TV Displays and Tech Thread |OT2| There Is No Perfect TV ™ (Read The OP)

[FrankNitty]

Thanks. It is interesting to read elsewhere that people actually find their 6-series LG OLEDs brighter than the A9. Would you agree with that?

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Yes and no. I had my E6 calibrated for multiple modes, but I used ISF Day a lot because at one point it was in living room where it is fairly bright. It is now in the bedroom and it is extremely bright as I only re calibrated ISF Night and left Day as is. So when viewing Day mode it is brighter than my A9 which I calibrated for a dimmer room in the office. However the E6 has a stronger ABL and ASBL. It is very pronounced, where the A9 is more subtle and not as strong.

As for real brightness when measured the E6 is brighter on smaller windows. Pretty much all LG OLED's are brighter on smaller windows than the A9, but they cannot sustain it as ABL kicks in very fast. Larger patterns or full screens the A9 is brighter and maintains the brightness where the 6 series cannot

 

[Deleted member 14649]

Yes and no. I had my E6 calibrated for multiple modes, but I used ISF Day a lot because at one point it was in living room where it is fairly bright. It is now in the bedroom and it is extremely bright as I only re calibrated ISF Night and left Day as is. So when viewing Day mode it is brighter than my A9 which I calibrated for a dimmer room in the office. However the E6 has a stronger ABL and ASBL. It is very pronounced, where the A9 is more subtle and not as strong.

As for real brightness when measured the E6 is brighter on smaller windows. Pretty much all LG OLED's are brighter on smaller windows than the A9, but they cannot sustain it as ABL kicks in very fast. Larger patterns or full screens the A9 is brighter and maintains the brightness where the 6 series cannot

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Yeah your experience seems to tally with what I am reading elsewhere in that the AF9 offers more consistency in its brightness.

 

[tokkun]

Hard disagree here as someone who owns both LCD and OLED. The infinite contrast of the OLED affects every aspect of the picture, and really makes the colors pop and the entire picture more vibrant. Not just in dark scenes, in everything. Even the brightest scenes often have plenty of true black values being displayed, and LCD can't match that contrast at all. My OLED is in a room with 3 windows and a light that is always on and it's still a pretty obvious difference. I rarely watch in the dark. I think people forget that even though LCDs can get crazy bright, OLED is still way fucking brighter than any TV's made 5-10 years ago.

Viewing angle is definitely clutch and not talked about enough on OLEDS though. You can sit at almost 180 degrees from the damn thing and it still looks incredible.

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I should be more specific that I was talking about the Samsung Q90R that I was comparing to a C9, not any generic LCD. There is certainly a wide range of LCD performance out there, and I wasn't making a blanket statement.

"Infinite" contrast has always been something of a marketing gimmick, but especially in bright rooms. There will always be some reflection and diffusion on the screen raising the perceivable black floor. Though more importantly the ambient light causes your irises to contract. The eye has a pretty low instantaneous dynamic range, so having light reflect off a white wall behind your TV can easily make it impossible to discern differences in native black level.

 

[Sunbro83]

Isn't the Apple TV app slightly different to full integration though? I have an Apple TV 4K here and the Apple TV app is just that really, an app that serves as a TV guide, in a way, that launches 3rd party apps to play content - apps that have been long available on Fire products anyway. It's like a front end.

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I think it used to be but they're about to consolidate the existing Apple TV app, iTunes content and the new Apple TV+ service all into one app. Should mean iTunes content can be watched on any device:

https://www.cnet.com/news/will-apples-tv-app-on-roku-fire-tv-and-samsung-kill-the-apple-tv-box/

 

[MrPickles]

How's this TV?

https://www.samsung.com/us/televisi...lass-q6f-4k-smart-qled-tv-2018-qn55q6fnafxza/

I bought a display model for $332.

 

[OnagaTheDragon]

Dyas Gone on my B7 looks almost the same on HDR Game than SDR :(, sure, its have a little more highlights on sunny details/reflections, but without the DTM its looks almost the same :(

curios, its one or a few games that conserve the saturations on colors with defaults settings(other example was metro exodus)

 

[burgerdog]

Dyas Gone on my B7 looks almost the same on HDR Game than SDR :(, sure, its have a little more highlights on sunny details/reflections, but without the DTM its looks almost the same :(

curios, its one or a few games that conserve the saturations on colors with defaults settings(other example was metro exodus)

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Gaming in hdr is just sad on a b7. You don't know what you're missing until you finally see hdr game on an 8 or 9. Truly a shame because it's so good for everything else.

