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Help buying a new HDTV for gaming?

ksdixon

Member
I'm currently looking at buying the Sony Bravia KD65XG81 65 inch 4K UHD, HDR TV as it's on sale for £889.00. I need to replace my old 42" Sony Bravia Bravia KDL-40ex403, which I've been happy with overall other than its inability to mirracast my laptop etc.

I know absolutely zero about tv's, how to compare them or what they need for gaming application and future proofing.

  • Does the TV in question have good enough refresh rate/input lag for gaming?
  • Does it have the right updated version of HDMI spec or HDCP version number?
  • Anything that would stop it playing nice with PSVR / PS5 version of PSVR?
  • Can it connect to a pair of Bluetooth headphones?
  • Can it screen mirror wireless from a mobile phone or a Windows 10 laptop?

I suppose another question that is also important is: Have Sony fallen by the wayside for TV's, should I be looking more towards Samsung, LG or HiSense these days?
 

ksdixon

Member
Sorry, that site is a little confusing to me. I can't seem to find my specific model number?

Rtings.com is the best place to know which TV is better



Trying to break down the naming scheme - KD65XG81

KD-65-X-XG81
=
Budget Bravia - 65" - 4K UHD - "XG81"

Elsewhere around the net I see that G = 2019 model, but it's not listed at the end of my TV's model number as I would expect.

My worry now would be if it's a "budget" Bravia line, if it's good for gaming/future proofing as per the questions in OP?
 
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ksdixon

Member
If you want something future proof you're going to want the newest HDMI 2.1 input and that TV doesn't have them.

Perhaps that is a moot point for me to consider? Are HDMI 2.1 and HDCP 2.2 at a point yet where they have real-world effects and benefits?
 

kingbean

Member
Perhaps that is a moot point for me to consider? Are HDMI 2.1 and HDCP 2.2 at a point yet where they have real-world effects and benefits?

The next gen consoles will support 2.1. The most simple benefit would be full color support at 4k and greater than 120hz at 4k.

I personally didn't worry about 2.1 when I upgraded my TV. I just wanted 1000nits, full aray local dimming and ~16ms of lag.

I got a TCL R625 and I'm very happy with it.
 

Ulysses 31

Member
I'm waiting for the new Sony 90/900 series but after watching this I am very tempted to go LG C9. It could possibly be "the best" If you can't afford new buy reconditioned. £900 on ebay.


There's something fishy going there, game mode shouldn't wash out colors and black levels like that.
 
LG B9/C9/E9 for the VRR. But you’ll have more choices at differing price points as the new models roll out beginning in the springtime.

BTW, VRR is primarily for the new consoles and certain GPUs. If you’re only going to be playing X1 and PS4, get the best picture for price model you can.
 

Kagey K

Banned
LG B9/C9/E9 for the VRR. But you’ll have more choices at differing price points as the new models roll out beginning in the springtime.

BTW, VRR is primarily for the new consoles and certain GPUs. If you’re only going to be playing X1 and PS4, get the best picture for price model you can.
I disagree, if you have an XB1X or are planning to buy a PS5 or Series X in the near future you should be buying a tv with HDMI 2.1 on it. Otherwise you might find yourself buying a new tv again sooner then you anticipated.
 
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Kuranghi

Member
I would upgrade to the 65XG85 at least if you can, it has a 120hz panel vs the 60hz panel in the XG81 so motion will be clearer, it has the better "X1 chip" so there will be more depth to the image and better upscaling and also supports bluetooth headphones when the XG81 doesn't.

I would super recommend trying to find a 65XF9005 if you can, I've seen them go for $1199 late last year, its a 2018 model but it continued to autumn 2019 so its still basically current. All the extra goodies you get with the XG85 are there but with the XF90 you get a high contrast VA panel, FALD backlight for proper HDR and its 900 nits vs the 420 and 540 nits of XG81 and 85 respectively.

Avoid Samsung like the plague if you plan to game on it regularly: crappy image processing practices, crap game mode, crap build quality, crap UI, crap app store, lying bullshit "HDR" ratings like saying "HDR 1000" on a TV that does 420 nits, I could go on but need to end on something positive... uhh... the anti-reflection coating is industry-leading!

edit - Sony is definitely still king of image quality and often for value for money, especially over Samsung, and while they haven't put out a great super-high end LCD since 2017 that doesn't apply to the price range you are looking at.
 
