Buying a TV? One tip:

[Deleted User]

RumRat wrote: »

the problem with doing too much research is that you eventually fall into the trap of believing that one or another technology is far superior to others.
To 99% of people frequenting forums like this one, the differences in all the formats is negligible. Most people don't even calibrate their TV's, so, already they are not viewing optimum pictures. I don't mean this as an insult, they probably have more important things to be getting on with..:)...

I'd go for 99.9% myself.

I Googled the best settings for my Sony which isn't the same as calibrating I know as all screens are different, but that's probably more than your 99% of buyers would do. Most of them would be from ignorance of the facts and of just how much difference it can make.

Edit: so worrying about whether a TV supports one technology over the other is pointless to me.

pat100

Thanks to everyone who has been willing to continue this intriguing discussion.
I’ll just mention that my “One tip” was not directed towards people who are mainly watching Prime as there seems to be little difference between Dolby Vision and HD10+.
And I did say that Dolby Vision support might not be the most important factor to consider in television choice.
And I do realise that it is very, very difficult to fairly compare the HDR10 and Dolby Vision formats due to differing viewing conditions, differences between individual movies due to mastering and postproduction choices made, different brands of TV, and calibration setting used.

So, I was pleased to see that RumRat is able to contribute his comparison of LG Dolby Vision with Samsung HDR10 using sets which are capable of high Nits (nits?) output.
I’ve only been able to use my EU55RU4700 (EDIT: UE55RU7400) which is a budget Samsung model with, probably, a much lower max Nits output of about 300 which seems to be the absolute minimum capability recommended to optimally display HDR.

I am wondering if the disappointing quality (subjective) I see on HDR10 when streaming a Dolby Vision title could be due to my budget model’s low Nits capability. I see that LG, at least, recommend doubling the back light setting value when viewing HDR10 as opposed to Dolby Vision.
This possibly suggests that people such as myself with budget TVs who need to watch HDR with backlight and contrast set to Max will not be able to output enough Nits for HDR10 to look bright enough. The same might be true for folk who don’t have enough time to play with the calibration settings of their TV. People whose sets are capable of higher Max backlight and contrast (more Nits) might be able to see a brighter, less muddy HDR10 picture. Probably, RumRat’s TVs are able to output twice the Nits of mine.
My Max is not Max enough!

Most reviews which I have read comparing different HDR formats support RumRats experience (though, usually, comparing HDR10+ to Dolby Vision not HDR10) that there is little difference between them but the ones I have read were all done on high-end models. I wonder if low-end models would display a comparatively better picture if utilising Dolby Vision (and/or for people who don’t have time to mess with calibration) as this may require less Nits than HDR10 ( and thus less “calibration”)

So, perhaps my “One tip” would be most relevant (today) to people buying budget models or who don’t savour the delights of hours spent trying to get the picture bright enough. Possibly, that is the majority?

A second, very unwelcome, tip might be “Spend more money”

JJ_Egan

I just cancelled my TV order due to the Nits picking .

pat100

JJ_Egan wrote: »

I just cancelled my TV order due to the Nits picking .

Very wise! I just read in the Mirror:
“ But now there's a new head lice threat known as super head lice.”

Whatever next? High Dynamic Lice?

caveman38

Is this any use https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-50331667

pat100

Thanks caveman38 but it’s a 2019 Samsung that I’m dissatisfied with.

RumRat

Basically, your top tip should be not to buy a budget TV and expect stellar performance.....
You don't quote the model number you are dissatisfied with...

DoaM

rumrat wrote: »

you don't quote the model number you are dissatisfied with...

pat100 wrote: »

i’ve only been able to use my eu55ru4700 which is a budget samsung model

.

caveman38

What a palaver. We didn't have these problems in the 1950's. B&W CRT TV's with 2 channels, vertical & horizontal hold and an indoor aerial.

ianto11

caveman38 wrote: »

What a palaver. We didn't have these problems in the 1950's. B&W CRT TV's with 2 channels, vertical & horizontal hold and an indoor aerial.

And you could fix the picture roll with a "firm" slap on the top of the set