Topic: Finding the right TV for Xbox Series X

@Nexozi How did that happen? Just the amount of hours put on it?

@Lanmanna Thought it was just the hours used. When I started looking into it there was a defect with the panels where the pixels would start to die from the top and spread down.

@MaccaMUFC Well I got the C3 this morning and have it set up. Got my PS5, Xbox and PC along with my soundbar for the Earc. Have to say this is the best bit of kit by far that I have bought in years and the best TV I've ever had. The picture is stunning across all the devices and I haven't even really changed the default settings much. It's feature packed with tons of options and the menu's are really good. And barring the bottom where all the juice is , it's 8mm thick.

So glad I spent a few hundred more and got this set. Would recommend it to anyone after a new set. Well happy .

@GarbonZoni Glad you’re happy with your new C3. I’d of loved to of went with that or the G series but the amount of daily usage it would get it would most likely not even last two years before it started having problems. That’s the only thing that prevented me going for the G2 before I got the QN95C.

@MaccaMUFC that's why I use richer sounds. I like the long warranty, like yours mine will get a lot of usage and if anything does go wrong, hopefully it's before 6 years. Over at Rtings.com they are 16 months into a 4 year burn-in test which includes 100 TV's. Both our sets are on the list.

https://www.rtings.com/tv/tests/longevity-burn-in-test-update...
There if you wanna check it out.

My KS8000 has finally packed up. Woke up this morning to green vertical lines across the screen - it was working fine when I went to bed. I wasn't expecting to replace it!

So now I have to choose a TV after years of waiting for a 'Perfect' upgrade to what I have and the usage I put it through. I can't buy something to 'make do' until the perfect TV comes out so I have to buy one of the 'best' TV's I can afford and will 'wall mount' with the brackets I have.

As I like my TV high up on the wall, I think I'll go with the Samsung S95D Oled. Yes I know its OLED and could well suffer Burn in/Image retention before I want to replace, but it does have the one-connect (Break-out) box - perfect for cleaner wall mounting as well as 120/144 hz VRR Gaming display with 4 HDMI 2.1 ports - just no Dolby Vision, not that I care about that.

I have just bought a 55" S95D Samsung OLED TV...

@BAMozzy That’s such a shame about your KS8000. Despite it being over 7 years old, it’s still a great TV even by today’s standards. Thankfully my KS8000 is still going strong but it is only being used to watch TV and Netflix in the bedroom.

Let us know your impressions of the S95D once you have it all setup. I’d be curious of your take on an OLED since we use our TVs for about the same amount of daily usage. I am surprised you didn’t go for an LG C4 or a G4 which has a heatsink that could reduce the risk of burn-in/image retention.

@MaccaMUFC Yeah - mine is about 8yrs old - I bought it around this time of year in 2016. It was working yesterday when I switched it off to go to bed but this morning, nothing but green vertical bars - even after unplugging it, trying a different HDMI port etc.

I seriously considered the C/G4 from LG but I wall mount and already have a Bracket in place. The LG has a lower mounting so would likely need to move the bracket. Also the LG doesn't have a One Connect box so I'd have all the HDMI cables hanging down for the Cats to mess with.

It seemed the 'easiest' and quickest option to replace without needing to do major work or have more messy looking installation. It was that factor in the end that made go for the S95D over LG and this does have a wider Colour gamut although the One-Connect box is perhaps the biggest factor in my decision.

Like I said, I wasn't planning to buy a TV and no TV is what I would consider a 'must' buy - each had strengths/weaknesses. I should have my new TV tomorrow and installed on Friday so that too was a consideration and my decision to go with the S95D was more 'rushed' due to circumstances than a thoroughly researched decision.

@BAMozzy It does seem it made sense to go with the S95D for the reasons you’ve explained, I personally think the G series looks amazing when wall mounted since it’s flush against the wall. Now that I have the QN95C I do wish I just went with the G2 but in the end I bottled it thinking it wouldn’t last more than 2 yrs before it started to have problems, especially with my daily usage.