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dotnotbot

Member
There's something fishy going there, game mode shouldn't wash out colors and black levels like that.

It's overexposed, he states that in bottom text. That way you can clearly see how downgraded zone dimming is in game mode. Your eyes won't perceive the difference as drastic but it's there.
 
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Kuranghi

Member
There's something fishy going there, game mode shouldn't wash out colors and black levels like that.


He isn't showing any dark scenes in your video so the blooming is not evident. If you don't actually have "darkness" [dark colours, black backgrounds, etc] in a scene a top-end LCD will hold its own pretty well against OLED, this is why Samsung's 2020 QLED demos contain NONE of that this year, they tried to go all billy-big-balls in 2018 and 2019 and say its as good as OLED but they looked like crap no matter what picture mode.
 

Kuranghi

Member
LG B9/C9/E9 for the VRR. But you’ll have more choices at differing price points as the new models roll out beginning in the springtime.

BTW, VRR is primarily for the new consoles and certain GPUs. If you’re only going to be playing X1 and PS4, get the best picture for price model you can.

He's looking at a $900 dollar TV, you are recommending TV's that cost $2000-$3000. Gotta be realistic here. If money was no option surely he would be buying the 65AG9 [or 65XG950 if not OLED].
 

McHuj

Member
I would buy another company’s TV set if you are in a budget. I think other TVs offer a better bang for your buck at the lower and mid tiers than Sony.

If your buying on the high end, I think Sony LED/OLED or LG OLED are the way to go.
 

Durask

Member
Probably not the best option for you but I will stick to my plasma TV for gaming until it dies on me.
Why?
Sure it is 1080p and 60 Hz but no motion blur which is a huge thing for me.

I now actually prefer it to my 240 Hz 1440p gaming monitor for PC games.
 

Kuranghi

Member
I would buy another company’s TV set if you are in a budget. I think other TVs offer a better bang for your buck at the lower and mid tiers than Sony.

If your buying on the high end, I think Sony LED/OLED or LG OLED are the way to go.

I am in the UK and you can't get TCL here and I have no experience of them but I hear good things, the specs look good on paper. Vizio seems to be a crap Samsung copy in a lot of ways and Panasonic and LG have given up on LCD so there is nothing of note in mid to high end, my friend works for LG and he even says they are trash, having owned them as well (the OLEDs are great though).

I really think XG81 is the best choice right now if OP doesn't want to upgrade to XG85 or find an XF90. If you wait til March/April to see the Sony start of 2020 lineup, and if its as good as it looks you can wait til Black Friday 2020 and get a much better and newer [So prob better UI speed/features] 65" Sony for hopefully the same money as the 65XG81. An XF/G90 quality upgrade.

I think there will be some autumn 2020 Sony TV models also, so you could also wait til then to see what happens. Thats based on missing 2019 equivalents among the 2020 model details released on flatpanelshd, but it might just be a rebranding of technology.
 
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ksdixon

Member
Avoid Samsung like the plague if you plan to game on it regularly....

edit - Sony is definitely still king of image quality and often for value for money, especially over Samsung....

Really? Getting feedback from all different directions contradicting each other. I got told Sony don't have 'proper' HDR10+ cause they're cheap gits and won't pay to license the proper standards tech.

I had been looking at this 75" Samsung below as well. I was just umm'ing and arr'ing over it in case the picture was too dull like the old plasma's and lcd's (i perfer led's as brighter backlight helped me see TV from further away etc.):

 
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Clarissa

Banned
Really? Getting feedback from all different directions contradicting each other. I got told Sony don't have 'proper' HDR10+ cause they're cheap gits and won't pay to license the proper standards tech.

I had been looking at this 75" Samsung below as well. I was just umm'ing and arr'ing over it in case the picture was too dull like the old plasma's and lcd's (i perfer led's as brighter backlight helped me see TV from further away etc.):


Regular HDR 10 and Dolby Vision support is better than HDR 10+
 
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McHuj

Member
I really think XG81 is the best choice right now if OP doesn't want to upgrade to XG85 or find an XF90. If you wait til March/April to see the Sony start of 2020 lineup, and if its as good as it looks you can wait til Black Friday 2020 and get a much better and newer [So prob better UI speed/features] 65" Sony for hopefully the same money as the 65XG81. An XF/G90 quality upgrade.

