65 inch 4K Which One

[Musician]

I have been reading reviews constantly about the new 4K TVs.

 

Foxtel is gone 4 K so I need to upgrade by LG Full HD to 4 K

 

Dont want to spend over 2K

But want back lit, local dimming, atleast 100 hz native, HDR plus, 10 bit picture at the minimum.

Rest is good to have.

 

Any recommendations ?

[Tweaky]

How important is picture quality to you?

Or is picture size the prime importance ?

 

Sure you can get [just] a 65" 4K TV for under 2K, but it will be of average picture quality and features [inputs/outputs and app's etc], and also a lot less ability to get the picture to the best it can be [image processing], but if going one screen size down to 55" you can get a really nice TV for under $2k that does include these things.

 

Panasonic TH55FX800a at Good guys currently for $1795

https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/panasonic-55-inches-139cm-uhd-led-lcd-smart-tv-th-55fx800a

The 65" version of the one above , Panasonic TH65FX800a at Good Guys currently for $2495

https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/panasonic-65-inches165cm-uhd-led-lcd-smart-tv-th-65fx800a

 

 

You can find both TV's cheaper if buying from those that only sell online, but IMHO I wouldn't do it, they will take your order saying they have it in stock, then as soon as they have your money the problems begin....Oh sorry, we are out of stock, it will be [ enter number of weeks] before we get more in....then when you finally get it it's either a refurbished or faulty unit....then further problems being ripped off when sending it back for 'Re-Stocking fee's etc....forget it, cough up a extra $200 over the cheaper Online price and deal with a bricks and mortar store like Good Guys of Bing Lee {both will price match]...I wouldn't bother with JB ATM, their pricing seems to gotten into the higher range.

 

You might be thinking, well a extra $495 ain't chicken feed, and you would be correct, but you get a hell of a lot better TV for that extra $495

[pc10]

7 hours ago, Musician said:

I have been reading reviews constantly about the new 4K TVs.

 

Foxtel is gone 4 K so I need to upgrade by LG Full HD to 4 K

 

Dont want to spend over 2K

But want back lit, local dimming, atleast 100 hz native, HDR plus, 10 bit picture at the minimum.

Rest is good to have.

 

Any recommendations ?

Agree with Tweaky above.  You wont get a 65"  full array backlit 100htz HDR 4K TV in Australia for under $2k.  The nearest will be the

Sony 65" X900F at around $3400 (you may be able to get a deal which brings it closer to $3000).  For $2K or close you will pick up a TCL or Hisense edge lit 65" with a decent VA panel  for contrast and brightness, pseudo local dimming and some HDR capabilities.   The nearest suitable edge lit Samsung is the NU8000 but will cost closer to $3000. 

 

Its a damn shame that the TCL 6 series which has full array and a damn good picture quality is not available in Australia.  Its been a huge seller in the US so hopefully TCL will see the light and make this unit available in Os next year. 

[Tweaky]

I'll just also mention that if you go and view the Panasonic FX800a range of TV's, and then see the cheaper Panasonic FX600a TV's near by and think to yourself, hell they look like a bargain at around $700 less.....DON'T DO IT !!!

 

Totally different TV, and a lot lesser a TV, with big problems [The Backlight is known to fail on these cheaper panels after 10-12 months ....happened to a friends who bought one, and have see plenty of others report the same] they will give you a new one as a replacement, then you will run that till the same thing happens, but your warranty would have expired when that one dies, so your left with a dead TV.

 

Where the TV companies save money is on the different quality level of the panels used, and on the power supplies, it's usually one or the other that dies on the cheaper TV's.

 

As for Hisense....they might look impressive at first, but the electronics and software driving the panels suck big time.....The guy at HDTVTest tried to calibrate one of these TV's and just by opening the menu to adjust a setting [without adjusting a parameter] actually changes the TV's picture, so basically making the TV unable to be calibrated.....that's really bad quality.

[Whites]

Thanks for posting that information @Tweaky, I was wondering what the difference was.

 

My plasma has an intermittent green line appearing so I have been looking at replacements, JB guy didn't mention the reliability issue.

[Musician]

2 hours ago, Tweaky said:

How important is picture quality to you?

Or is picture size the prime importance ?

