Replacement for Panasonic 60ST60

[Brandon_Storm]

I have a Panasonic 60ST60 that's failed. It's under warranty but they can't fix it so I'm getting $1800 in store credit. I'm having trouble deciding on what to replace it with. I use it about 75% of the time for gaming, 25% for watching movies. There are no plasmas left, so I have to go LCD.

I'm willing to spend about $3000 ($1800 credit + $1200 cash).

Viewing angle: Sites like rtings make me apprehensive about viewing angle. In stores I typically don't notice it when looking at TVs. But on rtings it makes the difference between on axis viewing and 30 degrees off axis look very severe. I have a 2 seater couch about 6' away from the TV. I don't want slight head movements to produce noticeable color change. Basically I don't want the effect you get with crappy TN panels on laptop displays.

Motion blur: I don't want to see trails behind game elements. I find I notice this effect especially in 2D style games like the Mario Bros games on Wii U.

Input lag: Anything below 60ms is fine.

Size: 60" - 70"

Color/Contrast: My buddy has a 70" 2014 M series Vizio that I thought looked alright. So at least as good as that.

I'm in Canada and my warranty is through Best Buy so I can only choose a TV available through them.

I've looked into the 2015 Vizio M70-C3 70", but some people have reported problems with turning off the soap opera effect which makes me nervous. rtings also didn't make the viewing angle or motion blur situation look very good.

Also looked at the Samsung JU7100, but the viewing angle and motion blur seem to be about the same as the Vizio.

I'm kinda stumped at this point. Feels like a lot of compromise and none of these TVs are on display anywhere for me to check out in person.

Suggestions?

[Legion6789]

I'm in the exact same situation! I, too, wonder which LCD to get.

[schan1269]

LG and Panny* have the best viewing angle. Sharp(depending how you measure) has a wider final angle.

Viewing angle on rting is based on "initial picture loss". Went round on this with another poster saying his IPS edge lit UB8500 has 60°. No, it doesn't.

Sharp difracts the glass to artificially create a 45° angle to where their initial fall off starts.

Granted, Sharp doesn't produce all their panels on their own anymore...so finding a "pure Sharp panel" is needle in a hay stack.
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Why not OLED? If you care not for 4K content, you can still watch 1080P on a 4K set. Should be able to find a closeout '14 OLED.

*IPS panels. The advice from me...

1. OLED if you can swing one at your price(even a floor sample with another warranty. Dangle additional warranty and see what happens).

2. Sharp genuine panel(no idea what series)

3. IPS.

[Stormyyy]

I sold my 60" ZT60 and just got a 65" Samsung JS9500 and it is just as good if not better than my ZT60 so if you are coming from an ST60, I would say get a 65" JS8500 or the JS9000 if you can afford it.

[Brandon_Storm]

Originally Posted by Stormyyy

I sold my 60" ZT60 and just got a 65" Samsung JS9500 and it is just as good if not better than my ZT60 so if you are coming from an ST60, I would say get a 65" JS8500 or the JS9000 if you can afford it.

Your name is like my name. Therefore I trust you.

I'll look into it. But even after my store credit and tax, that's still around an extra $4k.

Hefty.

[Grayson]

I wouldn't go with IPS, the viewing angles don't make up for the terrible contrast. I use IPS monitors for work because it's color critical and they're great in that enviroment, but I wouldn't want to watch movies exclusively on one.

[Brandon_Storm]

So, doing a bit more looking around, I've narrowed it down.

1. Vizio P602ui-B3 - 60" 4K - $1800 (no real extra money out of pocket with my credit)

2. Vizio M70-C3 - 70" 4K - $3000 (an extra $1200 out of pocket after my credit)

3. Samsung UN65JS8500 - 64" 4K - $4500 (An extra $2600 out of pocket after my credit, but I negotiated a good deal on a stupidly priced TV)

Pros and cons for the whole lot.

I know for the two Vizio's, they don't have as good a picture as my current TV that I'm replacing. They do have 4k, not really a selling point for me, but at least it's a bit of future proofing.

The P (2014 model) has a better picture than the M (2015 model), but not especially significant. The M is nice and big though at 70", however it's going to cost me an extra $1200.

I'm sure the real winner here quality wise is the Samsung. But god damn, that price. If it was even in the ballpark of the Vizio prices, it'd be a no-brainer, but that hefty price tag puts it into a realm of singular consideration.

Still unsure if getting something cheap now to upgrade in the not-too-extremely-distant future is the best idea, or to splurge and get the Samsung and hang onto that thing for dear life like Rose on the door at the end of Titanic.

Buying TVs is hard.