How to get the best from my new TV?
Discussion
I've just bought an LG oled ThinQ TV and wondered how to get the best from it. Currently the old TV runs through BT vision, which freezes a lot, but allows us to record. Internet is via an ethernet cable into one of those plug in jobs that picks up through the power circuit. The router is at the other end of the house where the phone cable enters.
Should I run a cable from the router all the way to the TV? Apart from recording, I'm not sure what else the BT box offers that's not already built into the TV, as we don't want sports channels. Any suggestions to make the most of what we have welcome.
Should I run a cable from the router all the way to the TV? Apart from recording, I'm not sure what else the BT box offers that's not already built into the TV, as we don't want sports channels. Any suggestions to make the most of what we have welcome.
If you are not getting stuttering on your internet setup will probably be ok.
Having a Humax PVR previously I recently got a Manhattan Freeview Play Recorder and it's the slickest implementation of catch up tv I've seen. It will in-channel suggest the use of the HD channel where it is available, very easy to accept- this will use your TVs picture to best effect.
The catchup tv bypasses all the faff of going into the apps and goes straight to the programme, as good an implementation as I've seen. The box is really fast and responsive, which is a revelation coming from my Humax Pvr-9300T, which I loved, but it was so slow to react to a button press.
I do miss being able to look at a third channel on the same duplex while recording two programmes that the Humax could do, but flicking the source to the TV to watch isn't too much of a problem.
If it had Netflix, Now TV and Disney, it would be perfect, as it has YouTube and YouTube kids. I guess it's a licensing issue, rather than a capability one, so I have a Roku stick for those.
The Roku stick is another piece of kit that is brilliant given the cost of it. We run mostly in HD unless the internet is having a paddy where it will throttle back and pixelate until it stabilizes.
Having a Humax PVR previously I recently got a Manhattan Freeview Play Recorder and it's the slickest implementation of catch up tv I've seen. It will in-channel suggest the use of the HD channel where it is available, very easy to accept- this will use your TVs picture to best effect.
The catchup tv bypasses all the faff of going into the apps and goes straight to the programme, as good an implementation as I've seen. The box is really fast and responsive, which is a revelation coming from my Humax Pvr-9300T, which I loved, but it was so slow to react to a button press.
I do miss being able to look at a third channel on the same duplex while recording two programmes that the Humax could do, but flicking the source to the TV to watch isn't too much of a problem.
If it had Netflix, Now TV and Disney, it would be perfect, as it has YouTube and YouTube kids. I guess it's a licensing issue, rather than a capability one, so I have a Roku stick for those.
The Roku stick is another piece of kit that is brilliant given the cost of it. We run mostly in HD unless the internet is having a paddy where it will throttle back and pixelate until it stabilizes.
what's the interface on the LG like?.
We switched to a samsung 8000 a couple of years ago and found that we now don't use any of the kit plugged into it as the software on the TV itself is pretty great. Much faster than a fire stick.
It supports all the catchup stuff and net services and we have a £30 HDD plugged in to it for USB recording (which we never use) because everything is available on demand.
It supports recommending jumping to the HD channel, changes channels really quickly and the BT remote is nice to use.
It would have to be some improvement for a standalone box to get back in to this setup now. We are looking at a new TV for the extension and I'm pretty sure I'll just buy another similar Samsung for this space.
We switched to a samsung 8000 a couple of years ago and found that we now don't use any of the kit plugged into it as the software on the TV itself is pretty great. Much faster than a fire stick.
It supports all the catchup stuff and net services and we have a £30 HDD plugged in to it for USB recording (which we never use) because everything is available on demand.
It supports recommending jumping to the HD channel, changes channels really quickly and the BT remote is nice to use.
It would have to be some improvement for a standalone box to get back in to this setup now. We are looking at a new TV for the extension and I'm pretty sure I'll just buy another similar Samsung for this space.
Lord Flashheart said:
I've just bought an LG oled ThinQ TV and wondered how to get the best from it. Currently the old TV runs through BT vision, which freezes a lot, but allows us to record. Internet is via an ethernet cable into one of those plug in jobs that picks up through the power circuit. The router is at the other end of the house where the phone cable enters.