I know you say there’s no ‘must’ buy TV out there right now but would you consider a microLED tv to replace your S95D if one was available to buy in the next year or so? Depending on price and specs compared to what’s on the market today, I know I would consider buying one but realistically we’re probably many years away until they are available.

You really can’t go wrong with the S95D since you’re getting the best of both worlds with a brighter picture compared to other OLEDs and still getting those deep inky blacks. A lot of reviews I read of Samsung TVs always bemoan the lack of Dolby Vision but I honestly couldn’t care for it myself.

@MaccaMUFC IF MicroLED had been around and affordable, I'd have felt like I was buying more 'long term' consistency before any signs of wear show but OLED too is NOT the same issue it was in 2016, not saying it won't be an issue for me, but its matured a lot.

Its costing me 'little' more than I paid for my KS8000 and that was 8yrs ago. I know they dropped in price as the year went on, but like then, I couldn't wait for inevitable price drops. I am getting 20% off RRP as Samsung have an Offer on and Free Next Day Delivery with a 6yr Warranty from Richer Sounds included in that price. And for Gaming, its rated as one of the best too - 144hz VRR panel for 'PC' gaming too.

Regardless of what I could have bought, this was the most seamless for me with the quickest 'set-up' to be clean/tidy. As great as the KS8000 was, in every way it's still an upgrade from better Blacks, no blooming etc to better/faster apps (inc Game Pass LOL) and 120hz VRR Gaming with lower Lag and less smearing in motion due to better pixel response. It's tidier with only the invisible cable to worry about too so I'm sure I'll have no regrets once it's set-up and I'm using it regardless of the C4/G4 option.

I don't need DV at all. I'd rather have 'consistent' tone-mapping than the TV radically changing because of varying the Tone Map to get more from 'darker' scenes on 'poor' HDR TV's. I don't own any DV enabled Blurays or Digital content to worry about it and its all encoded for HDR10/HDR10+ anyway - a 'pointless' tickbox licence fee you'd be paying on top anyway but 500nit OLEDs/cheap LCD's 'need' more variable Tone Mapping otherwise they Clip too much or Mid/Dark scenes are too dark.

Anyway, as it is an OLED, I will likely be very ecstatic with everything as it is an 'upgrade', but whether I'm still happy in 6yrs when its no longer Warrantied, let alone 'before', only time will tell. I know many that still have their OLEDs from 3 or 4 yrs ago and still very happy with them....

Whilst I was hoping to have the S95D set-up and installed today, that is now not happening! The TV I ordered on Wednesday arrived yesterday with damage to the box. When the engineer turned up to install on the wall, the damage had impacted the screen so 'no picture'.

So they had to take the TV back and with none in 'stock' locally, I have to wait until at least next week for them to receive a replacement and bring it out to install. In the meantime, I will get a 43" 'loaner' to see me through the Weekend...

Glad it was well documented, the 'damaged' box - unopened and checked by a Contractor for Richer Sounds at least, but gutted I still have 'no' TV!

@BAMozzy But do the people who you know have their OLED tvs on as much as we do? I know a few people who have an OLED tv but they don’t have their tvs on anywhere near as much as I do.

That’s not great getting your OLED tv damaged from Richer Sounds, at least they are rectifying it but it’s still an inconvenience and not a good customer experience. I bet the 43” they gave you is like them taking your brand new BMW M3 in for repairs while they gave you an old Vauxhall Costa as a courtesy lol

Hope you get your new tv sooner rather than later as I wouldn’t be happy being in that situation especially after spreading a small fortune.

@MaccaMUFC Maybe they haven't used their OLEDs quite as much as we do on a 'daily' basis - maybe 4-6hrs a day 'average' compared to the 10-12hrs we likely average but I couldn't 'settle' with 'mediocre' until something better releases or spend a 'lot' and not get a breakout box or have to spend 'more' on wall mounting as tidily.

