Options for premium TVs are plentiful but costly
Q. I have a Pioneer Elite plasma TV and am doing research now, so as not to be blindsided when it dies. I love its bright colors and sharp contrast and want a top-of-the-line viewing experience. What are the very best TVs you can buy? Any advice or other suggestions would be appreciated.
— D.S., Milwaukee, WI A. You have a taste for the best, as the Pioneer plasmas were the finest TVs of their day. I hope it lasts you a good long time, but here is your answer, which will help other shoppers looking for a premium TV.
The very best TVs would be LG OLED TVs, Sony OLED TVs, and Samsung’s Q9 series of QLED (Quantum Dot LED/LCD display) TVs. The Sony OLED TVs use a panel made by LG, but with Sony’s proprietary video processing technology. The Sonys have received higher ratings than the LG models, but at a notably higher price. Samsung’s best QLED TVs come as close to OLED as anything I have seen, especially the Q9, which has incredible detail and color, and very deep blacks for a non-OLED TV. With the Q9 there is also no risk of the burn-in that some owners of OLED have experienced, so if such things concern you then the Q9 would be your choice.
This is a good opportunity for me to give a well-deserved shout-out to Samsung in general. Samsung has been doing great things lately for those who want the best, and their MicroLED display technology was the most impressive thing I saw at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
For now, MicroLED is extremely expensive and available only in very large sizes for custom installations. Once MicroLED can be incorporated in a television that can be sold in a box at an affordable price, it could well be “game over” for other display technologies.
Samsung has also done a great job leveraging their purchase of audio giant Harman International. When I was at the show, Samsung demonstrated an outstanding Samsung-Harman/Kardon soundbar with Dolby Atmos. The soundbar not only delivered theater-quality sound with surround effects, it effortlessly and automatically switched between playback modes for movies, news program or sports.
I’d put the TCL 6 Series on your shopping list as well. While the 6 Series may not deliver quite the state-of-theart picture quality as the very top-of-the-line TVs I mentioned, it still delivers a first-rate, high-end viewing experience. CNET expressed it well when it said, “The TCL 6 Series has an insanely good picture for the money.”
The difference in price between the 6 Series and competitors is staggering in some cases. For example, due to popular demand, TCL recently introduced a 75inch version of the 6 Series, sold exclusively at Best Buy. A 75-inch Samsung Q8 sells for $3,299 and the Q9, $4,499. A 77-inch LG OLED will run you about $7,000 and a 77inch Sony, $8,000. The 75inch TCL 6 Series sells for $1,799. If you are an uncompromising videophile you will probably (and should) go for a Q9 or OLED and spend the $4,500 to $8,000.