Recommend me a Television...

bartman100
bartman100 Posts: 544
edited January 2017 in The cake stop
I have a max budget of about £700. My current one is a Tesco own brand one, 32 inch, dreadful picture and sound and I know NOTHING about how the technology has moved on.

Don't have a massive lounge so don't want it to dominate too much but want to improve my cinematic experience and have something to watch the footie on.

Where do I start?

Comments

  • mr_goo
    mr_goo Posts: 3,770
    I reckon you could get a pretty good telly for less than 700.
    Always be yourself, unless you can be Aaron Rodgers....Then always be Aaron Rodgers.
  • They're all pretty good now, tbh. Sound is always an issue. In the main Samsung and LG lead the way now with the others that once did, Panasonic etc, bringing up the rear. Sony are making a bit of a fight back. I've two Samsung and they are superb picture wise, ok sound wise. I'd recommend £400-£500 and a soundbar. How big do you want it?
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  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,593
    Sizing guide...http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/televisi ... ould-i-buy
    Most appear to double that though. :shock:
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
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  • andcp
    andcp Posts: 644
    They're all pretty good now, tbh. Sound is always an issue. In the main Samsung and LG lead the way now with the others that once did, Panasonic etc, bringing up the rear. Sony are making a bit of a fight back. I've two Samsung and they are superb picture wise, ok sound wise. I'd recommend £400-£500 and a soundbar. How big do you want it?
    Agree - I've got a Sony tv and soundbar - excellent quality. 32" HD for about £320, soundbar from £90
    "It must be true, it's on the internet" - Winston Churchill
  • Zendog1
    Zendog1 Posts: 816
    How about this one plus a £90 sound bar.

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Home-Cinema- ... v%2B4&th=1

    I've got the 55" version and it's well good. Mind you as someone else said it's hard to go wrong with the main brands these days.

    The 4k gives a reasonable amount of future proofing.
  • ballysmate
    ballysmate Posts: 15,921
    Don't waste your money on paying the Sony price premium. I think they buy their screens from Samsung.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Sony have a 65" 4K smart Tv on offer at Leeds Sony Centre NEW BOXED for £699!!!
  • ryan_w-2
    ryan_w-2 Posts: 1,162
    I personally would only buy Samsung or LG (all Samsung in my house). User interface is far superior to the rest of the market.

    Size wize, 40-50" is enough for a small-medium sized room. Anything over 55" really starts to dominate any room smaller than 15ft2.

    Two great TVs here. Both 49", both 4K resolution (ultra high definition):

    £1,000 LG down to £700:
    http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-hom ... 5-pdt.html

    Decent Samsung for £600:
    http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-hom ... 6-pdt.html

    Can't deny the good deal on the LG, that would be my choice.
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  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Personally I have a Samsung and I wouldn't recommend one. Not only is the picture unrealistic, but the sound never matches the picture. Check What HiFi website and buy a Sony.
  • ryan_w-2
    ryan_w-2 Posts: 1,162
    Joelsim wrote:
    Personally I have a Samsung and I wouldn't recommend one. Not only is the picture unrealistic, but the sound never matches the picture. Check What HiFi website and buy a Sony.


    High end or low end Samsung, what year?

    Samsung have won pretty much every TV award in the last 5 years.

    Any TV in today's day and age won't have great sound since they're simply isn't the room for deep speakers and large magnets in their 10mm deep bodies.

    The only way Sony managed it was by sticking ugly as sin end mounted speakers to their top end units.

    If you want cinema like sound quality, buy a sound bar and a subwoofer.
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  • joelsim
    joelsim Posts: 7,552
    Ryan_W wrote:
    Joelsim wrote:
    Personally I have a Samsung and I wouldn't recommend one. Not only is the picture unrealistic, but the sound never matches the picture. Check What HiFi website and buy a Sony.


    High end or low end Samsung, what year?

    Samsung have won pretty much every TV award in the last 5 years.

    Any TV in today's day and age won't have great sound since they're simply isn't the room for deep speakers and large magnets in their 10mm deep bodies.

    The only way Sony managed it was by sticking ugly as sin end mounted speakers to their top end units.

    If you want cinema like sound quality, buy a sound bar and a subwoofer.

    Far more basic than that. As I said I have a Samsung and its crap. The picture and the sound have never worked together, and I've seen several other Samsung models with the same problem. It's only an HD, about 5 years old, rather than a 4K, but as I say, it's an extremely average TV, far worse than the Panasonic I had prior on picture quality and watchability. It's fine, does the job, but I won't buy another Samsung.
  • verylonglegs
    verylonglegs Posts: 3,949
    A soundbar is a given necessity these days, you'll never get decent speakers on a flat screen. When a CRT was your only option for visuals it meant decent sound was one way of distinguishing your sets from the competition and if you needed a large box to incorporate the tube anyway then putting in big speakers around it wasn't too much of a leap. That's all changed now obviously.
  • ryan_w-2
    ryan_w-2 Posts: 1,162
    A shame you've had bad experiences with Samsungs, I love mine, but as said above, I would go for the LG out the two I've suggested.

