What TV to buy :confused:

[mcquaim]

Hi folks,

I've been thinking of buying a new TV but man there is a lot of choice out there currently :confused:

Sony Android looks interesting but reviews so far been pretty poor from an Android perspective.. The idea of Kodi running directly on the TV is interesting to me but very few good reports on this currently..

Samsung look steady enough without blowing your mind...

LG look very strong currently with their webOS 2.0 getting great reviews!

What I'm thinking is a Smart TV roughly around the 50" mark and swaying towards LG currently..

What I'm not sure about is OLED, 4K, 3D etc..

So, what you guys got and what are the positives/negatives for what you got?

Cheers,
mcquaim

[twol]

Depends on your bank account :) and your family (probably your own) requirements ... and how important a good picture is to you :)

For an excellent picture there is only one player offering a Plasma replacement at the moment and that is LG with their 4K UHD OLED's but not cheap... although coming down in price. With Sony/Panasonic exiting the Plasma picture business due to Samsung price dumping, and Samsung not currently able to get OLED to work .... it's LG :).
All the other offerings at the moment are just a compromise to get the best out of the components that they have.

Having said that, I am sitting on my Panny Plasmas for the time being until standards are finally agreed and the prices are down.

[mcquaim]

Cheers for the reply!

Picture quality is high on the agenda alright and budget is yet to be decided (:eek:) but I will pay a decent price if the TV is rite...

From doing a good bit of reading a lot of people are rubbishing OLED unless you go big on the screen size and even then some are saying they are not great..

I think it's interesting that a lot of the very latest releases are steering clear of OLED for flat panel?

[twol]

Cheers for the reply!

Picture quality is high on the agenda alright and budget is yet to be decided (:eek:) but I will pay a decent price if the TV is rite...

From doing a good bit of reading a lot of people are rubbishing OLED unless you go big on the screen size and even then some are saying they are not great..

I think it's interesting that a lot of the very latest releases are steering clear of OLED for flat panel?
Its true that OLED's are really for the larger screen sizes - my 50 & 55 inch Panny Plasma's were big when I bought them, but even my wife thinks they are reasonable size now :)
The knocking is because they (especially Samsung - who spend more on marketing than anybody in the business) cannot get the yields and cannot deliver it ...however today at IFA 2015 Panasonic have just announced their first OLED TV named 65CZ950. The 65” OLED TV will offer 4K, HDR (high dynamic range), and advanced picture processing.

The LG has a stunning picture, but you still need good availability of programs to watch at this standard.

[Rob van der Does]

A few remarks:
1- OLED is the future. For now longevity is far too short.
2- 4K allows you to sit at 5 inches from your screen (providing you watch 4K contents). Are you planning to do that?
3- 3D is the past. Not any manufacturer has come up with a real good system, and there's hardly any contents.
4- SMART-TV is actually asking for being out-of-date. No TV-manufacturer really goes on updating the sysyem for as long as you'll be using the TV. A (cheap) add-on is the answer for remaining up-to-date (or to buy a new cheap add-on when that doesn't work).
Android isn't good (because it has never been designed for a TV), but Android TV seems to be a lot better. I thin the first TV's running that will be released shortly. But again: is it worth it?
5- Picture quality is vital. That's what you buy a TV for.
5- Ambilight can be an interesting option (Philips TV or add-on driven by your Enigma-box). I really love it.

[mcquaim]

Thanks guys!

I think if OLED is the future and in order for them to work properly you need to have a 55"+ screen then I'd need a new sittingroom too lol..

What do you mean by point 2 Rob, not sure I understand what you mean?

I agree that 3D is pretty much dead, in its current state anyway so don't mind not having it.. Having 4k will probably future proof the TV for a bit longer perhaps.

[twol]

Its amazing how quickly your brain adapts to a larger screen :) ... but then again my son is a gamer and always has had the largest screen he can get his hands on (and afford)!

[Rob van der Does]

What do you mean by point 2 Rob, not sure I understand what you mean?
In the old days, and still applicable to SD, there is a minimum distance you should sit from the screen (related to the screen size) in order not to see the disturbances that result from the low resolution.

HD has changed that: the minimum distance has decreased dramatically, as the picture quality is much higher. In other words: you can sit much closer to the screen (or have a much larger screen in the same living :) ), without seeing any disturbances.

With 4k you have the same story again: as long as you playback real 4K contents, you can again sit much closer to the screen, even to a few inches (or have a much larger screen in the same living).
In reality 4K has no added value for any (normal) living-room.



PS: The above has nothing to do with the 4K codec (h265).

[DaMacFunkin]

Ah but there is more than one 4k codec, Google and YouTube have decided to use VP9 which only this years tech from Samsung supports, my advice if you are in the market for a premium home TV set is wait till the final HDR standards have been decided then get a 4k oled that supports them all including Dolby Vision and can achieve DCI3 P9 colour space, then spend your money.

[mcquaim]

I guess if there is lots still to be ironed out in regards 4k then rather than fork out premium prices just yet then perhaps I need to just get a bargain stop-gap for the time being...

I might change my search until then so...