 

Sure you can get [just] a 65" 4K TV for under 2K, but it will be of average picture quality and features [inputs/outputs and app's etc], and also a lot less ability to get the picture to the best it can be [image processing], but if going one screen size down to 55" you can get a really nice TV for under $2k that does include these things.

 

Panasonic TH55FX800a at Good guys currently for $1795

https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/panasonic-55-inches-139cm-uhd-led-lcd-smart-tv-th-55fx800a

The 65" version of the one above , Panasonic TH65FX800a at Good Guys currently for $2495

https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/panasonic-65-inches165cm-uhd-led-lcd-smart-tv-th-65fx800a

 

 

You can find both TV's cheaper if buying from those that only sell online, but IMHO I wouldn't do it, they will take your order saying they have it in stock, then as soon as they have your money the problems begin....Oh sorry, we are out of stock, it will be [ enter number of weeks] before we get more in....then when you finally get it it's either a refurbished or faulty unit....then further problems being ripped off when sending it back for 'Re-Stocking fee's etc....forget it, cough up a extra $200 over the cheaper Online price and deal with a bricks and mortar store like Good Guys of Bing Lee {both will price match]...I wouldn't bother with JB ATM, their pricing seems to gotten into the higher range.

 

You might be thinking, well a extra $495 ain't chicken feed, and you would be correct, but you get a hell of a lot better TV for that extra $495

The Panasonic looks awesome.

I always thought LG offered similar performance at a much cheaper price but may be that’s wrong.

 

As for Hisense and TCL, they do have the specs but that might only be a part of the puzzle.

[Tweaky]

I recommend when going to a store to view LED/LCD TV's, firstly get hold of the remote......these settings I'll give you ONLY apply to LCD/LED TV's and should be applicable to all brands....OLED ones are different, and are out of your price range anyway.....mine too, well for a 65" model.

 

Next hit the menu button and see what the Picture settings are set at.....[By the way, don't worry about changing the settings, most modern TV's have a 'Store mode' which allows people to fiddle with the settings in store, without driving the sales people nuts having to reconfigure it again, if left in this mode all the sales people have to do is turn the TV off and on again to reset it back to how it was previously......which is probably some awful setup...but I digress]

 

1] Look at the Picture Mode a see what it's set at [probably Dynamic or Normal , so it appears attractive under all those store lights.....that's not what you will end up using at Home unless you suffer a degenerative eyesight condition, or eat your cereal in the morning covered in maple syrup instead of milk]....select something close to True Cinema or something worded similarly and change it to that.

2] Backlight...set it at 25 or under

3] Contrast...set it around 85-90

4] Brightness.....this is where people are surprised....set it to ZERO.....Brightness is the cause of people thinking LCD/LED TV's can't do Black....they can, but only if you don't use the Brightness control...you don't need to, trust me.

5] Colour to 50...Tint = Zero, Sharpness= Zero

6] Colour Temp....most people think having a TV set to a warm temp is wrong, no it's not, they are wrong........ depending on how many 'Warm' settings there are on the TV past 'Normal', choose warm 2.....this will get you close to D65 which is the calibration spec used by Movie Studios and TV stations.......Samsung TV's are Notorious for being very cool, which tend to give a Blueish cast to everything, Sony's err towards the Red, and Panasonic's err towards the Green....that's just generally how they have 'Tuned' the 'Look' of their TV's to differentiate them from each other.

7] If the TV has 'Vivid Colour' or similar setting turn it OFF, and superglue it to that to save others [The most retched ruination of setting that totally screws being able to get a great picture]

8] Turn any others settings in the menu list to either off or MIN.

 

Now look for the advance settings....Don't be shy !.....Nothing to fear here! Only Two settings you want to look at/change.

 

What you want to look for in the menu that pops up is Colour Gamut, most if not all TV's change this automatically depending on the signal they detect.....See what it is set to, if it says NATIVE or REC 2020, that means the TV is currently playing back 4K material [Also a good way to test the knowledge of the sales person]....if it say REC 709, then it's Bluray or HDTV.

 

The last setting you want to check/change is GAMMA, now if you have seen Native or REC 2020 in the previous menu, leave alone......if REC709 appeared, then proceed.....when you hit the Gamma setting a list of numbers should show up...from say 1.8 to 2.8 and if your lucky BT1886......choose 2.4 or BT1886.

