Smart TVs - Opinions?
Discussion
All,
Decided this is a better place to ask than the TV section.
Parents are looking to 'upgrade' from their 15 year old CRT (I know), but theyre also looking to ditch their expensive virgin TV package.
So, I'm trying to see what they can get around the 46-50" area, TV needs:
Smart TV, preferably with netflix and nowtv.
Good picture, not sure if they're too fussed about 4k and higher but its good to be futureproof. Viewing angles are important due to the lounge layout.
Good quality and value, as you've probably guessed they like to get their monies worth.
A nice to have would definitely be a tv recording feature like Tivo, even if the tv doesn't have alot of storage, i can sort out a big memory stick/drive. This way they can easily get rid of the silly virgin tv price, at £60 a month paying abit more for a tv with this feature would be worthwhile.
Whats PH got then? Comparing TVs online is abit of a nightmare as they all say they have "4k and smart features" which when looked into appear to be a very crappy and slow netflix client.
Thanks
Decided this is a better place to ask than the TV section.
Parents are looking to 'upgrade' from their 15 year old CRT (I know), but theyre also looking to ditch their expensive virgin TV package.
So, I'm trying to see what they can get around the 46-50" area, TV needs:
Smart TV, preferably with netflix and nowtv.
Good picture, not sure if they're too fussed about 4k and higher but its good to be futureproof. Viewing angles are important due to the lounge layout.
Good quality and value, as you've probably guessed they like to get their monies worth.
A nice to have would definitely be a tv recording feature like Tivo, even if the tv doesn't have alot of storage, i can sort out a big memory stick/drive. This way they can easily get rid of the silly virgin tv price, at £60 a month paying abit more for a tv with this feature would be worthwhile.
Whats PH got then? Comparing TVs online is abit of a nightmare as they all say they have "4k and smart features" which when looked into appear to be a very crappy and slow netflix client.
Thanks
I've got the Sony Bravia from last year, 43", runs Android TV.
Bit of a mixed bag really. Picture is fabulous, especially 4k, but only from pretty much dead ahead - sitting at an angle gives a washed-out picture but I understand this is par for the course with LED.
Sound is woeful but I've added a Sonos Playbar which sorts it nicely.
Android TV platform is pretty decent, useful apps - Netflix, Amazon, YouTube plus others from App Store e.g. Plex, Alexa.
All4 is an odd omission - you can enable it on the TV but it insists on scanning for channels before you can use it - I don't have an aerial and it won't do it from Satellite. Don't understand why there's no "I just want on-demand" option.
Remote is pretty slow, seems to need really fresh batteries to work properly.
Would try a Samsung but I've found the OS is very slow.
Bit of a mixed bag really. Picture is fabulous, especially 4k, but only from pretty much dead ahead - sitting at an angle gives a washed-out picture but I understand this is par for the course with LED.
Sound is woeful but I've added a Sonos Playbar which sorts it nicely.
Android TV platform is pretty decent, useful apps - Netflix, Amazon, YouTube plus others from App Store e.g. Plex, Alexa.
All4 is an odd omission - you can enable it on the TV but it insists on scanning for channels before you can use it - I don't have an aerial and it won't do it from Satellite. Don't understand why there's no "I just want on-demand" option.
Remote is pretty slow, seems to need really fresh batteries to work properly.
Would try a Samsung but I've found the OS is very slow.
We have four Samsungs and can't fault them, all the players/apps we need, and an easy to use UI & remote control. Check whether you can use a USB Flash drive though, our newest will only work with a real hard drive. John Lewis is a great place to try them, and you get 5 years guarantee.
Is 4K required?
Viewing angle will have to be a compromise. OLED is nigh on any angle but pricy.
Future proofing, personally I would looking at inputs, HDMI at the top end of the HDMI spec, because sooner or later support could/will go for the apps so an external box to carry on and 4K needs a minimum standard. Some sets will have one for 4k and others at a lower spec etc.
External box with a twin tuner for recording?
Some recording ability for plug in drives tie you to the channel you are watching.
As for the operating system, take the folks down the TV shop and have a play with the remotes and operating systems. They will have to live with the choice and some are better than others. I am not worried about have a quick Netflix button on a remote, I see that as a gimmick I can live without if the rest of the operating system is good.
Viewing angle will have to be a compromise. OLED is nigh on any angle but pricy.
Future proofing, personally I would looking at inputs, HDMI at the top end of the HDMI spec, because sooner or later support could/will go for the apps so an external box to carry on and 4K needs a minimum standard. Some sets will have one for 4k and others at a lower spec etc.
External box with a twin tuner for recording?
Some recording ability for plug in drives tie you to the channel you are watching.
As for the operating system, take the folks down the TV shop and have a play with the remotes and operating systems. They will have to live with the choice and some are better than others. I am not worried about have a quick Netflix button on a remote, I see that as a gimmick I can live without if the rest of the operating system is good.
I’m still using a pioneer plasma display. Obviously not available new anymore but plenty available second hand.
Personally I think 4K is still a sales gimmick as terrestrial tv isnt even full hd yet.
I’m not a techno wizard but do like watching a good moving picture or blu ray film.
I have a separate youview tuner with a 1tb hard drive for the free hd channels but it also has easy access to Netflix and iPlayers etc.
Viewing angles are near perfect even at 160 degrees or so.
The oldest pioneer display i have is a 2006 model pdp 436xde 43” and the picture is still stunning. Late models are the 2009 lx5090, lx6090 or the reference versions krp 500/600 .
Because they are not full of computer there is no need to run updates. Just genuine good well made plasma screen tv’s.
Personally I think 4K is still a sales gimmick as terrestrial tv isnt even full hd yet.
