Freesync TV

I read that TV's in the future will support freesync over HDMI, but they do not support it now.

Samsung ks7000 has the "oneconnect" box where you can upgrade the connections without changing the TV.

So would it be possible for them to release a oneconnect box update which would allow the TV to support 4k freesync over HDMI?

You can buy 40-55" TV's and monitors that support FreeSync over DP. They might support FreeSync over HDMI.

I don't think there are any such TVs available, just yet? In September, there was some buzz over the chance of it happening, but has there been any news since then?

Ps. I would be most interested in them, indeed.

The UHD550 and Crossover 434k are two I remember. But I've seen at least ten models over the last year or so. Plenty of discussion on them on hardware enthusiast forums.

All the mentions I found of those two said they are monitors, not TVs. The UHD550 indeed has a remote, but there is no tuner in it.

Also, those are Korean/Chinese imports, the quality control on those is a little hit-and-miss, so things like this can happen. So I'd rather wait for something with a more reputable local warranty.

(Furthermore, I personally would prefer 1080p and hopefully even 144Hz.)

aatu said:

All the mentions I found of those two said they are monitors, not TVs. The UHD550 indeed has a remote, but there is no tuner in it.

Also, those are Korean/Chinese imports, the quality control on those is a little hit-and-miss, so things like this can happen. So I'd rather wait for something with a more reputable local warranty.

(Furthermore, I personally would prefer 1080p and hopefully even 144Hz.)

Click to expand...

You don't have to import them. That video is user error. He's used the wrong length screws with the VESA mount.

Just seen this.

Importing:
Do they have an official local retailer, or are the sellers just some individual importers? Most importantly, what is their warranty policy?

Vesa screws:
I think reputable manufacturers have proper QA so that user errors like that (or rather, their catastrophic consequences) actually CAN'T happen. After all, using a screw that is too long would be a fairly humane error, things like that are usually accounted for.

Nevertheless, what makes you say it was the screws? The farther screws (which actually attach to the monitor) seem even-leveled to me, so can't tell how far they are going. And the inner screws are other way around, so the excess length is pointing AWAY from the monitor, and they are only attaching the VESA plate to the arm. They don't seem to be going INSIDE the casing, at all. Also, like he stated in the description, the monitor had been working ok for months, and hadn't been moved since it was laid there. One potential culprit was apparently the power supply capacitors, which failed.

But even after that, the owner had trouble with the seller. The seller just claimed that he couldn't find a fault, even though he was shown the video of it. In the end, the buyer had to pay the "restocking fee".

If you returned a monitor with a burning smell to a reputable manufacturer/retailer, they wouldn't dare to deny a refund. If this happened to one of the bigger manufacturers (LG, Samsung, Sony), they would probably fairly quick send you a new one, even it had ran out of warranty. Because if word got out that their monitors/TVs are potential fire-hazards, it would be an even costlier PR fiasco. (unless, of course, they could prove that it was a case of user's improper handling).

The UHD490 video review:
Not sure what that video is for. That is still a monitor, not a TV. He also said himself that he only had 1 month buyer protection (13:10), and probably no warranty, whatsoever. So apparently he had to import it (or buy as used?), as well.

We can't talk about the supply chain, but they are stocked in the UK. If you shipped one over you would still get a 12 months warranty. It's not going to be the level support you'd get with most bigger brands ( although even the major firms leave a lot to be desired ) but you're not paying anything close to big brand money and you're getting features those firms refuse to supply.

The video is very suspect, but I've seen screen go up like this when attached monitor arms. We had two fried NEC screens because of using the wrong bolts. NEC rightly refused to replace those.

Anyway. Lots of TV/monitors offer FreSync and 4K if you want it.

Few things to clarify:

1) We indeed can't discuss competitors, but we can discuss the nature of their position in the supply chain. So the question stands: Who provides the warranty? Do the mentioned manufacturers have an official local retailer, who assumes the liability for refunds, repairs and warranty, or are the sellers just some individual importers?

Because even if you say that you should get a 12 month warranty, it is pretty much an unwritten consensus that if you're buying directly from Korea or China, then the warranty is usually non-existent (for example, BLB and dead pixels are usually not covered, at all). And if you're buying from an individual importer, then he doesn't need to care of brand image, and is therefore even less lenient with flaws going under warranty, as it's basically going straight out of his own pocket, because he's not getting a proper warranty, either.

There is no denying that quality control IS inferior with these import models - that's one of the core reasons why they're cheaper, in the first place. So there is indeed a practical reason why European (r)etailers are not stocking them as willingly.

