Caroline had a similar problem of headaches watching video on computers. She had a slight blue tint applied to her glasses lenses and that solved the problem. Leo says she can even get special glasses online that have that tint built-in. Gunnar makes them.
Charles wants to get a new TV. But he's confused. LED. LCD. OLED? Leo says there are really only two technologies OLED and LED. LEDs are less expensive and work better in bright ambient light. OLEDs are better image quality and color, but he will need to darken the room. Then there's resolution. Most TVs now are 4K. That translates to a sharper image and with HDR, there's bolder colors and better blacks. It also gives better detail in bright light or darker scenes. Leo recommends TCL, it has Roku built-in and they are very affordable. Another option is HiSense.
Scott Wilkinson reports that Samsung Display will stop making LCD panels by the end of next year. The parent company, Samsung Electronics, will still make LCD TVs, getting their panels from elsewhere. But what they are going to be doing is focusing solely on QLED, quantum dot LED panels. Scott says that they are LCD TVs with a quantum dot backlight. It takes blue OLED material and passes it through quantum dot material, converting it to blue, red, or green. It's a process called Quantum Dot Conversion, or QDCC. And it'll hit the market next year. Samsung will also be making a QD OLED.
Pete has a TV that won't turn on with the remote. He has to turn it on manually from behind. So he's looking for a new 55" that won't break the bank. Leo says that TCL and HiSense are very affordable because they are trying to break into the US market. Much like Vizio. TCL also has a Roku built into it, making it very affordable.
Scott joins Leo to talk about good low-cost TVs and soundbars to handle the quarantine. Looking at $500 or less. Digital Trends says the TCL 55-R625 Series gets top marks. It has Roku built-in. HiSense has one for $50 less, but with fewer local dimming zones. The Vizio M658 65" TV is also a great option for the money. It uses quantum dot technology for better local dimming.
Ratings recommends the Hisense 55H8 and 65H8. The 55" is $380 at BestBuy. Great deal.
Jack is having a "fluttering" issue with his AppleTV, where it goes to black. Spectrum says it's a box problem, and it should be rebooted. Apple says it shouldn't. Leo says that Apple is wrong; he has to reboot his AppleTV all the time. It's easy by pressing the menu and home button at the same time for five seconds. Stuttering can also indicate a bandwidth issue. Samsung also says his TV is out of date as well. But Leo says that it's probably not the TV. He suspects that his carrier Spectrum and a bad app. Uninstall the app and reinstall it. Also, try using a wired ethernet connection.
Rich wants to know if there's an app that can automatically adjust his commercial volume on his TV. They get louder than regular programming. Leo says that the FCC has required the volume being the same, but due to volume compression, it can sound louder than it actually is. A lot of AV receivers and TVs have an average sound feature that will adjust it.
Dickie D also shows off the "Shut the F up" Smash TV Mute Button, which will mute the TV during commercials with a quick smash.
Ed is looking for a 70" plus TV. What's the sweet spot for where to sit and which model should he buy? He can't find any mention of full-array local dimming. Scott says some do include the spec, some don't. But that doesn't mean that aren't FALD. The Samsung 70" Q70 is FALD, as is the Q80 and Q90. Scott also says the Sony X50 isn't, but the X950 is. Most LG TVs are edge-lit. 15 feet is ideal for and 80-85" TV.
Scott joins Leo to talk about all he saw at CES 2020. One of the nifty things he saw was an OLED gaming monitor that was 4K OLED with a variable 360fps refresh rate. 8K TVs were everywhere, including a 292" Wall by Samsung. MicroLEDs are the next generation TV, and while we're a few years away from being affordable, the technology will be the future once they make the production of the MLEDs scalable for production. Another trend was "miniLED." Tens of thousands of dimming zones and LEDs make for more consistent lighting from light to dark. TCL will be offering miniLEDs this year.
Jeff wants to know why his Xbox gets better WiFi reception than his Vizio TV. Leo says it's simply the quality of components. The Xbox offers a computer grade WiFi antenna, while the Vizio likely has a much cheaper part. TV Wifi is terrible as a result, and Scott says if he can hardwire the TV, it's always better, especially for streaming.
