TV Suggestion for parents

[Ckayy]

Hello all, I am looking to surprise my parents with a new TV. I know lots about PC hardware but absolutely 0 about anything home theatre/tv. 
They currently have a 1080p Sony Bravia from I would say roughly 8-10 years ago and they are too stubborn to make an upgrade but it is the thing in the house they use the most by far.
We have a Sony sound system/blu ray player and are using an optical cable to use it with the tv. I wanted to try and find a tv (preferably Sony, but if the deal is good they won't mind/care) which has these requirements/considerations:
1. Would be under 800-1000eur (living in Ireland, have access to amazon uk/de/fr if that helps...)
2. Have a centre stand

3. As this would be a tv for probably another 10 years, longevity/life span is vital

4. 50-60"
5. If there is a TV which would tick all the boxes and is cheaper than 800-1000, it of course would be handy to know of.

I appreciate that there is quite a few requirements there, but I tried to be as in depth but to the point as possible.
Thanks for any/all help in advance

[37748585862723896]

Samsung Q60 ?

Always check rtings for reviewhttps://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/samsung/q60-q60b-qled

 

[dalekphalm]

5 hours ago, Ckayy said:

Hello all, I am looking to surprise my parents with a new TV. I know lots about PC hardware but absolutely 0 about anything home theatre/tv. 
They currently have a 1080p Sony Bravia from I would say roughly 8-10 years ago and they are too stubborn to make an upgrade but it is the thing in the house they use the most by far.
We have a Sony sound system/blu ray player and are using an optical cable to use it with the tv. I wanted to try and find a tv (preferably Sony, but if the deal is good they won't mind/care) which has these requirements/considerations:
1. Would be under 800-1000eur (living in Ireland, have access to amazon uk/de/fr if that helps...)
2. Have a centre stand

3. As this would be a tv for probably another 10 years, longevity/life span is vital

4. 50-60"
5. If there is a TV which would tick all the boxes and is cheaper than 800-1000, it of course would be handy to know of.

I appreciate that there is quite a few requirements there, but I tried to be as in depth but to the point as possible.
Thanks for any/all help in advance

Is there a reason you're replacing their old 1080p Bravia? What does it not do that a newer TV would? Do your parents care about 4K or HDR or smart apps?

[saintlouisbagels]

20 hours ago, 37748585862723896 said:

Samsung Q60 ?

Always check rtings for reviewhttps://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/samsung/q60-q60b-qled

RTINGS is also pretty useless if people don't care about televisions beyond being just a picture box for mindless TV watching.

 

@Ckayy just keep it simple and buy whatever TCL at whatever comfortable price point.

edit: Never mind, most televisions don't do a center stand. I guess just pick a random Samsung Television.

21 hours ago, Ckayy said:

3. As this would be a tv for probably another 10 years, longevity/life span is vital

We can't predict the future.

TVs and monitors can just die out of the blue.

[dalekphalm]

6 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

RTINGS is also pretty useless if people don't care about televisions beyond being just a picture box for mindless TV watching.

Can you expand on this? If you're just mindlessly watching TV and you don't care about picture quality at all, you buy the cheapest TV you can find.

 

I guess that makes RTINGS useless, as would literally all over reviews and specifications aside from maybe picture size and other niche criteria.

6 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

@Ckayy just keep it simple and buy whatever TCL at whatever comfortable price point.

edit: Never mind, most televisions don't do a center stand. I guess just pick a random Samsung Television.

If the type of stand is really important to the OP, they should consider buying a stand separately that fits their needs and VESA mounting the TV - almost every consumer TV has VESA mounts, including TCL.

6 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

We can't predict the future.

TVs and monitors can just die out of the blue.

Very true - generally speaking though most TV's will last for 10+ years no problem.

[saintlouisbagels]

1 hour ago, dalekphalm said:

8 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

RTINGS is also pretty useless if people don't care about televisions beyond being just a picture box for mindless TV watching.

Can you expand on this? If you're just mindlessly watching TV and you don't care about picture quality at all, you buy the cheapest TV you can find.

I guess that makes RTINGS useless, as would literally all over reviews and specifications aside from maybe picture size and other niche criteria.

