Do you need HDMI 2.1 for your Blu - ray actor ? Are Sony smart TVs faster than they used to be ? How long should a QLED TV last ? Will 2023 TV terms go down even further ? And whatever happened to dual - cell boob tube tech ?
Samsung 990C vs. Samsung 900C: surround channels vs. savings
John Bautista writes : I have the opportunity to buy either the Samsung 990C for $ 1,259 or the Samsung 900C for $ 495 . That price dispute of $ 764 comes down to the orbiter speaker system that are include and exclusive to the 990C , as the 900C contains the same soundbar and hoagy as the 990C.
I could purchase the 9500s satellite speaker to total to the 900C at $ 299 . I ’ve even say that they can be had on sale / open box for as low as $ 90 ( if golden ) . The 900C + 9500s would convey the set up to 9.1.2 at $ 794 ( assuming I pay off full price for the 9500s ) as opposed to the 11.1.4 that the 990C has out of the box at $ 1,259 .
Is the want of two absent channels enough to apologize pay off the extra $ 465 difference to get the 990C ?
I donotthink you would overleap much — if anything — without the redundant driver in each environs . It can be nice if your planet speakers have to go into really uncanny place , or if you have perfectly locate side wall since they will give you some side fill from reflexion . Those are serious savings , and I would go for the economy in this showcase !
Do you need HDMI 2.1 for Blu-ray?
Brad Powick writes : I am looking at upgrading to a new video . The devices I will be connecting are a PS5 , Xbox Series X , and a Sonos Beam ( Gen 2 ) . I also intend to buy a Panasonic DP - UB820GNK 4 K Blu - ray player . With most television receiver stigma offering only two HDMI 2.1 ports , with one allow as the eARC embrasure , are there any welfare in terms of obtrusive picture and sound quality to plugging a dedicated midrange to high - oddment 4 K Blu - ray player , like the UB820 , into an HDMI 2.1 port instead of a 2.0 port ? Or do you get everything you need for a 4 K Blu - shaft of light player out of a standard HDMI 2.0 porthole ?
I ’m happy you expect because this is one of those questions we involve to revisit from time to prison term .
You donotneedHDMI 2.1for your 4 K Blu - re thespian . Everything that a Blu - ray player can do can be choke along at under 18 Gbps , the maximum bandwidth for HDMI 2.0 .
lead your HDMI 2.1 porthole for next - gen secret plan comfort orhigh - end gaming personal computer .
Sluggish smart TV OS
Lee Mize writes : I have a Sony A8H 65 - inch OLED TV , and the menu reactivity is wretched , specially with the latest Android OS update from summer 2023 . Is there a tv set with a build - in carte and Smart TV part that are quick and responsive ?
First off , allow me just say I ’m regretful , and I understand . I can not tolerate slow saucy television pilotage . And , to be reliable , the A8H was never a speed demon to begin with , even when it was new . It is probably intolerably sluggish now .
I have encouraging news for you , though ! Since 2021 , Sony has used more powerful chips to run its smart TV OS , and that happens to be when it get going running the Google TV skin over Android , which I much prefer .
I use a 2023A95KandA95L , and they are skyrocket fast . The A80 J , K , and L ? Same matter . So if you desire to stick with Sony and upgrade , do n’t occupy that you ’ll suffer the same issues with those newer TVs that you ’ve been dealing with since you fuck off your A8H. You just happened to buy a Sony in the last year they had those slower chips in them , which I complained about alot .
But , if you like the TV and are just sick of the lassitude , you could always buy aChromecast with Google TVand use of goods and services that instead . The interface will be familiar to you , and it run for plenty fast . That elbow room , you do n’t have to supercede the whole TV if you do n’t want to .
But if you want to , just do it ! You have my blessing . ( Not that you were asking for it . )
What is a TV’s life span?
Elijah writes : I’ve had a Sony X900H for a few age now , and I ’ve comment I ’m getting a good deal more vignetting in the corners than I used to . Is this normal aging for a television receiver ? Is there a good timeline or life history span for a TV or a “ sweet spotlight ” time of possession for replacement ?
I do n’t love that your TV ’s vignetting is begin unsound after about two - and - a - one-half to three years . That is unless you allow it on for about 10 hours or so daily . If you do have the television on for that long , yeah , I ’m not aghast . I say this because , at our DT offices , we run TVs all day , and those that had vignetting pay off noticeably worse after about two to three years . I remember one that we had got just comically high-risk . I ca n’t believe we put up with it for so long , aboveboard .
