New Roku gear

[Kaido]

Picked one up on the way home. So far so good. Got netflix and amazon up and running. I need to do whole home antenna someday, maybe this spring with an outdoor one. Right now i just have a mohu leaf on our main TV.

On the audio out, do those speakers need power? You mentioned a Klipsch 2.1 set up? What about just 2 speakers? Would love something small with no power that is better than the built in ones if possible someday. Might scour craigslist for something.

Yup, you do need powered speakers, since it's just a headphone jack basically. Any speakers that have minijack or RCA (via a Y-adapter) would work. A basic Logitech 2.1 set would probably sound better than what are on the TV, although I haven't heard Sharp's speakers yet (my TCL is garbage, but the Insignia 4K Roku TV's speakers are phenomenal). Whatever you get, just set to the audio to a little below 50% on the volume knob & then use the Roku remote to control it.

I have a knockoff Mohu (btw, they just announced a wireless one!). If you do end up getting an outdoor model, they make some amazing 4-panel antennas that have a 70-mile range & let you cover all directions for around $130:

https://www.amazon.com/Element-Bowtie-Indoor-Outdoor-Antenna/dp/B00C4XVOOC/r

 

[Kaido]

Quick update on the upcoming TCL models with built-in Roku:

http://www.tclusa.com/ces/

http://gizmodo.com/tcls-new-roku-tvs-are-some-of-the-cheapest-sets-with-hd-1790754198

https://www.cnet.com/products/tcl-c-series-roku-tv/preview/

https://www.cnet.com/products/tcl-p-series/preview/

Recap:

1. 25 new sets for 2017
2. 3 new model lines: P, C, S series

P = 4K, focused on picture quality (full-array local dimming with 72 zones, HDR, Dolby Vision, and HDR10), 3 sizes between 50" to 65"
C = 4K, focused on aesthetic/cosmetic design (ultra-slim design, HDR, Dolby Vision, HDR10), 4 sizes from 49" to 75"
S = 1080p & 4K, value/budget series (no Dolby Vision, but does support HDR10), 18 sizes from 28" to 65"

3. Pricing not announced, other than the 50" P-series with Dolby Vision HDR will sell for $500
4. Improved speakers (my 65" TCL has pretty awful speakers, as does the 55" 4K)
5. Improved brightness (to 400 nits)

The updated news is that the P-series is due to ship early June (per TCL's Twitter account). I am particularly interested in this because I purchased a 65" 4K TCL last November & was VERY happy with it, but unfortunately it got shattered recently (cue Serious Sam kamikaze yell), so I am without a living room TV at the moment. I am torn between the P-series 65" and the C-series 75". The P has FLAD, but the C has size. My previous 65" was great, not really any major complaints. The speakers were awful, but the headphone jack was controllable via the Roku remote's volume button, so I stuck my Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers on it & it sounded awesome, and my family didn't have to manipulate a HT receiver or multiple remotes or anything, so that was a huge bonus to easily add-on great sound, to the point that it made up for the crap onboard speakers (since I didn't use them & the third-party speaker system was family-friendly via a single remote control). Other than that, I would maybe it was a little tiny bit dim, although my living room was not super bright (as far as outside lights go) & I really only noticed it when it was like noon outside with the lights on inside. I haven't been able to find a definitive brightness number for the existing 65"; I would say it was exactly at the minimum line of how bright you would want it to be before you started complaining about it, so in other words, perfectly adequate, just not super-bright. The new units are supposed to be even brighter, so that's good. Very curious to see the pricing on the 75" unit...a budget-friendly HDR jumbo-screen with Roku sounds awfully nice!

 

[Kaido]

As it turns out, waiting 2 months for a new TV meant my family would have lynched me, so I sprung for a new one today to replace my previously-shattered unit (RIP VR PC budget). After poking around on Roku's site, it turns out that Sam's Club carries a special model:

https://www.samsclub.com/sams/65-uhd-roku-120hz-4-hdmi-wifi/prod20995426.ip

Hitachi 65" 4K Roku TV for $708. I believe it is exclusive to Sam's Club, although I did see a seller on Amazon who has it for $850 shipped, which is still a good price if you don't have a Sam's Club in your area:

https://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-65R8-65-Inch-Ultra-Smart/dp/B01M299QWP/

For reference, the equivalent TCL (65"/4K/Roku) is $1,000 on Amazon. So far, the Hitachi seems much brighter than the TCL. The TCL was adequate but always seemed a bit on the low side of brightness (not terribly, but enough that I wished it was a tad brighter). The Hitachi is great. Speakers are also better, although there is absolutely zero low-end. Like even deeper voices have nothing to them. I also had to turn up the volume quite a bit to get usable sound, over 80%. Fortunately, the TV has a headphone jack that is controlled via the Roku remote's volume buttons, so I plugged in my 2.1 Klipsch ProMedia's & they sound awesome.

Only complaint so far is that the remote seems a bit laggy. Maybe not so much laggy as maybe the buttons are a bit cheaper & don't respond as well, not sure - I'll try my TCL remote tomorrow (the Insignia/TCL remotes were interchangable, so I'd imagine they will work on the Hitachi as well) and see if that helps.

I was considering going with a 55" 4K OLED from LG (lots of great deals lately), but after reviewing the PQ in person, I opted for the Hitachi. I have been really, really happy with the image quality on the "off brand" 4K sets like TCL & Hitachi. I also hate the soap opera effect & have been perfectly fine with 60hz (Hitachi uses a standard budget trick of using a 60hz panel with a 120hz backlight to reduce motion blur on this set).

Not much to say other than that. The system is so easy that my family can use the TV without calling me for tech support. Between this & replacing the computers with Chromebooks, my tech support home life has been very quiet haha.