[Nick B]

I have two TVs, both Samsungs. One is smart …and UHD… and Wi-Fi capable, the other isn’t. Bought in 2013 and 2015. The performance has been ok. I want functional, reliable and a reasonably good picture. I’ve used an Apple TV box, the latest version, since December 2022. The Samsung UHD 640D has always been quirky and the only way to fix things sometimes is to unplug the unit for 30+ seconds. That finally fixed the lagging volume function via the Apple TV remote. Now the problem is watching  Amazon Prime Video. I don’t get video, only audio and text and subtitles on the screen. Using Amazon support last night, I unplugged the TV and got video on one show. Then switching to the next show and another, no video again. Unplugging solved it to be able to watch one show again. Then no video again. I’m tired of dealing with this quirky software. Would like to get a new TV, under 50” and UHD. Oled would be nice, but really don’t want to pay for it as I want to keep the price at $500 max, preferably $450 or under. I was looking for a pedestal type, but it seems all the new TVs have the two supporting feet way apart. Not good if one doesn’t have a wide cabinet. Really don’t want to buy a wide cabinet just for an inexpensive new TV.

Suggestions welcome and appreciated.

Nick

So

[js1955]

I had the same problem.......wide spaced TV feet and a stand not wide enough to accommodate them.

So I got this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018I1XTFU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Not an expensive solution, and it has features not offered by the stock feet:  height adjustable and rotates for different viewing angles.

IMO, requiring a pedestal base on your TV greatly limits your options since few TVs have it these days.  Just get the TV you want, and a base like this if you need it.     

[WGH]

A year ago a friend got a Samsung Crystal UHD - 7 Series TU700D. The TV is 65" but I would guess the picture quality of all sizes look the same.

The best I can say about the picture quality is you get used to it. Compared to my 60" Panasonic plasma the Samsung makes movies and video look like a hyper detailed soap opera.

[newzooreview]

The soap opera effect is a 120 Hz motion smoothing that can (and should) be turned off.

Out of the box, TVs come with store display modes enabled: over sharpening, 120 Hz motion smoothing, over saturated colors, and blinding brightness. It attracts attention on a display in Best Buy, but it is very inaccurate and essentially unwatchable.

Typically you have to go into the settings and find the movie mode and perhaps separately turn off the 120 Hz. Video is either 24 Hz (movies) or 60 Hz (TV broadcasts) so 120 always looks plastic and creepy.

For the better TVs that have a good range of settings available, AVForums will typically have a dedicated discussion for the best settings to get good picture quality. Default settings are always attrocious.

[newzooreview]

Apple TV is terrific. In the settings you can perform a video calibration. You use your iPhone to measure the test scenes and then the Apple TV will output calibrated video to the TV. Programming not going through the Apple TV can't benefit from that, obviously, but it is very helpful to have a well-calibrated reference point from the Apple TV.

Correctly calibrated video often looks odd at first (maybe a little dull), but the eyes adjust and it is more satisfying in the long run. Oddly, we can get much closer to "as the artist intended" with video than we can with audio.

[newzooreview]

The video calibration won't turn off the motion smoothing 120 Hz setting. You'll still want to make the best adjustments you can without it. But it gets you from "ok" to "in the ballpark of professionally calibrated for production work."

[WGH]

Thanks for the tips, I fined tuned the color on my plasma using settings on AVS Forum but not touching the settings on my friends Samsung. She likes it that way and is not a videophile or audiophile.

I'm not old, only 74, but my friends are an old 74. Their eyesight is going along with their hearing and cognitive abilities. Some have a hard time hearing the dialog and can no longer read subtitles. If the plot gets anymore complicated than "All Things Great and Small" they ask "What is happening?"

I resist the urge to fix these things, my friends are happy so there is nothing to be fixed, makes my life simpler too.


TV sound is hit and miss, I have no idea how to evaluate how a TV sounds in a noisy Best Buy. I guess you buy from a place that has free delivery, free pickup and returns.
I still watch over-the-air channels. TV tuners are also hit and miss. A friend got a TV and could only pick up 1 channel, returned the TV for another brand and was able to get all 40 OTA channels Tucson has to offer.

Current TVs are able to play hi-res video like 4K .mkv and MP4 files from a USB thumbdrive. There are plenty of sites to download free sample videos, make a couple of video thumbdrives to use when TV shopping. Plug one in when the salesman isn't watching (or ask first). Take two drives with different videos because sometimes a TV won't read a file. DTS-HD Master Audio movies will never play, Dolby Atmos is OK but a huge movie rip will choke the puny TV processor. My brother's big new Sony will fast forward a movie but not reverse so if you want to re-watch a scene the film has to be stopped and re-started at the film's beginning and fast forward to the action scene.

[newzooreview]

I use the Plex app on my Apple TV to stream video from a hard drive (NAS). The hardware video and sound processing in the Apple TV handles everything, so the TV itself is just feeding pixels to the panel.

I keep the TV itself disconnected from the internet. It only has HDMI inputs connected. The "smart" TVs are just spyware. They track and report everything you watch. Apple TV is far more constrained in how and what information it tracks.

