Who knows something about TVs?

[Jaysop]

The wife gave the go ahead to buy a new TV. Something like a 55 inch that's good for gaming, movies, and Netflix.

Looking around there is just an insane amount of info that goes right over my head.
From what I've been reading the refresh rate is the most important?
Our living room is pretty wide and being able to get good picture from odd angles is pretty important.

Looking to spend around 1k
Where do I begin?

[jmp45]

For 1k my vote is for a Samsung 4k 55". We have a 65" 4k curve that we use for the same and web. A curve might serve a little better for off axis / odd angles but it's more $.

Amazon has the 55" for just under 1k.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN55JS7000-55-Inch-Ultra-Smart/dp/B00ZIGRVU8

[steyrman13]

I have tv in the major 3 brands. Samsung, Sony, lg. I haven't studied too much on the latest, but my Samsung is a great tv except one complaint. The HDMI ports can lose connection with Directv genii remote boxes and flicker to no input then back to the picture when fast forwarding and rewinding. This is a common problem with some of the samsungs. It is a few years old, so I do not know if they have fixed this problem yet. I like my Sony for sure though. Go with 4k and I think 120hz is fine but 240hz refresh is better.

[jmp45]

That's odd about the Samsung hdmi issue. We've had Samsungs for years an hdmi issue one time for a 52" we had, changed the hdmi cable and it fixed. I had thought it was just a cable issue.

[Irish]

I would recommend taking a look at the Vizio M series. They get really good reviews, you can get them at Costco & Sam's with a great extended warranty, and they're a great bang for the buck. I just bought the M65 and have been very impressed thus far. Good luck!

[Jaysop]

For 1k my vote is for a Samsung 4k 55". We have a 65" 4k curve that we use for the same and web. A curve might serve a little better for off axis / odd angles but it's more $.

Amazon has the 55" for just under 1k.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN55JS7000-55-Inch-Ultra-Smart/dp/B00ZIGRVU8

That seems like a good deal. Went and checked it out at bestbuy. Might be the one I go with.

[Jaysop]

I have tv in the major 3 brands. Samsung, Sony, lg. I haven't studied too much on the latest, but my Samsung is a great tv except one complaint. The HDMI ports can lose connection with Directv genii remote boxes and flicker to no input then back to the picture when fast forwarding and rewinding. This is a common problem with some of the samsungs. It is a few years old, so I do not know if they have fixed this problem yet. I like my Sony for sure though. Go with 4k and I think 120hz is fine but 240hz refresh is better.

Is the refresh rate difference noticable?

[steyrman13]

That's odd about the Samsung hdmi issue. We've had Samsungs for years an hdmi issue one time for a 52" we had, changed the hdmi cable and it fixed. I had thought it was just a cable issue.

https://forums-directv.jive-mobile.com/#jive-discussion?content=%2Fapi%2Fcore%2Fv2%2Fdiscussions%2F11252763

This is a description of what happens. But if you google hdmi Samsung issues or no signal issues, the common consensus at least a few years ago was their hdmi ports don't refresh as fast or do the "handshake" as quickly. The Sony, Visio, lg, and insignia tvs I have do not do the issue, only the samsungs. It's not a reiability thing just an annoyance. It was worse with charter because charter starts playing the moment you press play rather than going back a few seconds from where you push play. At least on Directv if your reactions are fast, then the show will start at the moment the tv recognizes the signal again.
It doesn't do it with the main DVR box as the way it works is it is the brain and the genies have to receive the signal from the brain. So there is a delay of input with the genie but no delay with the main box. Like I said it is definitely not a show stopper.

[steyrman13]

Is the refresh rate difference noticable?

If you compare 120 to 240 side by side it can be noticed in a pan in a fast action film slightly. From 60 to 120 is much more noticeable. I had read or heard at one point that 120 is a sweet spot for the human eyes and 240 isn't necessary. I do not know if that is true or not. I do know if you go with 3D, then go with a passive system. One that the glasses from the movie theaters will work. The ones that are active and cost you $100 per set of glasses will fatigue your eyes more than the heap ones from the movie theater that you can accumulate pretty quickly between friends and family seeing movies. The 4K almost looks 3D anyways though so I don't think 3D is necessary.

Here is a good read for the rates.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2379206,00.asp

Also. If you have watched someone's tv with motion blur or whatever the brand calls it smooth motion.... I call it the soap opera effect. It looks more real but takes the "cinema" affect away and makes it look like you are on stage or at a live theater rather than a movie/cinema.

[ggammell]

i had questions a few months back and put a thread up. Pretty informative. We skipped the 4k and went with a larger size. Glad we did.

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?173083-4k-Televisions-Worth-it-or-Not&highlight=

[jmp45]

We have the curve 3d version 240 refresh rate. Glasses are about $25 on amazon. They do get a little fatigued after a while but Jurassic World in 3D is really amazing.

[Tzook]

I don't know anything about the technical aspect of TV, but I will make a suggestion. If you can find one in your price range, I am loving my "smart" TV. I don't have cable, I only watch TV through netflix, HBO Go and Amazon prime. It's really, really nice to have all that at your fingertips with your remote, and not have to worry about extra stuff to plug in or stream from. Just my .02

[oldtexan]

I recommend that you go to cnet.com. They explain the various types, with advantages and disadvantages. They have lots of reviews of various TVs, and their data base will allow you to search by various features of the TV. They also have articles like "5 Best TVs under $xxxx" that could help you make sense of the tremendous amount of info available. We haven't bought a new TV in about 5-6 years, but the last few times we did, cnet was an invaluable resource for us.

[Honu]

http://www.avsforum.com

once you narrow down a model run a search in the forums at this link
often you find out quite a bit :) its a lot of reading and like any forum good and bad info but once you sift through it you find a common thing such as its good or its OK but watch out for this or skip it because of this
IMHO worth the time to research there :)