Podcast #978: HDTV Buying Guide 2020

Wyze Video Doorbell review: Spotty performance holds it back

The Wyze Video Doorbell comes at an incredible price for an app-enabled live-streaming buzzer: $30. Nothing from major brands like Amazon's Ring or Google's Nest comes close to that level of affordability. That said, I experienced issues with the camera's performance on this video doorbell -- something I haven't encountered with other Wyze cams (more details on that in the section below). Full article here…

Steven Soderbergh: The Reports of Cinema’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

We are only taking a look at a couple of questions from this interview. We recommend that you take a look at the entire interview linked here. Full article here…

HDTV Buying Guide 2020

Tis the season for us to go shopping and to continue to help you spend your money - one of our favorite times of the year. If you or anyone in your life is looking for a new UHD TV this Christmas, but still aren’t sure which one to buy, we’ve got you covered. There are some incredible TVs out there with fantastic pricing. 

50 Inch

If you are looking for a TV in this size category you probably have a small room and don’t want to spend a lot of money. With that said, you still want a good TV for your home.  

Hisense H8G Quantum Series Android 4K ULED Smart TV with Voice Remote (Street Price $525)

When you consider the price and performance this TV is hard to beat. By the way, it comes in bigger sizes with similar values. RTINGS.com gives it a 7.8 out of 10 rating for overall use. Having full-array local dimming gives it great contrast and black levels.  The TV has a good color gamut which produces rich and saturated colors in HDR content. The HDR drops off in a well lit room as the TV does not get bright enough. Finally, off angle viewing is not the best.

65 Inch

At this size we are not looking for a bargain but more a high quality TV that won’t break the bank. 

Vizio P-Series Quantum X 4K HDR Smart TV (MSRP $1530)

This TV is great for most uses garnering an 8.3 overall rating from RTINGs.com. If you were turned off by the previous model due to its limitations in bright rooms, then this TV is for you. But it also does well in dark rooms with it's dark blacks which makes watching movies a joy. However, this TV has off angle viewing issues as fo most all LCD based TVs 

75 Inch

Now we are getting into serious TV watching here and will up the budget substantially. We also want a TV with as few compromises as possible.

LG CX 77 inch Class 4K Smart OLED TV w/ AI ThinQ® (MSRP $3500)

This OLED delivers excellent picture quality with the best black levels on the market. RTINGS.com rates it 8.8 overall and a whopping 9.3 for movies! If you are a movie junky this TV is for you, with the caveat that the room is dark. This is the only TV on our list that has no off angle viewing issues. The CX has a wide color gamut for HDR content. The only issue we have with the TV is the brightness. If you are watching in a bright room you may not be able to get brightness levels you like. 

Ultimate TV (for Braden)

Our Ultimate category was added specifically for Braden this year by Ara. He is trying to get Braden to buy something!! Even if he has to store it in his garage until the home is ready for it's use.  We all know Braden has an affinity for TCL but this TV is going into his main room so we are upping the game!

85" Class Q80T QLED 4K UHD HDR Smart TV (2020) (MSRP $3800)

At 85 inches, this TV gets into the projector size category. I ruled out OLED out solely based on price but at $3800 this TV is not cheap. RTINGS.com gives this TV 8.4 overall. The Q80T is a wonderful all around TV. Great picture quality and contrast ratio combined with its high peak brightness makes it a great choice for use in bright rooms. But thanks to it's full-array local dimming, the Q80T has great contrast which allows it to perform well in dark rooms too. Finally of all the non-OLED TVs, this one has the best off angle viewing.