TV for console gaming in a small bright room

Relentless81

Relentless81

Relentless81

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Hi

I'm looking for advice on a TV exclusively for use with an Xbox Series X - It Wont be long until I've finished decorating and I need to squeeze 2 X desks and a TV into a box room

The room is a decent size for a box room but it does have a large window and is very bright on a sunny day

The TV will either be wall mounted above the desk directly opposite the window or placed on a TV stand on the wall to the right of the window so still potential for reflections on glossy screens

For this reason I'm not 100% on OLED due to the glossy coatings, I was considering the C2 42 or 48.

I understand there are none OLED alternatives that have similar gaming features, it's important to me to ensure the TV supports all features of the console, 4K, HDR, VRR, 120hz etc

Budget is as close to £800 as possible but can go higher for the right display

Any thoughts on this please, anyone gone through a similar process and made a decision they are happy with?

Thanks for any info, it's an expensive purchase and I want to make the right one.

Cheers
 
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Possibly the best place to start would be the review site Rtings. They recently did a special review round-up of the best TVs for a PS5 LINK. That should get you going.

Bear in mind with HiSense that we don't get the same higher-end models as the US, so if you're looking at those products - even where the model number appears to be the same - do check very carefully that the features and specs are like-for-like.

As for TV types - you're looking for a bright backlighting system from an LED or QLED / miniLED TV. Also pay attention to whether the TV screen is glossy or matte. This will have an influence on how well the TV handles reflections in your room.
 
lucid said:
Possibly the best place to start would be the review site Rtings. They recently did a special review round-up of the best TVs for a PS5 LINK. That should get you going.

Bear in mind with HiSense that we don't get the same higher-end models as the US, so if you're looking at those products - even where the model number appears to be the same - do check very carefully that the features and specs are like-for-like.

As for TV types - you're looking for a bright backlighting system from an LED or QLED / miniLED TV. Also pay attention to whether the TV screen is glossy or matte. This will have an influence on how well the TV handles reflections in your room.
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Thanks for tips, interesting that you don't mention OLED, is this because they can't get as bright and have a glossy finish?

Yesterday I thought stuff it I'll get a C2, today I'm thinking QLED but they seem to be 50" and above and I was looking at a max of 48" in the space I have
 
Relentless81 said:
Thanks for tips, interesting that you don't mention OLED, is this because they can't get as bright and have a glossy finish?

Yesterday I thought stuff it I'll get a C2, today I'm thinking QLED but they seem to be 50" and above and I was looking at a max of 48" in the space I have
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If I had the choice then I'd pick OLED everyday-of-the-week-and-twice-on-Sundays. IMO it's just the right technology for movie and TV viewing. But I don't game, and I don't have a particularly bright room.

Whilst something like a C2 has a 120Hz panel, and VRR and FreeSync and G-Sync and all that good stuff for gaming, if your room has the equivalent light levels to a glass conservatory then you have to factor in how bright the TV can get. The alternative is to do something about the lighting levels. Curtains with blackout linings is the obvious answer, and the lining material can be cream or white, so from outside and from a home aesthetics point of view it still looks nice.

I'm not a huge fan of Samsung, but I have to admit that they've done a good job with the QN90 and QN94 QLED miniLED TVs. If window blinds or curtains are not on the cards for some reason then you've got to battle the ambient light with the brightness of the TV, and that's where LED-based sets can win.

It's bigger than your space, but the 50" QN94A is £800 at Richers. The smaller 43" QN90 is £999. Don't get hung up on the glossy/matte thing as it's just something to be aware of - a due diligence check - so you know beforehand how the TV handles reflections. The rtings reviews go into everything, so you've going to be well prepared if you're willing to do a little reading and click on a box or two to expand to more A:B comparisons.
 
Is the window south facing, or what compass direction?

This room is north facing (windows to multiple sides and above though) and I'm still happy with oled. Yes it's reflective but most viewing is in the evening
IeI0Rq0.jpeg


It certainly looks reflective from this angle, but so would my early Samsung qled!
 
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@lucid Ah I should have mentioned the blinds, I don't know what they are called but they are the neutral coloured dangly things that are common and don't block much light. Because the room is small and the window is recessed these blinds will sit in the window saving room and can be opened to let air in the summer but like I say they don't block much light, especially when open

Crazy how the smaller Samsung TV is significantly more expensive, it would sting spending that knowing the C2 is cheaper.

I'm really leaning to the C2, I can wall mount it to the right of my desk so it's not directly opposite the window and just spin my chair round and recline to use it.

I am curious about those Samsungs though so I'll have a read.

@Buffman I've no idea tbh I've never checked, all I know is in the summer the sun sits outside the front of the house and this window for 28 hours a day.

Stunning room btw really nicely done
 
Muzzza said:
The new LG OLED'S are brighter, pop to a TV shop to look... "mine an old LG E9 is lovely and they are much better nowadays" /said in an old man voice
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The E9 is the first TV I've owned where I've not been tempted to "upgrade", and this despite owning it for just over 3 years.

Picture is fantastic, and to this day the design with the front sheet of glass at the front is unmatched.

On topic, while most OLEd Tv's are reflective, the newer ones have brightness that can help offset any bright rooms.

The reality is n dark scenes most tv's will suffer from reflections, in bright scenes most decent tv's will hold up well.
 
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lucid said:
If I had the choice then I'd pick OLED everyday-of-the-week-and-twice-on-Sundays. IMO it's just the right technology for movie and TV viewing. But I don't game, and I don't have a particularly bright room.

