.

Here is where I asked for suggestions at the time and what some others told me.

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/time-for-a-new-tv-suggestions.391947/
 
I'm going through this too and have concluded the Q70R is the one I want, but I have doubts I'll be able to find one when I'm ready to buy (because I don't want to buy a new TV until I'm back at work!). Full array local dimming is probably one of those things where if you'd just been ignorant of it you woudn't notice the difference, but buying a TV that you know doesn't have it will probably bug you, I know it would me. I don't know what your other options are, but take this with a handful of salt:

According to this, my best option here in the UK - if I don't get a Q70R - is a Q80T which is twice the price at the 65" mark. Even the Q70T is £500 more on top of the Q70R's £1,200! Sounds like a bait and switch.
 
For me, I would wait until 2022 if possible. If you really cannot wait that long, try for 2021 at least, because by that time, the price, quality and the amount of products available will come to you for a much better price than now, in a middle of a pandemic.

Also, techonology will keep moving while you wait and it will work.

My parents still have their 20 yr old Plasma 720/1080p (I haven't checked it yet) tv and it seems to look good last time I saw it....

We are in the process where after two years, I can imagine the resolution will climb a lot (8K to 12K maybe?!) in another five years
 
Hello one and all.

My 10 year old LCD has served me well, but I decided to upgrade to a next gen TV that's good enough for the PS5.

I've done a lot of digging and I've narrowed it down to few options.

I know people will recommend the TCL, but the TCLs here are locally manufactured and aren't as good as what you get in the US.

The LG OLEDs are very expensive and I'm not risking burn in.

My best bet are the Samsung QLED range. My number one option is the Q70R, but I'm struggling to find one. The Q60R and Q70T are easily found, but both don't have local dimming.

My question is, how necessary is local dimming? The Q70T has advantages over the 70R like HDMI 2.1 support.

Now, note that I'm coming from an ancient LCD TV so ignorance is a bliss.

Is there any other option I'm missing?

Dont bother with the Q70T. It has trash HDR capabilities. Not something you want going forward.

The Q70R is great. It's only weaknesses imo? Just good but not great HDR brightness, and no Dolby Vision HDR support. Dolby Vision HDR is getting more support then HDR10+ that the Q70R supports. The Q70R does have basic HDR to be clear, but Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are both 'next gen' HDR.

How helpful local dimming is depends on the TV. Some TVs might see a small 5% increase in contrast with local dimming, but the best local dimming TVs, like Vizio's Quantum X panels, can triple the contrast ratio with local dimming. The Q70R local dimming boosts contrast about 10% which is just average. But the base contrast ratio of the Q70R is so good it doesnt need its local dimming to be super great.

I just happened to be doing ALOT of TV research myself recently. I narrowed it down to the Samsung Q70R or the Sony 950G for my price range. Both TVs are similar in performance with the Sony running about 15% more in price.

Since you are looking for a TV, get familiar with the website rtngs.com. This takes all the guess work out of TV buying.

For example, here is rtngs side by side comparision of the Q70R vs the Q70T
https://www.rtings.com/tv/tools/compare/samsung-q70r-vs-samsung-q70t/782/1818


Or the Q70R vs the Sony 950G
https://www.rtings.com/tv/tools/compare/samsung-q70r-vs-sony-x950g/782/764?usage=11114&threshold=0.1

If input lag while gaming isnt a big concern for you the Sony 900F is a cheaper Sony option.

Look through the stats of the TVs and find out what is important to you.

For me these are important

Contrast Ratio
The better (higher) this is the more detail you can see in darker areas, which increases the picture quality/detail. Look for around 4000+ minimum.

Gradient
Color Banding. If a TV has poor gradient handling of color you will see jarring transitions in solid colors instead of smooth transitions. This >LINK< is an extreme example but it shows what gradient is about.

HDR Peak Brightness
The brighter the HDR brightness, the more lifelike and realistic lighting will look in HDR movies and games. If you want the headlights in a HDR Gran Turismo game to be blindingly bright or a glare off a metallic surface in a movie to look like real life, get a TV with peak HDR brightness near or exceeding 1000 nits/cdm

Response Time
Basically the delay between your controller inputs to seeing them make a difference on screen.

I'm passing on the TCL because of quality control issues and I'm passing on the Vizio Quantum X TVs because of the Color Banding/Gradient weakness.
 
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Some great responses here. I've been actively using rtings @Earth and yeah the weak HDR implementation in the 70T might be an issue.

I'm thinking about the 80T as well now.

@super_gt I know the game mode on the Samsung TVs kinda ruin the image a bit, but I can't afford a C9 or a CX. These are insanely expensive.
 
@Earth Do games even use HDR?