That's it, your done.

 

Now really look at the picture quality...... First check for Banding....the most annoying and unfixable picture destroying thing a flatscreen TV [All Types] can suffer....see video below for explanation / example....THIS IS WHY YOU NEVER USE THE BRIGHTNESS CONTROL, it makes banding all the more obvious/ worse.....all TV's suffer it, it's a bit of a lottery on how bad your TV has it.

 

The next thing to look for is 'Edge to Edge ' uniformity.......just have a look to see if any of the TV's corners/ sides seem brighter / washed out compared to it's opposite......you NEED to position yourself so that you are looking at the TV straight on, at the center of the screen.....if your head is at the side or above below that line of sight, you will be getting a false impression of this factor.....If you can't get your head in this position, omit the test.

 

If you use these check settings changes on any LCD/LED in store, it will give you a much better idea on just how good the picture you can get......these are just rough settings, get tweaking at the more indepth ones, and you can change a Good TV into a Great one....trust me, I've done it......you can get these FX800a model Panasonic LCD/LED TV's looking very similar to a $5-6K OLED one, that's why I recommended them.

 

Edited October 4, 2018 by Tweaky

[Tweaky]

2 hours ago, Whites said:

Thanks for posting that information @Tweaky, I was wondering what the difference was.

 

My plasma has an intermittent green line appearing so I have been looking at replacements, JB guy didn't mention the reliability issue.

JB sales staff change depending on the size of the Surf or if there is a Tattoo Expo on somewhere.

 

Put this YouTube poster HDTVTest on your YouTube favorites, he is a TV calibrator by profession, and REALLY Knows his stuff....doesn't pull any punches either.... [I have my own calibration gear, but only do it for myself and family ]

https://www.youtube.com/user/hdtvtest

Edited October 4, 2018 by Tweaky

[Guest Terminate]

3 hours ago, Tweaky said:

.

 

As for Hisense....they might look impressive at first, but the electronics and software driving the panels suck big time.....The guy at HDTVTest tried to calibrate one of these TV's and just by opening the menu to adjust a setting [without adjusting a parameter] actually changes the TV's picture, so basically making the TV unable to be calibrated.....that's really bad quality.

Have to disagree. I have the 65N7 and the software is fantastic. Ultra fast and responsive and very slick. Even the picture, which uses a Samsung panel, is amazing.

[Tweaky]

For all I know, your particular Hisense Model might be a good buy, but from what I have seen in the stores [Model number ignorant] I have advised to avoid.

 

Have a look at the different model Hisense TV's reviewed by HDVDTest......he is the most truthful reviewer of TV's around.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hisense+hdtvtest

 

It's not just he that says they are iffy, plenty of ex JB staff that have had dealings with customers regarding this brand over the years, and have posted here at this forum.

General consensus is avoid.

 

I have nothing to do with TV sales in any manner, never have, never will.

 

I've been involved with high level TV/PJ home replay since the mid to late 80's, and calibrate my own TV's/PJ's........So does HDTVTest......that's why I trust his findings.....they are not opinions without technical backup, or repeatable results.

 

I really Hope Hisense get their act together, as they 'Could' have a good product to sell......but not ATM from what I see at the stores currently on display ....Needs more work, would be my most favorable appraisal

Edited October 4, 2018 by Tweaky

[Musician]

16 hours ago, Tweaky said:

How important is picture quality to you?

Or is picture size the prime importance ?

 

Sure you can get [just] a 65" 4K TV for under 2K, but it will be of average picture quality and features [inputs/outputs and app's etc], and also a lot less ability to get the picture to the best it can be [image processing], but if going one screen size down to 55" you can get a really nice TV for under $2k that does include these things.

 

Panasonic TH55FX800a at Good guys currently for $1795

https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/panasonic-55-inches-139cm-uhd-led-lcd-smart-tv-th-55fx800a

The 65" version of the one above , Panasonic TH65FX800a at Good Guys currently for $2495

https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/panasonic-65-inches165cm-uhd-led-lcd-smart-tv-th-65fx800a

 

 

You can find both TV's cheaper if buying from those that only sell online, but IMHO I wouldn't do it, they will take your order saying they have it in stock, then as soon as they have your money the problems begin....Oh sorry, we are out of stock, it will be [ enter number of weeks] before we get more in....then when you finally get it it's either a refurbished or faulty unit....then further problems being ripped off when sending it back for 'Re-Stocking fee's etc....forget it, cough up a extra $200 over the cheaper Online price and deal with a bricks and mortar store like Good Guys of Bing Lee {both will price match]...I wouldn't bother with JB ATM, their pricing seems to gotten into the higher range.

