Current Events > How are TVs now compared to 5-10 years ago?

(+) Yeah! (+)

My current TV is a 42" Panasonic Viera Plasma, which I've been very happy with except lately as I've been having these weird moments during some programs where people (particularly white people) will have these green spots/splotches randomly appear on their faces. Someone told me it could be the HDMI cable, so I tried another one, but had the same issue. (Oddly enough, the same thing is starting to happen on my computer monitor, which I suppose is unrelated, but still odd that both started having the same issue at around the same time).

At any rate, I've been considering buying a new TV, but I'm very surprised by how low the prices are. When I bought my current TV, it probably cost me over $1,000. Now I see TVs, much larger than 42", selling for $300-500. Granted, I've also seen some models cost several thousand dollars, but it seems like the less expensive models have pretty good specs.

Are newer models not as good/high quality as they were 5-10 years ago when I bought mine? If I buy a 42" Samsung or LG 4K TV for $300-400, should I not expect it to be as good as my current TV? As far as I can tell, they don't even make plasma TVs any more - not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Almost any TV will likely be better than your old one, even if it was working perfectly. I'd keep an eye for sales.

It's possible you could get it repaired, I did that for an older Samsung and it's still going strong, but I relegated it to a spare room since I decided it was time to upgrade.

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Theyre lighter, thinner, cheaper and better
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R1masher posted...

Theyre lighter, thinner, cheaper and better

if planning on a tv, black friday should be coming up in a month. or shop when you do see a good deal.
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Anything name brand in the $300 range is probably comparable to your current tv. As the tech gets cheaper to produce and new stuff comes out prices fall pretty drastically.

The only substantial upgrades imo that have really come out are bigger TVs prices falling and arguably 4k. So if you want to upgrade to either of those it's a relatively cheap investment.

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G-Ziss posted...

they don't even make plasma TVs any more - not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

It's a good thing. Plasmas are power hogs, the newer LCD, OLED, etc, are far more power efficient, and have better picture resolution.
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R1masher posted...

They?re lighter, thinner, cheaper and better

And more energy efficient.
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Wait till black Friday and cyber Monday gonna be cheap tv's everywhere
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10 years ago many people still were using fat tvs. now everything is flat and smart.

Jiek_Fafn posted...

Anything name brand in the $300 range is probably comparable to your current tv. As the tech gets cheaper to produce and new stuff comes out prices fall pretty drastically.

The only substantial upgrades imo that have really come out are bigger TVs prices falling and arguably 4k. So if you want to upgrade to either of those it's a relatively cheap investment.

How important is 4K? As far as I know, no TV networks are broadcasting in 4K yet so I'm guessing my only viewable content is 4K movies on disc.

Also, how important are HDR and 120 Hz refresh rate? And is there a big difference between TVs that have true HDR and 120 Hz versus TVs that have features that make it "seem" like they have those features?

You can get a big TV for cheap these days but they're all sloowww. Annoying tbh, can't we just have TVs that are just TVs? Is that too much to ask...

tvs are becoming more and more of a luxury.
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Cinderforge posted...

You can get a big TV for cheap these days but they're all sloowww. Annoying tbh, can't we just have TVs that are just TVs? Is that too much to ask...

There's no money to be made in selling dumb TVs anymore. They all need to monitor your viewing habits and listen in on you as well for "consumer purposes." Great.

I think I have the same TV as you TC, but it's 50"+ I think. Other than some frankly unnoticeable burn-in I have no real issues with it. It displays a bit dark at times (like in certain games) so I usually end up turning up the brightness a bit more than recommended. That's it.

My dad has a newer TV (nothing fancy, just regular LED) and the picture really does look a lot crisper and brighter than mine. It's just hard for me to justify shelling out even a grand on something I don't really need.
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G-Ziss posted...

How important is 4K? As far as I know, no TV networks are broadcasting in 4K yet so I'm guessing my only viewable content is 4K movies on disc.

Also, how important are HDR and 120 Hz refresh rate? And is there a big difference between TVs that have true HDR and 120 Hz versus TVs that have features that make it "seem" like they have those features?

4K may be important, depending on how large the t.v is, and how far you are sitting from it.
120hz refresh is good if you are planning to run a PS4, Xbone, or a gaming PC through the t.v. 3D also uses 120hz, but you don't hear much about 3D anymore. 50hz are your basic units, but unless you don't plan on going 4k or use 3D, a 60hz set will suit your needs just fine.
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