I’m not a techno wizard but do like watching a good moving picture or blu ray film.
I have a separate youview tuner with a 1tb hard drive for the free hd channels but it also has easy access to Netflix and iPlayers etc.
Viewing angles are near perfect even at 160 degrees or so.
The oldest pioneer display i have is a 2006 model pdp 436xde 43” and the picture is still stunning. Late models are the 2009 lx5090, lx6090 or the reference versions krp 500/600 .
Because they are not full of computer there is no need to run updates. Just genuine good well made plasma screen tv’s.
Just get a regular TV, and plug a £35 Amazon Fire TV stick in one of the spare HDMI ports. As well as Amazon TV/movies, various on-demand apps are available (Netflix, BBC iPlayer, All4, My5, etc.)
Additionally, if your parents want the ability to record/rewind/pause TV, make sure the set you buy has Freeview Plus functionality.
As others have said, the sound quality on the majority of flat-panel TVs is awful, so invest in a soundbar, or do what I do, and run your TV through a stereo/Hi-Fi system (if that's an option).
Additionally, if your parents want the ability to record/rewind/pause TV, make sure the set you buy has Freeview Plus functionality.
As others have said, the sound quality on the majority of flat-panel TVs is awful, so invest in a soundbar, or do what I do, and run your TV through a stereo/Hi-Fi system (if that's an option).
Budget?
What Hi-Fi Best 40-46"
https://www.whathifi.com/samsung/ue40mu6400/review
What Hi-Fi Best 47-52"
https://www.whathifi.com/sony/kd-49xe9005/review
55" and a big budget the LG 55B7 is very well thought of.
https://www.richersounds.com/lg-oled55b7v.html
What Hi-Fi Best 40-46"
https://www.whathifi.com/samsung/ue40mu6400/review
What Hi-Fi Best 47-52"
https://www.whathifi.com/sony/kd-49xe9005/review
55" and a big budget the LG 55B7 is very well thought of.
https://www.richersounds.com/lg-oled55b7v.html
l354uge said:
Thankyou all. Thoughts on this? 6 year guarantee is a big draw, but I see theres a few samsungs of the same size/spec at different prices, difference in picture quality?
Any modern TV is going to be a huge step up from what they have so dont get all wrapped up in 4k and all that. The most important thing with a smart TV is to identify what services they will be using (you mention nowTV) and check that the app for that service is available on the platform of the TV you intend to buy. Some, like NowTV springs to mind for some reason are available on say the LG platform but not on Samsung and vice versa etc.With the Samsung TV's the way to tell whether one is better than another when prices are similar are to look at the model number and decode it -
so this tv is a 40 (screen size) MU (2017 - they generally refresh in late feb early march) 6 series (they have 5,6,7 and 8 series in rising quality and features) then the higher the last three numbers the higher the device is in the 6 series (or whichever) range. Sometimes the difference can be as little as stand design.
l354uge said:
Thankyou all. Thoughts on this? 6 year guarantee is a big draw, but I see theres a few samsungs of the same size/spec at different prices, difference in picture quality?
I gather that the cheaper models state features like HDR, but they don't actually implement HDR as they should do, hence why you see tv's that seem to be identical.A lot of tv viewers will be perfectly happy with it, more hardcore will insist on it having HDR and so on.
That TV also doesn't appear to have Freeview Play, which your parents may appreciate.
Edited by hyphen on Monday 25th December 00:06
If they are ditching Virgin are they going with Freeview for the free-to-air stuff? If so how good is their reception and do they receive many of the HD channels? The HD channels on my Samsung 4k set look amazing however all the SD channels (like 90% of the selection) can appear blocky in comparison (understandable as up-scaling a 720p image to 4k is going to look worse than up-scaling a 1080p image). If they watch a lot of TV this might be an issue for them.
Otherwise I really cannot fault Samsung's 4k range; I found it has the slickest and easiest OS/interface to use out of LG/Sony/Panny/etc.
Otherwise I really cannot fault Samsung's 4k range; I found it has the slickest and easiest OS/interface to use out of LG/Sony/Panny/etc.
Also beware that the app you need does what you expect.
Our Philips android tv is great except for Now tv which will only access movies, not entertainment, meaning we have to watch series content through the Xbox.
Would generally recommend android os over proprietary systems, from what I've seen of friends TVs.
Our Philips android tv is great except for Now tv which will only access movies, not entertainment, meaning we have to watch series content through the Xbox.
Would generally recommend android os over proprietary systems, from what I've seen of friends TVs.
hyphen said:
vladcjelli said:
Would generally recommend android os over proprietary systems, from what I've seen of friends TVs.
Have Android improved? As Sony's were known to have a poor os.LG have had the best os for a while.
The OS will make a massive difference to your experience with the TV. Samsung is supposed to be a pretty good OS, LG generally regarded the easiest to use at the moment which is what I went for.
Re TV operating systems comments.
This is why I think it is important you take the folks to the shop to try them out, they are the ones that will have to live with it. For example I think the LG is superb and someone says Samsung is. It will be personal.
LG B7 is 1499 in the Richer Sounds sale starting boxing day.
This is why I think it is important you take the folks to the shop to try them out, they are the ones that will have to live with it. For example I think the LG is superb and someone says Samsung is. It will be personal.
LG B7 is 1499 in the Richer Sounds sale starting boxing day.
Just bought this but from JohnLewis and getting JL to price match for the 5 year warranty
http://www.rgbdirect.co.uk/ProductQuickViewMobile....
The 40 you’ve linked is £289 when price matched.
http://www.rgbdirect.co.uk/ProductQuickViewMobile....
The 40 you’ve linked is £289 when price matched.
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