    To the OP; Maybe pop down to your local Currys and go watch a few of them and see which you prefer.
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  • ballysmate
    ballysmate Posts: 15,921
    +1 for Samsung
    Inherited my daughter's cast off and when I replace it, I will be looking for another Samsung
  • verylonglegs
    verylonglegs Posts: 3,949
    I should add I was in a similar position last year and bought a Panasonic in the end which I've been pleased with. I thought the picture quality on the equivalent Sony's was slightly better but avoided them as I read too many reviews citing issues with their firmware, it can run slow and people were complaining it would lock up and need restarting like a PC. Sony may well have sorted it out by now however. John Lewis is a good place to go, they had the biggest number on display to look at and the staff seemed pretty good.
  • Also check out Richer Sounds and the deals they have. Chinese brand Hisense are getting very good reviews on there site for most sizes/formats although I have no personnel experience myself of them they are significantly cheaper than even Samsung/LG and RS do a free six year warranty with most of their TV's

    I probably have more TV's than is healthy so from my experience I would say the following from my collection:-

    Samsung - very good picture quality and sound but don't rate the web interface although now four years or so out of date so they will have moved on I'm sure.

    Panasonic - solid performers and a web interface that I like the best, often a price premium to be paid for the name though.

    Sony - over rated, over priced and unreliable. The only brand I've had to claim under warranty.

    Loewe - brilliant picture and sound but very pricey. Mine is about ten years old and hasn't got all the latest inputs and gizmos but people still comment on the quality of the picture.

    Always think when buying a TV these days you should prioritise what you mainly want the TV for, that way you won't end up paying for things that aren't really important to you.

    Happy hunting
  • I'd suggest an afternoon at John Lewis, plenty to choose from, well trained knowledgeable staff, price matching and a free 5 year warranty.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,215
    I've got to LGs, the first (42") is still going strong and must be 10 years old now. I got it when big LCD and plasma screens started to come in. The other is a 4K curved 41" and has a great picture. We've had several cheaper ones in between but they've never had good picture quality and have broken after a couple of years so I'll stick with LG for now. It's surprising how what seemed enormous at 42" screen is now considered by some to be suitable for a small room. It's only 15 years ago that a 32" widescreen was considered big! I've never given the lack of space for speakers consideration as the reason sound always seems relatively poor, our one TV runs a surround sound system through a Sony amp but the other is just TV speakers so I may get a sound bar.
  • capt_slog
    capt_slog Posts: 3,939
    I find them all pretty much the same (couple of TVs in the house plus ones used in holiday cottages, hotels etc) in terms of picture.

    The biggest difference between them and the one that makes it nice to use is the how well the program guide works, and that's the bit that gets me down on most TVs exept for samsung who seem to do it really well. Nice easy screen to read, and scroll through and your current TV channels picture stays displayed in the top corner.

    My mums for instance (Hitachi maybe), the only way you can view the guide is through the menu, crap, and even when I do manage to find it, it's clunky and not informative.


    The older I get, the better I was.

  • To be honest with the poor standard of tv programmes these days you may as well have a 14" monochrome!
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 25,593
    To be honest with the poor standard of tv programmes these days you may as well have a 14" monochrome!
    You watch television programmes? :shock:
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,252
    I'd suggest an afternoon at John Lewis, plenty to choose from, well trained knowledgeable staff, price matching and a free 5 year warranty.
    I'd agree with this, I always try to buy electricals in JL, so much easier to deal with them if there are any issues. I was sat in the collection area for a few minutes on Saturday, 3 people picked up TVs of the 6 people I saw.
  • joe2008
    joe2008 Posts: 1,531
    Getting rid of our TV was one of the best things we ever did.

    Winter: log fire, good book.
    Summer: who wants to be indoors anyway.
  • secretsam
    secretsam Posts: 5,098
    I'd suggest an afternoon at John Lewis, plenty to choose from, well trained knowledgeable staff, price matching and a free 5 year warranty.

    +1

    LG make tellies for everyone. Think Merida, who used to make all the bikes...

    It's just a hill. Get over it.
  • Burn the TVs... idiots...

    I bought a Sony, who don't support half the apps available to smart TVs. Not a good choice really.

    Quality is great though when paired with my Sonos sound bar burmt any sound bar will work well.

    Maybe LG, seems to take to apps etc and are pretty good value.
    Advocate of disc brakes.
  • >I bought a Sony, who don't support half the apps available to smart TVs. Not a good choice really.

    I think their newer TVs do have those apps, based on a recent trip to John Lewis.