New TV, will I be disapointed?

[gizlaroc]

Skyedriver said:

Thanks Gareth & Gizlroc

Sky is initially 20/month rising to £25/month so more expensive than Humax. Have used Sky in the past and yes it's pretty simple to use. No real experience of Humax but inlaws use one apparently and it sometimes goes wrong. That said MIL records massive amounts of TV and "power watches" it...

Will go looking at Freeview Play

I wasn't saying Sky was cheaper, I simply meant that by the time you work out how much something like a Humax costs you over the 3 years or so before you upgrade to the newer, much improved version, the difference is not as much as you think.

£25 a month is for and extra 72 HD channels.

That is the problem for me, have had HD now for nearly 20 years, 12 years with Sky on regular TV material, I just couldn't live with the crap offering from Freeview. Don't even have an aerial on any of my TVs.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not bothered about 4k, but SD is pretty unwatchable.

That makes the whole package at £25 a month a no brainer.

Having said all that, I could probably live with Netflix and a smart TV for iPlayer etc.

I just don't really see what the Humax box adds? It is surely just an external box for people with older TVs that don't have all the new features?

[Skyedriver]

gizlaroc said:

I wasn't saying Sky was cheaper, I simply meant that by the time you work out how much something like a Humax costs you over the 3 years or so before you upgrade to the newer, much improved version, the difference is not as much as you think.

£25 a month is for and extra 72 HD channels.

That is the problem for me, have had HD now for nearly 20 years, 12 years with Sky on regular TV material, I just couldn't live with the crap offering from Freeview. Don't even have an aerial on any of my TVs.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not bothered about 4k, but SD is pretty unwatchable.

That makes the whole package at £25 a month a no brainer.

Having said all that, I could probably live with Netflix and a smart TV for iPlayer etc.

I just don't really see what the Humax box adds? It is surely just an external box for people with older TVs that don't have all the new features?

sorry Gizlaroc, wasn't intending to contradict or criticise.
I don't personally watch much TV, my wife does, but it doesn't really need to be HD for what she watches. At least I don't think so!

My viewing consists of MotoGP (highlights prog on C5 and whatever I can find on the internet now I don't have BT Sport), Gardeners World, Tour de France, Beechgrove Garden and the occasional Grand Designs. Used to watch/listen to quite a bit of Sky Arts and daily watched Squark Box Europe when we had Sky/BTsport.
I prefer the radio

[gizlaroc]

I didn't think you were mate.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I think all you need is a smart TV with Freeview Play, Netflix, iPlayer, youtube etc. you will probably find it does everything you want.

[petemurphy]

my new one comes today!! if i dont like it I'm blaming you lot!

[blueg33]

gizlaroc said:

blueg33 said:

Our TV is a 17 year old high end Panasonic with a CRT. A TX 36 PD.

I had one of those too.

You're missing out big time.

Seriously, an OLED is on another level in every regard.

I am thinking of changing. Which one would you recommend?

[Skyedriver]

gizlaroc said:

I didn't think you were mate.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I think all you need is a smart TV with Freeview Play, Netflix, iPlayer, youtube etc. you will probably find it does everything you want.

Cheers
Don't need HD for Strictly MasterChefs Baking and House Building on Ice?

[gizlaroc]

Skyedriver said:

Cheers
Don't need HD for Strictly MasterChefs Baking and House Building on Ice?

Haha.


To be fair, Strictly is such a cracking HD picture.

[Skyedriver]

You probably feel you are talking to a brick wall here but I've been off looking at TVs with Freeview Play installed.

Seems most allow her to scroll back on a "catch up" but none (at a reasonable price) have a hard drive to actually record. She likes to scroll forward through the next few days to see if there's anything catches here eye, then presses "record".

Preference is Panasonic or Sony, do any of these have an option to plug in a hard drive or memory stick?
Or am I better off getting a separate recorder. (And a new TV because the 26" screen is a bit small in our new living room).
Suppose with separates, if one breaks the whole set up isn't knackered.

Apologies if I'm sounding a bit thick.

[gizlaroc]

blueg33 said:

I am thinking of changing. Which one would you recommend?

Any of them.

I had an LG 910v which was a 1080p model that was great.

I have a B6 at the moment, paid £800 for it used. That is stunning.

The newer versions go brighter, but I calibrate mine completely differently to the UK guys and have OLED backlight on full and lower contrast, which gives me an image that is often too bright anyway.

