Best 43-49” TV for Noir Movies + Windows XP Computing?

ajant

Well-Known Member
Jan 14, 2017
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OLED TVs have been marketed for quite some time and it’s very upsetting to find that there are still no 43 to 49” model available. After all, who among us film noir movie lovers doesn’t want OLED’s unbeatable black level range and contrast ratio-even if many of us lack space for a larger screen size? Apparently, sub-50” OLED TVs are unavailable due to production scale vs. desired sales volume decisions, plus the strange and unfortunate fact (if actually true) that LG is the world’s only supplier of OLED panels. So those like me who want to enjoy the OLED TV experience in their bedrooms are probably out of luck for the foreseeable future, regardless of price. And the situation looks at least as bad for those pursuing sub-50” non-OLED TVs that still give truly excellent black levels and have VGA and/or analog video connectivity.

I’d rather not replace my ancient laptop and desktop until early next year, when Intel’s coffeelake or icelake processors will be available. But here’s where things get more dicey. My Sony laptop‘s 10 years old with only VGA and S-video but it runs Windows 7 Home, 3GB memory, Intel T9500 Core 2 Duo CPU and Intel Media Accelerator X3100 graphics. I don’t want to have to choose between analog to digital video converters, however well they may work So I’d want the best performing 43-46” TV for movies with lots of dark content
and which has VGA and/or composite video inputs.

My 13 year old desktop that I mostly use for file backup management runs Windows XP Home 3GB memory, Intel Pentium 4 Prescott 3.6GHz cpu and ATI Radeon® X300 SE 128MB video card. That card’s at least 3 years older than the graphics in my laptop but it has a DVI-I connector. Thus, its digital video will is physically adaptable and electrically compatible with HDMI.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface#Connector
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface#DVI_and_HDMI_compatibility

However, as the desktop's three years older than the laptop, will it have a problem outputting the Windows XP desktop and MS Word documents of at least legible quality to the TV?

And will AVI video format files look at least nearly as good as DVD video quality?

I realize that it’s a tall order. But to recap, please recommend one or more TV models that:

Have VGA or composite video, however now unlikely.

Won’t over overheat the cpu and graphics processor
in my 2005 desktop when it outputs AVI video via
DVI-D to the TV.

And that this 43 to 49” TV model also have truly stunning inky contrast and wide black level performance when fed from Oppo and other quality Blu Ray players.

According to this review, only Vizio makes one or more models which may be meet all criteria. https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/best/by-usage/pc-monitor

I’ll go with one unless there are one or more better models.

Cost is no problem.

Please advise.
 
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Folsom

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I don't know about the TV's, but have you looked at computer monitors that may be OLED? Computer and TV screens are fairly interchangeable these days.

What I really am going to commit on is... HOLY cow your computers are still running? I hope you realize that is absolute luck at this point. If you have valuable files on the desktop I suggest an external newer drive or cloud storage... You can get more archival intended externals.

The one thing I understand about your computers is not wanting to upgrade to Win10, it's bullshit. Win7 is leagues more pleasant to deal with.
 

ajant

Well-Known Member
Jan 14, 2017
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138
I don't know about the TV's, but have you looked at computer monitors that may be OLED? Computer and TV screens are fairly interchangeable these days.
OLED computer monitors? Do they exist? As explained, given that the TV brands refuse to make OLED TVs below 55" for production vs. sales volume reasons-and as LG controls the supply of OLED panels-it seems hardly sensible or possible that Dell, Samsung or other computer parts makers would be issuing OLED 24 to 30" computer displays. Besides, I want a OLED screen big enough to do double time as a bedroom sized home theatre screen, 43 to 49".

I know it all sounds crazy. Yes, of course I do have a pair of 500GB SATA external drives, plus another desktop internal drive apart from the system drive for redundant backup. And I have still another equally ancient Dell desktop with two internal SATA drive apart from the system drive. I routinely back up to all drives every few months. The external drives are only a few years old. And as old as the rest of the hardware is as they get relatively little use there's
less chance for moving parts failures. But I will replace all of the hardware next year.

What about Windows 8? I heard that was well designed and quite stable.
 

ajant

Well-Known Member
Jan 14, 2017
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138

Blast those uncaring TV brand marketing execs! Not only do none of them offer sub-50" OLED TVs, but apparently only as few as six of them make any kind of TVs below 50". Which probably means that as little as none of those models have contrast ratios anywhere near those of plasmas, much less that of my 32" Toshiba 4:3 CRT TV from 1995. https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/best/by-size/40-42-43-inch
 

ajant

Well-Known Member
Jan 14, 2017
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138
I would check Sony LED 4K UHD TVs in your size range (43 to 49).
And Windows 10 latest version.
I just hope that Windows 10 will be stripped of any bloatware and Vista-like pokeyness by the time I replace all of my computers next year. And did Microsoft yet give us the option of ditching those "translucent" borders around MSWord? What a pointless and annoying improvement".
 