If the choices are limited, then I agree. The Sony maybe the best option. I’d always pick a Sony over a Samsung, but that’s just based on my personal experience with all my Samsung purchases.
 

REDRZA MWS

Member
If you are buying a TV for gaming today and moving forward hdmi 2.1 is the big feature. Both new consoles will support it, and the Xbox one X already does support it.
 
I disagree, if you have an XB1X or are planning to buy a PS5 or Series X in the near future you should be buying a tv with HDMI 2.1 on it. Otherwise you might find yourself buying a new tv again sooner then you anticipated.
VRR is only supported over HDMI 2.1, so - in effect - we’re in agreement.
 
He's looking at a $900 dollar TV, you are recommending TV's that cost $2000-$3000. Gotta be realistic here. If money was no option surely he would be buying the 65AG9 [or 65XG950 if not OLED].
Depending on size, the 9 series of OLEDs can be had for $1200-$2000 currently. Inventory is liquidating to make space for the X series models, so they’re not out of reach.
 

TUROK

Member
If you plan on getting a next gen console, definitely get something with HDMI 2.1. Also, consider waiting until those come out if that's the case.
 

ShirAhava

Plays with kids toys, in the adult gaming world
720p Resolution (anything higher is for the Jetsons)
DLP or Plasma (Avoid LCD)
HDMI input not needed (D-Terminal is future!)
Make sure it supports HD DVD (Cuz Blu Ray killz)
 

ksdixon

Member
I suppose I should narrow the field a bit in hope of nailing-down something concrete for my use-case. If I were to get a HDTV as of right now, I'd realistically be limited to what is available on these two results pages, as I could do BNP 12 Months Later, then make the last 200 payment on credit card to effectively give me 13 months to pay TV off. I'd like to stick somewhere inside -15,000 range, as I could probably pay that off in the due time.

61" - 70" :

71+":


Some factors:
  • Hearing problems, so I'd like a TV that doesn't have a low volume coming from it (low volume has been levvied at the 75" Samsung RU7020 I had my eye on by some reviews, others say it's got great sound). I'm also open to purchasing a soundbar down the line if a TV can be got for a good enough deal and 'boosted' later-on, but soundbars and surround sound systems would be another area I'm clueless on, and is a research battle for another day.

  • Eyesight issues. In 2010ish, I found Plasma and LCD screens to be too dim, as if someone had turned the contrast setting down. Whites appeared as grey or yellow depending on the TV etc. I generally liked white to look white, and I found that the more back-light a TV had the better, so I always went for LED screens. This preference for well-lit screen and whites looking white carries-forward, but I'm lost in all the LED, OLED, QLED these days.

  • I'd like to sit across the living room like normal-eyesighted people do. This is why 65-70+ screen size is the focus, as hopefully in-game subtitles and mini-map icons will be blown-up and readable from further away at those screen sizes.

  • When it comes to future-proofing features - like 8K, various HDR options, HDMI 2.1 etc. there's a certain degree of thinking to myself "Not bothered, had a 2009 TV for the past 9 years and was happy. 'Any' new TV is going to be exponentially better than what I had (Bravia KDL-40ex403)".
    But of course then there's Fear Of Missing Out. I do know that I'll be using TV mostly to play games on PS5 - so I guess I really should try to get a TV with features that lean-into that, but I don't really know HDR from HDR+10 or whatever else nonsence marketing words are getting thrown around, I think I saw PurColor or something the other night, wtf? I think having good HDR, and good backlight/whites looking white as described above would work hand-in-hand to make the viewing experience better for my eyesight issues.
Is there anything from the Very pages linked-above that really suits my needs scenario outlined in this message? Or at least covers enough of the bases adequettely?

Many thanks for any help, everyone.
 