[Nick B]

I had the same problem.......wide spaced TV feet and a stand not wide enough to accommodate them.

So I got this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018I1XTFU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Not an expensive solution, and it has features not offered by the stock feet:  height adjustable and rotates for different viewing angles.

IMO, requiring a pedestal base on your TV greatly limits your options since few TVs have it these days.  Just get the TV you want, and a base like this if you need it.     

Thanks for the link. That certainly is a good option for me. I’m assuming that all of these TVs have some type of openings or connection points on the back.

[Nick B]

The video calibration won't turn off the motion smoothing 120 Hz setting. You'll still want to make the best adjustments you can without it. But it gets you from "ok" to "in the ballpark of professionally calibrated for production work."

Thanks for the info about calibration and hertz rates. I’m quite pleased with the AppleTV box so far.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Hi Nick, I was looking for a 43" inexpensive TV last year and did a lot of research and viewing as the TV's under $500 suck for the most part.  The best TV that we found was this Samsung-

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-43-class-q60b-qled-4k-smart-tizen-tv/6502237.p?skuId=6502237

Right now it is on sale for $430 which is a great buy as I have never seen it that low.  I bought one last year and my daughter bought one recently.  Trust me, it has the best picture for a TV less than $500 and 43" and less.  It works well and is easy to navigate.  Trust me, in this class of TV's you get what you pay for.  None of the TV's in this price range get very bright or work well in well lit area's.  This SS was the best and has the best picture and good features.  It is also the recommended TV from the web site I listed below and they were spot on.

Also, check out this site.  It is very helpful and it also has calibration settings that help immensely.

https://www.rtings.com/tv

Larry

[newzooreview]

Brightness and viewing angle might be issues to research.

OLED TVs may not be easy to see in a room that get lots of light. They can also suffer from image burn-in if a static image is on screen for a long time (hours to days), but it's possibly a rare issue.

Viewing angles also vary.

The Rtings site seems to do real testing and comparisons, with data. https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/best/tvs-on-the-market

[Nick B]

Hi Nick, I was looking for a 43" inexpensive TV last year and did a lot of research and viewing as the TV's under $500 suck for the most part.  The best TV that we found was this Samsung-

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-43-class-q60b-qled-4k-smart-tizen-tv/6502237.p?skuId=6502237

Right now it is on sale for $430 which is a great buy as I have never seen it that low.  I bought one last year and my daughter bought one recently.  Trust me, it has the best picture for a TV less than $500 and 43" and less.  It works well and is easy to navigate.  Trust me, in this class of TV's you get what you pay for.  None of the TV's in this price range get very bright or work well in well lit area's.  This SS was the best and has the best picture and good features.  It is also the recommended TV from the web site I listed below and they were spot on.

Also, check out this site.  It is very helpful and it also has calibration settings that help immensely.

https://www.rtings.com/tv

Larry

Hi Larry,

Thanks for the tip! Just bought it and will pick it up in the Las Vegas area tomorrow. Not too much of a drive for me and I get to visit a friend too. As an aside, I enjoy reading your audio comments and value your opinions.

Nick

[js1955]

Thanks for the link. That certainly is a good option for me. I’m assuming that all of these TVs have some type of openings or connection points on the back.

Yes, there are 4 holes for mounting.  It's called the VESA pattern, and it can vary.  You just need to measure yours to know which mount to get.

Here's a good and clear explanation:

https://kantomounts.com/what-is-vesa-how-to-find-the-right-vesa-mount-for-your-tv/

[Nick B]

Yes, there are 4 holes for mounting.  It's called the VESA pattern, and it can vary.  You just need to measure yours to know which mount to get.

Here's a good and clear explanation:

https://kantomounts.com/what-is-vesa-how-to-find-the-right-vesa-mount-for-your-tv/

Thank you. That’s very helpful

[I.Greyhound Fan]

How do you like the TV?

[Nick B]

How do you like the TV?

Don’t have it yet. Now available Thursday in that particular store at the earliest per the customer service rep. There was one unit available when I completed the order, so not sure what happened.

[Nick B]

Don’t have it yet. Now available Thursday in that particular store at the earliest per the customer service rep. There was one unit available when I completed the order, so not sure what happened.

Hi Larry,

Picked up the Samsung today and just got it set up with the help of Samsung. I haven’t tried to tweak or optimize it…wouldn’t know how to do that. I like the picture and the much smaller remote than my previous 2015 Samsung. I am already controlling the TV via the Apple TV box. Did not need to set up the Apple TV box again. It just automatically mated with the new Samsung.

If you have any suggestions about optimizing any functions, pls let me know.

Nick

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Nick, here is a place to start for calibration settings.  This is for the 60" version but it applies to the 43" version.  These are suggested settings but you can tailor them to your liking.  I am glad to hear that you like the TV.

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/samsung/q60-q60b-qled/settings

[TF1216]

If you have an Apple TV and an iPhone can do some fun tricks for calibration the picture.
https://www.macworld.com/article/344476/iphone-apple-tv-color-balance-calibration-how-to.html