Needing new tv so straightforward advice gratefully appreciated.

 

Existing one is full HD 1080p Plasma but I am not familiar with 4k etc and if these only works with specific inputs, such as Blu Ray or streaming.......which I don't have / want though obviously would like the best picture I can get for my money.

I will look into this myself too.

 

Edit : Also anything concerning edge lit / back lit led............I looked into this last time before deciding the Plasma had the better picture.

 

Thank you.

Edited 15 March, 20206 yr by Tilt

Bit like modern cars really. Don't spend on noname brands and you can't get a bad one. If not using streaming or Blu-ray then check whether it has Freesat or Freeview for the tv (some have both). 

Many modern TVs have smart built in so maybe streaming could be an option?

If you don't want to shop around spend £400 on and LG and job done.

Plasma was the best picture available for many years, nowadays the crown is held by OLED (it has the same sort of blacks as a plasma, better in fact!). LCD (sometimes called  LED ) is generally not as good, but is often much cheaper and usually much brighter. Quantum Dot is very good however (a sort of LCD but much more sophisticated) but like OLED, tends to be at the pricier end of the sale. Tellys, as in life, seem to work around the general idea that you get what you pay for (obviously there are exceptions-honestly the number of disclaimers you have to put into this site these days  )

 

 A decent 4K tv works with the usual inputs and doesn't care if you feed it 1080 (BluRay, SKY HD+ box etc) or watch HD tv (BBC1 etc), it sorts everything out automatically, You will find that you lose your scart input most likely, so if you need that, you may need an adapter. Check around the back of the new tv to see what it has. Generally it will have several HDMI inputs anyway.

 

Also if you buy a 4K tv it will almost certainly be a 'Smart' tv so will come with several streaming apps built in. You may have to download one or two from the tellys inbuilt app store, but usually you connect the telly to your wifi (assuming it has it built in, most do) and the rest is just fiddling around. You might want some of the streaming apps though, because that way you can access the catch up services from major broadcasters. The BBC show the odd thing in 4k on this service!  , such as Wimbledon and David Attenborough's shows, but only for a month or so, then they remove them from the streaming site 😞 You don't mention your budget, but I'm guessing that if you owned a Plasma (Panasonic?), you like your picture quality and are prepared to pay a little more than the average price for a tv? I would definitely recommend an LG OLED and there are several models with big discounts. They are not cheap however, but quality rarely is. 

I went through the same process nearly two years ago,  quite probably out of date now, but the telly's still fab:

 

 

In case it helps.

 

I added a good soundbar to complement the telly, and job's a good 'un.  Went for a QM4, but I believe there are better out there now:

https://www.techradar.com/uk/reviews/q-acoustics-m4-sound-bar

 

Gaz

 

1 hour ago, MarkyG82 said:

Bit like modern cars really. Don't spend on noname brands and you can't get a bad one

Not true.

Depending on the OPs age, many familiar sounding brands are now just labels on low rent Turkish/Chinese products. Grundig, Hitachi, for instance, no longer indicate quality German or mid-range Japanese products, as they are now Zombie brands stuck on products from Vestel of Turkey. As are Bush, PYE, etc familiar to older British consumer.

 

Even worse, some existing known brands, such as Toshiba, have extended their ranges downwards by selling cheaper Turkish tat alongside their own Japanese devices.

 

Check reviews at specialist sites like AVforums to ensure you don't buy a lemon. They will steer you away from the poor TVs- sometimes even from the big names Panasonic, Sony, LG, Samsung etc.

@camelspyyder You are right. That hadn't occurred to my.  'Noname' should read 'Grundig, Hitachi' and some of the others you have mentioned.  LG, Sony or Samsung will do the job but reading back through the posts it may be that the OP is after something more than a half decent picture they can bolt to the wall....

 

I'd second a soundbar or other sound system.  The speakers in most modern tvs are not the best as the manufacturers probably expect customers to want better sound as they spend more on picture.

39 minutes ago, MarkyG82 said:

@camelspyyder You are right. That hadn't occurred to my.  'Noname' should read 'Grundig, Hitachi' and some of the others you have mentioned.  LG, Sony or Samsung will do the job but reading back through the posts it may be that the OP is after something more than a half decent picture they can bolt to the wall....

 

I'd second a soundbar or other sound system.  The speakers in most modern tvs are not the best as the manufacturers probably expect customers to want better sound as they spend more on picture.

Soundbar is a must. Modern TVs are so slim (and all screen) there is nowhere to fit decent speakers inside.

Thanks for input so far, guys. 

The only reason is that the Panasonic TXP46ST30B (only used the 3D once or twice / what a waste) has lost it's epg as mentioned in 'Off Topic'.

The positive side of this is the lower power consumption of the LCD vs Plasma which wasn't an issue 8 years ago. Possibly 1/3 of the power needed.

 

Ideally don't want to spend loads, especially the way things are looking, serious numbers of job losses on the cards i think, however............

 

It's the usual case. See one, then look at the next one up for a little bit more ............ then the next  one up catches your eye..............Grrrrrrr.

 

Sad thing is I won't be streaming (not in my nature) so guessing Tv's with better upscaling technology would be my best bet for a good picture................along with a pair of glasses maybe, Lol.

I do feel there will be a lot of wasted tech in there though. 

Probably spend similar to the Panny so possibly up to £800. Samsung QE49Q70R looks pretty decent along with the Panasonic TX50GX800(or 820)B, but i need to look at their EPG's

 

Any other pointers to manufacturers type with good clear full screen EPG's and at least sound whilst EPG showing, be appreciated.

The Panny had a Banner at the side of the EPG for advertising but it only ever showed the Viera banner and nothing else. 

I liked it as it showed the next two hours programmes quite clearly, and ten channels per page, but didn't like lack of picture and sound whilst on EPG.

 

I already have Denon Home Audio for when good quality sound is wanted........Dolby Digital.......Wow.

 

Thanks guys.

 

 

You are nearly at the OLED level with £800. Here is a last year LG B8 55"model @ £999, although the difference in picture quality is very slight compared to the current B9 model. Basically you need to turn almost all the fancy picture settings off anyway, to get the best picture. If it has the LG magic remote then it's a great tv to use

 

https://www.cramptonandmoore.co.uk/lg-oled55b8s-55-oled-tv-b8-soloco.html?channel=ppc&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjcfzBRCHARIsAO-1_OoO_UDCloimHJyEukF7gXyNbmV5fgG-wySQj53s6KmIhQ8FAVZZetAaAgqPEALw_wcB

 

Here is my LG epg and it does live picture  in top left and the sound continues.

 

 

Edited 18 March, 20206 yr by Lady Elanore