Hotspurr

Banned
A few suggestions:
- avoid vizio like the plague. they have awful QC and though they make good TVs you'll be sorry once you've had to replace your set a few times. Same goes for other less reputable brands (eg. TCL)
- paying premiums for QLED or OLED TVs has diminishing returns, invest more into TV size, port latency (for gaming, especially fighting games)
- Plan on getting a chromecast or Roku, if the TV doesn't have good software. I find the ability to cast to my vizio TV pretty nice (again, DON'T buy vizio)
- make sure to read forums about the model you plan to buy. especially with regards to how reliable the set is (https://www.avsforum.com/)
-pay attention to HDR standards, some are proprietary, and often you are paying more for proprietary format support that few movies/shows will end up using
- solid TV brands are Samsung and Sony (don't buy vizio, seriously)
 

Ulysses 31

Member
I suppose I should narrow the field a bit in hope of nailing-down something concrete for my use-case. If I were to get a HDTV as of right now, I'd realistically be limited to what is available on these two results pages, as I could do BNP 12 Months Later, then make the last 200 payment on credit card to effectively give me 13 months to pay TV off. I'd like to stick somewhere inside -15,000 range, as I could probably pay that off in the due time.

61" - 70" :

71+":


Some factors:
  • Hearing problems, so I'd like a TV that doesn't have a low volume coming from it (low volume has been levvied at the 75" Samsung RU7020 I had my eye on by some reviews, others say it's got great sound). I'm also open to purchasing a soundbar down the line if a TV can be got for a good enough deal and 'boosted' later-on, but soundbars and surround sound systems would be another area I'm clueless on, and is a research battle for another day.

  • Eyesight issues. In 2010ish, I found Plasma and LCD screens to be too dim, as if someone had turned the contrast setting down. Whites appeared as grey or yellow depending on the TV etc. I generally liked white to look white, and I found that the more back-light a TV had the better, so I always went for LED screens. This preference for well-lit screen and whites looking white carries-forward, but I'm lost in all the LED, OLED, QLED these days.

  • I'd like to sit across the living room like normal-eyesighted people do. This is why 65-70+ screen size is the focus, as hopefully in-game subtitles and mini-map icons will be blown-up and readable from further away at those screen sizes.

  • When it comes to future-proofing features - like 8K, various HDR options, HDMI 2.1 etc. there's a certain degree of thinking to myself "Not bothered, had a 2009 TV for the past 9 years and was happy. 'Any' new TV is going to be exponentially better than what I had (Bravia KDL-40ex403)".
    But of course then there's Fear Of Missing Out. I do know that I'll be using TV mostly to play games on PS5 - so I guess I really should try to get a TV with features that lean-into that, but I don't really know HDR from HDR+10 or whatever else nonsence marketing words are getting thrown around, I think I saw PurColor or something the other night, wtf? I think having good HDR, and good backlight/whites looking white as described above would work hand-in-hand to make the viewing experience better for my eyesight issues.
Is there anything from the Very pages linked-above that really suits my needs scenario outlined in this message? Or at least covers enough of the bases adequettely?

Many thanks for any help, everyone.
QLED if you prefer bigger and brighter TVs and in bright a room, OLED(Sony for their movie motion handling, LG for gaming) if you prefer quality in a not so bright room.
 

dotnotbot

Member
In my experience, Sony TVs are best input lag wise. Never touched 4K though.

They aren't. Samsung are the best in that regard, though most, even budget TVs, are low enough (<<20 ms) that this shouldn't be a concern anymore.
 
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JAMMA

Last warning for console wars
I’d say wait for HDMI 2.1 displays in 2021 post next gen launch, or get an amazing older gen OLED now.

You can score the insanely amazing LG E7 with Built-in Dolby Atmos soundbar and quite frankly the panel isn’t much different than the latest 9 series and the sound is superior to the E8 model.

A 2017 E7 would get you everything at 60Hz including amazing audio, but obviously lack 120Hz which practically nobody has anyway yet.

If you are buying this display specifically for taking full advantage of PS5 or XSX you’d be wise to wait a solid year for 4K 120Hz or 8K OLED.
 
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ksdixon

Member
I would upgrade to the 65XG85 at least if you can, it has a 120hz panel vs the 60hz panel in the XG81 so motion will be clearer, it has the better "X1 chip" so there will be more depth to the image and better upscaling and also supports bluetooth headphones when the XG81 doesn't.

I would super recommend trying to find a 65XF9005 if you can, I've seen them go for $1199 late last year, its a 2018 model but it continued to autumn 2019 so its still basically current. All the extra goodies you get with the XG85 are there but with the XF90 you get a high contrast VA panel, FALD backlight for proper HDR and its 900 nits vs the 420 and 540 nits of XG81 and 85 respectively.

