Bigger TV (65") Recommendations

Discussion in 'Geek Cave: Computers, Tablets, HT, Phones, Games' started by purr1n, Oct 7, 2019.

  1. dasman66

    dasman66 Self proclaimed lazy ass - friend

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    Is there a step by step "for dummies" site you could recommend? I'd love to get better reception, but the wife won't let me install pole antennae... Could something (cheap) be built and put it in the attic?
     
  2. randytsuch

    randytsuch Friend

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    Not really in the boonies, but I live in the hills, and there are higher hills that block the main tv transmitters.

    Used this site and a couple others
    https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps

    Where they say:
    Signal strength calculations assume an outdoor antenna 30 feet above ground level. Actual reception quality may vary significantly for viewers using an indoor antenna.

    I can get 4 stations I care about with weak signal strength, including abc and fox. But no nbc or cbs.
    So doesn't seem worthwhile to pursue OTA.
     
  3. ergopower

    ergopower Friend

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    This video is almost exactly how I built mine. The balun is 300 ohm w/2 flying leads to 75 ohm coax. Electronics shops and some hardware stores will have these. If not, Amazon.
    One modification I would make is to use a board that is at least the width of the folded copper wires. The wires are really easy to bend out of shape and this makes it easier to handle.
    Placement depends on where you have access to the coax cable that runs to your TV. Wherever your service enters, there will be a splitter or series of splitters. If your internet router is connected to a coax outlet, you have to make sure you don't disconnect it. In that case you'll have to use a continuity meter to figure out which splitter output goes to the TV. Then it's a matter of where you can run a piece of coax to connect to the antenna. An attic is fine if you can run cable up there. In the garage is usually OK too. You can't locate it indoors if the sheathing of your house has any kind of foil coating, this will attenuate the signal too much. Attics and garages generally don't bother with this.
    You can build an antenna with higher gain and better directivity that isn't much bigger, you would add the reflectors shown in the link my earlier post on the back of the wood board (which ought to be bigger to accommodate).
     
  4. e.schell

    e.schell Friend

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  5. randytsuch

    randytsuch Friend

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    I think when I first saw this, I had already ordered and TV was in transit. Then I forgot about it before I ordered again from BB.

    Really wish I had at least PM'ed and contacted your dealer to find out what they could do as I am now looking at options for calibrating. But since my now 75X950H is such a huge upgrade over my 13 year old 52" lcd, I already think the pic looks great.

    Actually looking into buying a x-rite i1display pro and maybe hcfr software and seeing if I can figure out how to do it myself.

    Randy
     
  6. SineDave

    SineDave Friend

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    I'd recommend looking at CalMan home edition, as it's a way better tool and has DDC so it's easier than ColorHCFR: https://store.portrait.com/consumer-software/calman-home-for-sony.html
     
  7. randytsuch

    randytsuch Friend

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    Thanks for the input. I did look at calman but have a couple concerns, main one is that Calman appears to require an external pattern generator. They show it as required HW.
    I think HCFR can generate patterns on a PC.

    Other concern is I'm looking at a specific OEM's version of he i1display pro, and I verified someone used this version on the AVS forum thread, but I'm not sure if calman does.
    Really its the pattern generator that kills the deal for me and calman.

    I was also going to look at lightspace zero because its another free SW program that should do the job.
    I know you get what you pay for, so with free SW I'll have to spend some time and figure out how to do things instead of pushing a few buttons.

    Randy
     
  8. SineDave

    SineDave Friend

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    CalMan does have a pattern generator built in - you just connect via HDMI and drag the pattern window under your meter.
     
  9. randytsuch

    randytsuch Friend

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    Great, I don't need an external pattern generator.

    But my 2nd item could also be a deal breaker as much as that one.

    I ordered a NEC SpectraSensor Pro. Its the NEC OEM version of the 1idisplay pro, but was much cheaper than the normal retail version. I searched, and couldn't find anything to say it would work with Calman.
    Calman doesn't give refunds on SW, so I'd be out $145 if I bought Calman and it didn't work with my NEC.
     
  10. SineDave

    SineDave Friend

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    I would email them - Portrait Displays (the owner) is very responsive.
     
  11. randytsuch

    randytsuch Friend

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    Thanks, I'll do that and see what it says.

    I received my Nec Spectrasensor pro yesterday, and played with it a little.
    Installed displaycal on my macbook, plugged in the Nec and it was recognized as a i1display pro as expected.

    I'll take a picture of the label, but its a rev b, and says EODIS3-DCNE.
    The -DCNE is unique for Nec from what I understand, they also make -OEM which I assume is sold to all the small companies that don't buy enough to get their own PN.

    When you run display cal, it asks to install Argyll CMS. The Argyll program is the thing that actually interfaces with the Nec, and I had found with google that the Nec would work with Argyll.
    HCFR also uses Argyll, so it it works with displaycal it will work with HCFR.

    Only hiccup I had was that after taking a bunch of measurements on my mac, it said it couldn't save the correction file. Will need to look more into that.

    Bought this from newegg 3rd party seller for $150, which is about $100 less than the i1display pro sells for new.
    Other places sell for $200. It comes with no SW at all, just a thin manual. But since there is "free" sw available, I don't think that is a problem. Displaycal asks for a $20 donation (or something like that), which I think is fair and I'll give if I can get it to work right.
    Only other thing is the one I bought was built around 5 years ago, but it was in a sealed box and was new.

