Our 16 year old 32" Sony CRT has lost picture quality - something's up with the colours.

 

That was the last time (about 2002) I looked seriously for a living room telly.  So looking now I feel completely clueless.

 

The box on our telly is quite a bit larger than the screen, and it's probably already 44", so I reckon we can go up to 49" without it seeming too big.  A friends 55" TV didn't seem all that big.  Our settee and chairs are about 8' away from the TV - surprised to see this is a factor according to some of the review sites.

 

I gather that having a big old box means we've got good sized speakers. New telly's not having such sound quality, do I need to factor in additional speakers or a sound bar?

 

I've a DVD player (not blueray) and Youview box.  I do watch Netflix.  The Youview box is connected to my BT wifi with (I think) an ethernet cable.

 

So I'm looking for recommendations as I don't get all the 4k, HDR and other technical jargon.  I don't want 3D or a curved screen, just a decent 49 - 55" TV.  Preferably under £1000.

 

Curry's and Argos are nearby and I see Curry's have 20% off in their ebay shop at the mo'.  Not sure whether that's just marketing, or if there are genuine bargains to be had.

 

Can anyone recommend me a new telly, from recent-ish experience?

 

Ta very muchly.

 

Gaz

 

Edited 16 July, 20187 yr by V6TDI
typo

A guy at work has been through 4 Samsung's and LGs all of which have had faulty screens with lost rows of pixels etc.

 

However we have two Panasonic's and my father in law has a Sony with no problems...

I have a Sony bravia LCD 48" it is a couple of years old now and it is very good. It has Netflix built in along with lots of other things like YouTube.

 

On the speaker front a soundbar complete with a subwoofer is the easiest way to give a decent bit of sound without too much hassle. My Sony had a soundbar/subwoofer In the deal which is an optical connection.

 

As to the latest TV's no idea, my previous was also a Sony 40" LCD and that is at least 10years old now and still going at a relative's house.

Have a look at your 'local' Richer Sounds, Brighton.  Cannot recommend the company enough.  No BS, they listen to what you want and will run a few products past you.  No upselling, no pushiness.  If the tv doesn't come with a 5 year warranty as standard, their warranty rates are pretty reasonable.  

 

They'll even come out to your home for a free consultation.

 

Richer Sounds

 

 

I can't tell you which exact model, but the wife recently got a Samsung (65" MU6220 series, I think)... This was to replace a cheap LG that blew its backlight.

Generally Samsungs are pretty reliable and decent.
One thing I will say - Buy from John Lewis if you can and avoid the likes of Currys. The extra product support from JL is totally worth it (longest around, I believe).

 

Also, I don't know what other branches are like, but avoid Richer Sounds in Reading, as they will not listen to a word you say and instead try to flog you whatever they want gone... Five minutes looking up their own shop shelf labels on Google and I knew more about the features of their TVs than they did!

Don't get one too big, they all look small in the shop

 

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/choose-right-tv-size,news-24708.html

 

Pick a size, pick a price then think about features.

I wanted a smart TV and LG have the best system for that (or did 2yr ago).

You probably want something with 4k and UHD. But neither is really essential. Mine doesn't have UHD and I can't say I've missed it.

 

Thin TVs mostly have garbage sound (they're thin so no space for proper speakers), if you like your movies budget for a sound bar and sub.

I spent ~£150 on a matching LG soundbar and sub. Best money I've spent, totally worth it.

 

To remember -

4k makes all your DVDs look crap.

Blue rays look great.

Get as many HDMI plugs as you can, mine has 2, it's not enough.

Get wifi built in or look for a network cable (I use powerline networking for the telly).

Look at the stand for the telly, some have a centre stand, some have legs at either side, will it fit your tv unit?

 

John Lewis price matches and gives longer warranties.

 

Another vote for John Lewis - the 5 year warranty is well worth having and they price match as well.

 

I've had an LG for years and can't fault it - in fact I believe LG actually make the display panels used in a lot of other manufacturer's TVs. 

 

You're right re the sound quality - thinner TV means poorer sound from the speakers. I opted for a fairly cheap surround sound system (also LG) and that really makes a huge difference.

 

Re 4K...IMHO I'm not sure you'd really notice a difference between that and a good HD picture, unless you have a screen the size of a house, but a lot of newer TV's have it anyway. For me, it wouldn't be a deal-breaker but if you're looking to buy something that's going to last you a while (guessing so!) then might be worth considering, as more and more programs are going to be broadcast in 4K.

 

Couple of other things to consider:

• refresh rate - cheaper TVs can have lower refresh rates which means motion appears blurred (not good for watching sport...or anything fast moving!)
• HDR (High Dynamic Range) - this helps give a better picture (basically gives more realistic colours and allows you to see detail in the dark and light areas of a picture that would otherwise be too dark/bright to see on a non-HDR TV)

Bottom line for me is picture quality - if the sound isn't great you can plug in soundbars, speakers, etc but if the picture is naff then you're stuck with it. So go and look at some and try them out. 