Hmm, XG85 doesn't seem to be available on Very, just the XG81. I suppose the TV doesn't 'need' bluetooth headphone capability. Hopefully the PS5 has that instead of proprietary headsets.

However, but the 65XF9005 is available. you say this model has better nits/backlight, so it'd be better for my eyesight issues over the XG81 option?

65XG81 - https://www.very.co.uk/sony-bravia-kd65xg81-65-inch-4k-ultra-hd-hdr-smart-tv-black/1600354026.prd

65XF9005 - https://www.very.co.uk/sony-bravia-...remote-youview-and-freeview-hd/1600408470.prd
 

HE1NZ

Banned
They aren't. Samsung are the best in that regard, though most, even budget TVs, are low enough (<<20 ms) that this shouldn't be a concern anymore.
I only use budget Sony TVs. They have as much input lag as a PC monitor (basically zero). Actually I have one connected as a third display. I don't know about Samsung, but I've seen LGs - feels as if they add a second of input lag. Awful.
 

V2Tommy

Member
I only use budget Sony TVs. They have as much input lag as a PC monitor (basically zero). Actually I have one connected as a third display. I don't know about Samsung, but I've seen LGs - feels as if they add a second of input lag. Awful.

Statistical evidence or stop talking. No television input lag is “basically zero.” Brand has nothing to do with it.
 

Clarissa

Banned
I only use budget Sony TVs. They have as much input lag as a PC monitor (basically zero). Actually I have one connected as a third display. I don't know about Samsung, but I've seen LGs - feels as if they add a second of input lag. Awful.
Dude.


8NdNYRv.png
 

dotnotbot

Member
I only use budget Sony TVs. They have as much input lag as a PC monitor (basically zero). Actually I have one connected as a third display. I don't know about Samsung, but I've seen LGs - feels as if they add a second of input lag. Awful.

I just went through some reviews on rtings and doesn't matter if it's a budget LED from LG or OLED, they all have 10-13 ms input lag in game mode. So maybe it was a very old model or maybe you didn't enable game mode.

It really doesn't matter. Don't choose a 10 ms TV over 15 ms if the 15 ms one has better PQ.
 
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V2Tommy

Member
Dude don't tell me what to do. Just sharing my experience.

You’re sharing an opinion about something that is factual information. Don’t you see the problem with that? If this was a forum about cars and you said that your Camry was the fastest car and that the Ferrari you tried was slow, you wouldn’t expect pushback?
 

HE1NZ

Banned
You’re sharing an opinion about something that is factual information. Don’t you see the problem with that? If this was a forum about cars and you said that your Camry was the fastest car and that the Ferrari you tried was slow, you wouldn’t expect pushback?
My Ford Focus is the fastest car.
 

ksdixon

Member
At the moment I believe I am weighing my options between these two 65" Sony Bravias

It is, however, proving increasingly difficult to find a detailed spec sheet for these particular models, rather than something named simillar/representing a range of TV sets.

I'd like to be able to drill-down into the proper specs and get an apples to apples comparison, of, say, the input lag difference between the two. Can anyone help me with this?
 

dotnotbot

Member
At the moment I believe I am weighing my options between these two 65" Sony Bravias

It is, however, proving increasingly difficult to find a detailed spec sheet for these particular models, rather than something named simillar/representing a range of TV sets.

I'd like to be able to drill-down into the proper specs and get an apples to apples comparison, of, say, the input lag difference between the two. Can anyone help me with this?

XF90 is a very good tv: https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/sony/x900f definitely better than XG81. Only things that people complain from what I read is: Android and screwed-up Dolby Vision implementation (though maybe they fixed it with the updates, I'm not sure).
 

HeresJohnny

Member
My advice would just be to go to the store and buy a panel in the size you want from a brand you trust. On here, you're going to get a hundred panel nerds all telling you something different and shitting on each other. You'll walk away more confused and less informed.
 

dotnotbot

Member
My advice would just be to go to the store and buy a panel in the size you want from a brand you trust. On here, you're going to get a hundred panel nerds all telling you something different and shitting on each other. You'll walk away more confused and less informed.

Buying a TV by eye and brand instead of reading reviews and professional opinions and tests is literally the worst thing you can do.
 
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