I personally am not a fan of Samsung electronics or refrigerators, due to personal experience with poor design and parts quality. That said, many here have Samsung TVs and refrigerators that have had no issues, and are very happy with them. My problem is that too many other brands use Samsung parts, and that is where my own history meets Samsung negatively.
We had Jim Sizemore and Greg Fulton in Bend rework our front and rear TV setup a couple of years ago. When Jim suggested Samsung I cringed and explained I’d much rather go with Sony or LG, two that my several years of research zeroed in on. Though he usually uses Samsung as replacements, likely because they are everywhere these days (flooded market) and can be cheaper, he had no problem using those other brands. I suspect he could’ve gotten Samsung for us for less money. As noted by Gerald, your cabinetry will probably require modification; Jim and Greg likely already have templates for Samsung from previous coach modifications, and that might have been incentive for recommending the brand too, saving design time and cost.
I’m glad to be rid of the confounded converter boxes, and Jim also cleaned up to the extent he could the “snake pit” of wires in the front cap overhead, although it’s still no place for the foolhardy up there. He took out the satellite receiver since we don’t subscribe, making in addition to the converter box demise more room and ventilation, and exchanged the original home theater receiver/amp for a modern one. Both the TV and receiver have HDMI ports, a rare thing in 2006 when the rig was new, so we can adapt components more easily if needed. I had him put in a 10 foot HDMI cord direct to the TV and coiled up in the component cabinet front corner so I can set an iPad on the dash or console and readily use it with the TV.
New TVs run a little cooler than our old Sharp, which overheated on occasion in the front cap in hot weather; and it’s switch would malfunction, even turning the unit on by itself such that I’d use the circuit breaker in the bathroom to keep it off, but which took out the drivers side outlets with it. That TV has superb speakers on either side of the screen... poor video but great audio. It’s now our home bedroom TV, and it’s switch has worked fine since. My point is to consider adding more ventilation during any makeover. Jim didn’t think ours needed an additional fan or vent holes, but your configuration may be different.
Both of our new TVs are “smart”, so I don’t have to go through my iPad to get WiFi on them. Streaming movies off a data overloaded park WiFi system is ill-advised anyway, but the smart aspect is nice in certain circumstances. Jim got both the 40” Sony and the 32” LG at Best Buy I think, and must get a discount as the cost to me was right. Doing it again I’d go smaller in the bedroom; 32” struck us afterward as a bit too big for watching from bed. But the LG smart menu/guide is easier to use than most, and reviewers seem to all agree, so our issue with its size in the bedroom is redeemed. If you haven’t used a Smart TV before, there is a learning curve to the menu, but LG was easier to pick up on than the Sony.
I’ve been a Sony advocate for decades, but these days with years of research and now ownership LG is right up there too. 1080p HD is adequate for the coach. Whether to shell out for 4K is up to you. But don’t settle for 720p or 60hz refresh... you will be happier with 1080p and at least 120hz. OLED is the best picture, as Gerald said, but you don’t need to spend for it to be happy. OLED doesn’t use the old fluorescent or newer edge or full array LED backlighting, but they weren’t that much of a traveling issue for LED/LCD sets, so I’d not expect an issue for OLEDS either if you wanted to spend the money; I personally wouldn’t however, except for in my house.
Just my 3 cents,
Joel