 

[Magyscar]

Would love some help with HDR games on my Q9FN/PS4 Pro.

Firstly, everything I've tried has been really underwhelming, to the point where I'm wondering if my panel is straight up faulty. I assume the advantages that HDR give you should be apparent but I'm just not seeing it in God of War and Horizon.

Ratchet and Clank looks good but the only actual difference I'm really seeing is that the brighter elements are really fucking blown out. Lava, the sun etc. Full on nuclear with loads of artifacts. I literally can't find any reports of this anywhere, the game is meant to have great HDR.

I know it's mostly OLED people in here but if anyone has the same TV I would love some input. I know EvilBoris has one, have you had these issues?

 

[aevanhoe]

"Infinite" contrast has always been something of a marketing gimmick, but especially in bright rooms. There will always be some reflection and diffusion on the screen raising the perceivable black floor. Though more importantly the ambient light causes your irises to contract. The eye has a pretty low instantaneous dynamic range, so having light reflect off a white wall behind your TV can easily make it impossible to discern differences in native black level.

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What you say makes sense and yet, in all but the brightest scenarios (like going directly outside), I can see a difference between my LCD TV and LCD Mac & iPad and my OLED TV and OLED iPhone. The contrast may not be infinite due to reflections, but it is noticeable. However, this is with IPS LCDs without local dimming. Perhaps VA LCDs with FALD look much closer to OLEDs. But, either way, all I need to do is lower a few shades in my room and the OLED seems incredibly punchy, more than LCD screens. Of course LCD has its own benefits and I would love to see a Q90R in a regular room (not in store) to test.

 

[aevanhoe]

Gaming in hdr is just sad on a b7. You don't know what you're missing until you finally see hdr game on an 8 or 9. Truly a shame because it's so good for everything else.

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Because people here refuse to use Dynamic Contrast in Game Mode (the horror!!!!!). Either way, he can take a look at the game in non-gaming modes with Active HDR and see how the image would look with DTM just to check how it looks and compare to SDR. But even in a dimmer game mode, Days Gone looks great in HDR.

The thing with HDR is.... some people just aren't impacted by it that much. For example, I barely notice it in movies (games is a different story) while others swear by it. Check out Magyscar post above - they aren't impacted by it in God of War (one of the best looking HDR games) on Q9FN (one of the brightest HDR TVs). It's a matter of expectations.

 

[Magyscar]

Check out Magyscar post above - they aren't impacted by it in God of War (one of the best looking HDR games) on Q9FN (one of the brightest HDR TVs). It's a matter of expectations.

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To be honest, pretty sure my issue is a calibration one. HDR games either seem too dark, too saturated, too washed out... Just can't seem to get the right balance.

Like, I know Ratchet and Clank is meant to have good HDR implementation but the brightest elements are screwed on my TV so I can't really comment on it.

 

[Smokey]

Gaming in hdr is just sad on a b7. You don't know what you're missing until you finally see hdr game on an 8 or 9. Truly a shame because it's so good for everything else.

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oof, still on a b6.

 

[henhowc]

Can't the hdr game mode tone mapping on the lg 2017s be overcome by developers adding additional hdr tweaking options?

Also you could try not using game mode for hdr games. Some people might find the input lag tradeoff tolerable for single player games or stuff that doesn't require pinpoint accuracy. Not ideal I know.

 

[aevanhoe]

Can't the hdr game mode tone mapping on the lg 2017s be overcome by developers adding additional hdr tweaking options?

Also you could try not using game mode for hdr games. Some people might find the input lag tradeoff tolerable for single player games or stuff that doesn't require pinpoint accuracy. Not ideal I know.

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Yes it can be overcome by tweaks, you can set games like God of War and AC games to be as bright and contrasty as you want them. However most games don't have such good controls.

However, setting DC on High and Brightness to 54 creates a picture that is very, very close to Cinema with Active HDR. Also, if you want an even brighter picture, PC mode in Standard has something like 30-40ms lag which is fine for most games. I stopped using it mostly due to the fact that is just too bright at times, clipping too much of the highlights, but it's a viable option.

Of course, DTM on Series 8 is better than DC tricks and Manual Curve Setting on Series 9 is even better than DTM, but the difference is not that big unless you're, well, really into this A/V stuff. People here hate DC because video enthusiasts, in general, don't like picture tweaking, but for regular people, it is a very good solution and Rtings recommends it.

Even in their C9 review, in the comments section they say the difference between generations is not that huge, yes, even for gamers. Their quote:

While game mode can be a bit dimmer on the C7, with Dynamic Contrast on 'High' it looks very similar to the C9.