    For the price, I think this is a good deal, and a way to get into display calibration.
    I'll post followups as I play around with this some more.
     
  12. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    I spent much of yesterday going through this thread and am in a similar situation as where purr!n was almost a year ago when the thread was started. The posts have been extremely helpful. I was looking through recent models and wanted to check if the recommendations are as they were a year ago. Here is my basic criteria:

    1. 65 in.
    2. Probably LED. Budget is $1500-$1800
    3. Will be used for streaming exclusively. (Netflix, Hulu, Prime) No antenna, no blue ray
    4. Need to be able to stream from phone, use external apps wife likes Mobdro)
    5. Will use internal speakers or an external pair of bluetooth speakers only. Wiring is a big issue (besides power) due to mounting on a solid stone fireplace.

    We've been using VIZIO tvs, but the last one we bought has got to be at least 8 years old. So I'm not sure what sort of advancements have been made with bluetooth, and the ability to use external apps. Maybe it's not even a concern any more.

    I've also got a secondary issue. This is part of a remodel and the TV is being mounted to a solid limestone fireplace. The mounting surface isn't level so the install will be a challenge, and I had an outlet dropped down from the ceiling for power. But I'm trying to find a really versatile mount that doesn't cost several hundred dollars. Id prefer something with a relatively small footprint mounting bracket that goes against the stone. I've seen some in the 18in x 8in range, but also up to 27 x 17 which is a bit large. I'd like to find a mount that can be adjusted vertically besides just tilt. Then the larger footprint bracket wont be such an issue to fit around the conduit and outlet. So I'm looking for mounting brackets also.

    But back to the TV......Is the Sony X950H going to be my best bet? I have a local mom and pop Sony dealer that's been in business forever, and probably has the ability to calibrate it. So I can check to see if they have one on display, I'd rather deal with them than Best Buy.

    Thanks for any advice.....
     
  13. SineDave

    SineDave Friend

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    @crazychile - the X950H is a great choice. Sony tends to have the best processors inside their TVs and reality creation does a tremendous job on streaming content. You might be able to get a year old OLED at the top end of your budget if you're patient, which is even better - but that's a personal call.

    Regarding mounting on the limestone fireplace, I strongly recommend this mount from Monoprice. It has the benefit of a small footprint and pulldown functionality to make viewing more enjoyable: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=27773

    It's by far the best and most affordable "mantel type" mount. The original name brand mantel mount it's modeled after is the superior product, but much more expensive: https://www.mantelmount.com/products/mm540-enhanced-mount
     
  14. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    Either go cheap/good enough or wait a couple month for a refurb/deal on last year's LG 65" OLED. Your price range is high enough.

    Pop on the upcoming Chromecast/Android TV or whatever they're calling it and you have all the stuff you want.
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2020
  15. abisai2

    abisai2 Friend

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    I would second @zerodeefex recommendation based on your use case @crazychile unless you really want to spend the coin which in that case you can't go wrong with the Sony and Android TV built in.

    I had a fairly recent Vizio P Series (2018 model) which that I had to replace due to an accident around 'lack of patience'. The display image was fantastic! Anyway, I replaced it a 55" Sony X900H. The main differences between the X900H and X950H is that the former appears to be geared towards gaming while the latter appears geared towards max display quality. I am extremely happy with the X900H for my use case. Its image is so good it gives my Samsung KS8000 a run for its money.
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2020
  16. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    Thanks everyone. I don't have a problem waiting a few months for an OLED to come down in price. I can put the old Vizio back up for a while. I just need to get the mount figured out. The one @SineDave recommended sticks out too far, and the TV needs to conceal the mount as much as possible. I wanted to keep the TV within a few inches from the wall. Once I get it mounted I'll never move it again so its only the initial vertical adjustability that matters. If the TV can be adjusted vertically on the front mounting surface, that might work. I'll only need to slide the TV up 2-4 inches from centered on the back mount.
     
  17. SineDave

    SineDave Friend

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    I misunderstood vertical adjustment as needing to be able to pull the TV "down" for viewing. If you just want a low profile mount with adjustment, then this is my recommendation: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=5918
     
  18. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Turns out you were right on this all along. In my move to Texas, I decided to get rid of the TCL 6 series and sold it to a neighbor for $150. I'm not even sorry and am happy that someone else is happy. However good the 6 series was for LCD tech, it still didn't cut it for me. I found that my wife and I preferred watching shows on our old Panasonic 46" plasma rather than the 65" TCL. Heck, I even preferred gaming with the plasma. So there it goes, a 55" OLED would have met our needs. No regrets as we cleaned house and only decided to take three pieces of furniture with us. I'm still a cheap bastard, so won't be opting for the 65" OLED.
     
  19. Claud

    Claud Living the ORFAS dream

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    Prices continue to decrease . You can buy OLED and the good name brand LCD back lit Samsung, LG and Sonys quite a bit cheaper than last year. You must not watch much sports if you don't even want a 55" one.
     
  20. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    If you game, don't even consider FALD LCD TVs, since they need to disable the local dimming to achieve low response time.

    Unless you have a very bright viewing environment, there's really no reason not to get a OLED if you can afford one...
     

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