Yes, GT Sport is one of them. I expect most next-gen games to feature HDR.

HDR is the premier feature of 4K TVs. I wouldn't skimp on it. Any 4k TV can have a sharp picture, but premium 4k Tv's have great HDR for more realistic lighting and better contrast ratio for more visible picture detail.

Low end Tv's have ultra weak HDR but it doesn't look any better then a standard picture. I have one of those TVs.
 
Yes, GT Sport is one of them. I expect most next-gen games to feature HDR.

HDR is the premier feature of 4K TVs. I wouldn't skimp on it. Any 4k TV can have a sharp picture, but premium 4k Tv's have great HDR for more realistic lighting and better contrast ratio for more visible picture detail.

Low end Tv's have ultra weak HDR but it doesn't look any better then a standard picture. I have one of those TVs.

I've done some digging based on your recommendations.

I can't find any decent Sony models here, sadly.

The Q70T's main weakness is low peak brightness but it has a decent wide color gamut, and VRR.

Once shops open up, I'll pop by a few and see if I can find the 70R. The 70T is my plan B. I think I won't notice much of the differences if I don't look for them. I'll also try to find the 80T in a reasonable price.
 
You should try and get a TV that supports HDMI 2.1, VRR and 120Hz. I'm waiting for the Sony KD-55XH90 to be available as that seems the only Sony TV that will support HDMI 2.1 VRR and 4K120 this year so should work the best with PS5. Maybe next-gen GT will have 1440p 120FPS mode if they want to push visuals but PS5 Pro later on gen should start pushing towards 4K120.
 
You should try and get a TV that supports HDMI 2.1, VRR and 120Hz. I'm waiting for the Sony KD-55XH90 to be available as that seems the only Sony TV that will support HDMI 2.1 VRR and 4K120 this year so should work the best with PS5. Maybe next-gen GT will have 1440p 120FPS mode if they want to push visuals but PS5 Pro later on gen should start pushing towards 4K120.

That's the advantage of the Q70T. It may have mediocre HDR peak brightness, but it does have VRR and HDMI 2.1
 
You should try and get a TV that supports HDMI 2.1, VRR and 120Hz. I'm waiting for the Sony KD-55XH90 to be available as that seems the only Sony TV that will support HDMI 2.1 VRR and 4K120 this year so should work the best with PS5. Maybe next-gen GT will have 1440p 120FPS mode if they want to push visuals but PS5 Pro later on gen should start pushing towards 4K120.

That's the advantage of the Q70T. It may have mediocre HDR peak brightness, but it does have VRR and HDMI 2.1

I dont think 4K@120fps will be very common at all on next gen, even with the PS5 Pro. I honestly dont see why games should waste resources pushing 120fps when the human eye can't see much more then 60fps. The base PS5 can support 8K because it has a HDMI 2.1 output, but again I doubt we will see many 8K games if any at all.

Buying a new TV is difficult because theres always new technology arriving and no single TV, unless you pay a hefty premium price, will have everything you want. So my strategy has always been to focus on the features you will make use of the most. For example, a fast, responsive UI is important if you use a TV's Smart features alot. And a low response time is essential if you plan to play games on the TV alot.

Earlier I listed the 4 key features I look for in a TV. You could make a list, and then really think about whether or not the features you want are really that important, or if you will really take advantage of them frequently, or if it is something that bothers you, like how I cant stand poor gradient handling.

Also it seems the Q70R has VRR. Take a look at the rtngs review again.
 
@Earth You make some very valid points.

Amusingly, while watching a review of the Q70T online -- I read a comment someone wrote describing my exact situation. It turned out he is an Egyptian as well :lol: . After a brief chat, he told me that finding a Q70R is very unlikely. So that's a big bummer.

I'm now trying to find a 55 inch Q80T.
 
@Earth there is valid points to noticing 120 to 144fps. The issue is, the difference above that needs to be towards the 240 and higher frame rates.

The issue is for broadcasting, they can't do that. For gaming, they definately can do when its PC orientated, the only problem with console is that it is limited to a set frames per second.

The smoother the motion, the easier is it for the eye to see and the easier it is for the brain to predict what will happen so it becomes more fluid and comfortable to watch it in.
 
That's the advantage of the Q70T. It may have mediocre HDR peak brightness, but it does have VRR and HDMI 2.1
Hope you had a blessed Eid. Speaking about blessed, you know Lewis has got an ultra-wide display. Maybe PS5 games will support it given Sony smartphones are cinema wide 21:9 so that could be an option you might want to consider too if you play racing games a lot. Probably less than a couple of weeks away from finding out.

