Want to upgrade my Tv

If you want just he basics, Any HDTV with HDMI inputs.

4K is not coming very soon, no one is even broadcasting yet.

 

After a lot of research i picked the 2017 4K Sony X900E TV to replace my highly reviewed 2014 Sony 1080p TV and the X900E is a big improvement in every picture quality category on regular 720p and 1080i Cable and OTA content (both watched on my Roamio and Premiere) as well as Netflix and Blu-Ray. Excellent picture quality and rivals my excellent ST60 Plasma !

Best Buy still has leftover 55" X900E inventory at low clearance prices, otherwise the current (and even better but more money) model is the X900F. Available in 49" and 55", and larger sizes also.

 

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Think I heard that Netflix and Amazon are providing some 4K and HDR videos now. You may need a separate streaming box (Fire TV or Roku) to play them.

 

I also have a Sony X900E, been using it for about 8 or 9 months. Love it! Great picture quality.

One note...beware of the Samba services. Here's some info from the New York Times yesterday:

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Once enabled, Samba TV can track nearly everything that appears on the TV on a second-by-second basis, essentially reading pixels to identify network shows and ads, as well as programs on Netflix and HBO and even video games played on the TV. Samba TV has even offered advertisers the ability to base their targeting on whether people watch conservative or liberal media outlets and which party’s presidential debate they watched.

The big draw for advertisers — which have included Citi and JetBlue in the past, and now Expedia — is that Samba TV can also identify other devices in the home that share the TV’s internet connection.
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You can disable Samba here:
Settings...Apps...Samba Service Manager...Disable.

 

Thanks for the report. Shame on Sony--that's disgustingly sick and violative, absent a screen-wide warning requiring a positive opt-in. Is there any real, apparent warning?

 

Samba was opt-in, so at least there's that. Beyond that...very little information.

The day the Samba opt-in appeared on my set I was out doing some yard work. My wife called me in, asking if I wanted to add Samba to our TV. I'd never heard of it, so we chose cancel. It only took a few minutes of using Google to learn that Samba Interactive Services was all advertising related...so that answered that question -- it wasn't anything I needed or wanted.

 

The Sony X900E was last years model. This year's model is the X900F. I hear the X900F is the same set with faster processing...so it should be a little better. I'm really happy with my X900E...stunningly beautiful picture. The X900E and X900F are available in many sizes...from 40-something to 75-inch.

Never thought I'd own a Sony Bravia set...but found it highly rated on rtings.com. Before shopping I was all set to buy a Samsung set, but the store had the Samsung and Sony side by side. I chose the Sony.

 

I wonder if the level of (spying/intrusiveness) was fully disclosed, and in real human terms (rather than tiny boilerplate text), at the opt-in point.

 

Probably...in the pages long "agreement" that no one ever reads.

In this case...I'm not sure if I blame Sony or Google...the Sony runs Android TV. So perhaps the blame lies with Google.

 

This level of intrusiveness and (spying) feels different to me, requiring explicit, separate disclosure, with full-screen text and blinking warnings . . . .

 

If you are a Costco Member, try there.

If you are not, ask someone who is to get you a Costco Cash Card, and you can pay on your own.

Pay by Visa is possible now, but not MC.

 

There are adjustments that affect these things. I would question whether they have been optimized on the display models. (And "optimized" is different for each viewer.)

 

Honestly, based on your original post, pretty much every TV out there meets the needs you desire. I'm going to go out on a pretty safe limb and say virtually all TVs now of the 55" range are both 4K (UHD) and "Smart." If you truly are about saving money and I'd look for reviews regarding brand reliability and I'd also look at how you interact with the remote.

As far as 4K, more and more services are streaming it, so don't obsess over it being there, accept it. You may eventually want to view Netflix, Amazon Prime, or other streaming services in 4K.

And as far as the Smart TV functions, go for it. they open a whole world of streaming, both pay and free, and since the price to buy into "Smart TV" really is negligible, it's really worth it.

I won't specify a TV brand or model for you, as I am admittedly a picture quality snob. I have to be, as that's part of my job description. Personally I went with an LG OLED and love it. But it's not cheap technology. I spent well north over a grand for my set, but it really gives me something close to the quality of the broadcast reference monitors I use at my job.