Others Opinion on What To Buy

my vote is for f8500, and it isn't even close.


i sit about 12' from my 64" and there's no way more pixels would make any difference at that viewing distance. my room is set up for the 120" roll down screen, and it's at around that size that i think i would notice 4k, when there's content.


i've tried LED's too many times, and i simply don't trust them anymore. there is ALWAYS a problem with producing blacks. they just can't do it properly. it's either dark and totally covered in uniformity issues, or it's really bright.


i think it's absolutely ridiculous to be worried about the brightness of the f8500. i use mine when i want ambient light in my theatre room and the projector wouldn't be suitable. i have the cell light set to 50% because at 80% it was giving me headaches and was just way too bright to view comfortably in anything other than a brightly sunlit room.


that is my opinion. but the way i see it, 'typical LED's' are only good in ambient light to brightly sunlit rooms. they absolutely suck in a darkened theatre room. the f8500 is fantastic in a darkened theatre room, and good in ambient to sunlit rooms. i seriously believe that the f8500 can look as good as any led in bright room conditions, and only looks dim under conditions that make led's also look dim(ie, outside, haha). just go to a showroom and look for yourself, locally the f8500's are all out in the bright lights next to the led's and it blends right in under those conditions.


also consider that if you make the 'wrong' choice and go with an f8500, you'll end up with a better led for less money when you sell it and buy a replacement a year or two from now. on the other hand, if you make the 'wrong' decision and not buy the f8500, you will never get a second chance (most likely after this year).


yes i'm biased against led's, but i believe that's based on the terrible experience i've had with led's, not some predetermined 'hate'. i've tried many times to love an led, and that love always turned sour once the lights went down and a movie came on.

It was a little strange reading your post, because your situation describes mine almost exactly. Room configuration and brightness, wife's preferences, wall mount with equipment below it, our seating distance is even 8 - 12 feet (two ends of an L-shaped couch).


Last weekend we replaced our much-loved but too small Pioneer 5010-FD Kuro with a Samsung PN64F8500. This was after a GREAT deal of research, visits to Magnolia, and consideration of the discontinued Panasonic plasmas when they were still readily available.


So far, we're completely happy with it. It's been getting quite a workout with the Winter Olympics (my wife is a sports fan, more so than I), so have not done much with Blu-Ray yet, but based on what I saw at Best Buy I'm sure it will be fine.


We were nervous about going up to 64"; I was a little nervous, my wife was VERY nervous. After watching the Olympics (on Comcast "high definition" cable) for a few nights, I can't imagine wanting a smaller TV. And Comcast is not as good of a source as Blu-Ray.


I'd go up to the PN64F8500 is your budget allows.


Wow...thanks...to all who have replied with an opinion so far.

 

I am biased also towards the plasmas as the last great TV I owned was a plasma over 10 years ago. The reason why the Sony LEDs are included is mostly due to their semi-matte screens, which I know will kill the color but help with reflection of ambient light.

 

The reviews of the Samsung are pretty damn awesome, so that is why it is on my list. I was too damn slow to get the Panasonic p60vt60 when BestBuy had them on sale for $1800. So I got stuck with the Vizio...which is not a bad TV, but is not for a room with any ambient light.

 

I'll keep checking back on here for the next few days before diving in and getting my next TV and taking the Vizio back to Costco.

 

Thanks!


I forgot to add that the only real reason the Samsung 4K is on the list is for future-proofing now. Not necessarily a good reason, but I haven't bought a new TV in almost 7 years...so I don't buy them that often.

 

Any reason not to get the F9000?

 

Also, any audio suggestions or is the Bose CineMate II okay for the big multi-purpose living room it is in?

 

Thanks to all!



Quote:
Originally Posted by eric3316  /t/1517838/others-opinion-on-what-to-buy#post_24358206


F8500 without a doubt. Brightness is not an issue at all.


Why not the 64"? If you are looking at an F9000 then price should not be an issue, especially if you give Chris a Cleveland plasma a call. You are new here but Chris owns Cleveland plasma and is a long time member of AVS. He also advertises on here. Right now he has the best price on the 64" F8500 you will find from any reputable dealer.

Click to expand...

I second this.


Did all the research, then ordered from Chris on Wednesday of this week.



Quote:
Originally Posted by cyntaxz  /t/1517838/others-opinion-on-what-to-buy#post_24359229


Any reason not to get the F9000?

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Yes, the picture isn't as good as the f8500.


Here's a good review of the F9000 I stumbled upon. Note the title - "A great 4k TV you shouldn't buy"

http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/samsung-un65f9000/4505-6482_7-35822865.html


Some choice quotes...


