Feb 28 Podcast #937: Best 80 Inch TVs (RTINGS.com)
By now you all know that we have been searching for the best large format TV to emulate a projector and screen. We know nothing beats a 120 inch screen but with that comes some drawbacks like installation, cost, and light control. Ara settled on an Ultra Short Throw Projector which does really well in a fully lit room. The entire setup cost him just under $4000. Braden is still looking for that one TV that will say buy me. Our friends at RTINGS.com must have known Braden was in the market for such a TV because they just published The 5 Best 80-82-85 inch TVs Winter 2020. Let’s see if we can get Braden a new TV?
The HT Guys and Monoprice are excited about our latest giveaway! One lucky winner will win a Monoprice SB-100 2.1-ch 36in Soundbar with Built In Subwoofer and another will win a Blackbird 4K HDMI Switch. Enter Contest here!
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Today's Show:
News:
- You can now set Sonos speakers as the default playback option for Google Assistant
- HBO and HBO Max are headed to YouTube TV
- Vizio is adding Disney Plus to its smart TV platform
Other:
- Less expensive Sonos speaker
- Every Google Assistant command to give your Nest speaker or display
- Ara's Woodworking
- Join the Flaviar Whisky Club and get a free bottle
Best 80 Inch TVs (RTINGS.com)
By now you all know that we have been searching for the best large format TV to emulate a projector and screen. We know nothing beats a 120 inch screen but with that comes some drawbacks like installation, cost, and light control. Ara settled on an Ultra Short Throw Projector which does really well in a fully lit room. The entire setup cost him just under $4000. Braden is still looking for that one TV that will say buy me. Our friends at RTINGS.com must have known Braden was in the market for such a TV because they just published The 5 Best 80-82-85 inch TVs Winter 2020. Let’s see if we can get Braden a new TV?
The Best
Samsung QN82Q80RAFXZA 82” (Street Price $3800) The Samsung Q80R is an excellent 4k LED TV with impressive picture quality. It delivers deep blacks thanks to the high native contrast ratio, excellent black uniformity, and very good local dimming support. The Q80R is a very bright TV with a wide color gamut that delivers HDR content with rich colors and highlights that pop. It has decent viewing angles, despite being a VA panel TV, thanks to the 'Ultra Viewing Angle' technology. The TV has remarkable motion handling and produces crisp motion with minimal blur. It has a very low input lag and supports FreeSync for more consistent motion during gaming. Mixed usage 8.8
PROS
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Very low input lag and great gaming features.
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Excellent motion handling.
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Very bright in both SDR and HDR.
CONS
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Some gray uniformity issues at the edges.
Cheaper Larger Alternative with Better Color Accuracy
SONY XBR85X900F 85” (Street Price $3000) The Sony X900F is a great 4k TV with impressive picture quality, especially in a dark room due to the high native contrast ratio and full array local dimming support. The TV excels at HDR as it can produce bright, vivid highlights. Motion handling is also excellent due to the fast response time and ability to flicker the backlight to clear up motion. The only main negative is the narrow viewing angle, so the best image quality is reserved for those directly in front of the TV. Mixed usage 8.3
PROS
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Deep and uniform blacks
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Excellent motion handling
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Bright HDR highlights
CONS
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Picture quality degrades at an angle
Best Budget
SAMSUNG UN82NU8000 82” (Street Price $2300 if you can find them. This is a 2018 model) The Samsung NU8000 is a versatile 4k LED TV with good picture quality and HDR support. It also has great motion handling, as only a short trail follows fast moving objects and the TV can flicker to clear up blur. The smart features also work well and the platform is intuitive. The TV includes the Bixby assistant for voice control. Unfortunately, the picture quality degrades when viewed at an angle and vertical blooming is visible in a completely dark room. Mixed usage 8.3
PROS
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Great motion handling
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Low input lag
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Great SDR peak brightness
CONS
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Colors appear washed out at an angle
Cheaper Alternative (Budgeter)
Samsung UN82RU8000FXZA 82” (Street Price $1800) The Samsung RU8000 is a very good 4k TV with good picture quality. It delivers deep uniform blacks in a dark room, but lacks a local dimming feature to further improve dark room performance. The RU8000 has good SDR peak brightness and good reflection handling. The TV has a wide color gamut, but HDR peak brightness is only mediocre, so it can't display small highlights as they should be. The overall gray uniformity is good with just minimal dirty screen effect, but the viewing angles are poor and you have to sit straight in front to enjoy an accurate image. Motion handling is excellent with a fast response time that helps display crisp motion with minimal blur trail. The input lag is very low, and the TV supports FreeSync variable refresh rate technology to please gamers. Mixed usage 7.8
PROS
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Excellent motion handling.
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Low input lag, great for gaming.
CONS
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Image loses accuracy when viewed at an angle.
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Can't get bright in HDR.
Larger Wider Viewing Angle Alternative Budget
LG 86UM8070PUA 86” (Street Price $1900) The LG UM8070 is a good 4k TV with decent picture quality. It has a VA panel with a very good contrast ratio, but no local dimming support. It can get decently bright in SDR and can handle the reflections of a bright room well. Unfortunately, the TV lacks a wide color gamut and has poor HDR peak brightness, so it can't deliver HDR content as it should. The gray uniformity is decent, but the viewing angles are poor, typical of a VA panel. Motion handling is great thanks to the very fast response time and the great motion interpolation features, but the TV doesn't support any of the more advanced features like BFI or FreeSync. The input lag is very low, which is great news for gamers. Mixed usage 7.6
PROS
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Very low input lag.
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Extremely fast response time delivers crisp motion.
CONS
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HDR doesn't add much.
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No local dimming to improve dark room performance.
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