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Again, purists will disagree, but I've stopped caring about that and started enjoying my TV months ago, I play games with DC and they look great. Days Gone, mentioned here, looks amazing in HDR.

 

[Powerofthecloud]

Would love some help with HDR games on my Q9FN/PS4 Pro.

Firstly, everything I've tried has been really underwhelming, to the point where I'm wondering if my panel is straight up faulty. I assume the advantages that HDR give you should be apparent but I'm just not seeing it in God of War and Horizon.

Ratchet and Clank looks good but the only actual difference I'm really seeing is that the brighter elements are really fucking blown out. Lava, the sun etc. Full on nuclear with loads of artifacts. I literally can't find any reports of this anywhere, the game is meant to have great HDR.

I know it's mostly OLED people in here but if anyone has the same TV I would love some input. I know EvilBoris has one, have you had these issues?

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You have adjusted your HDR brightness settings in game for those games?

 

[EvilBoris]

Would love some help with HDR games on my Q9FN/PS4 Pro.

Firstly, everything I've tried has been really underwhelming, to the point where I'm wondering if my panel is straight up faulty. I assume the advantages that HDR give you should be apparent but I'm just not seeing it in God of War and Horizon.

Ratchet and Clank looks good but the only actual difference I'm really seeing is that the brighter elements are really fucking blown out. Lava, the sun etc. Full on nuclear with loads of artifacts. I literally can't find any reports of this anywhere, the game is meant to have great HDR.

I know it's mostly OLED people in here but if anyone has the same TV I would love some input. I know EvilBoris has one, have you had these issues?

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Is HDR engaging for the games?
Can you post the settings you are using on the TV?

Both Gow and Horizon will benefit from you switching to a 4000nit tone map (gamma setting ST2084 -3)
They hare hugely blown out otherwise

 

[tokkun]

What you say makes sense and yet, in all but the brightest scenarios (like going directly outside), I can see a difference between my LCD TV and LCD Mac & iPad and my OLED TV and OLED iPhone. The contrast may not be infinite due to reflections, but it is noticeable. However, this is with IPS LCDs without local dimming. Perhaps VA LCDs with FALD look much closer to OLEDs. But, either way, all I need to do is lower a few shades in my room and the OLED seems incredibly punchy, more than LCD screens. Of course LCD has its own benefits and I would love to see a Q90R in a regular room (not in store) to test.

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You might want to try displaying a black screen on the LCD panel, then turn the device's screen on & off and see if you can tell the difference. The issue with doing an A:B comparison between different devices comes down to the first part of what I said - reflections and light diffusion in the panel may contribute more to raising its black level than the luminence of the panel itself. Newer and higher-end products also tend to sport more effective coatings.

I just tried this out with my Asus Zenpad 3S, which is the only glossy portable LCD screen I have. It has a black level of 0.43 nits. For reference, that's somewhere between 4X-10X higher than what I see quoted for the Q90R in reviews. In a dimly lit room (no lights on, overcast outdoors) and holding the device about 18 inches away from my eyes, I wasn't sure if I could perceive any difference between screen on with a black image vs screen off. However, if I repeat this in a windowless room that is nearly pitch black, I can see a clear difference between screen on and screen off.

Just as another interesting point of comparison - I have a 9-year-old plasma set sitting around, and its black level when turned off in the dimly lit room is actually noticeably worse than the LCD's black level when turned on. Which goes to show that panel coatings have come a long way in the last decade.

 

[Zack]

LG B8 deals by Walts TV (authorized LG reseller):
65" OLED65B8P - $1497
55" OLED55B8P - $997
Must add to cart to see price.

 

[Jesse_and_the_rippers]

I have a 55" B7 and have never connected it to the internet, thus never updated the firmware. Does anyone have a link to a summary of what LG has done with each update? I have been afraid to mess with it, since I am so happy with how it worked out of the box, but am curious to see what has been changed/improved/made worse.

 

[Magyscar]

You have adjusted your HDR brightness settings in game for those games?

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I've messed about with them but GoW especially is hard to configure. No idea where I should be putting the brightness and contrast sliders.

I feel like brightness needs to be maxed in Horizon. Incredibly dim otherwise. I actually can see a noticeable difference with HDR now. The sparks when you're fighting robots really stand out to me.

Is HDR engaging for the games?
Can you post the settings you are using on the TV?

Both Gow and Horizon will benefit from you switching to a 4000nit tone map (gamma setting ST2084 -3)
They hare hugely blown out otherwise

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Yeah, HDR is definitely activating. Not doing anything crazy with the setting, I'm on CAL-NIGHT.