 

You might be thinking, well a extra $495 ain't chicken feed, and you would be correct, but you get a hell of a lot better TV for that extra $495

I just check the Good Guys website and it’s $1995 for the 65 inch, what am I missing here ?

[Tweaky]

Lucky you, seems they are on special till the 17th October.....If I were you I’d get one

[~Spyne~]

@Tweaky's given some good advice so far.

There's also been a few over-generalisations offered...

 

Buying online/eBay. Places like Video Pro and Appliance Central have eBay stores that often take part in 20% discount sales. This is 99% certain to be your cheapest price for TVs unless you can get a JB/GG/HN to price match at the time. Video Pro and Appliance Central have physical stores too (QLD and NSW) and people purchase through them ALL the time - I got a new Sony 55X9000F from VP just a couple of weeks ago. The stock is brand new, local, undamaged...exactly the same as what you find in JB/GG/HN/etc.

 

The Panasonic FX800A mentioned earlier is edge-lit (bottom), not backlit. It also doesn't have true local dimming (FALD), rather it uses light transmission zones. It's also >$2000 for 65".

Oh, it also uses an IPS panel (as do LG LCD/LED sets). Great if you don't view the TV directly in front, but compared to TVs that use VA panels (Samsung, Sony X9000F, Hisense) they don't get as bright, they don't do very good blacks, their screen uniformity is very average and they tend to (not always) have less coverage of the DCI P3 colour space.

 

The 2018 Hisense TVs are a big improvement on last year's models, particularly with regards to the OS/user interface. The HDTVTest review Tweaky mentioned...Vincent Teo (an extremely good reviewer of TVs) was reviewing an overseas Hisense unit, not the same as what we get in Australia. In the same way that the TCL sets sold in the USA are vastly different (and better) than the TCL sets we get in Australia. I also wish we got the Vizio TVs here....sigh.

 

I think your limitation is budget and wanting to get a 65" set for that price.

During the Black Friday sale period you may find the Samsung NU8000 65" comes down around $2200. The Sony 65" X9000F might get down around $2400-$2500.

[Musician]

1 hour ago, ~Spyne~ said:

@Tweaky's given some good advice so far.

There's also been a few over-generalisations offered...

 

Buying online/eBay. Places like Video Pro and Appliance Central have eBay stores that often take part in 20% discount sales. This is 99% certain to be your cheapest price for TVs unless you can get a JB/GG/HN to price match at the time. Video Pro and Appliance Central have physical stores too (QLD and NSW) and people purchase through them ALL the time - I got a new Sony 55X9000F from VP just a couple of weeks ago. The stock is brand new, local, undamaged...exactly the same as what you find in JB/GG/HN/etc.

 

The Panasonic FX800A mentioned earlier is edge-lit (bottom), not backlit. It also doesn't have true local dimming (FALD), rather it uses light transmission zones. It's also >$2000 for 65".

Oh, it also uses an IPS panel (as do LG LCD/LED sets). Great if you don't view the TV directly in front, but compared to TVs that use VA panels (Samsung, Sony X9000F, Hisense) they don't get as bright, they don't do very good blacks, their screen uniformity is very average and they tend to (not always) have less coverage of the DCI P3 colour space.

 

The 2018 Hisense TVs are a big improvement on last year's models, particularly with regards to the OS/user interface. The HDTVTest review Tweaky mentioned...Vincent Teo (an extremely good reviewer of TVs) was reviewing an overseas Hisense unit, not the same as what we get in Australia. In the same way that the TCL sets sold in the USA are vastly different (and better) than the TCL sets we get in Australia. I also wish we got the Vizio TVs here....sigh.

 

I think your limitation is budget and wanting to get a 65" set for that price.