2) I don't think one anecdotal example is enough to generalize all smoking sets to fall under the same user error. And like said, the set was working for several months without issues, so the screws being too long is a very unlikely situation, as the problem would surely have become apparent immediately.

As for your NEC case, you probably could have gotten replacements on the basis of improper shielding. NEC should be a fairly reputable company, and might simply have succumbed, if the customer only pressed the matter further. Actually, I find it quite surprising that NEC wouldn't have shielded their electronics on the screw areas. Were you guys using brute force to drive the screws so deep, that they physically broke some components? Furthermore, there should be some tolerance to the length, in any case. Were you guys using an order of magnitude longer screws, or something?

3) Just to be clear: There are currently no known TVs with FreeSync support. On the other hand, there are big TV-sized monitors with FreeSync support. But indeed, they are not TVs, they are just big monitors. And they usually are the Korean/Chinese import models. The biggest non-import model is apparently the 38" LG Electronics 38UC99-W (21:9). The rest are <35". The biggest 16:9 models are 32" (three of them).

Not sure why your demanding answers, but,

1.1, The retailer.
1.2, Not sure. But you still have 1.1 to back up. Buy with a credit card.
1.3, Refer to 1.1-1.2?

2 Who films switching on a monitor? Maybe it's a coincidence but looking at the arm setup it's suspect. I assume the monitor would have been tested before getting fitted to the arm.

NEC was reasonable and offered to attempt a repair. End of the day though it's user error and not the fault of NEC. NEC sell monitor arms.

Just to be clear you can buy 4K FreeSync screens marketed as TV's. You can argue what they are but I don't see the point really. If you want a 59" 4K FreeSync TV you can buy one. And a pretty decent one for a good price it seems.

The demanding tone of the questions is because I don't want the OP (nor any other readers, for that matter) to get the impression that the import models are a care-free alternative for high-end features.

1.1.) If there is indeed a local retailer (and by this I would make a clear distinction between a retailer and a seller), which is providing the warranty and repair service, then they should be a fairly safe option.

1.2.-1.3.) I wouldn't put too much trust in credit card safety:
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2...ace-purchases-not-covered-consumer-credit-act
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/PayPal-Section75

But yes, on most cases the credit card will work as a safety net in the case of a total failure of the product, at least inside the first 6 month period. But from what I've understood, with credit card refunds you're usually first required to try to settle the matter through the retailer (or the credit card issuer will do it for you). If the seller/retailer wants to get difficult, after 6 months they can require the buyer to prove that the fault was because of a manufacturing flaw, and not a user error. Bigger companies won't resort to this, because a good brand image is worth more than a random individual refund.

Also, I don't think the credit card helps if the flaw isn't even covered in the warranty. For example in the case of backlight bleed and dead pixels, if the seller/retailer clearly states that they are not covered (which happens quite often with the import models), then it's not considered faulty. If the retailer/seller can prove that they've held their end of the bargain, you might not get any refunds. The credit card is a useful tool, but it isn't the "ultimate answer" to everything.

2) He wasn't filming it from the beginning. When the video starts, it's already smoking. In the video description he said that it had been smoking for over 30 seconds before he managed to plug it off the wall and started filming it. And yes, it was tested. It was working ok even AFTER it was mounted on the arm:

... I started filming after 30-45 seconds of it smoking, and this video is around 30 seconds long, so it was super heavy at the start and smoked for over a minute...
...
The monitor hadn't been physically moved for 4-5 weeks and was operating completely fine on the monitor arm that it's mounted on in the video. I mounted it, plugged it in, and worked on it completely fine for the first 4-5 weeks. Then all the sudden it just blew up.

Click to expand...

(previously I said several months, but it seems it was weeks, after all - which actually makes sense, as he was also talking about restocking fee, which usually only works for the first 1-3 months, I think)

Not sure to what extent it was a user error in your NEC case, but it might also still have been a design flaw. There should be some tolerance with the screw lengths, meaning if they state 10-15mm, then a 16-17mm screw shouldn't pose a threat, yet.

3) Just because someone sells a lawnmower as a TV, doesn't make it a TV.
Furthermore, try as I might, I still can't find anything but speculation discussion, if I search the web for "freesync tv". Not sure if there is something on the Korean/Chinese sites, as I can't read or write either.
But technically speaking, if there is no tuner in it, then it simply isn't a TV.

I wouldn't worry so much aatu.