Home Theater Discussion

[LoathedVermin72]

Okay, Strat. After poking around a bit, I really don't think you can beat this one: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tcl-55-cla ... Id=6204548

It's really impossible to compete with for the price. You get full-array local dimming (absolutely unheard of in this price point), and not just HDR but Dolby Vision (again, crazy). I've had some hands-on time with a TCL; they're very easy to use and deliver really solid performance for the price. If you want to see a big improvement in performance, realistically, you're probably gonna need to look at stuff over $1000. The comparably priced models I looked at had a lot fewer premium features than this one.

It has Roku built in, and its interface is super slick, but you probably won't need to use it much since you have an Apple TV 4K, which should deliver better picture quality than the built-in Roku.

There's also a 65" version of this same model, but it costs $400 more. And, of course, whatever you do decide to go with, I'll be happy to help with any settings recommendations. This model is pretty simple, but 4K TVs in general can be a little tricky to set up sometimes.

[Monkey_Driven]

Okay, Strat. After poking around a bit, I really don't think you can beat this one: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tcl-55-cla ... Id=6204548

It's really impossible to compete with for the price. You get full-array local dimming (absolutely unheard of in this price point), and not just HDR but Dolby Vision (again, crazy). I've had some hands-on time with a TCL; they're very easy to use and deliver really solid performance for the price. If you want to see a big improvement in performance, realistically, you're probably gonna need to look at stuff over $1000. The comparably priced models I looked at had a lot fewer premium features than this one.

It has Roku built in, and its interface is super slick, but you probably won't need to use it much since you have an Apple TV 4K, which should deliver better picture quality than the built-in Roku.

There's also a 65" version of this same model, but it costs $400 more. And, of course, whatever you do decide to go with, I'll be happy to help with any settings recommendations. This model is pretty simple, but 4K TVs in general can be a little tricky to set up sometimes.

I was just going to recommend this same set. Just came out.

[Strat]

Okay, Strat. After poking around a bit, I really don't think you can beat this one: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tcl-55-cla ... Id=6204548

It's really impossible to compete with for the price. You get full-array local dimming (absolutely unheard of in this price point), and not just HDR but Dolby Vision (again, crazy). I've had some hands-on time with a TCL; they're very easy to use and deliver really solid performance for the price. If you want to see a big improvement in performance, realistically, you're probably gonna need to look at stuff over $1000. The comparably priced models I looked at had a lot fewer premium features than this one.

It has Roku built in, and its interface is super slick, but you probably won't need to use it much since you have an Apple TV 4K, which should deliver better picture quality than the built-in Roku.

There's also a 65" version of this same model, but it costs $400 more. And, of course, whatever you do decide to go with, I'll be happy to help with any settings recommendations. This model is pretty simple, but 4K TVs in general can be a little tricky to set up sometimes.

Thanks LV! I super appreciate that. Ill most likely go with your recommendation as it is price sweet spot! I still have to get setup and measure to see what would look best between the 55" and 65".

Of course, I am nowhere near a best buy and i certainly could ahve it delivered though at extra cost and wait time.... I was looking at the walmart site to see if they carried it. I saw that it might be cheaper but after a little digging.....im seeing that the "Dolby Vision" is the key feature to look for, correct? Without that, it is cheaper, but then that is a different TV than your rec.

I may swing by Walmart just to see what they have and take note of anything else you might suggest.

[LoathedVermin72]

Okay, Strat. After poking around a bit, I really don't think you can beat this one: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tcl-55-cla ... Id=6204548

It's really impossible to compete with for the price. You get full-array local dimming (absolutely unheard of in this price point), and not just HDR but Dolby Vision (again, crazy). I've had some hands-on time with a TCL; they're very easy to use and deliver really solid performance for the price. If you want to see a big improvement in performance, realistically, you're probably gonna need to look at stuff over $1000. The comparably priced models I looked at had a lot fewer premium features than this one.

It has Roku built in, and its interface is super slick, but you probably won't need to use it much since you have an Apple TV 4K, which should deliver better picture quality than the built-in Roku.

There's also a 65" version of this same model, but it costs $400 more. And, of course, whatever you do decide to go with, I'll be happy to help with any settings recommendations. This model is pretty simple, but 4K TVs in general can be a little tricky to set up sometimes.

Thanks LV! I super appreciate that. Ill most likely go with your recommendation as it is price sweet spot! I still have to get setup and measure to see what would look best between the 55" and 65".

