On today’s You Asked: Who cares about TV processing when you have an Apple TV? Where is the Hisense Saturn – that Theater Quad competitor – we saw at CES? What’s the deal with outdoor TVs? And, the Sony TV click mystery has been solved, while a new LG OLED mystery emerges …
Processing prowess: Does it really matter?
Ro’eh writes: When deciding what TV to buy, and particularly when considering Samsung’s great options vs. LG and Sony, should I care about processing capabilities at all if I have an Apple TV 4K that already upscales and processes the image on its own? Can I just ignore that and focus on the other differentiators?
Great question. The short answer is: a TV’s processing capabilities always matters when making a purchase consideration, even if the only source that will ever touch that screen is an Apple TV.
An Apple TV does do some upscaling if you let it, and it performs a tiny bit of image clean-up, mostly through noise reduction. However, there’s a lot more to image processing than what the Apple TV can do. The Apple TV will provide the video signal with a bunch of instructions for your TV to handle, but how well the TV handles all that information and then executes it is entirely on the TV. The TV is always doing the heavy lifting when it comes to getting the picture on your screen to look its best. I’m not talking about enhancements like “AI Picture this” or “AI detail that.” I’m talking about the basics – the fundamentals involved in making a great TV look great and an excellent TV look excellent.
If, however, a TV has poor upscaling chops, it is possible the Apple TV can do a better job, and delivering that pixel-to-pixel signal information can help that TV look a bit better. That’s about the extent of help the Apple TV can be. This is also true for the Nvidia Shield, by the way.
Remember: With high-end TVs, it’s better to let the TV handle the noise reduction and upscaling.
Best outdoor TV options
Alan writes: I am considering adding a television to a covered outdoor living space and would love to see a review of outdoor capable TV models. I am definitely interested in picture quality as I already have a Sony A95J and a Sony A95K inside my home, but I understand that the environment outside is much harsher than it is inside. I have only started to try to find some outdoor rated TV models and quickly discovered manufacturers that I have never heard of. Can you offer any suggestions?
First, true story: Some of my earlier videos, where I was really trying to have some fun on YouTube, were for outdoor TVs made by Sunbrite – this was 10 or 11 years ago. In one video, I was in my backyard throwing all kinds of stuff, including raw meat, at the TV to see how well it held up to the elements. In another, we filmed poolside at my friend’s house with his family and mine. Those were a lot of fun.
Here’s the thing about “outdoor” TVs: The design priorities are radically different than for indoor TVs. First and foremost, they need to be weather resistant – that means UV-resistant and water-resistant if not waterproof – and Sunbrite showed it was very capable in these areas.
Outdoor TVs also need to be rugged. Outside, things are often flying around all over the place. The last thing you need is a wayward flying object to whack your TV and destroy the screen.
Also, an outdoor TV needs to be bright because even in indirect sunlight, it’s super easy to get a washed-out picture. Unfortunately, getting a super-bright TV means some compromise on aspects like color accuracy and contrast. The color should look good in sunny conditions (and you should just be happy to see the screen, never mind contrast).
That does not, however, mean that other elements that contribute to great picture quality should be abandoned. I like to see solid upscaling and great noise reduction, and while most outdoor TV brands are around the same level, Samsung rises above the rest in my experience. (With that said, I haven’t looked closely at the state of outdoor TVs for about two and a half years, but I will be getting myself an update at the CEDIA show this year). Meanwhile, I think Samsung’s The Terrace is a killer outdoor TV.
Another thing about outdoor TVs: They are often preposterously expensive. They are speciality devices and far less popular than indoor TVs, so fewer people purchase them. To make it in the outdoor TV biz, you have to charge a premium (and why shouldn’t they?). Many folks getting outdoor TVs have enough disposable income to afford to upkeep a pool, an outdoor kitchen, or an RV, right?
Prepare for sticker shock when you start looking (if you haven’t already). As for brands, I have personal experience with Sunbrite and Samsung. I have not checked Sylvox or Furrion. Also think Element makes an outdoor TV with Roku built-in?