Q70R does support VRR and can do 1440p120 if you can find one. Having less brightness is not a bad thing, your eyes will thank you in the long run for not melting them early in their life.
@Earth You make some very valid points.

Amusingly, while watching a review of the Q70T online -- I read a comment someone wrote describing my exact situation. It turned out he is an Egyptian as well :lol: . After a brief chat, he told me that finding a Q70R is very unlikely. So that's a big bummer.

I'm now trying to find a 55 inch Q80T.
Seeing the Q70T VS Q80T below, image looked better on Q70T than the Q80T...

I'm looking at a Q70T for $880.

I'm being told this is a good deal.
Great price compared to the UK at the moment, do you know for sure your local model has HDMI 2.1 and 120Hz support? Best to double check just in case corners have been cut. Might be worth checking out in person how motion is handled and image quality before purchasing a TV but at that price, it is worth buying now.
I dont think 4K@120fps will be very common at all on next gen, even with the PS5 Pro. I honestly dont see why games should waste resources pushing 120fps when the human eye can't see much more then 60fps. The base PS5 can support 8K because it has a HDMI 2.1 output, but again I doubt we will see many 8K games if any at all.
I expect a lot of shooting, racing and sport games to support 120Hz output given base PS5 will have enough CPU, GPU power and bandwidth especially with lowered resolutions to pull it off and at incredible detail. Also think more developers will support next-gen VR so high frame-rate is a must and Sony have got AMD's next-generation geometry engine which looks like it will help a lot with that. You can definitely notice the difference and when you start to hit 240Hz is when motion starts to get a lot smoother and 360Hz seems gold standard at the moment.
 
@Saidur_Ali Eid Mubarak to you too, mate.

The price I'm seeing appears to be a sale price (which is odd since it's a brand new TV). Samsung here are one of the few that actually price match the US, and it's on amazon for the same price.

I will go to a Samsung shop to check it out, to be sure. Surprised about that video. The 80T is supposed to be miles better. The thing that's making me not care much about HDR is that very few games do HDR right, so it might be a luxury worth sacrificing.
 
@Saidur_Ali Eid Mubarak to you too, mate.

The price I'm seeing appears to be a sale price (which is odd since it's a brand new TV). Samsung here are one of the few that actually price match the US, and it's on amazon for the same price.

I will go to a Samsung shop to check it out, to be sure. Surprised about that video. The 80T is supposed to be miles better. The thing that's making me not care much about HDR is that very few games do HDR right, so it might be a luxury worth sacrificing.
Thanks.

Well worth buying at that price as you might be looking at double the cost for a Q80T.

Q70T has much better contrast ratio probably due to not having ultra viewing angle layer so deeper blacks like OLEDs and not grey look like Q80T which could explain why that video looked like it did.

Given local dimming takes biggest hit on Samsung TVs when using game mode, picture quality might be better in game mode on Q70T than Q80T due to not being dependent on the local dimming for good picture quality. Worth checking out impact of game mode on Q70T if you can view one before buying.
 
Thanks.

Well worth buying at that price as you might be looking at double the cost for a Q80T.

Q70T has much better contrast ratio probably due to not having ultra viewing angle layer so deeper blacks like OLEDs and not grey look like Q80T which could explain why that video looked like it did.

Given local dimming takes biggest hit on Samsung TVs when using game mode, picture quality might be better in game mode on Q70T than Q80T due to not being dependent on the local dimming for good picture quality. Worth checking out impact of game mode on Q70T if you can view one before buying.

I'll pop by a store then. It appears the Q80T isn't available except in big sizes so far, and even then it's hard to find.

They might've made the decision for me. I'll still try to find a Q70R.
 
I honestly dont see why games should waste resources pushing 120fps when the human eye can't see much more then 60fps.

I must have alien eyes then as I notice a large improvement between 60 and 120hz. I could not game at 60hz anymore, not sounding elitist it's just the way it is for me.
Now 120-144 I see no difference.
 
I got the Q90R last month and it looks amazing! Played TLOUp2 on it and it's gorgeous us. I'm sure PS5 games will look even better.

I didn't go for the CX or CX because of burn in basically. The picture quality and game mode is superior on the LG Oled but not enough to make me risk image retention and burn in.

I'm pretty sure you'll do good with a current gen QLED.
 
I got the Q90R last month and it looks amazing! Played TLOUp2 on it and it's gorgeous us. I'm sure PS5 games will look even better.

I didn't go for the CX or CX because of burn in basically. The picture quality and game mode is superior on the LG Oled but not enough to make me risk image retention and burn in.

I'm pretty sure you'll do good with a current gen QLED.

Have had the Q70T for about a week now, and I'm delighted with it. TLOU and GTSport in HDR are something else.
 
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