Backlight 50
Brightness 0
Contrast 50
Colour 27
Local Dimming High
Colour Tone Warm 1
Gamma is set to what you suggested.
BCI Colour Space on Auto

So, Ratchet has zero brightness options in-game, meaning I HAVE to put Contrast Enhancer on High for it not to be incredibly dim. Can also max out gamma for a similar effect.

Is there any chance you could do me a solid and try Ratchet if you have time? You can see the blown out bright elements almost immediately when the Insomniac logo lights up but it's more noticeable on the light above the planet on the title screen or staring at the sun or lava in-game.

 

[EvilBoris]

I've messed about with them but GoW especially is hard to configure. No idea where I should be putting the brightness and contrast sliders.

I feel like brightness needs to be maxed in Horizon. Incredibly dim otherwise. I actually can see a noticeable difference with HDR now. The sparks when you're fighting robots really stand out to me.



Yeah, HDR is definitely activating. Not doing anything crazy with the setting, I'm on CAL-NIGHT.

Backlight 50
Brightness 0
Contrast 50
Colour 27
Local Dimming High
Colour Tone Warm 1
Gamma is set to what you suggested.
BCI Colour Space on Auto

So, Ratchet has zero brightness options in-game, meaning I HAVE to put Contrast Enhancer on High for it not to be incredibly dim. Can also max out gamma for a similar effect.

Is there any chance you could do me a solid and try Ratchet if you have time? You can see the blown out bright elements almost immediately when the Insomniac logo lights up but it's more noticeable on the light above the planet on the title screen or staring at the sun or lava in-game.

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I don't actually own it unfortunately. Things you can do:

Contrast, drop that back to 43 (this corrects the overbrightening the display does by default when gamma is set to 0) I will need to check it's effect on the -3 setting.
Keep colour on 25 and colour temp on Warm2

Under colour space, switch to custom , ensure it is set to DCIP3 and reset the colour settings on this area.

 

[Deleted member 16452]

You might want to try displaying a black screen on the LCD panel, then turn the device's screen on & off and see if you can tell the difference. The issue with doing an A:B comparison between different devices comes down to the first part of what I said - reflections and light diffusion in the panel may contribute more to raising its black level than the luminence of the panel itself. Newer and higher-end products also tend to sport more effective coatings.

I just tried this out with my Asus Zenpad 3S, which is the only glossy portable LCD screen I have. It has a black level of 0.43 nits. For reference, that's somewhere between 4X-10X higher than what I see quoted for the Q90R in reviews. In a dimly lit room (no lights on, overcast outdoors) and holding the device about 18 inches away from my eyes, I wasn't sure if I could perceive any difference between screen on with a black image vs screen off. However, if I repeat this in a windowless room that is nearly pitch black, I can see a clear difference between screen on and screen off.

Just as another interesting point of comparison - I have a 9-year-old plasma set sitting around, and its black level when turned off in the dimly lit room is actually noticeably worse than the LCD's black level when turned on. Which goes to show that panel coatings have come a long way in the last decade.

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Never mind how crazy this test sounds, but this is just wrong, the difference in blacks between perfect and slightly raised are so easily noticeable to me or most that have owned an OLED even in a slightly lit room. Why do you think we spent 2 pages talking about slightly raised blacks in Dolby Vision through HDMI on the C8. Perfect blacks are incredibly noticeable, and me and other people here that have owned or own both high end FALD LCD and OLED have confirmed this.

This is probably the most creative way I've seen someone use to downplay OLEDs strengths lol.

 

[Magyscar]

I don't actually own it unfortunately. Things you can do:

Contrast, drop that back to 43 (this corrects the overbrightening the display does by default when gamma is set to 0) I will need to check it's effect on the -3 setting.
Keep colour on 25 and colour temp on Warm2

Under colour space, switch to custom , ensure it is set to DCIP3 and reset the colour settings on this area.

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Ah, that's a shame. I don't think there are any changes I can make to the TV to fix the Ratchet thing so I'll just have to live with it. Will use those settings regardless though, thanks.

I'm gonna PM you a picture of the issue with that game though, see what you think.

 

[EvilBoris]

Ah, that's a shame. I don't think there are any changes I can make to the TV to fix the Ratchet thing so I'll just have to live with it. Will use those settings regardless though, thanks.

I'm gonna PM you a picture of the issue with that game though, see what you think.

