Just my personal research and thoughts. Not here to convert anyone, also I might not be able to respond to individual queries as I do not have access to local TVs. I just wish to objectify the TV buying experience and give reference to those who are in market for one currently.
I had strong biases towards the brands (Sony in particular), after all when you plonk a bundle on something you want to watch and use for about 1-2 hours a day then some satisfaction/assurance of quality is warranted. This is no longer the case with one brand/series/size. 42inch might be better in a company compared to 55inch or 65inch. Not all are made equal.
Rant: Due to electronic cycles and integration of latest technology the TV manufactures have lost sight of the thing that is most important for the consumer. PQ has been lost with LCD-LED it is now a rocket science to figure out why and which TV is better. Permutations and combinations of components and prices thrown in the mix = big data analyst's wet dream.
3D was buzz word but they never told you the fact that it was for 55 ich and bigger and that too for maybe 2 people in the room for rest it was fuzzy and washed out image. Content is/was not easy to generate and high energy bills, headache aches (due to viewing) were to ensue.
Curved TV, to initially better the 3D experience but again with same issues of PQ taking a hit and not everyone having a great view angle. It looked rather silly on the wall mount.
Thin is not better because if it is thin it must be side lit and not back lit. It makes dark screen unbearable. Backlit panels over thin panels. OLED is different for the diodes themselves light and do not require another source.
Vorsicht : Ok, the post gets a bit technical and suggestive here.
What to do if you are in for one.
Suggestion: Wait, if can't then buy the biggest best 1080p TV with best PQ.
Wait if you can, suck it up with bad quality and repairs to survive 1 year. The pitch with change, here in Europe (current abode) none of the panels are competing for curve or 3D the sales pitch has died. People demand PQ and so 4k is also not cutting the ice.
For those who are buying 4k in India, it is future proofing but unless you have access to SUHD from Samsung or the panel specifically mentions it is HDR10 or DolbyVision ready please buy a expensive 1080p with contrast rather than a washed out 4k. Samsung is the biggest winner and rest of the industry is reeling. Sony in EU (checked 4 countries) is playing only in high-end of the market Xseries and that too sucks, don't know why. Panasonic is using LG panels (marking up the picture engine and demanding premium). The rest are just fringe players not to be taken seriously. LG has played the LED game well but it has at number 3 in the market, however they have invested heavily where Sony should have = OLED and seeing is believing those TVs throw everyone out of the water, no contest. In EU, All the panels are flat again and bigger is better mantra continues.
OLED latest gen do not have the purple hue and motion blur is sorted out, latest OLEDs are also approved by both
UHD alliance and
Dolby Vision.
The -ves are: Still very expensive, the life of the panel, burn in effect and the brightness.
Help links.
Please query your current contenders.
Color Gamut
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DCI-P3. Because next time your salesperson bumps up the settings and tells you to look at greens and crispness of the UHD content they are playing inshore, ask them to put HD channel from your setup provider. Note, not many panels reach P3 (97% = very expensive TVs and 95% = still expensive siblings).
I recently had to send back Samsung SUHD 9 series panel back because of the clouding effect. And believe me it was very expensive latest TV. Please do not rely on the brand, Sony/Panasonic and others have terrible displays. Clouding is when you put all the lights off in your viewing room and watch a dark movie/just make your TV display a dark solid image sample (maybe stream it from your USB or Laptop). The panel will show how well the panel has been put together. My panel had a little bit of light bleed from right and clouding, it got 50% better after getting settled for 5 days and after 8 days the technical expert wanted to loosen few screws on the back of the panel, it did not help any bit and that is when I sent it back.
So end game:
1. Check your contender as an entity do not rely on laurels of it's sibling in another price point/screen size.
2. PQ > Size
3. 4k HDR10 + Dolby Vision > bigger size 1080p PQ > 4k with low PQ > 1080p lower PQ/size.
4. External Smart Hub > SmartTV.
Cheers!