UHD doh, I meant HDR.

I can't name who they are, but there are only 2 or 3 companies who make all the world's display panels between them.

55 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

I can't name who they are, but there are only 2 or 3 companies who make all the world's display panels between them.

 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/267095/global-market-share-of-lcd-tv-manufacturers/

 

 

1 hour ago, KenONeill said:

I can't name who they are, but there are only 2 or 3 companies who make all the world's display panels between them.

 

But that does not mean the picture displayed will be the same so unless its from a reliability point of view its almost irrelevant

 

OLED is the latest technology so if you are keeping your TV for the long haul I would spend more and get an OLED set, downside is they only do them in 55"+ at the moment

 

Speakers can be a lottery, my 8 year old Sony LCD has fantastic speakers, but both my newer but smaller samsung TV's have rubbish speakers

Edited 12 June, 20188 yr by SuperbTWM

You really cant get them repaired if it's not a top brand. Sony, Panasonic, LG, Samsung, Philips.

 

Many brands that you may remember as quality are now zombie brands - just labels stuck on to Turkish made TV's that repair shops wont touch.

 

e.g. JVC Hitachi AKAI Bush Finlux Grundig Polaroid Blaupunkt 

 

I don't think even Sharp make their own label TV's any more.

 

Worse, even the quality brands sometimes knock out Turkish cheapies as their own entry level ones - Toshiba for instance.

 

Pick the TV's you like then go to avforums.com for reviews of the exact model you are looking for, to avoid getting a duff one i.e. just because some Samsung 42 are absolutely amazing for picture and sound, it doesn't follow that all Samsung 42 models are.

 

 

 

Edited 12 June, 20188 yr by camelspyyder

bang and olufsen for me, pricey but worth it, they're built like brick **** houses, using Panasonic screens - there are 2 or 3  outfits that recycle em, one near Gatwick, one near Eastbourne and another, google b&o for their info.

people buying new keep em for about 12 months then buy the latest kit, silly really but the answer lies in the locations of the resellers  -  south east monied areas!

^^^ My cousin had a Bang and Olufsen, he was embarrased to tell us it did go bang after 6 months, it cost a fortune, they supplied a new one that's doing fine.

 

We have an LG, so far it's been fine. The only recommendation was we bought certain ones, it needs to show that it was manufactured in a certain country on the spec label. I can't remember the details now (pretty useless info I know) something to do with what screen they use/put in to them

Thanks for all the replies folks 

 

Won't be stretching to B&O.  Current telly came from Richer Sounds - was £1200 from Sony or £800 from RS; go figure.  Good shout for 'em though.

 

Interesting comments about John Lewis.  Got one about 45 mins away in Tunbridge Wells.  Much nicer to get to than Brighton.

 

Gaz

Do Richer Sounds still do their 5 year warranties? They weren't as good as the JL ones because they self insured - so they went under so did the warranty. I suspect you'll be hard pushed not to get all those things on a £1000 TV  you might even consider ditching the youview box.

Do John Lewis price match?

 

Because as far as I remember the 5 year warranty isn't actually free; the price of their TV's being 5 to 10% higher than other retailers the last time I was searching.

Echoing the comments above - definitely purchase from either John Lewis, Cost-co or Richer Sounds. Unmatched 5 year warranty and a much better buying experience than any Currys / Argos.

 

I've only had a few Tellys in my time, all Sony, which have proved highly reliable thus far.

 

Current one is a pretty run of the mill 42" Sony, which was around £400 (John Lewis) and features Wi-Fi / Netflix / Amazon prime video / USB playback / recording etc.

15 hours ago, camelspyyder said:

Do John Lewis price match?

 

Because as far as I remember the 5 year warranty isn't actually free; the price of their TV's being 5 to 10% higher than other retailers the last time I was searching.

Oh most definitely, yes!! Or at least they did about a year ago - The warranty was also free and was 6 years, not 5.

 

However, they do not have every model of TV in stock at every branch all the time. They may have to order in the exact one you wanted, which can take a couple of days.

So... if you INSIST on going home TODAY with a shiny new TV in your boot that costs more than my car, but don't give a toss about this one blowing up like the last one, then you will have to shop at Currys with the shortest warranty and the least customer support, accept that they will try to shaft you with all manner of expensive add-ons that don't actually do anything, and possibly even walk out with a TV that's already been dropped more than once by their staff...... You will also not be spoken to by your husband for a couple of days, for being such a stupid **** and ignoring all his sagely advice - My wife learned all this the hard way!!!

On 6/13/2018 at 19:05, camelspyyder said:

Do John Lewis price match?

 

Because as far as I remember the 5 year warranty isn't actually free; the price of their TV's being 5 to 10% higher than other retailers the last time I was searching.

 

Yes they do but within certain criteria - i.e. if you find the same model cheaper on some dodgy looking website with no phone number or showroom, then they won't match that. It has to be a high-street retailer and not internet-only (although this does seem to depend on which store you go to as some people claim to have had prices matched from Amazon etc...but generally I think they won't). 

