Annual bonus time has rolled around and I'm looking to replace our ageing Phillips 37" LCD TV.

Size: bigger than 37" upto 48" with as slim a 'frame' as possible

HDMI: at least 2 inputs

Not overly fussed about it being 'smart' as Netflix, iPlayer etc are online through our Wii, and connected to a Humax Freesat box.

Compatability with a Bose wireless soundbar preferable.

Budget: upto £400

I've seen some attractive offers from Costco and the like, although the picture sampling rate appears to be low 50hz on these TV's.

How much does that matter?

TIA J5

50Hz is now really slow compared to what else you can get. It's the refresh rate of the picture. The higher the number the faster it is. So removes any blur when watching sport or action movies.

Also check out John Lewis. They always price match and you get a 5 year warranty. Richer Sounds is another place to try

Sent from my Galaxy S5

I've just purchased a Samsung UE40H6400 and am very pleased with it. Very slim bezel all round. It's a 40 incher and is exactly the same physical size as the 8 year old 37 inch Panasonic plasma it replaced :-)

Probably get shot down in flames but i picked up a 39" technika led tv from tescos about a year ago and I can't fault it. Only thing it didn't have was hd freeview but i believe their new ones do have. Very good picture quality, features and cheap too (£280 iirc)

Get the best Samsung you can get for your money from John Lewis or Richer Sounds.

£50 more but 3D and 400Hz refresh rate. From what I can gather you can use an external USB HDD to record onto. Timeslip feature and two tuners. Wi-Fi and a 5 year guarnatee.

 

http://www.johnlewis.com/samsung-ue40h6410-led-hd-1080p-3d-smart-tv-40-with-freeview-hd-white/p1363775#tabinfo-spcl-offr

 

"

How do I record on my Samsung Smart TV?

Recording is a feature that’s available on many international models of our Samsung Smart TVs. To record, you’ll need an HDD that’s USB 2.0/5400 RPM. It will also need to read 34 Mbps and write 52 Mbps. Depending on your TV model, you can then record from your TV’s scheduling menu."

£50 more but 3D and 400Hz refresh rate.

[amateur_question] Does buying a 3D TV mean I have to sit and watch Dragons Den (other programs are available) wearing those daft plastic specs? [/amateur_question]

Only if you want to. Most 3d TVs will convert normal 2d broadcasts badly, or you can watch proper 3d from bluray or Sky.

Only if you want to. Most 3d TVs will convert normal 2d broadcasts badly, or you can watch proper 3d from bluray or Sky.

I was under the impression that the 2D quality was the same as a standard 2D HD TV?

Have had two Samsung TVs in the last few years (32 & now 40 inch) and the picture quality is outstanding on HD and excellent on SD ( although we watch 95% HD programs ).

Sound, which can be less than satisfactory on slim TV, is very good on our current Samsung and certainly don't feel the need of a sound bar on normal programs.

We do however, have a cinema system which we only use when using a Bluray DVD.

Samsung - highly recommended !

Edited 21 March, 201511 yr by bertone

http://www.rgbdirect.co.uk/ProductQuickViewMobile.asp?SKUNumber=122262&Model=UE40H6410

Sent from my Galaxy S5

You need to have a look. We went into John Lewis last year with every intention of buying a Sony TV we had seen online. We walked out with the LG which was next to the Sony in the shop. It was about £50 more but the picture was noticeably better.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

I was under the impression that the 2D quality was the same as a standard 2D HD TV?

convert normal 2d broadcasts to 3d, probably with varying success

convert normal 2d broadcasts to 3d, probably with varying success

yeah, I misread Dr. Z's post.

You need to have a look. We went into John Lewis last year with every intention of buying a Sony TV we had seen online. We walked out with the LG which was next to the Sony in the shop. It was about £50 more but the picture was noticeably better.

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Alway play with the settings yourself as TVs have shop/demo mode where a number of settings are artificially enhanced. Great in the shop, poor when you set it up properly at home.

Parents returned their LG for that reason.

I definitely would look at Samsung - after shopping for one a couple of months back it was hard to beat Samsung for picture quality, smart features, mirroring etc.

 

As Gadgetman has said, make sure you look at the settings - they will have the settings up to the max with extreme brightness and contrast levels to make it look good in shop. Unfortunately the same settings will look crap at home (hugely different lighting conditions).

 

Found the Samsung we got  (IIRC - linky)  to be even better when we adjusted the picture with the help of this - linky

Panasonic do some excellent LCD/LED illuminated LCD Televisions.

 

Worth looking around for last years model as you tend to get very good deals on these.

Be careful with cheap Panasonics - some are just rebadged Vestel TVs, in which case you may as well get a supermarket own-brand.