Whilst something like a C2 has a 120Hz panel, and VRR and FreeSync and G-Sync and all that good stuff for gaming, if your room has the equivalent light levels to a glass conservatory then you have to factor in how bright the TV can get. The alternative is to do something about the lighting levels. Curtains with blackout linings is the obvious answer, and the lining material can be cream or white, so from outside and from a home aesthetics point of view it still looks nice.

I'm not a huge fan of Samsung, but I have to admit that they've done a good job with the QN90 and QN94 QLED miniLED TVs. If window blinds or curtains are not on the cards for some reason then you've got to battle the ambient light with the brightness of the TV, and that's where LED-based sets can win.

It's bigger than your space, but the 50" QN94A is £800 at Richers. The smaller 43" QN90 is £999. Don't get hung up on the glossy/matte thing as it's just something to be aware of - a due diligence check - so you know beforehand how the TV handles reflections. The rtings reviews go into everything, so you've going to be well prepared if you're willing to do a little reading and click on a box or two to expand to more A:B comparisons.
Click to expand...

Hi,

So since your post I've been doing a lot of reading on the advantages of QLED over OLED and watched some comparison videos and that brightness difference could well lean me toward QLED.

What's putting me off is the 43" being so expensive but on Amazon it appears it's cheaper than richer sounds by some margin.

I'm either looking at the wrong model because it's only 100hz and the model numbers are really confusing or they are 100hz and it's the right one.

Are all the Samsung QLEDs 100hz? If so I'm probably going to lean back towards the C2 42 which is a shame because I was really warming to the idea of the QLED

Thanks
 
Relentless81 said:
What's putting me off is the 43" being so expensive but on Amazon it appears it's cheaper than richer sounds by some margin.

I'm either looking at the wrong model because it's only 100hz and the model numbers are really confusing or they are 100hz and it's the right one.
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The Samsung QE43QN90B is £999 on RS with £150 cashback via redemption or £844 from various third party marketplace sellers on Amazon.

They all appear to advertise this TV as being 100Hz, whereas Samsung's site seems to describe it as '100Hz (Up to 144Hz)'.

rtings review (without having read in detail) suggests the 144Hz mode may only be available in 'PC Mode:

Unlike the 55-inch and larger models, the Samsung 43QN90B supports a max refresh rate of 144Hz. However, you can only achieve this with the input label set to 'PC', as colors look distorted, and it's unusable with the input label set to anything else. Also, while it accepts a 4k @ 144Hz signal with chroma 4:4:4, it doesn't display proper chroma 4:4:4 (see Text Clarity section for more), so you'll have to limit the refresh rate to 120Hz if you want clear text when using it as a PC monitor.
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Would need some more reading (or someone else who has already done the research) to see what the score is for 120Hz with XSX.

edit - or I could just scroll a bit more

Xbox Series X|S Compatibility


4k @ 120Hz

Yes
4k @ 60Hz

Yes
1440p @ 120Hz

Yes
1440p @ 60Hz

Yes
1080p @ 120Hz

Yes
1080p @ 60Hz

Yes
HDR

Yes
VRR

Yes
The Samsung 43QN90B has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth that makes it fully compatible with the Xbox Series X. Everything works perfectly except for 1440p @ 60Hz, which requires a manual override that locks out the VRR support. Its Auto Low Latency Mode automatically switches the TV into Game Mode when you play a game, which is a feature common amongst TVs, but not monitors.
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www.rtings.com

Samsung 43 QN90B QLED Review

The Samsung 43 QN90B QLED is a 43-inch TV that's popular to use as a PC gaming monitor. Unlike past years, Samsung has started to include gaming features on the ...
www.rtings.com www.rtings.com
 
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Interesting thanks I'll give it a proper read I haven't read that one yet been mostly watching video reviews.

What worries me if a game automatically scales to 1440p what does the TV do, you lose VRR? Maybe I'm not understanding correctly but that's how I read it
 
I don't have an XSX but I doubt it actually alters output resolutions regardless of what it might be rendering games at - so if the XSX is set to output 4K 120Hz, that's what the TV will see. If you set it to output 1440p 60Hz (for some reason, they'll only have done it for testing completeness purposes), it sounds like there's some fiddling to be done. I don't see why you'd ever do this though.
 
As i said, what pushed me over to OLED land was going to a shop, the usual suspects and having a look.... Big wall of tellies usually in a dark setting (watch out), I just liked the picture quality / pop of OLED, I hope LED has caught up by now but I would want to see it in person as back then OLED was well ahead....
 
Kenai said:
I don't have an XSX but I doubt it actually alters output resolutions regardless of what it might be rendering games at - so if the XSX is set to output 4K 120Hz, that's what the TV will see. If you set it to output 1440p 60Hz (for some reason, they'll only have done it for testing completeness purposes), it sounds like there's some fiddling to be done. I don't see why you'd ever do this though.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks so it's whatever is set on the Xbox not what the game is doing

Muzzza said:
As i said, what pushed me over to OLED land was going to a shop, the usual suspects and having a look.... Big wall of tellies usually in a dark setting (watch out), I just liked the picture quality / pop of OLED, I hope LED has caught up by now but I would want to see it in person as back then OLED was well ahead....
Click to expand...

Yep, I need to get myself to richer sounds, I would prefer to buy from them but closest one isnt close so I need to sort a morning/afternoon to get it done
 
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