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I've just bought it, I'll take a look At it when it's downlaoded

 

[EvilBoris]

Ah, that's a shame. I don't think there are any changes I can make to the TV to fix the Ratchet thing so I'll just have to live with it. Will use those settings regardless though, thanks.

I'm gonna PM you a picture of the issue with that game though, see what you think.

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Just a quick look, the title screen with the planet is an SDR asset which has been tone mapper upto HDR, the lack of bit depth is why there are artifacts.
Likewise for the intro cutscene, which is prerendered

 

[Magyscar]

Just a quick look, the title screen with the planet is an SDR asset which has been tone mapper upto HDR, the lack of bit depth is why there are artifacts.
Likewise for the intro cutscene, which is prerendered

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Huh, okay. During gameplay it affects bright light sources as well which is what's really weird to me. Can't really find any other complaints about it online.

Thanks for checking it out and let me know if you keep playing and have the same issues.

 

[MrMephistoX]

Sorry if this has been asked but of the Best Buy Memorial Day sale sets (65-70 Inch) which would be the best bang for my buck. I have a budget from the wife of less than $1K.

Thx!

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/promo/...creensizerange_facet=TV Screen Size~65" - 69"

Had my eye on the Samsung 7 Series

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsun...rt-4k-uhd-tv-with-hdr/6325561.p?skuId=6325561

And I am a Sony whore but have heard the quality has dipped recently?

SONY X705F

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-6...rt-4k-uhd-tv-with-hdr/6280535.p?skuId=6280535

 

[ascii42]

Sorry if this has been asked but of the Best Buy Memorial Day sale sets (65-70 Inch) which would be the best bang for my buck. I have a budget from the wife of less than $1K.

Thx!

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/promo/...creensizerange_facet=TV Screen Size~65" - 69"

Had my eye on the Samsung 7 Series

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsun...rt-4k-uhd-tv-with-hdr/6325561.p?skuId=6325561

And I am a Sony whore but have heard the quality has dipped recently?

SONY X705F

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-6...rt-4k-uhd-tv-with-hdr/6280535.p?skuId=6280535

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That seems a lot for the X750F since the X800G is only $100 more

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-6...rt-4k-uhd-tv-with-hdr/6328561.p?skuId=6328561

 

[yogurt]

Picked up an X950G. Love everything about it, except I'm having a few issues with Android TV.

1. Netflix won't open. Says connection error (-100) every time.

2. Casting doesn't work - my phone says it can't connect.

All other internet stuff works fine, so it's not a connectivity issue.

I've tried every solution I found on the internet...soft reset, factory reset, switching networks, changing date and time, installing updates, UNinstalling updates, etc.

Has anyone run into these issues with Android TV? Any idea what I should try next?

 

[ShapeGSX]

The Samsung Q90R's interface is lightning quick. It even keeps apps running in the background when you open up other apps.

And airplay built into the tv is a beautiful thing. It's so fast!

I think I won the panel lottery on mine. Very little DSE at all. The photo seems to make it seem worse than what I can see in person. In person, I see nothing.

My phone keeps on saturating the photos. This is movie mode. I can't make the photo match the TVs colors.

 

[Karish]

$1500 65" B8 http://www.walts.com/tvs/oled-tv/lg-oled-tv-oled65b8p

 

[DangerMouse]

Picked up an X950G. Love everything about it, except I'm having a few issues with Android TV.

1. Netflix won't open. Says connection error (-100) every time.

2. Casting doesn't work - my phone says it can't connect.

All other internet stuff works fine, so it's not a connectivity issue.

I've tried every solution I found on the internet...soft reset, factory reset, switching networks, changing date and time, installing updates, UNinstalling updates, etc.

Has anyone run into these issues with Android TV? Any idea what I should try next?

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No idea if this will help but did a search and found this process for clearing Netflix data and cache since that's what Netflix says the error is caused by. Try this under EricC:

https://help.netflix.com/en/node/39901

https://us.community.sony.com/s/question/0D50B00004IL3vbSAD/netflix-error-100?language=en_US

If you're already on the new Android, I just looked on my TV and it's actually now: Settings > Apps > Netflix (under the system apps section)

As for the casting issue, hmmm, not sure it matters, but do you have both a 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz set up and are they both on the same one? I've always kept them both on the same one one.
When you hit the casting icon, does it even list your TV as one of the choices to cast to before the error?
You can try resetting that also, it should be under:
Settings > Apps > Google Cast Receiver/Chromecast Built-in

Clear Data
Uninstall Updates

If that doesn't work, just in case have you tried casting from a couple of different apps?