Of course, I am nowhere near a best buy and i certainly could ahve it delivered though at extra cost and wait time.... I was looking at the walmart site to see if they carried it. I saw that it might be cheaper but after a little digging.....im seeing that the "Dolby Vision" is the key feature to look for, correct? Without that, it is cheaper, but then that is a different TV than your rec.

I may swing by Walmart just to see what they have and take note of anything else you might suggest.

I believe the TCL models are Best Buy exclusives, and delivery should be free. Usually they can have it there in just a couple of days.

Dolby Vision is a premium feature. It's essentially a more advanced version of HDR. But Dolby Vision content isn't super prevalent yet, and it's by no means something you NEED (my set does not have it). Just having HDR is what's important. But there are lots of details involved. The big thing you're gonna be missing out on with most other sets in the $1000-and-below price range is local dimming. Essentially, without local dimming, your TV's backlight is always on across all of the screen, which leads to weakened black levels, since you're gonna see some gray-looking light bleed. Local dimming allows the TV to detect which portions of the screen need more light and vice versa, so it can control which portions of the backlight need to be on at any given time. This means deeper black levels and brighter highlights. I think it's an important feature, and again, the fact that a mid-range set like the TCL has not only local dimming, but full-array local dimming (meaning there are actually individual backlight zones behind the screen and it's not just being lit from the edges) is insane.

[Monkey_Driven]

Completely agree about local dimming and HDR.

[run2death]

I tested various sound bars at Fry's. A Sonos, Bose, Samsung and Yamaha. The Yamaha was the clear winner.

I ended up getting the one without the sub (YAS-107BL), although I can add one later if it moves into a bigger room.

It sounds amazing for movies and music.

[LoathedVermin72]

I’m very satisfied with my Samsung soundbar and woofer, but I reeeeeally want to add some rear channel speakers. But I don’t really want to deal with a receiver, so...

[run2death]

Yeah, I had Denon/Paradigm/LaserDisc/DVD home theater system for a long.

I just got tired of all the fiddling and wires.

I do miss the Paradigms.

Their powered sound bars are too expensive for my tastes.

[Strat]

Im getting antsy to buy my new TV but looking at my finances this month its gonna have to wait WAH.

[Monkey_Driven]

If we ever remodel the basement to our liking I will get a 5.1 or 7.1 setup.

[LoathedVermin72]

I’ve never been into sound that much; I’ve always been focused on picture quality above all else. But I do think it’d be cool to get an Atmos setup if I had the space for it (I don’t).

[Monkey_Driven]

I’ve never been into sound that much; I’ve always been focused on picture quality above all else. But I do think it’d be cool to get an Atmos setup if I had the space for it (I don’t).

Same on both accounts for TV purposes.

[run2death]

For me, I care way more about music than home theater, but honestly even a $5K+ stereo set-up can't match a good pair of headphones and separate amp with a DAC for music. I do all my serious music listening that way.

The sound bar does good job at home theater and the occasional causal music listening.

[Strat]

If i ever end up in a home with a basement i will definitely make it a home theater of sorts. One setup for music listening and an additional setup for movies and surround sound that'll make George Lucas cream in his pants.

[doug rr]

i'm no expert but i also bought a yamaha and its been great for the last 4 years

[run2death]

Yamaha generally makes quality stuff.

[run2death]

I missed the discussion about TCL TVs.

We like ours a lot. We got a 55" model that's a slight step down from the one LV posted above.

We may replace our projector in our main living space with a 65" model.

I actually love the thing that seems to be the biggest gripe for most people, the remote.

It's basically just a modified version of the standard Roku remote. I love the simplicity of it and the TV menu system is well laid-out and seems custom-made for the remote.

I guess most people just love remotes full of useless buttons.

[LoathedVermin72]

TBH I wish the remote for my Samsung KS8500 weren’t quite SO minimal. I tinker with a lot of the more advanced features/settings pretty often, and it would be nice if I could get to them more quickly without resorting to voice controls.

That said, the TCL remote is quite convenient and the interface is super smooth. The more “advanced” features are generally a bit more limited anyway, so I don’t think shortcuts would be as helpful.

[run2death]

Do you guys have any tricks for making sub-1080p sources look better on an HDR screen?

I did the 0 sharpness trick and that made a decent improvement, but is there anything else?

[tragabigzanda]

Strat, i have the 2017 next-model-down of the TCL unit LV recommended, 55", and we're super happy with it. 4J, HDR, not sure about the wide color spectrum thing LV mentioned. Only time we notice why it's a budget model is when the black levels get kind of pixelated during darkly-lit scenes in non-4k content. I'm assuming LV's model improves upon this, so it gets my vote.