On today’s episode of You Asked… What’s the best way to control all your devices with one remote? What’s a good option for under 1500 dollars? And… LG G4 or TCL QM8K?
Best TV Under $1,500
John asks: I have a Samsung from 2014 (I’ll put the model number here in the text), and back in 2014, it was one of the newest 4K TVs, and it’s still going. But I’m losing some pixels. I have 12 large white spots coming into my screen, but I can still watch. I want to upgrade and don’t want just an edge-lit TV, but I don’t want to break the bank either. Can you recommend a QLED or OLED that’s roughly 1500 dollars?
Hey John… you’ve got a great budget to work with because, in that price range, there are some great TVs. It looks like the Samsung you’re upgrading from was a 50-inch model. So if you’re going for 65 inches, great, but if you’re looking to stay around the same size at 55 inches, the options are even better. So I’ll list a few in both sizes.
At 55 inches, Samsung’s S90F would be outstanding. It’s a QD-OLED TV that’ll give you one of the best images around. The color and contrast are a joy to watch, and it comes in right at your price cap of 1500 dollars.
Now, if you want to save a little bit and don’t mind taking a bit of a step back in terms of color, the 55-inch LG C5 is another great OLED option at 1400 dollars. What it does do better than the Samsung S90F is SDR brightness. So if you’re in a bright room and watching sports, for example, the LG may be a better option for you. And for streaming movies and shows, you do have Dolby Vision available, whereas Samsung doesn’t support that HDR format—though I don’t think that should really be a dealbreaker.
At 65 inches, we can look at a few premium QLED TVs, and we’ll stick with LG and their QNED92A. It’s the best they offer, and one of its biggest benefits over the OLED options we just mentioned is brightness, especially for SDR viewing. It also comes with four HDMI 2.1 ports, like the previous two options, as well as Dolby Vision HDR.
Finally, there’s the Hisense U8QG and TCL QM8K, two TVs that compete closely year after year. The TCL appears to have better blacks, which will make it the better choice in a dark room for contrast. But where the QM8K comes in right at 1500 dollars, the U8QG is on a serious sale right now for about 1100 dollars.
So, like I said, you’ve got a great lot to choose from there. And to sum it up, for OLED, I’d probably go for the S90F. And for QLED, I think TCL makes a killer TV with the QM8K. But it’s hard to go wrong with any of those.
Do You Need Two Remotes?
Tyler asks: Do you have to use separate remotes with all of these? I have a TCL TV and would like a soundbar, but hate using two remotes for flipping and volume?
Flipping. I love the term “flipping” for changing the channel. I think my dad still says it all the time because man, does he flip through channels like crazy as soon as a commercial hits.
Anyway… no, you definitely do NOT need two remotes. Ever notice that universal remotes hardly ever get talked about anymore? That’s because these features are all built into the TVs now.
On your TCL TV, go to (fill in the blank with steps to HDMI Control and shoot B-roll at office)…
Now you can control your volume through your TV remote as if it were part of the TV itself. In fact, with HDMI Control, you can do a lot more than just change the volume. You can operate external devices like Blu-ray players, streaming devices, or even game console menus with just your native TV remote.
Also, Tyler—and anyone else wondering—we talk about this topic and a lot more in some of our TV settings guides for TCL and other brands that we have here on the channel.
83-inch LG G4 and an 85-inch TCL QM8K
Alex Garcia asks: What would you go with between an 83-inch LG G4 and an 85-inch TCL QM8K? Price is not much of a difference.
This is a great problem to have, Alex. But I gotta say something first.
I’ve been accused of being an OLED fanboy in the comments. And I’m hurt. I don’t even own an OLED TV. At home, I have a Samsung QN90C and TCL QM8. So, no bias here. I just try to be objective and recommend the best TV for everyone’s needs with the information given.
So… with that out of the way, objectively, the LG G4 is the superior TV. And this is on the heels of raving about the QM8K earlier in this video. From a picture quality standpoint, OLED is just on another level, especially when it’s one of LG’s best with infinite contrast, brilliant picture processing, and incredible colors.
But picture quality isn’t everything. It’s a lot, but not everything. And sometimes the differences in a purchase are going to come down to the little things: Do you like the operating system? How do the remotes feel to use? Is the TV in a bright room? How often are you watching TV? And not to be overlooked… what’s the budget?
In this case, Alex, I’ll ask you… do you have any preference in operating systems? I lean toward Google TV on the TCL instead of WebOS with LG, but that’s just me. The same goes for remotes. There’s just a lot going on with the remote for the LG G4. I think they cleaned it up a bit with the G5 this year by ditching the numbers. But on the G4, I’m just not a fan.
Now, are either of those dealbreakers when it comes to OLED vs Mini LED? They wouldn’t be for me. Instead, I’d look at the room the TV will be placed in. If there’s a lot of light I’m battling and I need ultimate brightness, I’d go TCL. In a room where the light’s better controlled, OLED is king.
But finally, there’s always a risk for burn-in with OLED TVs. We’ve noted in plenty of videos on the channel that there are features in today’s OLEDs that help mitigate the issue, but there’s still a risk. And for this, I’d say consider how much you watch TV and what you’re watching. News and sports programming with constant logos on screen, and playing games with logos and maps that sit in one place, increase chances for burn-in—especially if you’re playing for hours at a time.
I’d also say get on some of the forums and look for stories others have shared about their experiences with the TV, especially since you’re considering the G4 that’s been out for more than a year now.
It’s a lot to think about sometimes, but these are the things that I consider when trying to give you guys an answer.
In this case, I’d go with the G4. But hopefully, now you have a few more things to help make your decision—things that maybe you weren’t thinking about before.