RTINGS does objective measurements of like latency, color space and accuracy, black uniformity, etc.

Latency doesn't matter unless you're a gamer.

Color accuracy doesn't matter unless something looks wildly wrong (why does my picture look so blue/purple?). Don't forget that people generally love more-vibrant colors e.g. less-accurate

Black uniformity isn't really a problem for televisions since most are VA panels unlike the dreaded IPS glow of monitors.

Are the parents going to care about ghosting from slow pixel response while they watch 24fps/30fps television?

Are the parents going to notice the non-juttering experience of a 120Hz panel while watching a 24fps film?

 

OP is buying their parents a new television after 8-10 years. Large televisions were prohibitively much more expensive back then. Nowadays 55"-65" is the standard and very affordable.
They literally cannot make a bad purchase because everything in low-to-mid range would be brighter and have more-vibrant colors and have up-to-date improvements in HDMI specs - especially eARC if there's an Atmos soundbar involved.

[dalekphalm]

26 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

RTINGS does objective measurements of like latency, color space and accuracy, black uniformity, etc.

Latency doesn't matter unless you're a gamer.

Color accuracy doesn't matter unless something looks wildly wrong (why does my picture look so blue/purple?). Don't forget that people generally love more-vibrant colors e.g. less-accurate

Black uniformity isn't really a problem for televisions since most are VA panels unlike the dreaded IPS glow of monitors.

Are the parents going to care about ghosting from slow pixel response while they watch 24fps/30fps television?

Are the parents going to notice the non-juttering experience of a 120Hz panel while watching a 24fps film?

 

OP is buying their parents a new television after 8-10 years. Large televisions were prohibitively much more expensive back then. Nowadays 55"-65" is the standard and very affordable.
They literally cannot make a bad purchase because everything in low-to-mid range would be brighter and have more-vibrant colors and have up-to-date improvements in HDMI specs - especially eARC if there's an Atmos soundbar involved.

All true - but none of that discounts the usefulness of reviews from sites like RTINGS, because you can absolutely unnecessarily spend too much money when another TV might cost the same and be better, or cost less and be just as good.

 

With that in mind, OP probably just needs to buy the literal cheapest TV that meets their size requirement.

[saintlouisbagels]

22 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

All true - but none of that discounts the usefulness of reviews from sites like RTINGS, because you can absolutely unnecessarily spend too much money when another TV might cost the same and be better, or cost less and be just as good.

I feel like you read only the first few words of my sentence.

49 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

  8 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

RTINGS is also pretty useless if people don't care about televisions beyond being just a picture box for mindless TV watching.

I totally see the the importance of RTINGS and other review sites. But that's only if a person actually has a criteria that needs to be met.

 

Do I want perfect blacks? I'll look up OLED TV reviews.

Do I want great contrast but I don't want an OLED? I'll look up LED TV reviews and check out the sections with Contrast and Dimming Zones.

Do I do a lot of fast-paced gaming? I'll look up all reviews concerning latency.

 

OP said their parents are stubborn about replacing their aging TV. That kind of tells me they have no standards and only care about having a picture box that will last a long time.

They also listed no requirements except a center stand, a size, and a price range.

[dalekphalm]

On 6/9/2023 at 12:21 PM, saintlouisbagels said:

OP said their parents are stubborn about replacing their aging TV. That kind of tells me they have no standards and only care about having a picture box that will last a long time.

This makes me question why the OP needs to buy them a new TV at all though - they never said the old TV died or was dying.

On 6/9/2023 at 12:21 PM, saintlouisbagels said:

They also listed no requirements except a center stand, a size, and a price range.

Indeed - so they literally just need to buy the cheapest TV they can with a centre stand and meets the size requirements.

[Ckayy]

15 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

This makes me question why the OP needs to buy them a new TV at all though - they never said the old TV died or was dying.

Indeed - so they literally just need to buy the cheapest TV they can with a centre stand and meets the size requirements.

Hey, firstly sorry about the long wait, did not have access to respond until now. Firstly the reason I want to replace their TV was cause they have started to complain about it being quite slow and just doesn't like to work sometimes. They often have to put the blind/curtain down so they can see the TV if its bright outside and they use smart apps like Netflix, YT etc. The only reason I didn't ask for the cheapest TV possible was for maybe some creature comforts that would make it easier for them ie. more apps/better UI/the brand name, to them it is often important that if they are going to buy something that is intended to last them a long time, you invest a little more into it, like a TV, car etc. 