"Anyone buying a 4K/Ultra High-Definition TV of 65 inches or smaller and expecting to see an improvement in detail -- or any other aspect of picture quality -- with normal HD sources will be disappointed"


"We tested the Samsung UNF9000 and Panasonic TC-P65WT600 extensively to look for any such improvement compared with a same-size 1080p TV, and it simply wasn't there."


"As usual, however, the best plasmas, and even a midlevel one like the S64, provide a better overall picture."



Quote:
Originally Posted by cyntaxz  /t/1517838/others-opinion-on-what-to-buy#post_24359229



Any reason not to get the F9000?


Also, any audio suggestions or is the Bose CineMate II okay for the big multi-purpose living room it is in?

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Very little 4K material available now, pretty much almost none, so you have to watch lower quality material up-rezed by the TV. Not how I would want to spend my pennies and technology and viewing time.


My own personal plan is to watch 1080p on the 1080p F8500 for 5 years or so, and then if 4K has actually taken off and there is a critical mass of source material available, get an OLED 4K panel (assuming that neither of 4K or OLED has flamed out by then).


As far as audio goes, the signature trademark of Bose is distorting audio in non-natural ways to please the masses. I use, every day, a Meridian 561 (late 1990's holdover) that also distorts the audio to please, but much better than Bose has ever done.


HT audio is kind of stagnant, get whatever sounds good to you.


Thanks for all the info. I emailed Chris at Cleveland last night and will probably be ordering from him later this week.

 

Next question is wall mount. I have a unique situation in that I will have to mount my TV between two windows that are only 6" a part. I have seen a few single stud full motion mounts but am not sure which way to go.

 

Anybody ever deal with this situation before?

 

Also, what are other people running for sound bars/surround sound simulators?

 

Cheers!



Quote:
Originally Posted by cyntaxz  /t/1517838/others-opinion-on-what-to-buy#post_24363156



Next question is wall mount. I have a unique situation in that I will have to mount my TV between two windows that are only 6" a part. I have seen a few single stud full motion mounts but am not sure which way to go.


Anybody ever deal with this situation before?

Click to expand...

EDIT: When you said 6", I assumed that was a typo, and you actually meant 6' (6 feet). If you really meant 6 inches... that's uncharted territory , as far as I know. You may need to contract with a professional HT installation company. But, on to my response that assumed you really meant 6 feet:


Your questions continue to be spooky, in the sense that I am starting to wonder if you are my evil Doppelganger. I also have exactly the situation you describe (I actually have only 58" between a window and a door, and a 64" display to put in between (the 64" diagonal display is not 64" horizontal, but it still does not quite fit).)


My solution, back in 2003, was to get a Peerless PLA-1 articulating arm mount. This unit allowed me to connect the mounting plate to the studs, wherever they may be, and then shift the arm back and forth across the wide wall mount, to get the arm as close to centered as possible, and then use the articulating arm to get the TV perfectly centered.


This mount was not inexpensive in 2003, and this style mount is not inexpensive now, but it was a fantastic long-term investment.


My PLA-1 is long out of production, but it illustrates a principle. I bought my PLA-1 in 2003, and it was good. I replaced that 2003 42" Panasonic plasma in 2008, with a 50" Pioneer Kuro, and I just had to buy a cheap adapter plate from someone long forgotten, and I kept using my already-mounted PLA-1 arm to hold the TV. This month, I replaced the 50" Kuro with a 64" Samsung, and I just had to buy an adapter plate from Amazon, and kept using my PLA-1 from 2003 that was already bolted to the wall. I expect to keep using this Peerless mount for another 15 years, just buying an adapter plate when needed.


Compatible equivalents to the discontinued PLA-1 are available:

http://www.peerless-av.com/en-us/professional/product_categories/display_mounts/wall/articulating_#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.peerless-av.com%2Fen-us%2Fprofessional%2Fproduct_categories%2Fdisplay_mounts%2Fwall%2Farticulating_%2F10%2Fall%7Cfilter_screen_size_xlarge


If you go this route, be sure that what you choose is a model that has 1) A really wide wall plate, 12" - 15", and has lots of big holes from end-to-end of the mount, to allow you to center the arm as closely as possible after attaching the mounting plate to the studs; and 2) It is a 3-way articulating arm, so you can perfectly position the TV, even of the arm had to be an inch+ off center due to stud location.


In the above link, the PLA-50 to PLA-60 is what I have in mind.

with that little space, you may be better off not wall mounting and buying a stand with an incorporated vesa mount instead.

something like this(there are TONS of options though)


So still waiting but have pretty much decided on either the PN64 or PN60.

 

I went and ordered the Stanley TLX-105FM single stud wall mount. I also am taking back my Bose CineMate II in favor of the Yamaha YSP-2200 that I ordered. I am hoping that it offers more of a room feel and better surround then the Bose.

 

Again, thanks to everyone for throwing in their comments and opinions. It is appreciated!

 

Cheers!