Better upscaling possible?
Need some advice from the AV gurus here. Just bought my first 4K TV -- 2019 Vizio M Series Quantum M558-G1. 55-inch.
The picture is gorgeous at 4K and with native 1080p content. But I have two quibbles, one I can work around and one for which I need your advice. The quibble I can work around is the Smartcast software -- it's terrible. But I can stream through the built-in Chromecast for all sources or use my OG Xbox One for YouTube TV and non-4K sources.
Still, I'm not wild about the upscaling with this TV. 720p and 1080p sources don't look that much clearer or sharper than my 2009 Panasonic Plasma that I just sold, other than much richer colors. I know plasma always handles motion better than LED -- that's a tradeoff I'm willing to make, and the motion isn't that bad on the Vizio. But I want the graphics and picture to POP, and this just looks a little soft when upscaled.
My budget remains $600 or less, so I know I get what I pay for. So, please don't recommend that I buy a $1,000 or $1,200 Sony or Samsung or to fulfill the post-college tuitions dream of an OLED set. That day will come, but it's not now.
Should I consider another set-top box/stick for better upscaling, such as a Roku Premiere, Ultra or Streaming Stick+ or an Apple TV?
I have about a week left in my Best Buy return window, so I'm going to take a peek at the Hisense H9F and get control of one at Best Buy so I can stream from my phone to it to check upscaling from 720p (ESPN's resolution) and 1080p. The comparison photos at Rtings.com show considerably better upscaling at 720p and 1080p on the Hisense than my Vizio.
But I'm leery of Hisense's quality control and reports of bad screen uniformity amid the otherwise glowing reviews. I'm also not interested in the TCL 2018 6 Series, as that set has not impressed me any time I've seen it. Looks washed out, with considerably grayer blacks than my new Vizio M Series Quantum. Plus I don't want to play the TCL panel lottery, even with the new 625 sets.
Appreciate any and all advice. Native 1080p and 4K content looks fantastic on this Vizio. Would just like to get streamed and upscaled 720p and 1080p content looking as good as possible, whether through a different set-top box/stick or switching to the Hisense.