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LegitHyperbole on 15 October 2024
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Mummelmann said:
LegitHyperbole said:

And you also Don't have to pay through the nose anymore, I bought in midrange and was gobsmacked to see it holds up to TV's that are two thousand or more and I see the tech filtering down to budget TV's too so more people are going to experience great HDR. It really is the HDR that makes the difference, I'd rather go 1080p HDR than 4k HDR but having 4k HDR is just fantastic. I don't see the need to have a sound bar or sound system, Dolby atmos dual speakers is properly fine by me, even on my phone I'm blown away by how good at mimicking surround sound it is. 

This is true, mid-range TVs are now immensely good, picture-wise. Even budget models are becoming worthwhile, especially if one only uses streaming services, doubly so if one doesn't stream 4K. What they often lack is support of certain formats (HDR formats and types, for instance), some anti-glare coatings, and possibly things like peak brightness and up-scaling tech. They're mostly terrific in color, contrast, and even blooming. Some budget models from TCL have blown me away with their audio quality as well, performing as TVs more than twice the price.

I actually did pay through the nose this time, opting for the Bravia 9 85" variant. I also considered the Bravia 8, which is an OLED screen, and even the A80L (also OLED). However, size options were limited (I felt that the upgrade size-wise from 65" to 75" or 77" was too small for what it was), and there are still certain burn-in issues with OLED, especially with static elements like video-game UIs. Additionally, I've never had a place where I can fully control ambient lighting (not even close), meaning that many OLEDs can get overpowered during daytime. My biggest caveat with Mini-LED/LED was blooming/light-bleed, but I can report that I've only ever seen this once on the Bravia 9, and it was an ancient, terribly compressed movie on Amazon Prime (I can't remember which one though). The 85" model is actually even better than the smaller sizes, since it has lots more local dimming zones, meaning better contrast and higher accuracy, as well as higher peak brightness.

The only things I splurge on are gaming, TV, movies, and audio gadgets; what I spend on that over a 5-year period is easily less than what most people spend on partying, expensive holidays, phones, brand clothing etc. It's all about priorities. I have zero regrets. I'll be set for at least 6-7 years with this big boi, and by the time I'm in the market for a new one, I believe Micro-LED will be affordable and spectacular, with (mostly) the best of both worlds (LED and OLED)!

I bought a TCL before my current TV, lasted me a year before black screening, hence why I upgraded to midrange proper brand name. It was really entry level but the features it had were immense. Dolby atmos, 600-700 nits HDR10, 120fps, VRR and some really cool AI post processing that made games ultra smooth. I have that now but I'm missing VRR and back down to 60hz and the smoothing tech isn't quite as mindblowing. But for entry level it was unbelievable value for money. I got some downgrades with my current TV but a lot of upgrades too like much better tone mapping, black levels, peak brightness and I feeling of security with the brand name. 

You're TV sounds amazing. You really can't beat OLED right now, it doesn't get much better than that and no cinema screen will ever be that good. I mean, micro LED and all but can it really get noticeably better than OLED...  I doubt it.