Well… I love my Samsung 55" QLED. Old sound bar was old and this TV doesn’t really need one. The picture is beautiful, and yes, noticeably so! But YMMV. 
We have a 65" TCL RokuTV. Was a significant upgrade from our old plasma (and weighed about 1/2 as much). So far we are very happy with it.
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not to mention the drastic reduction in electric usage … I too came from a 45" plasma that was super hot in the summer. Something like a 500W lightbulb worth of power gone!
There’s not a lot of 4k content out there, but at the same time not a lot of non-4k TVs.
The main issue with mine (65in4k) is watching sports that are transmitted in 720p, it looks a bit crappy.
Up-scaling 1080p is much better.
There’s definitely a noticeable difference between 1080p content and 4k content on the TV but won’t be as much on a smaller size.
At 55/65 inch you’re basically looking at OLED/QLED (pricey) or everything else (affordable.)
LG or Samsung, or pretty much anything else.
I have an Optoma FullHD 1080p projector and a 100" pull down screen, both mounted on the ceiling. 7.1 surround.
All other equipment is in the foyer closet with infrared relay for remote.
It’s the best thing I ever did to my living room which has a grand piano under the big screen but zero TV presence when I put the screen up.
That’s one of the best things about this 55" Samsung QLED… it does a fantastic job with old 480 content… I am seriously impressed.
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I agree about Samsungs, they are great.
I just bought one a couple weeks ago to PC game on, me eyes aren’t what they used to be. I did a lot of research and settled on this puppy:
Samsung - 55" Class - QLED - Q8F Series - 2160p - Smart - 4K UHD TV with HDR
That one’s on sale because the newer models are just about to come out but there isn’t much difference in the two so I grabbed this one. The colors and picture are amazing, I plan on getting a 65" for my living room after I move in a couple months.
Anyway, I highly recommend a Samsung, can’t go wrong with them. 
PS: I did my research here, their reviews are amazing.
I must disagree with that one if the TV is at least 55" and the view range is around 6’ the difference is staggering, I have a 4k blue ray player too and have been shocked at how much I was missing. 10 bit panel as well so much larger palate
This is the one I went for last year QE55Q9FN
As a Professional Artist I call bullshit on not being able to distinguishing HD (1920x1080) and 4K differences . It’s like saying there is no difference between SD and HD…once ya notice the differences you can point them out every time…
Maybe these are the same scientists that did Al Gores environmental studies…
Anyway…
I have been doing a lot of research on what some of the better 4K TV’s are in terms for bang for your buck and I found that Vizio P Series TV’s is where I am going to put my money here soon. I am personally going for a 65" 4K TV with HDR.
https://www.vizio.com/p-series
The color range of these TV’s are great when you see them in person. Colors pop and the black tones feel deep and dark…not a washed out black that many TV’s suffer from. Which results in the colors just popping on the screen. And the price point is a lot cheaper then some of the top of the line OLED TV’s I see out there. Defiantly worth checking out.
And if you have a few extra bucks…there Quantum Series TV’s have great colors too. But I think there XLED terminology is a play of words using OLED technology.
But I will say this…if you don’t have 4k content to play on them. It still isn’t worth getting a 4K TV.
Remember…8K TV’s are about to hit the streets later this year…but will probably be a few years away from being affordable.
“As a Professional Artist I call bullshit on not being able to distinguishing HD (1920x1080) and 4K differences”
Classic,
I love the frankness here.
As for my opinion, from Cef’s “requirements” I would say go cheap. Best Buy has the best deals on low end models. When I upgraded from my 80 piund 44" to a 20 pound 50", it was on a Black Fridat at Walmart. I took my wife and got 2. $219 each years ago.
I picked up a 60 inch LG for under $500 at BestBuy. Top of the line? Naw, but plenty good enough for the grandkids to watch Trolls on NetFlix haha.
Thanks for all the input.
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This is the post to follow and period, OLED is the Best technology out there -the difference is how your Plasma angle of view was terrific - it looks good from the couch and the kitchen, but no other technology can do that (CRT’s are gone) - OLED IF you can afford it. I am a Television Broadcast Engineer and currently employed by ESPN, ex Home Theater buff. Its the usability of OLED that makes it attractive.
Are the concerns over burn-in with OLED really a thing? I will eventually want to get a kickass TV for my media room. I discounted the concerns since, for home use at least, I wouldn’t expect to have the same image displayed on the screen for extended periods of time.
ONLY in the severest use - It can happen, but it wont under normal usage. There is science and math behind it, but the short version is leave a cable news channel on all day with there static banners and after months one might burn it in - image retention is more likely, but that is a temporary condition. Aka, fuggetabouit.
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Samsung offer a 10 year guarantee against screen burn although in reality its a new TV as they definitely won’t have a replacement screen in 10 years to repair it with , even 2 years is a big ask nowadays they don’t have the spares
Hi Cefwyn. I just bought a 50" Ensignia Ulta 4K HDR on sale for $279, originally $349. At Best Buy. I know you’re looking for a 55" - they are also on sale. My friend just bought one yesterday. I am very happy with it. As far as the 4K, which in reality is what will give you the 2160p, I have still to see this. Most programming and streaming are at 1080p and even though I will watch something that says ulta 4K, it still comes in at 1080p. I’m still trying to understand this and have done huge research to no avail, which is why I am having the Geek Squad coming over to explain this to me. Because, well dang it, if I’m supposed to get 2160p I wanna get 2160p. In any case, its a great tv with a beautiful picture and great price!
Sarvadi,
Make sure your using the right cables. There are HDMI’s built for 4K called “HDMI High Speed cable” or HDMI 2.0…so if your using a old one that doesn’t support 4K, you wont get your content at resolution ya need.
Hi Seanifer. The only thing I have connected to an HDMI cable is my DVD Player. Everything else is streamed through the Fire TV Interface. I don’t watch regular TV - only Netflix, Hulu and Prime. The guy came today and was just as baffled as I was. However, he did say that the stuff I play that says its 4K UHD is, indeed, 4K because he knows what to look for. I’m not going to obsess about this as I am happy with the picture I’m getting and most everything out there will stream at 1080.
Are you using a Fire TV box connected by HDMI or Fire TV Stick 4K?
Neither. It is the Fire TV Interface on the TV. These new TVs are now coming out with either the Fire TV Interface or the Roku Interface. No need for an external box.