May 12 Podcast #791: LeEco uMax85 Ecotv
We at the HT Guys are always striving to find TVs that can closely mimic the experience that a projector gives you. Shortly after CES we discussed the LeEco uMax85 Ecotv which, from a screen size perspective, is identical to a projector experience for all but those with a dedicated theater room. The uMax85 is a whopping 85 inches, 4K, supports wide color and HDR and only costs $5,500! No way you’re getting a 4K HDR projector for that much!
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LeEco uMax85 Ecotv - User Comments
We at the HT Guys are always striving to find TVs that can closely mimic the experience that a projector gives you. Shortly after CES we discussed the LeEco uMax85 Ecotv which, from a screen size perspective, is identical to a projector experience for all but those with a dedicated theater room. The uMax85 is a whopping 85 inches, 4K, supports wide color and HDR and only costs $5,500! No way you’re getting a 4K HDR projector for that much!
But is the umax85 the holy grail that eliminates the need for a projector? Today’s show will be a little different. We take you on a journey from rollout (Feb 2017) to today and we let users from AVS forum discuss what they like and dislike about the TV. But before we start, here are the stats:
Features:
- 4K Full Array Backlight & 448 Active Local Dimming Zones
- The uMax85 features best-in-class 448 active local dimming zones with full array backlighting to ensure every inch of its 85" screen offers the highest possible realism, contrast and viewability at any time of day.
- Fluid Motion™ 1920
- The Fluid Motion™ 1920 helps reduce motion blur and judder, preserving a high degree of clarity even during rapid-fire action scenes.
- Dolby Vision™ and HDR10
- The uMax85 features Dolby Vision™ with HDR10 (High Dynamic Range) which radically improves your viewing experience. It enables a wider, richer range of color, brighter whites, and deeper blacks for more natural, true-to-life colors.
- 3D with Active Shutter Glasses
- Dimensions
- 75 x 46 x 15.8 inches w/ Stand 149.8 lbs w/ Stand
- 75 x 42.8 x 2.4 inches w/o Stand 141.6 lbs w/o Stand
02-09-2017
After so much excitement for the uMax85, I feel like this thread (and all uMax85 discussion) has gone stagnant. With the caveat that I am not a trained eye by any means, here are my impressions:
Unboxing is about as simple as can be, as long as you can get the TV up the stairs or in the elevator. Once you unbox it, you realize the TV is, as we all hoped, big! All of my friends are incredibly impressed with the size. The fit and finish is good and the leeco home screen is bright and pleasant. The 3d is active and works well, in my opinion. However, I would like to know what other glasses are compatible. The SmartTv features are relatively smooth, but as I've mentioned before, my tv will not hold an internet connection. Half an hour into watching anything on a TV-based app, the TV says there is an error and stops playback. I have to do a full reboot to get it back. As with other forum members, I have the same issues with ARC and local dimming. Also, when I first watched a movie, the motion smoothing feature was turned all the way up, which created artifacts and terrible SOE. After I turned it off, that all went away. The issues I am really displeased with are screen uniformity and halo effect. I constantly see vertical shadows in the screen, and now I'm fixated on it. When I turn the local dimming off and back on, the uniformity is *better* but the halo effect is terrible. I would really like to resolve this issue.
I should also note the obvious. This screen is so big, that if you play standard resolution (or even HD) content, it looks grainy. However, UHD content looks spectacular.
02-11-2017
Okay, so I have had my UMax 85 for several weeks now and here is what I think. Overall, this is a great TV for the Price/Size ratio. LeEco really needs to come out with an update to fix the local dimming issue. Very annoying to have to fix it every time you turn on the set. The ARC issue is not that big of a deal to me as I just ran an optical cable to fix that problem. Like other users I set the motion setting to off to eliminate the soap opera effect. Also, I mostly watch sports and with it on there is some pixilation in fast moving objects.
I have noticed like others that with the local dimming on there appears to be a halo effect that takes place. The uniformity on my set is good but not great. The screen door effect is also very obvious when you have a bright background and the camera pans the bright background. Very noticeable if you turn on a hockey game. This is a bummer for me because I notice it. My wife does not see it unless I point it out to her. In fact several people were over for the Super Bowl and nobody noticed any of my gripes here. Everyone did talk about how nice the TV looked and how big it was.