In fairness to Richer Sounds, I don't believe it was their fault. I believe it was their Couriers who took pictures and advised me I may need to contact RS IF there was a Problem. As it was also RS who contracted the Installers, it was them that opened the box, them that checked the TV. It was also those installers who spoke to RS, packed up the Broken TV, returned it to Store and came out with a Brand new 'Samsung 43" DU7100' as a loaner as they couldn't get a replacement 'locally'. They were expecting a replacement to arrive at their Store today - but as its a Bank Holiday weekend, they can't arrange to set it up until Tuesday.

However, now that replacement will be checked at the store by the installation team before they bring it to me 'personally' (no 3rd Party Courier) where they will complete the installation and obviously take the Loaner back. That's all at 'no' extra charge to me. I could have ordered a TV and still been without for over a Week waiting for delivery and installation and whilst its not 'ideal' to have a loaner, its better than nothing. I'd rather have a Vauxhall Corsa than be left with NO vehicle at all for a week.

Whilst it is not a great Customer Experience to receive something that is 'broken/damaged', inconvenient even, I think that what a Company does in that Situation, the Customer Service aspect, separates the great Companies you'll return to and those you'll never buy from again. Its when things do go wrong that you really do find out how Customer focussed they really are. I can't fault RS, they offered me their 'Store' one if I wanted it 'sorted' by Friday - they'd have taken it from 'display' that had only been up a week, have kept me updated and brought me a loaner the day 'they' found out the TV was broken. So whilst I am not 'happy' about the Situation, I do feel that RS have (so far) been very good with their Customer Service and support.

I could have bought a TV from somewhere else and received a 'dud' or a TV with 'issues' (especially LCD TV's with blooming, DSE, etc) that I'm not 'happy' with and had a 'nightmare' trying to get it resolved satisfactory to me. If it had happened a week before or week after, it maybe could have been Sorted on a Saturday - but this weekend, they don't have the staff due to Bank Holiday so it 'should' be sorted by Tuesday - and I don't have to spend the weekend without ANY TV thanks to RS.

The Loaner isn't great but it is 4k, picture is 'ok' out of the box and I'd never recommend it - I could play Xbox Game Pass through it without plugging in my Console - although I have NO intention of signing in to ANYTHING as this is a Loaner. But like I said, its much better than nothing or looking a 'Broken' TV all weekend - A Corsa certainly ain't no M3, but better than nothing.

@BAMozzy Yeah in fairness to Richer Sounds it does seem like they are at least making good out of bad situation by loaning you one of their TVs, that to me shows they have good customer service and that they actually care about their customers and not just after your money and then dealing with the situation when it suits them as there’s plenty of companies out there that treat their customers this way. I’d definitely buy from them in the future now that you’ve shared your experience with them.

It’s just slightly unlucky that all this has happened while falling on a bank holiday weekend otherwise you’d of probably had it all sorted before the week is out. It’ll be worth the wait for the S95D, they’ve reviewed very well and hopefully it’ll last you many years like the KS8000 has.

You’ll be glad you never went with the QN95C. It does look great, it has very deep blacks but that’s spoiled by bad blooming. I’ve never had blooming anywhere near this bad on the KS8000 but apparently it’s normal on the QN95C from discussions I’ve had on QN95C owner forums. If for whatever reason I need to replace the QN95C and microLED still isn’t available for us then I’d definitely be considering the LG G series or Samsung’s OLED range.

@MaccaMUFC I can whole heartedly recommend RS and they have never let me down. I bought my KS8000 from them and other TV's in the past too, so I would always recommend them as a 'Retailer' to trust.

As for the S95D, WhatHifi gave it a 5/5 but the Matte screen does seem to somewhat divide reviewers. I would say it seems very comparable to the G4 but it's mounting points are in the bottom half so may need to move the wall bracket down, doesn't have the One-connect so a more 'messy' installation and I am not overly bothered about DV so for me, it was an easy decision to go with Samsung - and the S95D is probably the closest to the KS8000 in terms of the modern day equivalent - top of the 'range' Samsung. Maybe its telling that Samsung moved to OLED instead of MicroLED for their 'best' TV if PQ with 'blooming' is that evident...