[twol]

Yep, I tend to agree, everybody wants you to buy now (obviously for their good:) ) but if they could all agree to standardise now, then we could be happy:). ... But unfortunately companies don't work that way, they would prefer the industry to agree with their standard only..... Takes time, and unfortunately unhappy customers ...but who cares about customers :eek:

[deleted]

I'm still running an old beast called Samsung LE46A956, but the next one will be OLED + 4K. Now lets hope they keep the screen sizes under 100", otherwise mr Beamer gets jealous.

[Ev0]

I needed a new tv last xmas (my Panny Plasma went bang the week before xmas), it had 12 days left of it's 5yr warranty, so it went off for repair and they told me it would be back before xmas.

Needless to say it wasn't so boxing day I went out and bought a 48" Samsung 1080p lcd, that had great reviews.

I was VERY disappointed with the picture quality, compared to my plasma it was sh1te unless sat slap bang in the middle of the screen, then it was ok, but black was grey and it suffered with motion really bad, the picture quality was no better than my 7.5yr old Sony ccfl lcd tv (infact the sony is better because it doesn't suffer with motion judder and doesn't wash the colours out if you sit off centre).

So I returned it, and bought a Samsung 48" UHD instead, thinking that if I spent proper money on a top spec tv, then I would be happy.

Again the colours washed out if I moved away from centre of the screen, and on normal 1080p content the picture was nice, but still not a patch on the Panny Plasma. On 4k stuff (Amazon Prime and demo clips) it looked fantastic, but it didn't impress me enough to keep it, so it was also returned.

2 weeks later I was given the bad news, that my Plasma was beyond repair, so Panasonic replaced it with a brand new lcd tv (which also has a sh1te picture).

So I started looking at OLED, the black on them is better than my Panny Plasma could do, and the viewing angle is crazy, you can sit right at the side of the tv, to the point that you can only just see the screen itself and the picture is still crystal clear.

But for the time being, i'm going to wait it out with this Panny LCD, once there are defined 4k standards then I will move to OLED (it's pointless putting £1800 - £3000 into a highend tv set at the moment imo).

If this Panny were to die tomorrow, I would opt for 1 of the cheaper 4k lcd's (probably from LG) as a stop gap.

[Rob van der Does]

Why the 4k?

[Ev0]

Why the 4k?

There isn't a huge amount in it pricewise at the moment with the LCD's (infact there seems to be less and less 1080p models available now anyway).

[Andy_Hazza]

I have a 55" LG 4K OLED and its a stunning television, I'm very happy with my purchase.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[twol]

The panasonic OLED announced at IFA will use LG panels.... Sounds like a good combination.:)

[Rob van der Does]

OLED longevity is still a huge issue (for buyers that is, not for manufacturers).

[ginkster]

I got lg oled (not the 4k one) and the picture is excellent cannot fault it. Bit pricey but if you can afford the £1800 its worth it. I was thinking 4k and nearly bought it but had a think and couldn't justify the extra £1500 atm as there is limited 4k content atm. Tbh I don't think you will see too bigger difference in 4k the picture is crystal clear :)

[Rob van der Does]

I got lg oled (not the 4k one) and the picture is excellent cannot fault it....
I have no doubt it is. As I said OLED is the future. Black is really black and hence contrast ratio is excellent.
But: the OLED display deteriorates very fast over time. That's why I say it is the future (and will remain so, until this has been fixed).
Obviously manufacturers don't advertise the very short longevity of their displays....

[mcquaim]

I just picked up a stop-gap in Argos, the LG 50LF652V for £579 so can't go too wrong for now..

When things with 4K/OLED get ironed out I will fork out for a premium TV!

Thanks for all the input guys :thumbsup:

[deleted]

Enjoy your purchase

[Rob van der Does]

And who knows: this stop-gap might last 10 years or more....

[Mr. Mister]

Was that stg or euro buddy.. ?

[mcquaim]

Was that stg or euro buddy.. ?

Stg Steve, thought it was good value!

[judge]

In Aldi today, they had a 4K TV for €399. Probably shit components, but not bad as a stop-gap?

[Rob van der Does]

Well, in general, stuff sold by Aldi & Lidl isn't bad at all, not to mention the 3-years warranty.

[mcquaim]

In Aldi today, they had a 4K TV for €399. Probably shit components, but not bad as a stop-gap?

It definitely would have been a good idea had I not already bought the LG TV.. I must check out the website anyway!

### Edit ###

I see its in on Sunday, seems ok!


Saorview HD
3840 x 2160 resolution
60Hz Refresh Rate
3000:1 Contrast Ratio
Brightness 250 cd/m2
Vertical viewing angle 176˚
Power Consumption 80W
Wall mount VESA standard size 200 x 200
Remote control with batteries
Stylish ultra-narrow bezel design
Connections
4 HDMI
1 Scart
2 USB
1 Composite (CI)
1 RF Socket
1 Mini AV (Video)
1 x 3.5mm Headphone Jack
1 Mini YPbPr
1 CVBS
1 Coaxial
1 LAN

[twol]

Well, in general, stuff sold by Aldi & Lidl isn't bad at all, not to mention the 3-years warranty.

Here in their homeland (Germany!) they are not well known for quality (probably the opposite, although they have had some Medion products that were better) .... But in UK they seem to try harder.