I am a picky person when it comes to my displays. No way am I an expert, and maybe if someone gets this thing professionally calibrated some of my gripes will disappear. The bottom line is I wanted a large screen and on paper this thing has all the bells and whistles. In person the TV looks good/great most of the time. With a firmware update and some calibration it should look great all the time. If I were to go back and do it all over again I would do it. I think the value this TV offers is untouchable by other manufactures. I am happy with this purchase. I hope everyone who is still waiting on their sets can use our posts as a reference point when their’s arrive. I too will mess with the settings and see if I can make it better. I will post my results. If anyone does get this set professionally calibrated please share. Thanks
02-13-2017
I don't mean to encourage or discourage anyone from buying this TV. I may get scolded for this post but this is my experience as a owner and this information may be useful to another owner if they face issues that cannot be easily fixed.
I get it that things break and things are not as solidly built as they used to but I've never had an electronic item die so spectacularly on me before. This company may have the right intentions but lacks the implementation skills in a new market and generally seem overwhelmed.
So my 2 cents is if you buy this TV and run into problems be ready to call/email/post in forums multiple times before you get help.
04-16-2017
I also love my uMax85! Not without flaws but definitely the best 85" television for the money. Hopefully LeEco continues to support their products in the U.S. and we still get a timely Android TV (Nougat) update with Dolby Vision streaming.
I'll continue to ask every month on their forums when we'll be getting Dolby Vision streaming and post any news here.
05-03-2017
We are progressively rolling out this new OTA.
Below are the release notes for the OTA 1.5 (56S_0420).
Android TV™ Software Update Release Notes
Devices: uMax85, Super4 X4 43Pro/55/65
Version: 5.8.056S
Updates:
[Exclusive DIRECTV® NOW app]
Added new DIRECTV® NOW Android® TV app exclusively available only on LeEco smart TVs. Once software update is complete, app will display on the home screen under LeEco application row.
[Merged Le and LIVE app]
Streamlined LeEco video content into a single app to reduce the number of preinstalled applications for on-demand and live TV. LIVE app has been removed and all LeEco content is now merged into Le.
[Timer Fix]
Fixed TV time mismatch issue after a long sleep
[Additional fixes]
- Improved overall system stability
- Other minor bug fixes
Reader Comments (2)
I've been using the Tablo TV for about 2 years and would not replace it with any other device for these reasons:
The Tablo TV has two models: 2 Tuner and 4 Tuner
It can be used with the Roku, Shield TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, Android devices, and computers.
You can stream to your portables and within AND outside of your network.
The guide subscription is optional but VERY nice.
A lifetime subscription can be purchased that is tied to your account - NOT the device (I.E. Tivo)!
There is a free program that can be run manually or automatically to rip recording from the Tablo to your computer in a Plex friendly way.
Their tech support is responsive and caring (had to use it once in the early days).
I own a UMAX85. I bought the tv during the black Friday flash sale at the end of November. I tried to buy on during the November 3 flash sale but they sold out in 9 seconds. I received the tv at the end of February. I am exceptionally pleased with the tv. A recent HDGuru review shows how good the tv really is. 95% DCI P3. Around 700 nits. I have my tv in a fully light controlled media room. I sit around 10 ft. from the screen. The tv is bright and colorful. There are a few quirks such as to get HDR through HDMI you need to go through a couple of steps. Annoying but not really that bad a problem. LeEco is promising to fix this issue as well as providing full Dolby Vision access through streaming later this summer. The black levels, brightness and color saturation are amazing in my light controlled room. As with any very large display, the tv will show the problems with lower quality content. If the content is grainy or blurry the tv will show it well. If the content is high quality the tv will also show that. I do not believe you can find a better small media room option today than the UMAX85, particularly at this price point. I previously had a 2014 Vizio P70 in the room. This tv is much brighter and more colorful. And, I was happy with the P70 but wanted to go bigger.