How far have TVs come in 10yrs?(tentative 'what tv')
Discussion
I've not looked into TVs since buying mine nearly 10years ago and can't help but wonder if I should treat myself to a new one
I paid £500 for a 32" sony KDL-32S3000. LCD
basic spec is..
1080i @ 50hz
720p @ 60hz
1600:1 contrast
8000:1 'dynamic' contrast.
due to the age of the TV it has some spots that appear slightly darker once it's been on for a while. you only really notice if you really concentrat. also I feel like perhaps the contrast has gone down a little, it's hard to notice things in dark/low lighting. I never use freeview anymore as I watch/listen to music or watch tv via my virgin media box. the TV gets hooked up using a 3.5mm jack to a hifi which i have no issue with using as sound.
But what's the market like today?
as for what I need and don't need...
I don't need....
- a huge tv: 32" is perfectly fine, i won't go over 40" as that's stupid for sitting 2m away.
- 4k: i'm fine with 1080p
- tons of HDMI ports. one for PS4, one for virgin media box is enough. audio gets connected by 3.5mm audio jack, but an extra HDMI/digital optical out wont be so bad.
what would I use it for
- 1/3 gaming, playing PS4
- 1/3 i just plug it into my hifi to listen to radio via virgin media (radio 1, kiss fm)
- 1/3 watching actual tv, or movies.
What i'm hoping
- something with better image quality
anything else is a bonus, plus any future proofing.
I paid £500 for a 32" sony KDL-32S3000. LCD
basic spec is..
1080i @ 50hz
720p @ 60hz
1600:1 contrast
8000:1 'dynamic' contrast.
due to the age of the TV it has some spots that appear slightly darker once it's been on for a while. you only really notice if you really concentrat. also I feel like perhaps the contrast has gone down a little, it's hard to notice things in dark/low lighting. I never use freeview anymore as I watch/listen to music or watch tv via my virgin media box. the TV gets hooked up using a 3.5mm jack to a hifi which i have no issue with using as sound.
But what's the market like today?
as for what I need and don't need...
I don't need....
- a huge tv: 32" is perfectly fine, i won't go over 40" as that's stupid for sitting 2m away.
- 4k: i'm fine with 1080p
- tons of HDMI ports. one for PS4, one for virgin media box is enough. audio gets connected by 3.5mm audio jack, but an extra HDMI/digital optical out wont be so bad.
what would I use it for
- 1/3 gaming, playing PS4
- 1/3 i just plug it into my hifi to listen to radio via virgin media (radio 1, kiss fm)
- 1/3 watching actual tv, or movies.
What i'm hoping
- something with better image quality
anything else is a bonus, plus any future proofing.
I'm in no way an expert in TV's but I am about to replace a 10 year old 47 inch Samsung something-other with a Panasonic-TX-50 EX750B
https://www.richersounds.com/tv-projectors/all-tvs...
In terms of improvements in TV's (at like-for-like pricepoints);
- The most obvious physical difference is the slimness of the bezel
- When you watch it the processing speed is way better (it doesn't blur like the old one on football panning shots)
- It also has a gaming mode (which I haven't seen but which gets the vote of my PS4 playing son)
- The colours and resolution look very good to my eyes (certainly a big improvement)
- It has 4 X HDMI's and 3 x USB's (and you can use the USB to drive a storage device)
- It has built-in Freeview & Freesat and 4K Amazon & Netflix)
In terms of future proofing I suppose 4K is the obvious one given the amount of content that already is/is about to be made available.
I'm not quite sure about the Freesat/Freeview/Netflix/Amazon apps on the TV as I haven't tired them yet, But if they are slick and if I can stick a CAT6 cable in it and also record to a hard disk then I might use them and be able to have one less box (in my case Humax). I haven't figured out how to cable it all up yet though (eg do I use ARC or not, etc)
The other thing about future proofing is that in the past I've used Chromecast to drive a lot of new stuff as the apps are constantly evolving on that platform. Not sure how that's done on a TV (do the apps auto-update? Are there firmware updates?)
Anyway, my new TV is a step change from the old one on a number of fronts and although I'm not the most avid TV watcher (and rarely watch a movie) I'm really looking forward to having it.
https://www.richersounds.com/tv-projectors/all-tvs...
In terms of improvements in TV's (at like-for-like pricepoints);
- The most obvious physical difference is the slimness of the bezel
- When you watch it the processing speed is way better (it doesn't blur like the old one on football panning shots)
- It also has a gaming mode (which I haven't seen but which gets the vote of my PS4 playing son)
- The colours and resolution look very good to my eyes (certainly a big improvement)
- It has 4 X HDMI's and 3 x USB's (and you can use the USB to drive a storage device)
- It has built-in Freeview & Freesat and 4K Amazon & Netflix)
In terms of future proofing I suppose 4K is the obvious one given the amount of content that already is/is about to be made available.
I'm not quite sure about the Freesat/Freeview/Netflix/Amazon apps on the TV as I haven't tired them yet, But if they are slick and if I can stick a CAT6 cable in it and also record to a hard disk then I might use them and be able to have one less box (in my case Humax). I haven't figured out how to cable it all up yet though (eg do I use ARC or not, etc)
The other thing about future proofing is that in the past I've used Chromecast to drive a lot of new stuff as the apps are constantly evolving on that platform. Not sure how that's done on a TV (do the apps auto-update? Are there firmware updates?)
Anyway, my new TV is a step change from the old one on a number of fronts and although I'm not the most avid TV watcher (and rarely watch a movie) I'm really looking forward to having it.
Personally I'd go with 4K just to future proof yourself.
The LG Web OS is a nice thing to use and they make some good panels.
What's you budget?
This was What HiFi's best sensible sized TV of 2017.
https://www.richersounds.com/tv-projectors/all-tvs...
https://www.whathifi.com/samsung/ue40mu6400/review
The LG Web OS is a nice thing to use and they make some good panels.
What's you budget?
This was What HiFi's best sensible sized TV of 2017.
https://www.richersounds.com/tv-projectors/all-tvs...
https://www.whathifi.com/samsung/ue40mu6400/review
Edited by B17NNS on Sunday 25th February 14:52
Personally i would get a 40inch. What you will find is the bezel (frame) around your sony will be 1inch wide where as any new set will be minimal, so a new 32inch will look small in its place (even though the screen size is the same).
Far more choice of better screen, smart features once you get 40inch and above.
Also if it develops a fault, NO manufacturer will call out to a tv under 40inch, they will expect you to take it to their local repair centre!
Far more choice of better screen, smart features once you get 40inch and above.
Also if it develops a fault, NO manufacturer will call out to a tv under 40inch, they will expect you to take it to their local repair centre!
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