New TV, Kind of Confused

xb2003

Honorable
Oct 2, 2012
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10,570
I'm looking for a new TV, and I hate how hard manufactures make it to figure out what you are getting. Here are my constraints:
-$550 after Shipping and Tax (Prime is nice..). Id rather do $450 though.
-48"-55"
-1080p, not 4k
-I think I want a smart TV, as I do not have a cable box, modern game console, or any sort of dvd/blu ray player. All though I might pick up a PS3 at some point.
-If for some reason one had a separate coax jack for cable and air, that would be extremely nice. My old Samsung has this, but I think this has gone by the wayside.

I really will only use the TV for watching basic cable, so not even 720p, Netflix, and HD over air. Maybe the occasional game of Madden if I get a PS3, and playing my old Xbox and PS2 games.

Refresh rate is so confusing to me. I understand how it is supposed to work, but these manufacturers seemingly love to water this territory. I understand 120Hz is favorable because if you watch a blu ray at 24fps, it is natively supported. I also understand that 120hz TVs are interlaced, really only using a 60fps source. Does that mean they are not going to support that 24fps rate?

Anyways, Here is what I am looking at currently.

http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-E50-C1-50-Inch-1080p-Smart/dp/B00SMBFP4U/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1449932953&sr=1-1&keywords=vizio+e+series

The 48" version of this TV is $430 everywhere but Amazon..

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WR28U10/ref=psdc_6459737011_t1_B00V0K0X7Y

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-KDL48R510C-48-Inch-1080p-Smart/dp/B00V0K0X7Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1449931735&sr=1-1&keywords=sony+bravia

Both the Sony and Samsung claim a 60Hz refresh rate while the Visio a 120Hz. How do they compare?

Thanks,
Jesse
 
A refresh rate of 120 Hz, means that 24p (or FPS) content, such as a blu ray disc, is going to simply be played back the way the director intented. If this mode is set to ON on the TV, and you have a playback device, such as the Xbox, PS, or even a blu ray standalone player (best choice), then you simply set that to ON as well, so they match. The TV is then going to show the same frame 5 times, because 24*5=120, simple math. This will get rid of the judder caused by telecine, or commonly known as the 3:2 pulldown. The difference when watching movies is night and day, between a 50/60 Hz TV and 100/120 Hz TV. However, if you've never experienced a smooth playback of a movie, it's exactly like at the cinema.

With that said, you can't go wrong with any of those TV's. Bigger is better though. Majority of consumers complain that they should have went with something bigger, don't make that mistake, unless space is a concern, even though the difference isn't that big between the three. I looked it up, and all three TV's you listed are running at a native refresh rate of 60 Hz. The Vizio is advertised as 120 Hz, but that's the interpolation, which is a huge plus for sports.

However, there's a huge misconception and false information regarding TV refresh rates. I've seen reviewers make the same mistake. There are plenty of native 100/120 Hz TV's on the market, and there are a few 240 Hz TV's as well, especially helpful for Active 3D, which is why 240 Hz exists. 120 Hz Active 3D created lots of flicker and crosstalk. There are also 120 Hz 3D Active TV's that regardless that it's using active shutters, it's still displaying a low 3D resolution, matching Passive 3D. Point is, there are a lot of things to look out for. But you can't go wrong with a TV today, and there are good RMA services as well as money back and find a new TV available. Don't worry too much.




All the best!