What does the Fox say?

[csb]

You might also check the fine print. We're on an unlimited data plan, but hotspot usage has other terms and conditions. 

But back to the question of why isn't there wifi in her dorm? 

 

[Supe]

You might also check the fine print. We're on an unlimited data plan, but hotspot usage has other terms and conditions. 

X2.  I have Straight Talk, and it locks out my ability to even activate the phone as a mobile hot spot.  

 

[leggo PE]

Maybe she's not living in a dorm any more. I only lived in dorms my first two years of college, then moved off campus.

 

[knight1fox3]

I have a number of different how-to articles bookmarked I can send. But tons of tutorials out there now for R-Pi projects which will likely have more accurate and up-to-date info than I can provide.

@Supe, or the easy button. LOL

https://retro-naut.com/#1

 

[kevo_55]

Oh Kodi, did I mention how much I love you?

 

[Dleg]

You might also check the fine print. We're on an unlimited data plan, but hotspot usage has other terms and conditions. 

But back to the question of why isn't there wifi in her dorm? 

She's going to be staying with family friends, but they have no home internet - only unlimited data plans on their personal phones.

 

[Ramnares P.E.]

Hey am I a millennial?  Nope, so I have no freaking idea what phones can do. I thought that was a thing you had to do with a separate piece of hardware. Do the latest generation phones support becoming a hotspot? 

@Dleg's home phone

 

[snickerd3]

verizon has those jet pack things which is a mobile hot spot.  

 

[Supe]

verizon has those jet pack things which is a mobile hot spot.  

They work pretty good, but the data plans on them can get pricey.  My coworker has one and brings it for a lot of work travel, since our shitty laptops always seem to have problems connecting to our VPN through hotel wifi.

 

[leggo PE]

Looking for guidance/recommendations for potentially upgrading our very old maybe 48" TV to a new one. Specifically thinking about buying one around Black Friday. I literally have never bought a TV in my entire life (the one we have in a hand me down), and for many years, went without one. We'd want to keep the size roughly the same, so I'm more interested in quality of different brands and different things to look for or avoid. Also, it would be sitting on an entertainment center, not hanging on a wall.

I know the general brands like Sony and LG, but don't know much about what is even going on in TV technology these days, nor what is actually worth paying for and what is not. We do have a Chromecast, so I'm not sure we need a fully smart TV, but also not opposed to it as the Chromecast came to us free also. Are smart TV's the standard nowadays? I don't even know.

 

[Supe]

Honestly, the biggest difference among 4K TV's now are how good the blacks are.  The more expensive TV's have HDR and use OLED's to get there.  In that size under $1k, I'd take a look at the Sony XBR's.  If you want to go cheaper, it's honestly down to personal preference.  They all sound terrible, so budget for some sort of external speaker setup.  We use a cheap sound bar downstairs and it is LIGHTYEARS better than the garbage in our Samsung.

Also, if your husband plays video games, take a look at refresh rate, too.

 

[MA_PE]

I'm far from knowledgeable on the subject and especially the latest technologies available, however within the past couple of years I've purchased several TVs for the house.  Folks pointed me towards Samsung so that's what I focused on.  Minimum resolution for me was 1080dpi (I just watch TV, I'm not a video afficienado or a gamer) and I have had some good luck with Samsung TVs.  I bought two 50 In. Samsung smart TVs and paid less than $400 each.  Now you can buy a 50 in. 4k UHD smart TV for less than that at Best Buy.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-50-class-led-nu6900-series-2160p-smart-4k-uhd-tv-with-hdr/6268403.p?skuId=6268403

We have a guest room and I bought a low end Insignia 38 in. TV with ROKU (essentially a smart TV) for $179.

It was over 2 years ago now but I bought and LG 55 in. 4K smart TV for $800 on Black Friday.

My observation is that the trend today in TVs seems to be bigger is better.  If you are ok with 50 in. or less you can get some that are pretty inexpensive.  The best thing you can do is go to a store and see the picture for yourself.  It seems like the curved screens are becoming passe and the prices on them are dropping.

You mentioned " Also, it would be sitting on an entertainment center, not hanging on a wall. "  Make sure you look at the bases.  My LG has stub feet near the ends and I needed to purchase a new stand long enough to accommodate the feet as opposed to the Samsungs which have a central pedestal with long supports radiating from the support post and has a smaller footprint overall.

I agree with Supe on the sound and getting a soundbar.  I have an inexpensive Panasonic sound bar with a wireless subwoofer that is a dramtic improvement over any of the built-in speakers. 

I hope that helps.  I'm sure others on here are much more savvy than I am but that's my 0.02.

 

[Dleg]

If you're staying 55" or under, you can get some amazing picture quality out of the higher end Sony, LG, and Samsung TVs, and for what I consider pretty reasonable prices. Watch something in true 4K on a good set and it's pretty amazing. I have a 65 inch Samsung with a 4K bluray player, and with the right material (Planet Earth II 4k BluRay) the quality of the image - contrast, vivid colors, detail - is really noticeable and enjoyable.   That said, if you don't care about that, you can pick up a good deal on a lower end TV from the same manufacturers at any time - no need to wait for Black Friday.  Like MA said, look at them at the store and see which has the picture you like. I think these modern digital TVs are easier to pick that way than the old analog CRTs, which would be tuned in the store to look crazy bright and contrasty, not at all representative of what you might get at home. The new TVs look pretty much like what you'll see at home, so I think it's safe picking what you want based on the store display. 

(I've also heard Vizio can make good sets, but I only have experience with Samsung, Sony, and LG)

 

[MA_PE]

Something to consider when you buying a new set. 

When I bought the 55 in. (first new TV) on line at it was delivered my wife complained that "it was so huge".    We have it at an angle in the corner of a room about 12 ft x 12 ft so we sit maybe 8 ft away.  After living with it for a while it's not overwhelming and we would not object to a bigger size.

 

[youngmotivatedengineer]

After living with it for a while it's not overwhelming and we would not object to a bigger size.

Like they say, go big or go home.

 

[Dleg]

I agree. After living with the 65 incher, I want a 75 inch...

 

[leggo PE]

Thanks, everyone! Guess I'll go to Best Buy (wow, I haven't actually stepped foot in a Best Buy in AGES) and check the options out.

Neither of us is a gamer, and we do have an external set of speakers already, that provide better sound than our existing TV, but that we don't use that much purely because we have to turn them on manually and usually forget to. But the sound bar is a good idea.

I don't think our entertainment center will be too short for what we'd be looking at. It's a pretty long Ikea thing, this one, I think: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20105341/

The TV we have on it currently weighs a LOT (it's not a flat screen as we know them these days), so at least I know it's built like a beast!

I don't think we'd want much bigger than 48", since we sit pretty close to our TV (maybe 6' away? It's a function of our living room layout and dimensions). I've never felt like the screen was too big for us, but don't think we'd want something that much bigger. We'd much rather stay at the lower end of the cost spectrum, too. We don't need anything fancy, just something with modern technology. Whatever we end up getting is definitely gonna be better than what we currently have.

 

[Road Guy]

We have been looking for one for our basement, I don’t recall the brand but Costco has several decent size one in the $500 range, that’s about my limit of spending on a television these days

 

[leggo PE]

Yep, not looking to spend much more than $500 either. Will have to finagle a Costco membership... Shouldn't be too hard. Having our own Costco membership isn't practical for our lifestyle (two people, living in a one bedroom apartment in a major city) right now.

 

[kevo_55]

You would be surprised how much you would use it. If you only get a membership for buying the TV and for the cheap gas you'll more than pay for it.