I'm buying a new TV for Black Friday. What should I be looking at?

Looking for a new TV that will take advantage of the new stuff video games are doing like HDR and 4k. I'm not really too concerned about the 4k bit, but I really like what I've seen of HDR in person. I've heard the guys in the podcast swear up and down and how great HDR is so that's my main desire.

My price range is $400-$600. I don't currently have a TV for my new house so this purchase is somewhat essential. I've seen TVs in person at Best Buy and I've looked at Amazon and this looks like a good deal.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MYGISTO/ref=twister_B071J9GQP8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

My current TV is a Panasonic TC-P46S2 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV so I'm hoping to take the next step in TV evolution while being on a budget.

What do you guys advise?

Here's the review for that set on Rtings.com right here.

You're probably going to want to spend a couple more bucks. I went through this same thing about 3-4 months ago and ended up with a TCL P series. I've been super impressed with it so far. That or the Vizio M series are probably the cheapest sets you're going to find where the 4K/HDR makes a noticeable difference compared to the picture on your old plasma.

With HDR standards still somewhat up in the air, I really don't know what to recommend. C|net has their Black Friday list up for TVs and there are a lot of options there for your price range. I just don't know what of those 4K sets have HDR and what ones don't.

For whatever it's worth, I currently have a Vizio P series TV and it works fine even without HDR.

Digital Foundry made a video recommending TVs.

I am nowhere near taking the plunge of a 4K set, but I thought this IGN article was pretty good on showing both the "best" and the "best on a budget" 4K TVs (though upon another look at the article, the selection may possibly be limited a bit by what IGN could do with affiliate links :-\ ). Hope it helps.

I always go to Wirecutter for these sorts of things.

https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-tv/

I'm interested in the LG OLEDs, but I might have to wait another year.

As I check the posted links and recommendations I can see now that my focus has to be a TV that is optical for playing games as the listed lag I've seen on some TVs is really bad. I don't think viewing angle is that big of an issue since I plan on sitting right in front of the TV.

As we get closer to Black Friday more deals should appear right?

@golguin: As someone else who is also looking for a new TV what part of the specs can you look at the determine input lag? It seems harder to determine than most other factors.

I forgot the website I was looking at, but in comparing TVs they had listed input lag as part of their comparisons.

I bought a Sony 55 inch X900E, a couple of months ago. I looked, and it's currently 900*, and the 49 inch X800E is currently 700. Maybe it might drop in price for Black Friday.

I like my tv, it's nice.

I'd just look at Rtings, and browse through the HDR reviews and then see how TVs in you price range do in other functions. Rting will give you and overall score as well as a score for HDR movies, HDR Gaming, Video Games, etc. I would bump your price expectations into the $650 to $750 range. Oh, you can buy a set that says "HDR" for $300 this time of year, but the color gamut and accuracy will be poor.

I have an older sony like the 700d and i like it alot, the hdr isn't the best but it's serviceable. I had one of those 4k roku sets before ( not TCl but the other brand i can't even think of right now lol) and this tv is way better picture quality wise, especially for games. Sony's have pretty low input lag as well, maybe not low enough for keyboard and mouse shooters but good for console and controller stuff.

I suggest the Vizio M-series. 4k hdr at around $500 for 50"

So i just bought the 55" version of that tcl yesterday for $400. I was a bit worried because all the reviews I saw said it looks great but it not "as good" as top of the line sets. In this case ignorance truly is bliss. The tv looks amazing and hdr games were where it's at for sure. Considering I'm selling my old tv for $200 to my parents, a 4k hdr 55" tv for 200 is a deal I couldn't pass up

I'm not convinced it's worth upgrading to a new TV (assuming you already have a 1080p set) unless it's OLED. Going from plasma to LCD will be a step backwards for black levels, and since no one makes plasma TVs anymore, OLED is the only way forward. Local dimming helps, but I've only seen that on pricier LCDs. Not that black levels are everything, of course, but I hate the idea of buying a new TV that's worse at something than my current one.

I have the same TV. It's rad.

I Love TCL and the 55" 2017 model would be your best bet. I bought the 2016 55" model last year from Costco and it was great, except that I found that the HDR was not added till this year in the 2017's. It worked great for the time that I had it and the price is unbeatable for what it comes with. I replaced mine the other day with a Sony 65" due to moving into a new house and getting greedy with outfitting it with the best I can afford.. or not afford :( When it comes to HDR, 4k will be there, and the TCL this year looks great. When I was comparing it to the LG and Samsung displays next to it at the store, the difference is minimal at best and the main thing your spending your money on is the name. There are very small differences but unless comparing to a tv next to it, you will never see. I would go with the TCL you linked but honestly, go for the 55" at the lowest, especially when the price currently is only 50$ difference.

I don't know if you're in America, but for TVs, Superbowl sales are usually better than Black Friday sales. I'm not sure if you're in a rush or not so I'd maybe wait. I won't go 4K for another year or so. I'm fine with my current TV and I don't have a XBX or PS4 Pro yet and it seems pointless without those. I wouldn't ignore 4K since it is the next standard. I doubt it's a fad like 3DTVs.

@hayt: Not the guy you were replying to, but knowing you're the aussie from the other thread here's what I'd tell you to do. Find a brand whose American sets have really great input lag (like that Sony X900E you were looking at, or a Vizio M-series set) and then buy the closest equivalent Australian model. Companies are going to reuse firmware and internal electronics across regions, and that's really what affects input lag. Just be sure you enable "game mode" on whatever TV you do buy to get the lowest lag.

@gundamguru: cheers! Yah i'm actually building a spreadsheet now. Its ugly but it helps me get it all straight haha

Best Buy has amazing deals right now on Samsung TVs. - Link

tv's with a IPS panel is a must for me. But yeah i don't know if every tv brand uses the same standards.

TCL Roku TV I got this from Costco and have really enjoyed it. Not the most powerful 4K but does the job well for the price point.

Hmm, I see that TCL 55S405 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED TV (2017 Model) is now at $380. Can more drops be incoming by Thursday?

https://www.amazon.com/TCL-49S405-49-Inch-Ultra-Smart/dp/B01MTGM5I9/ref=sr_1_5?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1511120541&sr=1-5&keywords=1080p%2Btv&dpID=51vL5SQbwaL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch&th=1

Black Friday is a bad time to buy a TV because TV manufacturers produce subpar, Black Friday only models. That's why they can afford to sell them at such a low cost. I've heard good things about tcls p series, which isn't too far off from your price range.

@rongalaxy: I don't know man. That sounds kind of paranoid. Anyway, I'm going to wait until the super bowl sales before going 4K.

@max_cherry: Google it. It's a thing that definitely happens. I mean, you can certainly avoid buying a TV like that, just make sure you get the exact model number you're looking for.

Has anyone seen any new deals? I'm now eyeing theTCL - 55" Class (54.6" Diag.) - LED - 2160p - Smart - 4K Ultra HD TV with High Dynamic Range Roku TV.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tcl-55-class-54-6-diag--led-2160p-smart-4k-ultra-hd-tv-with-high-dynamic-range-roku-tv/5878705.p?skuId=5878705

The review for that...

http://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/tcl/p-series-2017-p607

I'm starting to feel the pressure of waiting on a deal only for it to be gone. The Amazon version of the TCL 55S405 is now gone.

I can't edit my post for some reason, but the situation is over. I bought that TV.