Whats the difference between cheap and expensive modern TVs?
I feel like it used to be size, color, and clarity meant more expensive. Now I look at a 500$ 4k TV and a 2000$ 4k TV and I don't know what the difference is. They can both be smart TVs, be the same size, and have a lot of same advertised features, but what are the subtle unspoken mysteries that justify a huge price gap?
I ignore the "top 3" brands because they're full of ads, and practically a wiretap at this point. Surprisingly, the mid-tier brands don't invest in selling the consumer as a product.
You may get a decent experience from a top-tier that's kept offline, and using a media box that you have more control over.
I've found that response times are an important spec. TVs now are mostly < 10ms (about half a frame at 60Hz). I have older TVs where it's > 150ms and audio goes out of sync and video games are unplayable. I suspect the cheaper TVs fare well here too. They don't do as much postprocessing.