@BAMozzy I’ll consider RS one day when I’m looking for my next TV purchase, they have a store near me so I’ll have the option to visit in-store as opposed to just going on their website.

Despite my gripes with the QN95C I got a hell of a deal for it using a coupon code at check out which knocked a few hundred off the price (it was already at a deep discount beforehand) and then getting a full £200 cashback from Samsung. For a 65” tv that costed £3,599 last year, I managed to get it for just £1,100 with the discount code and cashback. Yeah it’s not great that the blooming is bad and even has some ghosting when navigating the tv menus but it’s hardly noticeable when watching content and playing games. It’s definitely not as bright as some reviews made it out to be either, saying its eye searingly bright, it’s really not that much brighter than the KS8000 even with the backlight set on max. Also even though it was Samsung’s flagship tv it didn’t even have the one connect box which it always provided with their flagship models but I’m not too bothered because I just switch the hdmi cable from the Series X to PS5 and vice versa.

@MaccaMUFC New TV is here and up on the Wall...

I thought the KS8000 was Great, but this makes it seem like a CRT by comparison. Just put CoD on as a test and the Colour, the richness of the colour coupled with the Blacks, its on another level! I think it handles motion so much better too keeping details much sharper (maybe that's the Pixel response too) but out of the Box it was Amazing and I haven't bothered Calibrating or even needed to tweak the settings because the whites 'look' white - not blue/pink etc.

OCB is so much bigger a footprint, but I can play Xbox without turning on my Xbox through it. Audio quality too is Amazing for a 'TV' - so much so I have the volume on 10 (50 is half way) and it fills my front room, decent bass too for a Flat screen. No need to use a Soundbar - unless you want 'better' surround sound - but not 'necessary'. The 'loaner' I had was AWFUL and would require 'something' for pleasant, adequate audio.

Obviously this is just my First impression but my initial impression is WOW!!!!

@BAMozzy That’s great to know, surprised you think it’s so much better than the KS8000 because I don’t see the QN95C as that much better tbh. I’d love to get an OLED now but since I’ve only just bought the QN95C, my wife will definitely not be on board for buying another so soon. I should of just went for the LG G2 instead but I’ll probably have to wait several years before I can convince her for us to spend over £1,500 on a new tv.

@MaccaMUFC It's a combination of things that all 'add' up and to me make quite a difference but for another, those differences may not make a huge difference to them - maybe they only feel it's 'slightly' better.

First off, the Blacks are 'blacker' and a lot more 'precise'. Even though the KS8000 didn't seem to suffer too much with Blooming, particularly in SDR content, this makes quite a difference - especially when you consider the Contrast per pixel you can get. Perfect Black next to White is much higher Contrast as there is no 'light bleed' to make the Black look Dark Grey. Colours too seem more Vibrant, richer but that maybe down to the fact that there is no white light involved. LCD's, even with QD layers still use a white LED backlight. That to me makes the image have more depth where the KS8000 seems 'flatter'. It seems 'Brighter' too than my KS8000, although I would expect my KS8000 to be 'brighter' with a prolonged full screen test due to ABL and thermal throttling. It also retains that Colour, those exceptional Blacks etc at a much wider viewing angle so looks far more impressive from the Kitchen for example.

That's just the 'still' image differences, but factor in motion and the image seems to be Sharper and retain more detail - perhaps that is due to the much faster Pixel Response. Panning in a Football match for example (I watched Olympiacos beat Fiorentina), I notice how the grass retains more texture/detail in motion and don't see such a 'trail' behind the ball as the Pixels slowly change colours...

So watching a HDR video designed to show off the colours and Contrast, lots of very bright colours on perfectly 'Black' backgrounds in Motion and this makes the KS8000 look like its from a different era. Its like jumping from XB1S to Series X and whilst Forza Horizon 5 looks and plays amazing on XB1S, maybe on a glance look 'very' similar in side by sides, all those 'little' things add up.