I’ll close with this: Most outdoor TVs aren’t designed to appease videophiles. They are pretty stock from an overseas factory, badged with a brand name. With that said, I hear Sylvox is doing a great job, and I know Sunbrite and Samsung are, too.
No sound – just “crunch”
Barry writes: I’ve recently experienced a problem with my sound via HDMI ARC from an LG TV to a Cambridge Audio TV base. The sound for normal (digital) content comes through, but when I switch to apps (Disney+, YouTube, etc), the sound disappears with a loud “crunch” sound. Is this a problem with the ARC speaker or the TV?
That sounds like the TV’s fault to me. It could be something with the speaker’s digital audio decoder, but I think there’s something going on with the signal as it comes from the TV. The speaker might not be able to handle the signal type the TV is trying to send. (What I don’t understand is why this is suddenly a problem now.)
Go into the TV’s digital audio output settings and see if you can force the TV to output PCM. Hopefully that solves the problem.
Review for Hisense Saturn?
Andrew G writes: Will you be reviewing the Hisense Saturn? I’ve been considering purchasing a secondhand Sony HTA9 with SW5 setup for a while (the Quad is just too much) and I’m curious how the Saturn would perform compared to the Sony setup.
If the Hisense Saturn ever comes out, you can bet I’ll be reviewing it. Right now, I’m a little worried we won’t see it in 2025. It’s not uncommon for us to see stuff at CES that never materializes or doesn’t show up for a year or two longer. That might be the case with the Hisense Saturn? (I haven’t heard a peep about it since then, and I was just at a Hisense event – I wish I’d thought to ask about it then.)
Meanwhile, check out my thoughts on Hisense’s 2025 TV lineup.
Mysterious moving line
Rob D. writes: I purchased a LG G2 a few years ago. After a year or so. it started developing a line down the entire length of the panel. First there was a line on the left side; now it has shifted to the right. The line only appears against a certain background: pretty much red or yellow. It’s not there against a black or white background. I played a video with just white background and it doesn’t show. Why does this only appear with certain colors? I’ve tried pixel refresh multiple times. I also tried a hard reset by unplugging and holding down the power button.
The reason that the line is only visible with certain colors on the screen is that only one or two of the red, green, and blue subpixels is not functioning when this happens. The LG G2 has a white subpixel, so on an all-white screen, you would be less likely to see it. On a grey screen you might see it, but only faintly. On an all red, green, or blue screen, you would probably only see it if it was that color pixel not being actuated or if there was a problem with the color filtration process at some weird level. That’s all I know for certain.
Why is this happening? The fact that it is a straight line that moves suggests a problem with either the processor or something in power delivery to the TFT matrix or something similar. It is not screen damage; otherwise it wouldn’t move. What I don’t like is that this is a glitch – it’s not a hard failure. It’s like that gremlin in your car that may or may not show up when you take it to a mechanic.
My suggestion: Call LG’s service line and tell them that you have a warranty repair issue. The LG G2 has a five-year warranty, but it is broken into two parts; you get two years of parts and labor covered, and after that, only the panel itself is covered. Depending on when you bought it, the parts and labor portion could still be covered.
If not, LG still owes you a properly functioning TV. You may just have to pay a bit for it. My bet: They are more likely to replace the TV than to try to repair it. Regardless, call for a warranty service right now. That’s a failure and not a panel uniformity issue, and it qualifies for warranty repair.
Solved: The Sony click conundrum
Next, there is an update from Eric H. who wrote in with a Sony OLED click conundrum. Eric reported that his Sony OLED TV would periodically make a clicking sound while it was off. We speculated that the cause could be a wide range of matters, such as the TV engaging its OLED pixel refresh cycle or the TV checking for an over-the-air update.
Eric writes: The issue is fixed! When using an Apple TV for all my media, the power supply would click on and off. I have been working on this and found that you have to delete any remote functions you may have paired under Remote & Devices in the Apple TV settings and leave Control Your TV on and select Auto under Volume Control with CEC enabled (Bravia Sync). I can only speak for the use of an Apple TV, but I heard it happens with an Xfinity cable box also.
There you go, folks. Eric’s problem is solved. The cause of the clicking has been determined and it has stopped. Hopefully that solution helps others as well.