During the Black Friday sale period you may find the Samsung NU8000 65" comes down around $2200. The Sony 65" X9000F might get down around $2400-$2500.

This is confusing now, you’ve smashed the Panasonic that was being recommended.

 

I thought the Panasonic was back lit? And no local dimming.

So Sony is what is better?

[~Spyne~]

The Panasonic is a decent mid-range LCD TV. Comparable to the Samsung NU8000, but I would pick the Samsung due to being brighter (better for daytime viewing, overcoming reflections) and having better grey/black uniformity. I would argue the Samsung also has a nicer user interface.

The Sony X9000F is significantly better than both (brighter again, direct lit with very good full array local dimming, very good out of the box picture quality and the best motion handling/interpolation of any LCD TV).

[Musician]

I went to Harvey Norman and checked out all TVs, basically they all looked same.

Some a bit brighter than rest but that could be just the settings.

Speaking to the Sales Rep he was adamant that the Sony X9000 was in a different tier to anything there especially due to being a backlit led.

[~Spyne~]

And he would be correct, considering the price.

The Samsung Q9 and Q8 TVs are also excellent LCD sets, however Samsung has priced them to compete with OLEDs (which is an over-reach imo).

[Tweaky]

I bought the Panasonic 65EX750 in November last year, so have quite a few of the posters at this forum ......The FX models are the 2018 replacements......... The EX model differs from the newer FX in also being one of the last 3D TV’s made, which was important to me as I have a large 3D movie collection, it is also very good for gaming, depends what’s important to you.

 

The thing is, each technology has it's pro's and con's, and each technology sits at a different price point as it costs more to make.

The 65" versions of the Sony and Samsung model TV's mentioned as options are $998 and $798  respectively over your $2k budget

 

As for the new fangled buzz word in TV land 'Brightness', it's all a bit of a con.

You can liken it to the way Music is mastered now days with the 'Loudness Wars' each record is trying to out do the next on how loud it can be, result is no dynamics, it's compression to the max......you could as liken it to the advice given to those poor ignorant contestants on the Voice, with each coach saying 'You Have To Give It Your All' result is a horrible screaming match, and unsurprisingly none of the contestants are ever heard of again.

 

The MAX brightness that any current TV can do is 1000nits, if you are sitting in your lounge room at night watching a movie, would you like the brightest part of the screen to go off like a cameras flash in your face ? I don't think so.

Watching a really bright screen all the time becomes very tiresome, almost headache inducing , it's really only of any consequence if you are watching TV in the day with bright sunshine coming in through the windows, or in a open plan room with a hell of a lot of ambient lighting.....if neither of those scenarios apply to you, then forget brightness as a important factor.

The FX model TV's do 600nits Max brightness, that's more than ample, it's 100nits brighter than the EX range it replaces.

 

Besides, all the TV's mentioned use a thing called 'Tone Mapping', this is the ultimate arbitrator of how bright your TV will go, and each manufacturer does it differently, you can liken it to a iris used on a projector to increase contrast.

 

The thing is you have a budget, and sure a few of those other TV's might have slightly different / better tech, but most of them will be more expensive, and as you mentioned, they all look pretty similar to you anyway.

 

I still stand by my recommendation on the Panasonic FX 800a range, it's the best 'Bang for Buck' you'll going to find IMHO....especially at that sub $2k for the 65", and I know from personal experience with it's predecessor, you can get them looking amazingly good, and a LOT better than people generally think, certainly close to OLED standards.

Edited October 5, 2018 by Tweaky

[pc10]

1 hour ago, Tweaky said:

I bought the Panasonic 65EX750 in November last year, so have quite a few of the posters at this forum ......The FX models are the 2018 replacements......... The EX model differs from the newer FX in also being one of the last 3D TV’s made, which was important to me as I have a large 3D movie collection, it is also very good for gaming, depends what’s important to you.

 

The thing is, each technology has it's pro's and con's, and each technology sits at a different price point as it costs more to make.

The 65" versions of the Sony and Samsung model TV's mentioned as options are $998 and $798  respectively over your $2k budget

 

As for the new fangled buzz word in TV land 'Brightness', it's all a bit of a con.