That's just my first impressions on watching 'SkyQ' and youtube HDR demos (same demos I've watched on my KS8000). I also tried a couple of matches on MW3 to check I could use 120hz modes - something the KS8000 can't offer. The game looked higher res and much cleaner, with more 'vibrant/richer' colours - Reds (enemy names) seem brighter/richer in colour for example. It also does a fantastic job of 'Auto' HDR - I went from F1 UHD on Sky to F1 HD and it was virtually impossible to tell but I've switched that off so I can 'choose' to watch in SDR and maybe not wear the TV so fast.

Arguably, the G4 is a 'better' TV as it also offers DV and each of the 4 ports are full 48GB/s HDMI2.1 where the Samsung has 40GB/s (although still more than enough for 4k/120). It doesn't have the same Colour Range and still uses WRGB OLED panels so colours do 'wash out' a bit by Comparison. It also isn't quite as aggressive on its ABL but Reflections maybe more of an issue in 'brighter' rooms. But from my perspective, its mounting points are 'lower' so I'd have to move my Wall bracket, It's much more awkward to swap HDMI's and would have many more Cables hanging down the wall to 'tidy'. Having the Break-out box on the AV unit below my TV makes it so much more accessible and tidy - and 'tidier' than the KS8000.

That's without really exploring everything this TV offers - I haven't tried iPlayer (which has HLG HDR - something the KS8000 missed out on) or Xbox Game Pass. Its funny to see Forza and Starfield on a 'TV's' Home Hub being recommended alongside TV content from Amazon, Apple, Netflix etc but I would say the Chip set inside is also 'better'. It's obviously 'better' for Gaming - lower input lag and superb image Quality (KS8000 may 'suffer' with more Bloom and other issues in 'Game mode' to reduce input Lag as well as much slower Pixel response) let alone 120hz and VRR that the KS doesn't offer.

So to me, this is 'bigger' upgrade than I was expecting and all the little things that in themselves might not make a lot of difference add up. It doesn't feel like I'm compromising on HDR to have 'precise' PQ - which was how I felt about OLED vs LCD in 2016. LG OLEDs topped out around 500-600nits back then so 1500nits was significantly more impactful and the Colours too with 'Quantum Dot' Tech meant a wider colour gamut - but the S95D is at least as bright, but with even darker (perfect) blacks, much wider Colour Gamut and that 'perfect' PQ from individual Pixel control.

Whether you'd see it as that much of an upgrade as I do, I don't know. Maybe you would, but then maybe you wouldn't because you'd consider its 'potential' for wear/burn-in, especially with the usage, as being too much of a 'concern' to fully enjoy the TV and be 'expecting' it to fail much sooner so those 'little things' don't add up enough to offset that concern.

All I can say is that my initial impression was 'WOW' and I am not regretting my choice to go with the Samsung over an LG, Sony or other options. I didn't really want to be replacing my TV, but I didn't have a choice or 'time' to really wait for the 'perfect' TV that should last the rest of my 'life'. G4 maybe 'better' in some ways, but the Samsung is stunning and suits my set-up better and to me, it is a much better TV out of the Box than the KS8000 was - and you know how I felt about that....

@MaccaMUFC @BAMozzy Evening fellas. Well after spending this last week or so tinkering with settings for my Consoles and PC, I've got my TV set up just how I want it now and I'm made up. I had a Dune double bill last night and after telling myself I didn't want an Oled, I couldn't be happier with it. Forza Horizon and GT7 look amazing and my Blue-rays have never looked better. The only niggle I have and it's a minor one is the sound. If I didn't already have a Soundbar I would've had to fork out because standalone It's a bit gash.
Glad you're happy with the Sammy's guys.
One last thing Mozzy. I wouldn't worry about the lack of DV on the Sammy's. I don't know if it's my ageing eyes, but I can't really tell the difference mate. If you didn't get the prompt when you load a game I wouldn't have noticed.