Tom is wondering if there's a new TV technology coming out. Leo says that there are two kinds of TVs right now, LCD/LED and OLED. LCD has different flavors, including LED, MiniLED, QLED. But the next generation is microLED, which will be like OLED, but the LEDs are really super tiny. Samsung has a 108" model for $156,000 that is more of a technology demonstrator. But we'll be seeing them more affordably on the horizon soon.
Scott joins Leo to talk about CES this year, and he says there's been a ton of news already. Leading the way is micro and mini LEDs, the latest version of LCD TV technology. Instead of hundreds or thousands of LEDs, there are now tens of thousands. And that translates to more accurate color and dynamic range. This year will be the year of mini LEDs with LG announcing the QNLED model of 4K TVs, and Samsung showcasing their NEO LED.
Scott joins Leo to talk about Mini and Micro LED TVs, and they are very exciting. Micro LEDs are really small so they offer more detail and sharper resolution. But they are very expensive right now. But the good news is, that LG's next-generation high-end LCD TVs will be using mini LEDs (called QNED). Scott also thinks that all LCD TV companies will rapidly follow suit. Once the technology becomes more widespread, the price will drop. And in about 5 years, the next big thing will be MicroLED as the technology gets even smaller.
Joel has a Sony Bravia TV, which is pretty old. He's limited to 32" because of his cabinet. So what can he get to replace it? Leo says that you can still get 32" flat screens, but you'll need to measure them to get the right model that fits. And they're cheap. TCL makes one for $128, HiSense for $139. Vizio about $160. You may even be able to get a slightly larger one depending on the model.
Anthony is looking to get a 75" TV. OLED or QLED? Samsung or Sony? Leo says that there are projectors, but they're not really 4K and are a bit dimmer. So that leaves LED LCD and OLED TVs. OLED offers bolder colors and deeper blacks. But they are best in dark rooms. LCD LEDs are ideal in bright ambient rooms. They are also more affordable. Leo recommends the LG OLED. They are incredible. But LG, Sony, Samsung all make great LCDs. Even Vizio and TCL make great TVs for the money. But the 77" LG OLED CX is the best on the market right now.
Greg is looking to get a 65" TV with decent sound. Suggestions? He'll be getting a soundbar later. Scott Wilkinson says that Sony makes the best OLED TVs with decent speakers. The design is actually the screen itself, with drivers behind them. But that's going to cost well over $1500. Better to get a soundbar for $100. That way it doesn't really matter what TV he buys.
Speakers on TVs are really an afterthought these days. The best choice is to pay a little less for the TV and then add the Soundbar now. Scott recommends Vizio or TCL. The TCL M Series is in Greg's price range.
Parker is a gamer and is looking forward to Cyberpunk 2077. He recently bought the Nvidia RTX 380 video card for his PC. He's got it connected to his TV, but it's causing a problem with the resolution. Leo says Parker is going to need a 4K TV that can handle a higher refresh rate. Leo says that LCDs are notoriously low. So an OLED may be the way to go. Latency is also an issue, but OLEDs handle that as well as the best LCDs. OLEDs are around 14ms, and some are GSync compatible. So look for that.
Louis misses having picture-in-picture on his TV. The chatroom says that LG does picture-in-picture. You really need dual tuners for that to work. Apple TV can also do picture in picture with the app. So, it would be live streaming two streams at once. Press the home button and hold until the PIP pops up. Then you can stream to each. You can also airplay from the Verizon app with it.
Gary wants to know if there's a way to change the closed captioning from being displayed where it does. Leo says that sometimes, TVs use different positioning for CC1, CC2, etc. Some systems allow you to modify the style of the captions for background, size, outlined, etc. Depends on the provider you use. Check out this article from the NY Times.
Scott recently picked up the iPhone 12 Pro Max for shooting video. He says it feels solid, but it also feels heavy. He says the camera is so good, he uses it to shoot TV shows on a local cable network. But now he needs a TV with Dolby Vision to edit the video on it.