[Ckayy]

On 6/9/2023 at 5:21 PM, saintlouisbagels said:

I feel like you read only the first few words of my sentence.

I totally see the the importance of RTINGS and other review sites. But that's only if a person actually has a criteria that needs to be met.

 

Do I want perfect blacks? I'll look up OLED TV reviews.

Do I want great contrast but I don't want an OLED? I'll look up LED TV reviews and check out the sections with Contrast and Dimming Zones.

Do I do a lot of fast-paced gaming? I'll look up all reviews concerning latency.

 

OP said their parents are stubborn about replacing their aging TV. That kind of tells me they have no standards and only care about having a picture box that will last a long time.

They also listed no requirements except a center stand, a size, and a price range.

Hey sorry to you too, just haven't had access to be able to respond til now. I would type the response again but if you just look above all the info is there. Sorry again, I can tell you guys know your stuff and are really happy and willing to help

[saintlouisbagels]

4 hours ago, Ckayy said:

Hey sorry to you too, just haven't had access to be able to respond til now. I would type the response again but if you just look above all the info is there. Sorry again, I can tell you guys know your stuff and are really happy and willing to help

Your "center stand" requirement actually makes it extremely difficult to find a great option for you.

Samsung has QN85B for $999 on sale, Q80B for $999 on sale,  and Q70C for $999 regular MSRP.

 

If it weren't for that, any TCL TV that comfortably fits in your budget would've been a very easy solution.

[Donut417]

On 6/8/2023 at 6:36 AM, Ckayy said:

3. As this would be a tv for probably another 10 years, longevity/life span is vital

Good luck. They dont build them like they used to. I still use an old 720p TV from 2009 because its built like a tank and wont die. In the time Ive had this TV, my mom has had 3 TV's. When they started the whole "Smart TV" craze they left quality at the door. 

 

On 6/8/2023 at 6:36 AM, Ckayy said:

. Have a centre stand

Most TV's dont have this now days. HOWEVER, companies like VIVO do make VESA stands that would provide this requirement. Its just that you would have to spend extra on it. 

[cmndr]

RTINGs is my go-to place for display recommendations. 

I'd consider these: https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/best/by-size/55-inch
Hisense 55U8H | TCL 55S555

If you don't have speakers, I'd also consider a pair of decent speakers. THIS MAKES A difference. A pair of something like Polk ES15 speakers on each side of the TV WILL improve the experience a fair bit. It's fine to buy used. Also get an amp (e.g. aiyima A07) and some cheap speaker cables/wires. 

 

[dalekphalm]

15 hours ago, cmndr said:

RTINGs is my go-to place for display recommendations. 

I'd consider these: https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/best/by-size/55-inch
Hisense 55U8H | TCL 55S555

100% agreed here - and both good suggestions. TCL in particular are generally incredible value for the picture quality.

15 hours ago, cmndr said:

If you don't have speakers, I'd also consider a pair of decent speakers. THIS MAKES A difference. A pair of something like Polk ES15 speakers on each side of the TV WILL improve the experience a fair bit. It's fine to buy used. Also get an amp (e.g. aiyima A07) and some cheap speaker cables/wires. 

Considering this is just for their parents, I would absolutely not overcomplicate it with external audio/speakers unless that's something they specifically requested they want.

 

We as tech enthusiasts sometimes get a bit over excited about stuff like this, and end up complicating things unnecessarily.

[cmndr]

1 hour ago, dalekphalm said:

100% agreed here - and both good suggestions. TCL in particular are generally incredible value for the picture quality.

Considering this is just for their parents, I would absolutely not overcomplicate it with external audio/speakers unless that's something they specifically requested they want.

 

We as tech enthusiasts sometimes get a bit over excited about stuff like this, and end up complicating things unnecessarily.

At least on the TCL unit you just plug the thing into the headphone out jack and use the TV remote control like normal. 

Built in TV Speakers suck. 

[sm1th5]

Sony x90k.