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OK, my dearly-beloved TV is finally dying and that's dragging me kicking and screaming into the world of smart tv's. I'm looking at 48-50" screen size because that's what will fit my fireplace wall. I understand actual width will be less, and I've taken that into account. Viewing distance is about 10'. Budget is no more than $900, preferably less. For this purchase, I prefer to retail shop (BestBuy, Walmart, etc) rather than ship, simply so I have some clue of what I'm getting, but lack of store inventory is a real problem.
I've been concentrating on LG and Samsung OLED, simply because they seem to be higher-rated and offer wider viewing angles, which is important to me, but I don't know if the claimed advantages over QLED, NanoCell LED, etc etc etc is real or just marketingspeak. I would appreciate any and all help in sorting out all the noise and figuring out how the hail to get started in this arena. And yes, I've Googled it and even understand some of the explanations, but I'm still uncertain whether the differences are real or just lab measurements.
Two other quick smart tv questions -
1) Is a web browser standard on all smart platforms, or do I have to be careful to make sure I get that?
2) My wife wants to be able to use the screen to display some of her photography when we're not watching TV. Are apps available that will let me pop in a USB stick and display a photo or rotating photos? Is burn-in a concern?
OLED panels will look better in a dark room. IPS panels will look better in a bright room. VA panels can get brighter than OLED (although some get brighter than others), but they have bad viewing angles. So you have to choose your trade-off. I use VA panels and just sit in the middle of the viewing area. I like rtings.com for reviews. https://www.rtings.com/tv/learn/ips-led-vs-va-lcd
I use Google Photos and the Roku platform has an app that will display them without needing a USB stick. Keep an open mind when trying to use a web browser built into a TV.
Thanks for the info, I didn’t follow all of that, but I appreciate the link to the ratings site, I wasn’t familiar with it. Also for the tip on the Roku app. I need to look into that. I understand about the browser. I’ve got an Amazon fire device for streaming prime videos. Their browser is funky, but better than nothing. Thanks again.
2) My wife wants to be able to use the screen to display some of her photography when we're not watching TV. Are apps available that will let me pop in a USB stick and display a photo or rotating photos? Is burn-in a concern?
Thanks for any and all suggestions.
If you are wanting to go the USB route, consider the placement of the TV and where the USB port is located. They aren't all easy to get to, especially up on the wall.
And nothing beats OLED. Period. Seriously. There's a reason it's so expensive.
Thanks for the feedback. I made another visit to BB today, and their ship had come in. TV's were stacked everywhere in the store. I wondered if a big sale was about to break out, but the way they were selling, there won't be many left.
They had multiple versions of LG's OLED, ranging from the A1 you linked to what was claimed to be the latest model C2, where the 48" price jumped from A1's $700 to C2's $1400. I know I capped my budget at $900, but in your opinion to the later version justify the doubling in price? Just looking for thoughts and opinions. Thanks.
I know the C2 is the most recent model and the best LG from the last gen was the C1...the one I wish I had gotten. I 'cheaped out' and got a Vizio and I totally regret it. Steer clear of Vizio if you take no other advice from me.
If I was buying now it would be the C2.
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