 

Full details here

I recently went through the new telly thing with my father and found that the advertised HDR sets rarely offer true HDR under around the £700 mark (this was the top of his budget). There are now several forms of HDR too, so you really want one that will at least cover HDR10 and HLG (BBC iPlayer uses this one). There is also Dolby Vision, but it tends to be on really pricey tvs and there is a new HDR 10+ standard coming (this one will probably be popular with the broadcasters and will be available to many sets as a software update in due course) 

 

The badge ULTRA HDR PREMIUM is usually a good indicator that the TV can produce genuine HDR images, simply saying the set has HDR capability does not really guarantee anything more than the telly might look a little bit more punchy

 

My advice would be stick with the big names (hopefully helping future proof your tv's software), look for the best deal that is nearer the top of your budget and most importantly go see the set in action (make sure the set is not in display mode). R.S. will put a telly into their darkened viewing room for you to appraise  

 

HDR makes a bigger difference that 4K imho and so I would recommend viewing some content in that format. Amazon and Netflix both show a fair bit of stuff in HDR and the BBC will eventually show more things in HLG (their version of HDR) on their iPlayer app. You will find all these apps on most tvs these days. 

 

My own telly is an OLED that I got from RS after much deliberation and emptying of my bank account and 2 years later it's still the best tv I have seen.

 

ps I replaced my parents set with a 50" model and it takes up less space than their old 32"CRT as it sits so much closer to the wall (must be at least a foot less depth in it's size)

Okay so we're making some progress.

 

Size we'll go for is 43".  I'd quite like 49", but MrsV6TDI says no.

 

HDR10 and HLG as per Amanda's advice.

 

In the running at the moment:

https://www.richersounds.com/sony-kd43xf8577su.html

and;

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-home-entertainment/televisions/televisions/lg-43uk6470plc-43-smart-4k-ultra-hd-hdr-led-tv-10178176-pdt.html

 

MrsV6TDI doesn't think the Sony's worth the additional cost.  I wonder if the 50hz motion rate goes against the LG?

 

This one's also a possible:

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-home-entertainment/televisions/televisions/sony-kd43xf7596bu-43-smart-4k-ultra-hd-hdr-led-tv-10178142-pdt.html

 

Bit of a so and so that Richer Sounds don't open until midday as I'm on a late shift tomorrow, starting work at 1:30pm, so even if I got to them bang on midday, I'd be pushing it to get to work on time.  Hey ho.

 

Gaz

I don't think any of those tvs are Ultra Premium HDR certified. I would say if you want to enjoy true HDR and are buying a television that is an existing model or brand new to the market, then you should try to find one with this spec. There are currently Samsungs which are just over your budget and use 'Quantum Dot' technology, which is state of the art LED tv stuff and makes fantastic HDR pictures. Also the Ultra Premium spec means you get better colours too. I'd try to persuade your wife that although a 49" tv sounds much bigger it's only a little bit wider in truth and the latest high end tvs have almost no bezel which keeps the size down. 

 

I've watched a bit of the Germany World Cup footie match today on the BBC iPlayer which was shown in HLG 4K. The pictures where genuinely sharp and punchy, the only downside was it's needs a fast broadband connection as the data seems less compressed than say, Netflix's 4k HDR (partly this is because the BBC were showing 50 frames a second - twice that of regular broadcasts- so the BBC recommend a broadband connection of around 40Mb/s).

 

The Panasonic I got my Dad and Mum looks good and they are more than happy with it, but it's HDR isn't really what you would call High Dynamic Range :( 

 

I'd also say that most manufacturers claim all sorts of wizardry in the television (Zillion hertz motion control turbo colourboost stabilising flange shifting flux capacitor orbital laser convergence Ai - or something of that nature), but the truth is, your picture usually looks best with virtually all of these 'modes' turned off. ie 1,000hz picture! This might make some things look smoother, but will introduce artifacts under certain circumstances, so what you gain in one way, you lose in another :( 

 

You need to see them in person and also view not just one that claims 4k Ultra HD but also one that is Premium certified and see if you think it's worth the extra. I watch a lot of movies and often look at photographs on my tv and for me, paying the extra was well worth it  

I should add, make sure you check the picture 'off-axis' as unlike your CRT telly. LED/LCD tellys can look very washed out, dim or lacking in contrast if you aren't sitting roughly in front of them. the latest crop of these tellys are better and some are superb in this respect, but not all, so check it out too, just in case one of you sits in that comfy chair in the corner while watching tv

If 'off-axis' viewing is not a problem (ie you and your other half sit cosy'd up together  ) then something like this looks very promising. it has 1,000 nits brightness, which is excellent and great for HDR viewing or if you have a well lit room where your telly lives  

 

https://www.richersounds.com/tv-projectors/all-tvs/samsung-ue49mu8000.html

 

There is a quantum dot Samsung for this price but it sadly is 55" (I would imagine the pictures is stunning)