 

[AtomicShroom]

The Samsung Q90R's interface is lightning quick. It even keeps apps running in the background when you open up other apps.

And airplay built into the tv is a beautiful thing. It's so fast!

I think I won the panel lottery on mine. Very little DSE at all. The photo seems to make it seem worse than what I can see in person. In person, I see nothing.

My phone keeps on saturating the photos. This is movie mode. I can't make the photo match the TVs colors.

Click to shrink...

Does it crush stars as badly as Rtings made it seem? It's the only thing that's turning me off from buying this TV

 

[Chamber]

The Samsung Q90R's interface is lightning quick. It even keeps apps running in the background when you open up other apps.

And airplay built into the tv is a beautiful thing. It's so fast!

I think I won the panel lottery on mine. Very little DSE at all. The photo seems to make it seem worse than what I can see in person. In person, I see nothing.

My phone keeps on saturating the photos. This is movie mode. I can't make the photo match the TVs colors.

Click to shrink...

Nice.

I was really impressed when I saw this TV in person, would love to sample it with different content. If Samsung supported DV, I really think they'd be crushing it right now.

 

[MrMephistoX]

That seems a lot for the X750F since the X800G is only $100 more

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-6...rt-4k-uhd-tv-with-hdr/6328561.p?skuId=6328561

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Yeah I actually saw the XBR70X830F on Amazon for the same price as the 65 800 Series you linked to as I was in the store. Think I might bite the bullet and just get the size I really want. The jump between my 55 KDL from a few years ago isn't that dramatic with a 65 so I'd rather just go big.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CWWYCYY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

 

[ShapeGSX]

Does it crush stars as badly as Rtings made it seem? It's the only thing that's turning me off from buying this TV

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I have nothing to compare it to. But I do have these shots from The Last Jedi.

Note that the cloudiness to the right appears to be in the film source.

 

[ShapeGSX]

One more.

 

[AtomicShroom]

One more.

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Nice! What did you set local dimming to?

 

[ShapeGSX]

Nice! What did you set local dimming to?

Click to shrink...

Standard.

I just checked. There are a few more stars with it set to High. But it does elevate the blacks. Low appears the same as Standard.

 

[nib95]

I appear to have won the panel lottery on my new C8 as well. Best uniformity I've seen on one yet, and better than my B8 which also has no vertical banding, but is ever so slightly lighter in the bottom right corner of the screen. This C8 also appears to have no tinting what-so-ever on a pure white, which is awesome. The colours also appear to be super accurate out of the box on ISF Dark, more so than my B8, I can tell as much comparing to my ISF calibrated VT65 plasma. The manufacture date of the panel is March 2019 if anyone's interested. So it literally just got out of the factory two months ago.

The only negative is that out of the box with this C8 I was getting black crush, and only switching to brightness 60 instead of the default 50, or gamma 1.9 instead of the default BT.1886, completely fixed the issue to a calibrated black level standard.

Now I have heard of others who have had a similar issue out of the box, and where two automatic refresh cycles (the TV automatically does these every 4 hours of use) fixed the issue and levelled out the brightness to where 50-51 brightness was the new calibration default. I'm in the process of moving into a new place, so haven't had the time to use the TV for a comp cycle to kick in yet. I'll update once I've used it more.

In any case, here are some images, including of the infamous Marco Polo uniformity torture scene, where you can see the set exhibits no banding. Excuse or ignore the poor colours, shadows and image clarity, these shots were taken on my mobile phone.

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[Deleted member 14649]

I appear to have won the panel lottery on my new C8 as well. Best uniformity I've seen on one yet, and better than my B8 which also has no vertical banding, but is ever so slightly lighter in the bottom right corner of the screen. This C8 also appears to have no tinting what-so-ever on a pure white, which is awesome. The manufacture date of the panel is March 2019 if you're interested. So it literally just got out of the factory two months ago.

The only negative is that out of the box with this C8 I was getting black crush, and only switching to brightness 60 instead of the default 50, or gamma 1.9 instead of the default BT.1886, completely fixed the issue to a perfect calibrated black level standard.

Now I have heard of others who have had a similar issue out of the box, and where two automatic refresh cycles (the TV automatically does these every 4 hours of use) fixed the issue and levelled out the brightness to where 50-51 brightness was the new calibration default. I'm in the process of moving into a new place, so haven't had the time to use the TV for a comp cycle to kick in yet. I'll update once I've used it more.

In any case, here are some images, including of the infamous Marco Polo uniformity torture scene, where you can see the set exhibits no banding. Excuse or ignore the poor colours, shadows and image clarity, these shots were taken on my mobile phone.