You can liken it to the way Music is mastered now days with the 'Loudness Wars' each record is trying to out do the next on how loud it can be, result is no dynamics, it's compression to the max......you could as liken it to the advice given to those poor ignorant contestants on the Voice, with each coach saying 'You Have To Give It Your All' result is a horrible screaming match, and unsurprisingly none of the contestants are ever heard of again.

 

The MAX brightness that any current TV can do is 1000nits, if you are sitting in your lounge room at night watching a movie, would you like the brightest part of the screen to go off like a cameras flash in your face ? I don't think so.

Watching a really bright screen all the time becomes very tiresome, almost headache inducing , it's really only of any consequence if you are watching TV in the day with bright sunshine coming in through the windows, or in a open plan room with a hell of a lot of ambient lighting.....if neither of those scenarios apply to you, then forget brightness as a important factor.

The FX model TV's do 600nits Max brightness, that's more than ample, it's 100nits brighter than the EX range it replaces.

 

Besides, all the TV's mentioned use a thing called 'Tone Mapping', this is the ultimate arbitrator of how bright your TV will go, and each manufacturer does it differently, you can liken it to a iris used on a projector to increase contrast.

 

The thing is you have a budget, and sure a few of those other TV's might have slightly different / better tech, but most of them will be more expensive, and as you mentioned, they all look pretty similar to you anyway.

 

I still stand by my recommendation on the Panasonic FX 800a range, it's the best 'Bang for Buck' you'll going to find IMHO....especially at that sub $2k for the 65", and I know from personal experience with it's predecessor, you can get them looking amazingly good, and a LOT better than people generally think, certainly close to OLED standards.

The Panasonic 2016 DX 900 was a brilliant TV; full array, wonderful local dimming, fantastic processor with beautiful HDR colour reproduction.  They were overpriced to start with and therefore never had big sales numbers.  Our local JBs had a DX 900 until a very short while ago, marked down to $1999; nearly snaffled it but opted for the Samsung Q8FN at twice the price.  

 

Panasonic have 'dropped the ball' in terms of their 2018 LED/LCD models - all of them used edge lit IPS panels, just like LG.  Horrible contrast, poor blacks and limited brightness.  I suspect that they may also be going down the LG path; ie continue production of LCD panels because that's where the bulk of the sales come from, whilst ramping up OLED promotion in the hope that consumers will switch to the newer technology.  I'm not a fan of TV reviewers as most of them are compromised by ties to the big 4, however I have yet to read a positive review on any 2018 Panasonic or LG LCD/LED  TV.

 

IMHO rule of thumb is; if you can't afford a full array LCD, get an edge lit with a VA panel, ie Samsung, Hisense, TCL et al.  

[lebowski]

I bought a Hisense 65 N7 about 6 months ago, paid $1590. Plenty of good reviews on this particular model and apparently a Samsung panel. Back Lit, 100Hz, UHD etc and the operating system/ user interface is fast and easy to use.

It's a very good TV for the money but it's far from excellent in terms of picture quality. My 11 year old Pioneer PDP507 Plasma is superior in every regard, PQ and SQ (except on UHD, the Pioneer only does 1080i)

Having said that, I'm extremely happy with the Hisense as it is excellent bang for buck, picture quality is good on FTA HD, just average on SD, incredible on 4K, I mean seriously impressive.

Sound from the inbuilt speakers is average, I''m disappointed in the sound however will eventually connect to a Sonos Playbar.

Like most things in life, you always get what you pay for and there are much better 65" TV's available however, if you want value for money then the performance to $ ratio is exceptional IMO.

[Tweaky]

The problem with my EX780a [sorry it was called the EX750 in Europe], and I suspect will be very similar with the FX800a, was that it looked quite good out of the box with the 'Special Tuning' that they say some Hollywood movie people did, but after living with it without really changing much in the settings, started to see some shortcomings.

 

By the way, It's rather pointless trying to tweak a brand new TV until the electronics have bedded in for a while, 2 weeks will see them stabilize well enough to hold the settings without drifting,  [depending just how much use the TV gets...my TV get at least 8 hours a day use]

 

So I got my calibration gear out and did some pre-calibration tests, which you can see the Before and after calibration results in the calibration report below.