NorthStar

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Feb 8, 2011
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I know that there are no OLED TVs smaller than 55" (or 50"), so I'd go with next best.

Today is July 23, 2018 ...it's super hot here, too hot for my own taste. And it's hot on many other spots of this planet. Sizes of 4K TVs got bigger and bigger, thinner and thinner, better and better, and super inexpensive in comparison to years ago with VHS picture quality.

We can have TVs on all the walls of our homes and never miss the news no matter which room we're in.
And we can even talk to our TVs so that we can tune to our favorite shows from the commands of our voice.

Anyway, we like convenience, room service, simplicity, and what's available in the screen's size format of our choice.

The same with our computers; the latest generally the best...Windows 10.
Or go Apple for not less.
 

cjfrbw

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Apr 20, 2010
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I don't really see any reason to get anything at 43" size other than the TCL 4k HDR model. It's got great blacks, and a great picture, I'm looking at it right now. Very sharp and clear as a computer monitor. Watching all kinds of program material looks just fine. The first episode of Netflix 'Lost in Space' seems to be one of the current 4K HDR Meisterstücke, and it looks great on the TCL.

Unless you are into reams of color adjustments and multiple videophile metrics, TCL has really advanced the bar for budget panel TV. Upscaling is surprisingly decent, too.

Larger sizes, one might wish to go more upscale.
 

Folsom

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Gamers and video people want OLED computer monitors. They can have more reason for it, especially if it is their income way.
 

ajant

Well-Known Member
Jan 14, 2017
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Unless you are into reams of color adjustments and multiple videophile metrics, TCL has really advanced the bar for budget panel TV. Upscaling is surprisingly decent, too. Larger sizes, one might wish to go more upscale.
Aside from contrast upscaling power is probably my biggest concern with 43 to 49" TVs, as my DVD collection is at least twice as many as my BD titles. Btw, as assuming that most of the TVs discussed here permit their internal upscalers to be bypassed, are upscalers in most BD players more powerful than the one in TVs like that TCL and Sony X900F?
 

NorthStar

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Folsom, if you are into serious gaming you don't want OLED.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnar...-more-problems-with-lg-oled-tvs/#5fbf21191014
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnar...-more-problems-with-lg-oled-tvs/#8a636d21014b
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnar...eportedly-a-disaster-for-gamers/#481794fdccc1
And they don't mention permanent burn-in.

Here they do: https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/best/by-usage/hdr-gaming
But the thing is; wait a year or two, and the few OLED 2018 models won't be on the top list.
___

The Sony 900F would upscale to 4K just fine, it has one of the best video processor chips.
 
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Hi-FiGuy

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Feb 23, 2015
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So 49 is OK but 50 is to big? Seems like at 50 you have a lot more options. We run 50 in our bedroom.
 

cjfrbw

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Aside from contrast upscaling power is probably my biggest concern with 43 to 49" TVs, as my DVD collection is at least twice as many as my BD titles. Btw, as assuming that most of the TVs discussed here permit their internal upscalers to be bypassed, are upscalers in most BD players more powerful than the one in TVs like that TCL and Sony X900F?

That's a good question, but I assume most modern TVs have automatic recognition of signals and I would expect a high quality BD player would have excellent upscaling. I have a Samsung older Blue Ray player that I bought at Goodwill for $12, and playing standard DVDs upscaled through the Samsung look very, very nice through my 4K projector system, which, I assume scales it up even further from 1080p to 4K.

Sony is acknowledged to have the best scaling and hi def chips. However, very good scaling has become pretty common, even in the budget TVs from China.

If you want to be safe on the scaling issue, then, yeah, just get the Sony that fits your paradigm.

My 43" Sony X800E HDR 4K that I bought last year looks great, but not 250 percent greater than my 43" inch TCL HDR 4k based on cost.

An interesting observation on the Sony, however, is the blacks have become progressively better over time than when it was newer. I have never heard that there was a break-in evolution of black level on LED panels. Blacks on the TCL were very good from new.
 
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NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
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Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
I'm new to rtings.com; very informative review.
If there's no 43 to 49" TV out within the next few months
that beats the X900F's blacks I'll go for it. Thanks.

It is one of the very best sources for TV shopping.
In your first post you linked to their site, so I thought you already knew the essential.

By the way I don't know if you noticed but from their site the Sony 900F got the highest rating score and it's the smallest size and your biggest requested size; 49" (actual is 48.5").
You couldn't ask for better than that.
? https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/best/by-size/48-49-50-inch
? https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/sony/x900f/settings


* When I want to plug my computer, laptop, etc., to my TV I have several choices:
- Though HDMI connection.
- Through USB connection.
- Using a separate hard drive with high def high res content...USB.

Today it costs almost nothing to be fully entertained with contentment.
Audio and video electronic products are the most easy part.
The rest is even easier; applications.
 
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