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Another reason I went for a 2018 set. The uniformity is just better. I haven't seen a 2019 set yet as good as that.

 

[Ostinatto]

What is the best video on the internet (youtube / whatever) you test HDR on my B8?

 

[Hawkijustin]

KS8000 took a shit on me today while watching tv. Screen went funky for half a second then black. Samsung logo is now just flashing and you can see the backlight coming on and off but nothing comes on.

Bought a TCL 65R615 from Best Buy for $700 and it seems okay for now. Was in a pinch and needed something in the budget range. Can't tell if it's any better or worse than my ks8000. Time will tell.

 

[nib95]

What is the best video on the internet (youtube / whatever) you test HDR on my B8?

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I don't know about best, but Dynasties in 4K HLG (hybrid log gamma) HDR on BBCi player is spectacular. The B8 got the HLG update for BBCi player only a few months ago. Altered Carbon in Dolby Vision (Netflix) is also extremely impressive, as is Planet Earth II as well.

 

[Karish]

Is it OK for my LG B8 to be mounted at a minor down tilt? Maybe 15 degrees? Any concerns re the physical well-being of the set but also does this impact image quality at all? I couldn't shake the feeling the image was somehow being skewed just a little.

 

[Deleted member 4346]

You might want to try displaying a black screen on the LCD panel, then turn the device's screen on & off and see if you can tell the difference. The issue with doing an A:B comparison between different devices comes down to the first part of what I said - reflections and light diffusion in the panel may contribute more to raising its black level than the luminence of the panel itself. Newer and higher-end products also tend to sport more effective coatings.

I just tried this out with my Asus Zenpad 3S, which is the only glossy portable LCD screen I have. It has a black level of 0.43 nits. For reference, that's somewhere between 4X-10X higher than what I see quoted for the Q90R in reviews. In a dimly lit room (no lights on, overcast outdoors) and holding the device about 18 inches away from my eyes, I wasn't sure if I could perceive any difference between screen on with a black image vs screen off. However, if I repeat this in a windowless room that is nearly pitch black, I can see a clear difference between screen on and screen off.

Just as another interesting point of comparison - I have a 9-year-old plasma set sitting around, and its black level when turned off in the dimly lit room is actually noticeably worse than the LCD's black level when turned on. Which goes to show that panel coatings have come a long way in the last decade.

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Plasma panel materials and coating were quite a bit different. My Pioneer Kuro screen is gray when off, or on a black screen. In a well-lit room, the extra contrast does very little because ambient light plus the panel's color and ineffective coating make dark scenes gray. In a dark room, though, the 10 year old plasma has better black level performance than any LCD ever made. Noticeably so.

I do agree with you though. With lots of ambient light our eyes don't do a good job of distinguishing contrast levels and even poor CR displays are fine. But for critical viewing, in light-controlled environment, it's much different. That's the rub, though, with flagship LCDs. In bright rooms even poor contrast ratios are acceptably "black". Go with a budget LCD and get most of what LCDs are competent at. They still aren't great black-level performers in dark rooms (and FALD LCD technology has illumination level compromises which make it inherently flawed, too!).

 

[Pesmerga]

I was close to buy the LG C8 during last years BF sale but never pulled the trigger.

The thing is im still sort of happy with my almost 5 year old 4k Sony 65x9005B and I feel that if I should upgrade it should be a significant leap both in terms of image quality AND size. Obviously my current set does not do HDR, Dolby vision and it does not have black levels and contrast ratio in the same league as an OLED. However it does a really good job with SDR content and black levels and blooming is absolutely fine in my eyes.

Since last year I have thought more and more about skipping OLED completely and going FALD LCD and 75 inch instead.

The main reason for this is that im looking to have my next tv for at least 3 years down the line. Ideally 5 years. The main buyer's remorse reading avsforum and avforums is clearly that people didn't move up significantly in size with their upgrade. I can attest to this but on the opposite side of the spectrum since I upgraded from a 55 inch Panasonic Vt60 plasma to my current 65 inch Sony (read that it was a good upgrade and I didn't get buyers remorse from this).

Since iv been used to a good LCD VA panel for the last 5 years with no FALD dimming I think I would be perfectly satisfied if I moved up in size AND got better black levels and blooming controls due to the FALD implementation. I can currently have either the Sony 75 inch ZF9 or the Samsung 75 Q9F for around 3000 Euro each and the equivalent in terms of OLED will absolutely NOT reach these levels in my country for at least 2-3 years down the line. I want to be clear that I have seen/experienced OLED with reference material and I looks awesome. However I have a hard time justifying not going up in size for my tv upgrade and "only" get better picture quality.