Panasonic 65EX780a Calibration report.pdf

The main thing holding back these Panasonic's , which is blatantly obvious when you compare the before and after measurements , and most definitely the reason why you, pc9, have the opinion that you do about their picture quality, is that the Gray Scale tracking is horribly out of whack [see page 10, 11 and 12 of the report ], and whatever Gamma setting you choose is actually lower than it measures, although actual Gamma output is pretty good.[Page 9 ]

 

As for Colour reproduction, out of the box it is pretty darn good truth be told, and needed hardly any adjustment.

 

The so called Hollywood Tuning is BS, what they have done is basically not used RED [RGB chart page 12 ] , and by omitting it it makes the TV seem brighter, and the colours 'POP', I call this the Samsung effect, as every Samsung I've ever measured has shown the same trait.

 

The problem when you omit RED in your White Balance/Grey Scale, is it can make Blacks look washed out.

 

So if you add the lower than spec'd gamma, the lack of RED in the White Balance/Grey scale, use any Colour Temp other that Warm 2, and have the Brightness set on anything other than Zero, plus have VIVID turned on....which pretty much sums up the preset that this Hollywood look uses, you get the results that pc9 mentioned above.

 

Ahh, but once you fix them, add the RED back into the White Balance to equal amounts of Blue and Green, which fixes the Grey scale, sort the Gamma so it track as it should, WOW !

 

You have a giant killer, it's a totally different beast, and looks very close to a good OLED screen.

 

The thing is, I actually think that the panels on the FX800a might be the same as the ones on my EX780a, the only difference is they have removed the 3D functionality, this would explain the sudden extra 100nits higher brightness, as that would have previously been used as a bit of headroom for when the TV was used in 3D mode

[it needs to ramp up brightness to compensate for the 3D glasses, and the fact that your watching two half brightness pictures flickering on and off in rapid secession ]

 

It would also explain why the FX800a is around $800 less than my old EX780a was, as they wouldn't have to put the transmitter for the 3D glasses into it, and they could omit the extra circuitry needed.

 

If that is indeed the case, I strongly suspect that the calibration settings I have posted for the EX780a models elsewhere at this forum, will work for FX800a models as well........plenty of happy EX780a owners out there that are using my settings.

Edited October 5, 2018 by Tweaky

[cwt]

I get the impression [if our new panas are equivalent to the UK models? ] the zone backlighting is even more refined than the 780a is ; my  780a black levels  and shadow detail compare favourably to my jvc 7000e 's after Tweaky's input.. 

Quote

Finally, it has the best dimming tech out of the LED LCD models. These are all edge-lit models, which use a combination of physical zonal dimming and software-based digital dimming. The FX750 gets better digital dimming than the models below it. 

The new improved HCX processor has heaps of power to manage the digital dimming 

[~Spyne~]

29 minutes ago, Tweaky said:

The thing is, I actually think that the panels on the FX800a might be the same as the ones on my EX780a...

They're not. The EX780A used VA panels, the FX800A uses IPS. Vastly different.

[Tweaky]

Thanks for the complement cwt.

 

It's a pity people compare TV's without really looking at their potential, they get too roped in with the various tech specs etc, and automatically assume that one technology can't possible match another at a much lower price.

 

If more people took up calibrating their own TV's, I think the manufacturers would finally start putting some of the Lower and Mid priced TV's closer to what is a well calibrated TV, rather than one that grabs your attention 'In Store'.

 

The sad thing is, that to do you own calibration, the outlay would be currently around the $550 [if you already have a laptop, or a PC that you could move close to the TV to do  the calibration], which if you buy a TV for $2K and can get it to look like one that costs $5 or 6K, is a 'No Brainer' of a investment, especially as you can use it multiple times on and newer TV you purchase.

[Tweaky]

18 minutes ago, ~Spyne~ said:

They're not. The EX780A used VA panels, the FX800A uses IPS. Vastly different.

OK, well that scuppers that for any potential FX800a model owners, guess I'll have to find one in the wild and rescue it first, then post a new set of calibration settings to suit.....if you knew how long it takes to do a calibration fully, you would know how unlikely this is to happen, unless somebody I know buys a unit.....which might not actually be that far off, for a matter of fact.....where there is life there is hope.

 

I have a work mate asking me for guidance regarding TV purchase, ironically almost a doppelganger of question as the first by the OP.

Edited October 5, 2018 by Tweaky