Should I run a cable from the router all the way to the TV? Apart from recording, I'm not sure what else the BT box offers that's not already built into the TV, as we don't want sports channels. Any suggestions to make the most of what we have welcome.
I have an LG thin thing too - also recently purchased.Should I run a cable from the router all the way to the TV? Apart from recording, I'm not sure what else the BT box offers that's not already built into the TV, as we don't want sports channels. Any suggestions to make the most of what we have welcome.
It runs off the wifi with no problems at all - YouTube, BBC iPlayer... all the usual internet stuff via apps. The aerial provides around 100 Freeview channels on a digital signal.
I bought a relatively cheap SSD from Amazon (which plugs in a USB port at the back) and that is used for live pause and recording. I don't have SKY or BT Vision.
Our's gives both Freeview & Freesat (some HD channels are only on Freesat), and has just recently given us back the BBC iPlayer app that was missing from some 2020 models (part of the Freeplay bundle that they didn't continue).
Has most of the streaming stuff we use (BBC iPlayer, Apple TV+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video), but still waiting for the other Freeplay apps (ITV Hub, 4OD and Demand5) to be reinstated on the 2020 model).
Our's is connected via Devolo Duo+ powerline plugs and is better than the wifi signal by a long way in our house.
The built-in media player is also not bad if you have movies/music/photos from other sources.
Don't like the Magic Remote though, and wish we could turn off the stupid pointer permanently.
Has most of the streaming stuff we use (BBC iPlayer, Apple TV+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video), but still waiting for the other Freeplay apps (ITV Hub, 4OD and Demand5) to be reinstated on the 2020 model).
Our's is connected via Devolo Duo+ powerline plugs and is better than the wifi signal by a long way in our house.
The built-in media player is also not bad if you have movies/music/photos from other sources.
Don't like the Magic Remote though, and wish we could turn off the stupid pointer permanently.
Edited by mmm-five on Wednesday 26th August 10:11
Lord Flashheart said:
I've just bought an LG oled ThinQ TV and wondered how to get the best from it. Currently the old TV runs through BT vision, which freezes a lot, but allows us to record. Internet is via an ethernet cable into one of those plug in jobs that picks up through the power circuit. The router is at the other end of the house where the phone cable enters.
Should I run a cable from the router all the way to the TV? Apart from recording, I'm not sure what else the BT box offers that's not already built into the TV, as we don't want sports channels. Any suggestions to make the most of what we have welcome.
To start with then you will be better off running a network cable rather than relying on Powerline adapters, although you may find that you can also connect over WiFi (note you'll be using a fair bit of the bandwidth though).Should I run a cable from the router all the way to the TV? Apart from recording, I'm not sure what else the BT box offers that's not already built into the TV, as we don't want sports channels. Any suggestions to make the most of what we have welcome.
Which external device you might need depends very much on what you watch & how you watch it. If you watch mainly streaming services such as Netflix, Prime, Disney +, Apple TV then you might find your TV already supports these services. Alternatively there are a number of boxes such as the Amazon Firestick, Nvida Shield, Roku & Apple TV which will support many services & may have a better user interface.
If you watch mainly Freeview & like to record then you'll need an external PVR such as those form Humax & Manhatten. Again the user interface on these can leave something to be desired but you may find it acceptable.
There's a lot of information on AVForums:
https://www.avforums.com/forums/digital-tv-video-p...
Mr Pointy said:
If you watch mainly Freeview & like to record then you'll need an external PVR such as those form Humax & Manhatten. Again the user interface on these can leave something to be desired but you may find it acceptable.
Our's just says we can attach a suitably-formatted (GPT, FAT32 or NTFS) <2TB USB HD/SSD with a power draw of up to 5v/500ma (or use an externally-powered one) and use the built-in instant recording feature (for instant or scheduled recording).It has to be either on, or in standby mode for scheduled recording to work, and I believe you can only record/view a single channel at a time - even if you have both Freeview & Freesat tuners.
mmm-five said:
Mr Pointy said:
If you watch mainly Freeview & like to record then you'll need an external PVR such as those form Humax & Manhatten. Again the user interface on these can leave something to be desired but you may find it acceptable.
