I know that this has been discussed before but as technology moves on at a pace these days I thought that I needed up to date advice.

 

We have a 2009 Panasonic TX-P37X10B Plasma TV connected to a Panasonic DMR-PWT520 Blu Ray Player/Hard Disc Recorder which we use frequently to record live TV to watch later. We can use the Hard Disk Recorder remote to work the TV which is nice. If we forget to set the Hard Disk Recorder we also use apps on our phones to view free on demand services such as iPlayer through a Chromecast dongle. We do not use any paid for streaming services such as Netflix or watch many movies.

 

Although the TV still works, and heats the room up, we are looking at buying a new "Smart" TV with apps inbuilt to avoid having to use our phones and the Chromecast dongle. It would have to be about the same physical size as the existing 37" Panasonic although as that has a wide bezel the new TV would have a larger screen of about 40". The Panasonic is only 720p so is it worth buying a 4K TV for future proofing?

 

I am interested in peoples recommendations as to whether it is better to stick to big names such as Panasonic, LG, Philips etc. or whether some of the newer brands are better value for money. We are not audiophiles but we would like good sound quality and as we are getting on in years a decent volume range. The TV backs up to a solid wall not curtains.

 

I am also interested whether the apps on Smart TVs can be updated indefinitely or whether there is a likelihood in the future that the apps will not be able to be run due to hardware/software constraints. In that case would we be better in buying a "Non Smart" TV and a dongle that can be updated?

 

I understand that there is a large number of TVs out there which can be mind boggling so any views will be gratefully received (even if we eventually ignore them!).

When were looking a year or two back we went in currys and asked the guy to turn on all the smaller tvs to see which was best picture quality ,before he did he said you will buy the sony bravia haha ,he was right far better pic than the others ,the biggest we could go was 43 inch ,its a sony 4k android tv ,has all the apps and built in chromecast ,sound quality from most flat screens is not fantastic these days tho ,hence soundbars and external speakers being the way now ,bit the sound is good enuff most of the time ,its nice to have soundbar for movies tho .

We have an older smart Panasonic TV that is maybe 8 years old and the software is definitely now out of date and cannot be updated further..   To the extent that iplayer is about to stop functioning on it and Netflix likewise.  We're therefore making more use of our rokus but even they are now going out of date and won't work with some Netflix subscriptions any more so we need a new one. 

3 hours ago, Liger1956 said:

 

We have a 2009 Panasonic TX-P37X10B Plasma TV .................. Although the TV still works, and heats the room up, 

 

Lol........ Mine was a Viera TX-P46ST30B, retired a few years now under the bed in other bedroom. Excellent Full HD tv apart from energy consumption and the fact that its EPG became no longer supported. It was paired with a DMR EX83 DVD Recorder. (I still use this as they pair well).

 

I've been looking at picture quality recently as I snagged a TX50GX800 a few years ago off ebay for the princely sum of £305. A few months old with an £800 price tag when new. Absolute bargain.

 

I was looking what my picture was capable of and what  input it requires for best picture quality.

 

IMO a NON smart tv may be a better option (or just use the freeview and forget the rest like I do) You will get the best use picture quality using the blu ray player I think, and a 4K tv will be worth it for you as you have the Blu Ray.

 

A good picture processor will enhance normal , Non HD, viewing (mine has the HCX processor and gives an excellent picture IMO)

I also found that putting the tv's bass on max, but the bass boost off and the treble just down a little, it sounds very acceptable.. 

I do have a separate home audio though for when I want to blow the cobwebs out of my lug holes, Lol.

 

And yes, the 50" is the same physical front view size as the old 46" was.

Edited 24 August, 20241 yr by Tilt

Thanks for all of the replies. It gives me food for thought. We are not in a tearing hurry to replace our Panasonic plasma so we can do some research and look for the best deals.

17 hours ago, Mickvrs220 said:

When were looking a year or two back we went in currys and asked the guy to turn on all the smaller tvs to see which was best picture quality ,before he did he said you will buy the sony bravia haha ,he was right far better pic than the others ,the biggest we could go was 43 inch ,its a sony 4k android tv ,has all the apps and built in chromecast ,sound quality from most flat screens is not fantastic these days tho ,hence soundbars and external speakers being the way now ,bit the sound is good enuff most of the time ,its nice to have soundbar for movies tho .

Sony must have changed then.  When we bought ours, Sony only offered very few apps (YouTube, bbc iPlayer and the like), and there was no facility to add more, and no access to general Wi-Fi ie no surfing.    Very annoying.

 

We use iPads and chromecast, but contemplating replacing the tv.

Edited 25 August, 20241 yr by Baxlin

I've been using a 43" JVC Fire TV which has built-in Amazon Fire for quite a few years - for me the deciding factor was the 4 HDMI inputs (FreeView, FreeSat, BluRay and Apple TV).

Edited 25 August, 20241 yr by PetrolDave

7 hours ago, Baxlin said:

Sony must have changed then.  When we bought ours, Sony only offered very few apps (YouTube, bbc iPlayer and the like), and there was no facility to add more, and no access to general Wi-Fi ie no surfing.    Very annoying.

 

We use iPads and chromecast, but contemplating replacing the tv.

Things do change its progress ,android tv has every app under the sun ,most of them full of crap .

OLED is great but do cost more. I love my OLED Smart TV, great contrast, real blacks (like plasma) and wide viewing angle.

I am confused between LED, OLED & QOLED. Further research is needed as is setting a realistic budget.

My sugestion would be to focus on the TV as a TV. As other have mentioned manufacturers are notorious for not supporting apps on the their own devices for long. I think LG was held up for having abandoned some of their smart apps while the TVs were still being sold as new.

It's better (imho) to have a good tv then add on a device than an handle the apps for you. We have an of Amazon Firecube for the main TV and a Firestick on the second. The cube is 3yr and there is no sign that Amazon are not supporting it. Ditto the stick. The cube is more powerful and much more slick to use. To us the TV is just a screen and we do all viewing choices through apps on the cube.

If you don't want to buy into one of the big manufacturers products then you can look at Roku boxes or build your own.

On 25/08/2024 at 22:38, Liger1956 said:

I am confused between LED, OLED & QOLED. Further research is needed as is setting a realistic budget.

https://www.techradar.com/news/best-40-inch-tv

 

https://www.techradar.com/uk/televisions/best

@Liger1956

Decide on your budget and the choice between OLED or LED will likely be made apparent.