Complete Home Theatre Noob - How to decide on TV/Sound options?

[KineticDepth]

So I am a complete noob when it comes to TVs and sound bars. Ive had the same Sharp Aquos TV for the past 11 years (and have loved it), but now that I have a bigger space in the basement for gaming and content watching, I want to get a larger screen. Probably in the 65-75 inch range. As for sound, I just assumed a sound bar would be best. The space is 11' by 18'.

 

TV:

- Is OLED better than LCD in darker rooms?

- Which brand is considered to be the best?

 

Sound Bar:

- Would a sound bar be almost as good as surround sound speaker?

- Is there any specific brands people like?

 

 

 

 

[Dedayog]

http://forums.audioreview.com/home-theater-video/

 

Go where they specialize in it, while asking here of course. Just don't rely on a tech forum for all options.

 

 

[TheeShadowStorm]

11 minutes ago, KineticDepth said:

So I am a complete noob when it comes to TVs and sound bars. Ive had the same Sharp Aquos TV for the past 11 years (and have loved it), but now that I have a bigger space in the basement for gaming and content watching, I want to get a larger screen. Probably in the 65-75 inch range. As for sound, I just assumed a sound bar would be best. The space is 11' by 18'.

 

TV:

- Is OLED better than LCD in darker rooms?

- Which brand is considered to be the best?

 

Sound Bar:

- Would a sound bar be almost as good as surround sound speaker?

- Is there any specific brands people like?

 

 

 

 

Depends on the TV. some Sony models have very good sound with Built in sub woofer and multiple speakers behind the screen, in that case you won't need any other sound.

For TV with standard speakers you'll probably want a good sound bar with either hdmi or optical connection so there is no audio lag.

Personally I like the Sony TVs and the Sony sound bars although Sonos sound bar also very good

[Chris Pratt]

OLED is better than LCD in pretty much all scenarios. The only thing LCD has going for it is it's cheaper and can be brighter. That last one only matters if you're in a bright room, so in a dark room OLED will win hands down.

 

As far as brands, LG pretty much has it on lock in the OLED space. Sony is worth considering, but they tend to be more expensive for the same features and quality. For non-OLED, Samsung is the only brand worth considering, in my opinion, as their QLED, and particularly Neo QLED TVs come just about as close to OLED as you can get out of an LED TV.

[Home Theater Dummy]

2 hours ago, KineticDepth said:

- Is OLED better than LCD in darker rooms?

- Which brand is considered to be the best?

To your first point.
I think a more accurate representation of OLED is that they really show what they can do BEST in a dark room (and personally not recommended in a bright room). Not necessarily that they are better than LCD.
I believe a quality Full Array Local Dimming tv that has good implementation of its many dimming zones can also look great in a dark room. And most have dark room picture modes.

I think Each brand has different things they focus on. so it depends on what you want to go for. My personal recommendations (although on a per TV basis this list may change) for the better or best TVs that some brands offer  in the following categories are
Best Bang for Buck Brand:
TCL/Hisense
Best High end feature TV without High end price:
Vizio
Best LARGE TVs:
Sony/Samsung
Best OLED:
LG

You mentioned 65"-75" and I'm guessing that betting on the dimensions of your room you'll be sitting far enough away that the larger size makes sense.
BUT if you can afford to sit closer to the TV I'd suggest saving on the premium (depending on your budget) that a 75" TV will cost you and getting a BETTER 65" TV for the same price.

That's what I ended up doing. I wanted a 75" TV  and had set a budget but a better 65" TV came on sale just as new models were announced so I did that instead. (I have a 2019 Vizio P Series Quantum X.. great  BRIGHT TV/ I don't think you can find the 2019-2021 models anymore though.. LTT has reviewed the 2019 and 2021 models though) 

2 hours ago, KineticDepth said:

- Would a sound bar be almost as good as surround sound speaker?

- Is there any specific brands people like?

No soundbar that is a single unit even with surround "virtualization" has ever been AS good as dedicated surround sound.
If you can afford it I can't recommend a decent AVR enough (Denon, Marantz,  & Yamaha are my recommended easy to use brands).
Then build up a quality speaker selection over time.

That being said there are "soundbars" that are basically an all in one receiver with combined surround speakers and subwoofers.
I like the Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra 9.2 as has a huge soundbar to do most of the heavy lifting, towo wireless 10" subs, and 4 surround speakers. so it feels really immersive. (not to mention 3 HDMI inputs which is REALLY NICE) ... no EARC support though, but if you are connecting devices directly to the bar you don't need EARC.

 

 

1 hour ago, Chris Pratt said:

OLED is better than LCD in pretty much all scenarios. The only thing LCD has going for it is it's cheaper and can be brighter. That last one only matters if you're in a bright room, so in a dark room OLED will win hands down.

I SORT of disagree.

I think HDR content really shines best with a bright TV. 1000 nits is "Sort of" considered the standard to meet when you are watchig for HDR purposes.