Our's just says we can attach a suitably-formatted (GPT, FAT32 or NTFS) <2TB USB HD/SSD with a power draw of up to 5v/500ma (or use an externally-powered one) and use the built-in instant recording feature (for instant or scheduled recording).It has to be either on, or in standby mode for scheduled recording to work, and I believe you can only record/view a single channel at a time - even if you have both Freeview & Freesat tuners.
Would it be such a failure in life to just pay for Sky Q or Virgin and enjoy all the clever stuff it does with recording?
You'd still have all your streaming apps on your TV and you wouldnt be the only person in the house who knew how everything worked together.
I get the impression money isnt an issue.
You'd still have all your streaming apps on your TV and you wouldnt be the only person in the house who knew how everything worked together.
I get the impression money isnt an issue.
The_Jackal said:
Would it be such a failure in life to just pay for Sky Q or Virgin and enjoy all the clever stuff it does with recording?
You'd still have all your streaming apps on your TV and you wouldnt be the only person in the house who knew how everything worked together.
I get the impression money isnt an issue.
Knowing how everything works has always been an issue in our house. Currently three different remotes, which confuses my very untechnical (is that a word?) wife. I don't have a problem keeping the BT Vision set up but just didn't know whether it was worth it as really we only need if for the convenience of recording. The other thing is that I was hoping to not see any tech on show except the TV but might have to accept there would be.You'd still have all your streaming apps on your TV and you wouldnt be the only person in the house who knew how everything worked together.
I get the impression money isnt an issue.
Lord Flashheart said:
Knowing how everything works has always been an issue in our house. Currently three different remotes, which confuses my very untechnical (is that a word?) wife. I don't have a problem keeping the BT Vision set up but just didn't know whether it was worth it as really we only need if for the convenience of recording. The other thing is that I was hoping to not see any tech on show except the TV but might have to accept there would be.
But which channels are you watching & recording? If it's all Freeview channels you might be better off with a Humax PVR. My Humax remote can even control the TV so I only have one remote in use for the majority of the time.The first step is to decide which channel or streaming services you want to watch & then find the right external box to feed the TV.
Lord Flashheart said:
Knowing how everything works has always been an issue in our house. Currently three different remotes, which confuses my very untechnical (is that a word?) wife. I don't have a problem keeping the BT Vision set up but just didn't know whether it was worth it as really we only need if for the convenience of recording. The other thing is that I was hoping to not see any tech on show except the TV but might have to accept there would be.
A sky q box is that small you could easily hide it behind or down the side of the tv and the remote uses bluetooth so it doesnt even need line of sight to workAlso, you say BT Vision is always freezing, so maybe use it as an excuse to upgrade to one of the nice systems from Sky or Virgin.
People always like to suggest Humax as giving the finger to commercial setups, but it is a geek setup and cant compete with the polished solutions from Sky and Virgin.
People always like to suggest Humax as giving the finger to commercial setups, but it is a geek setup and cant compete with the polished solutions from Sky and Virgin.
Update. BT are sending out an engineer to set up a new router and extender disc (apparently the best out there). They reckon that'll be as good as it gets for the speed of our internet. They'll also check the phone points are in good condition.
So far the TV is excellent but with lots to learn. I do have a problem in that I had to plug the aerial cable into the TV to get a picture and now the set top box doesn't get a signal. Is that simply a case of buying one of those 2 into 1 splitters? Or should I take a coaxial from the 'out' port of the box to the TV?
So far the TV is excellent but with lots to learn. I do have a problem in that I had to plug the aerial cable into the TV to get a picture and now the set top box doesn't get a signal. Is that simply a case of buying one of those 2 into 1 splitters? Or should I take a coaxial from the 'out' port of the box to the TV?
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