Looking ahead in the future OLED technology would most likely been able to do +1000 nits 2-4 years from now. Mini-LED should be somewhat commercially by this time also (monitors are already coming this year) and Micro-LED should hopefully be ready to go aswell. Prices for large tvs, at least OLED will also come down in the coming years with LGs new factory up and running later this year.

With all that said below is the models I have had in my head and the prices they can currently be bought at.

Please note that it would take A LOT for me to justify paying 5000 Euro for a tv. If that total sum of money was gonna be invested it makes much more sense for me to go 3000 Euro for a tv and 2000 for a proper dolby atmos surround setup.

Last but not least im not a competitive gamer and i can make my living room dark (not pitch black dark) if i want to.

Sony ZF9 75 inch – 3200 Euro
Samsung Q9FN 75 inch – 3000 Euro
Sony AF9 65 inch = 3000 - Euro
LG C8 65 inch = 2000 - Euro
LG C8 77 inch = 5000 - Euro

My usage is something like:
50% Movies and tv shows
25% Esports on Twitch, Music on Youtube or Sports trough cable (read static huds)
25% Gaming

What would you do in my shoes?

 

[Kyle Cross]

Are there any quality 4k60 HDR HDMI splitters? I introduced an HDFury Linker into my setup to restore HDR brightness on my LG B7, but it has caused all sorts of problems. It by default forces an HDR signal regardless of settings, requiring me to go into the app to turn it off everytime I turn the TV on, switch inputs, or resolutions. It also doesn't pass ARC audio. I'm wanting a splitter to basically keep my TV on the non-Linker input most of the time and then when I decide to actually play an HDR console game I can then switch to the Linker input.

Checking Amazon hasn't been super helpful. None of them seem to have many reviews, and the most notable one doesn't seem to support ARC.

 

[ɣGammaɣ]

Picked up an X950G. Love everything about it, except I'm having a few issues with Android TV.

1. Netflix won't open. Says connection error (-100) every time.

2. Casting doesn't work - my phone says it can't connect.

All other internet stuff works fine, so it's not a connectivity issue.

I've tried every solution I found on the internet...soft reset, factory reset, switching networks, changing date and time, installing updates, UNinstalling updates, etc.

Has anyone run into these issues with Android TV? Any idea what I should try next?

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Have you just tried to clear cache and force app to stopp. Start it again?

Edit: i see DangerMouse replied to you

 

[yogurt]

No idea if this will help but did a search and found this process for clearing Netflix data and cache since that's what Netflix says the error is caused by. Try this under EricC:

https://help.netflix.com/en/node/39901

https://us.community.sony.com/s/question/0D50B00004IL3vbSAD/netflix-error-100?language=en_US

If you're already on the new Android, I just looked on my TV and it's actually now: Settings > Apps > Netflix (under the system apps section)

As for the casting issue, hmmm, not sure it matters, but do you have both a 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz set up and are they both on the same one? I've always kept them both on the same one one.
When you hit the casting icon, does it even list your TV as one of the choices to cast to before the error?
You can try resetting that also, it should be under:
Settings > Apps > Google Cast Receiver/Chromecast Built-in

Clear Data
Uninstall Updates

If that doesn't work, just in case have you tried casting from a couple of different apps?

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I tried clearing data and cache for both Netflix and the casting app to no avail. I do have both a 2.4 & 5 GHz band for my Wi-Fi, but things didn't work on either one, and casting doesn't work while on the same band.

The Netflix issue is so odd. The error message pops up immediately - no loading or anything - even right after a factory reset. Like, I factory reset the whole TV, got back to the main menu, and launched Netflix before doing anything else, and it didn't work. Tried again after updating the app, same error. Given that YouTube / Amazon Prime / etc. work fine it's clearly some sort of software issue. I'm at the point of wondering whether it's because I didn't opt into some of the Sony advertising services or something random like that? I even tried turning location on and off, resetting the date and time, and other out-there factors just to see if they worked.

For casting - I've only tried casting from YouTube. The TV shows up in the casting menu, but when I click on it my phone almost immediately says it can't connect. I found some posts from people who had their casting issues solved by switching to a wired connection, so I'm going to try hooking it up with an Ethernet cable after work. I'll also try casting from a different app and device.

Thanks for the help! The issues are so weird. I'll call Sony if I have to, but it seems almost certain that it's a software issue, not hardware, so I'm not sure what they can really do. Bummer that a brand new TV struggles with this shit.