One of the Panasonic OLEDs was sold on avforums for £750 a couple of weeks back.


New, the LG B8 can be had for £1340..

https://www.very.co.uk/lg-oled55b8s-55-inch-4k-ult...

Maybe cheaper, that is me just having a quick look.




The problem is, so far you have had to spend serious money on an LCD to beat a CRT, and most people don't.
They compare their old £800 CRT with an £800 LCD, often feeding it with a 576i signal and getting the panel to scale the image to fit the 1080p panel and all this on a set with a maximum of 250-300 lines of moving resolution.
Also, nearly every house I go round they have the picture settings as if it were in a store showroom, picture far too cold, far too bright and the colour cranked up, you can see why they think it looks worse.

[petemurphy]

so have my new sony - bit meh at the mo - wheres the best place for advice on the optimum settings?

thanks

[aquarianone]

Brace yourself - https://www.avforums.com/categories/tv-forums.297/

Also, before you change any settings, make a note of what you're changing...and don't go hunting for perfection...that way madness lies.

(and switch off all the added effects and movie modes and image processing to start with )

[PhilboSE]

Really? What source are you feeding it?

I use the THX optimiser calibration DVD. You should be able to find ISOs you can download and burn to a disc, or you may already have it on a film dvd you own.

You can also use the AVS set of patterns. https://www.avsforum.com/forum/139-display-calibra...

[petemurphy]

PhilboSE said:

Really? What source are you feeding it?

I use the THX optimiser calibration DVD. You should be able to find ISOs you can download and burn to a disc, or you may already have it on a film dvd you own.

You can also use the AVS set of patterns. https://www.avsforum.com/forum/139-display-calibra...

sky - probably my eyes at the mo as am knackered + am finding it too big cw with my old 40". guess its a case of getting used to it but not blown away at the mo.

thanks

[Luke.]

petemurphy said:

sky - probably my eyes at the mo as am knackered + am finding it too big cw with my old 40". guess its a case of getting used to it but not blown away at the mo.

thanks

Sky HD or SD? SD looks shocking TBH.

[gizlaroc]

A little more info would be great. "Meh" doesn't really tell us much.

Too dark, too bright, washed out, motion no good?

[petemurphy]

gizlaroc said:

A little more info would be great. "Meh" doesn't really tell us much.

Too dark, too bright, washed out, motion no good?

too big and too washed out but then my eyes are seriously dead today so not the best day to test - just doesnt have any wow thats amazing like the oled did in the shop. think its the reality of normal tv channels versus stage content and would prob be the same with the oled ( im telling myself that rather than i should have had the oled )

have to watch harry potter film with daughter tonight so will see how that looks + will see how it is when ive actually had some sleep!

[gizlaroc]

petemurphy said:

too big and too washed out but then my eyes are seriously dead today so not the best day to test - just doesnt have any wow thats amazing like the oled did in the shop. think its the reality of normal tv channels versus stage content and would prob be the same with the oled ( im telling myself that rather than i should have had the oled )

have to watch harry potter film with daughter tonight so will see how that looks + will see how it is when ive actually had some sleep!

You just need to get it set up properly.

There are so many settings in it.

[gizlaroc]

This is from memory but try the following....

Picture mode custom

Light sensor off

Auto picture off

Black level 50

Contrast 95

Brightness ?.

Gamma -1

Advanced contrast off

Black adjust off

Extended dynamic range off

I had local dimming on, but set low or whatever they called it.

The under colour I had expert mode 1

Colour set to 47 or 48


Then I think they have sharpness and motion or clarity

Sharpness was 50 but everything else off.

For motion flow I had cinema I think, this only adds motion handling for film material and doesn’t add the soap opera effect.


Now, brightness on this screen is backlight, this needs to be set to give you pop.
I had it pretty high.

Then turned on the light sensor while the room was lit for night and set it again..

Try those settings.

[gizlaroc]

I should add that all other settings would be off.
I can’t remember them all.

[Far Cough]

This one will test the expertise ....... The standard oem feet on the Sony XF900 are a bit weird in that they splay out to about 39 inches between them. I have toyed with putting them on back to front so that they splay inwards if that makes sense , not sure it can be done ???

And also , does anyone know if the position of the rear mounting points for feet is an industry standard or do they all differ ? Looking at the feet on my Panasonic Plasma and the center stand fixing point and wondering if by some magical coincidence they will be the same ???

Cheers