OLED just can't get there. topping out at 870 nits and that's in a BEST case scenario.

Mad max for example was mastered to I think 4000nits. So an OLED doesn't really do HDR justice in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong the "true" blacks are amazing, but as FALD gets better with Micro/Mini LED backlights and high count responsive Dimming Zones  some LED TVs make a really compelling case against OLED since the "halo effect" is significantly lessened with more smaller zones, and of course smaller led backlights to begin with.

[tikker]

37 minutes ago, Home Theater Dummy said:

I SORT of disagree.

I think HDR content really shines best with a bright TV. 1000 nits is "Sort of" considered the standard to meet when you are watchig for HDR purposes.

OLED just can't get there. topping out at 870 nits and that's in a BEST case scenario.

Mad max for example was mastered to I think 4000nits. So an OLED doesn't really do HDR justice in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong the "true" blacks are amazing, but as FALD gets better with Micro/Mini LED backlights and high count responsive Dimming Zones  some LED TVs make a really compelling case against OLED since the "halo effect" is significantly lessened with more smaller zones, and of course smaller led backlights to begin with.

More nits will matter most in a bright environment though. You'll create infinitely more contrast by putting absolute black next to 800 nits than putting 4000 nits next to 800 nits instead of 2000 nits. Of course it's nice to have higher peak brightness, but in a dark room my C9 can get eye-searingly bright already. Even though it's only 700-800 nits it's borderline too bright. Not to say QLEDs and such aren't great, but for me nothing beats literally not being able to see where the TV ends and the wall starts when there's a dark scene.

 

In the end we need (want) both. High peak brightness to not saturate the highest peaks, and absolute blacks for the best contrast.

[Chris Pratt]

3 hours ago, Home Theater Dummy said:

I think HDR content really shines best with a bright TV. 1000 nits is "Sort of" considered the standard to meet when you are watchig for HDR purposes.

OLED just can't get there. topping out at 870 nits and that's in a BEST case scenario.

Mad max for example was mastered to I think 4000nits. So an OLED doesn't really do HDR justice in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong the "true" blacks are amazing, but as FALD gets better with Micro/Mini LED backlights and high count responsive Dimming Zones  some LED TVs make a really compelling case against OLED since the "halo effect" is significantly lessened with more smaller zones, and of course smaller led backlights to begin with.

It's actually the opposite. Each HDR implementation utilizes a PQ curve that shifts more of the data into the dark areas. If you can't display true black, you're losing a significant part of the dynamic range. Brightness does matter, but the difference between OLED and LED is not that great relatively, and the infinite contrast of OLED makes up a lot of the difference.

 

The Dolby Vision spec calls for 4000 nits, but there's nothing that can actually remotely get that bright. Even theatres with Dolby Vision can't do 4000 nits, so it's a wash.

 

Micro LED is a totally different thing. There, each pixel can be individually turned off, just like OLED, so yeah, it's fantastic. However, it's not really commercially available yet, and it's going to be god-awful expensive when it is. Mini LED is just LED with more local dimming zones (thousands vs hundreds). There's nothing special about it; just marketing. It does definitely help, but even 1000s of zones pales in comparison to the effective 4 billion "zones" you have with OLED or Micro LED, with each pixel individually controllable.

[King_PIN]

On 11/18/2021 at 11:23 AM, Home Theater Dummy said:

 

No soundbar that is a single unit even with surround "virtualization" has ever been AS good as dedicated surround sound.
If you can afford it I can't recommend a decent AVR enough (Denon, Marantz,  & Yamaha are my recommended easy to use brands).
Then build up a quality speaker selection over time.
 

Personally I think tv image is a personal preference.  Yes some tv's have stats that are better than others but in the end if you like a bright picture you may like a different tv than another.  

 

As for audio the above quote I am in total agreeance with. 

Most important is left and right, then sub(s), center channel and then surrounds. 

[IPD]

I recommend picking display size based off the viewing distance you find to be most comfortable.  For most, that's between about 1:1 and 1:2 (screen: distance).  So for example, a 70" display at 70" distance would be 1:1.

 

Sound bars are not the best, but they can be comparable to some midrange 2.1 setups.  They are certainly the easiest to set up though.  Sound bar vs surround sound is not dissimilar to flat panel tv vs long throw projector; setup takes longer for the latter, but the result usually speaks for itself.

[s_k]

In Audio one thing virtually always goes; Avoid the brands EVERYONE and their dog has ;). 
Mentioning brands always causes a stir, but please remember that I said this. 
Also, buy with your ears and your ears only and when auditing, if you are also going to use it for music, audit on a low level. If audio sounds good quietly, it will also sound good loud, not the other way around. 
I personally am not into surround or subwoofers so I can't recommend any, I'd always just go for stereo speakers, but the recommendations above still go. 
One more; If you don't watch a lot of TV, other than a movie every now and then and you don't mind darkening the room, maybe consider a projector!