Every TV is different . But , with heavy , heavy use , I often see LCD panel start up to suffer after about three years . I do n’t call up I can make a call on a sweet place for animation duet , but I have to say , I really care TV lasted for at least 10,000 minute . If you watch about five time of day a day every day , that ’s about five age . If you have it on 10 minute a day , every sidereal day , that ’s about 2.5 year .
Will 2023 TV prices drop further?
Weston writes : I’m in the market to upgrade my TCL 55S517 and am endeavor to stay below $ 2,000 . I ’ve been look at the 77 - inch LG C3 and just neglect the Amazon sales agreement , where this idiot box dipped just below my budget before shooting back up to about $ 2,500 . I ’m aim to remain vigilant on any deals , but I do n’t want to purchase prematurely if cost will send packing more significantly once the C4 lineup is available for purchase .
How far do you expect prices to drop on LGs 2023 lineup once the 2024 batting order is useable ? Should I pull the initiation if it dip below $ 2,000 again or wait it out until the 2024s are liberate for even more possible savings ?
Weston , I ’ll repeat something I said in another late installment : I think the skillful buying advice I can give right now is to bribe a 2023 TV if you’re able to . The 2024 television receiver , for the most part , seem to show marginal melioration over the 2023 TVs . So , if you could get a mountain on a 2023 TV , do that .
I do n’t screw when the C3 will go down again . But if it extend down before , it likely will again . And I think you have a few hebdomad . There ’s unremarkably some clock time between when the young model comes out and when fund on the anterior yr ’s example get going lean juiceless . So , if you hold out long enough , you ’ll get what you need .
With that said , I mean you should seriously consider getting the 77 - inch Samsung S89C OLED . It is just a spectacular television , and it is under $ 2,000 right now .
How to get the best upscaling
Philip Boyle write : With each component in my system able-bodied to do upscaling ( and mayhap doing it without me love it ) , how do I insure the most up to component is doing this important project ? I just get an 85 - column inch Sony X95L part because of its great upscaling capability . But if I dally a DVD in my Oppo Blu - ray actor , the output is upscaled to HD by the instrumentalist . If I play it in my Panasonic Ultra HD Blu - beam player , the output is upscaled to 4 K by that participant . And who live what the Marantz receiver is doing as the feed passes through it ? What is left for the Sony TV to do ? Should I somehow get the players to output the native format of the disc and leave all the upscaling to the Sony ?
I bang this question !
How do we verify the best upscaler in our system is doing the upscaling ? Since you have theSony X95L , I think there may be a feature article work behind the scenes to undo the upscaling task your disc players are doing and then re - upscale it from scratch . That ’s a specific feature film Sony distinguish me about mightily around this sentence last yr , and Ithinkthey carry out it . But it ’s very behind the scene , so I need to tally .
If you are confident that you get laid which component is the strongest upscaler in your system , then let it do its job . If it ’s early in the chain of mountains , then upscaling the upscaled double is rarely travel to do anything .
However , if the skilful upscaler in your system is the television set , which it often will be , you need to handicap upscaling in your other product . So , on aMarantz recipient , you would sprain off video processing — not the telecasting turnout , mind you , just the television processing . you may do that on the Oppo and Panasonic as well .
Have playfulness with it . Maybe do a comparability between how the Oppo does upscaling that DVD before it gets to your Sony . Then turn off the Oppo ’s upscaling and see if the Sony does it good ! rent us know what you find !
What’s the deal with Dolby Atmos soundbars
Jereme Brewer writes : I keep seeing many soundbars advertising 5.1 with Dolby Atmos . How would this cultivate without upfiring speakers ? Does the soundbar downmix the signal ? Or does it decode it , and you just lose the peak effects ? Would a individual see any benefit from a 5.1 soundbar with Atmos versus one without ?
Here ’s the thing — and I rationalize to anyone who has had to hear me say this before .
Dolby Atmos is as much brand selling as it is technology now . To be fair , the Dolby Atmos badge always means something technically . But what that is varies so much that it ’s hard for me to see it as a guarantee of something awing .
Anyway , the Dolby Atmos badge on a 5.1 apparatus could mean it is just processing and downmixing the Atmos signaling to shape with the verbalizer it has , or it could intend that it will render virtual Dolby Atmos – my hope would be for the latter , and for the practical burden to be done well .
Anyway , it would depend on thesoundbar , so I would expect deeply into the intersection lit to see what the hints might be . Hope that help !
Dual cell TVs
Robert Krupka write : Does Hisense dual - cell TV technology still exist ? I remember it made an innovative spatter , but now I do n’t listen of it .
Yeah , it made a spatter and quickly fail . The problem is it was a bit too dim ; it just did n’t take off . Dual - cell technologyis expensive to do well . The monitors that practice well - done dual cell are the sort that Hollywood production pro expend and cost 10 of thou of dollar .
