Choosing a new TV

T

taxboy

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,985
Edit My Images
Yes
Rather than ask for specific model recommendations at this stage I thought I'd approach this like choosing a new camera. I've done some initial web reading and hopefully the TV experts out there can assist with my questions and confirm or advise with my thoughts

1) 4K is the latest kid on the block and potentially is the most future proof option but there's not much out there available on 4k AFAIK. Does a 4K TV deal with normal HD or worse broadcasts or is it better to stick with 1080 at the current time. I guess this may well be asking what's better FF or crop sensor in camera speak ??

2) Input lag is only important for gamers (which I'm not) true or false

3) To cope with sports / fast moving films I need a high refresh rate ? If so waht's the minimum I should be looking at

4) For SMART TV does ther Ethernet cable need to be plugged directly into the back of the TV or will they function perfectly well via my home hub. If so is there a way to test the effectiveness in advance. I only ask as my hub is upstairs as this is where the phone line comes in

5) I need plenty of HDMI sockets for errm I don't know

6) Will I need to buy Blu Ray to extract the maximum quality from DVD's

If you've got this far and are happy to offer advice together with anything else I haven't thought of then I'd really appreciate your input
 
4, Ours connect via WiFi. Work well.

6. Only if you want to play Blu-ray disks, DVDs will be fine in a DVD player.

5. Probably better to have a few unused inputs than too few!

HTH.
 
The world of TV is evolving constantly and even 4K is old tech with 8K UDR on the horizon, so I would put off buying this one

http://www.rlrdistribution.co.uk/viewproduct.asp?pid=17961#.Vq-6bMlFDqA

As for my TV... I have a HD 1080p 48" model which is 'Smart' but I use a ROKU 3 TV box and an Android M 8 TV box with KODI installed. The BT supplied YouView rarely gets used.

Internet connection via wifi (ROKU and M 8 ) was not great (laggy) but I was able to run Cat 6 ethernet under the floor which means very good connection via an ASUS modem router with a switch linked to Infinity 2.

Another option is using Powerline 1200Mps network connection which connects mt son's TV/XBox One in the bedroom he is using here till he moves back to his house. These connect the mains circuit to the router/swithch and again a very good feed.

Both Etherner/Powerline link very well to connect 2 x NAS boxes to the TVs for films etc.

There are 'upscaling DVD players availavle so no you do not need a blu ray player per se. The blu ray/dvd machines can be picked up cheaply. I see the passing of disc based media but if you have a lot of DVDs you can rip them legally as back up to a NAS drive and store the discs.

I think whatever TV you go for, choose the one you think has the best spec/price. HDMI inputs are expandable. I got a 4 way auto box from Amazon for under £10 and it has been perfect. I also bought IBRA v1.4 HDMI cables which are NOT expensive and have never failed. One is 10m long and is clear at all times

Good luck.
 
Last edited:
4k is currently a waste.
How much is broadcast in 4k?
Avoid 3d. Fad, as is being proven by the month on month reduction in broadcast and uptake.
Smart is OK.... But a PITA without a keyboard....mine has no cable...runs well on wireless.....but never use it.
 
I don't think you need any of if it. Just buy a 1080 Samsung u5100 of your chosen size and a Amazon box or something similar.
 
Last edited:
rjbell said:
I don't think you need any of if it. Just buy a 1080 Samsung u5100 of your chosen size and a Amazon box or something similar.
Click to expand...

Which is essentially what I have. It's horses for courses.
My Android M 8 lets me wandee the internet and I can send/receive emails and browse with one of these

Mini Keyboard i8+ 2.4G Wireless Keyboard with Touchpad QWERTY for Google Android Mini PC TV Box, Voyo Windows sleek mini PC, M8 TV box, MXQ,MXIII, MaxOne, Droid Player, PS3 (i8+ Black) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VETD54Y/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_PI8RwbV5RYSTJ

The OP seemed to be looking for a future proof pathway which, as things stand, will never really be achevable. So it is almost like sticking a pin in a map.

As I have been housebound for over 10 months a "convergence technology" approach has been useful for me. I had to 'live' on the ground floor of my house as the effects of a stroke left me unable to climb the stairs to my bedroom or office. Luckily a ground floor 'wet room' is available

So all is to hand and the TV is a multifunction 'hub". My Windows 10 laptop also feeds into the TV.

The concept of a "connected" home for my temporal disability also extended to answering the door! CCTV panel too.

After 10 months I am now moving and gerting out so my 'experiment' with TV is no longer a prime activity but I can now evaluate the experience.

In that time I was able to work on a book I am writing and, until my son moved in, live independently.

If a 1080P is to your liking then it will just work, for me a ROKU box beat the Amazon Fire hands dosn and Amazon Prime TV is now available on the ROKU channel list along with PLEX. As above each to their own.

As my mobility improves TV will fade away but there is no doubt that we are moving rapidly with 'media' in the home. A complicated TV is no different to a basic 1080P with a world of plug in units and min-pc boxes/sticks running Windows 8.1/10 available

eg

http://m.ebuyer.com/713051#fo_c=951...kwid=sEB8kH6Zu_dm&pcrid=51482417219&pkw=&pmt=

To the OP I would say that a scoping exercise on what you actually want to do may well prove an eye opener. As a fan of 'tech' The only new 'hardware I bought this past 10 months was the front door lock/cctv combination (pricey). The rest was already owned.
 
HDR is an even newer 'must have' feature for a TV. It's more impressive than 4K they say. Again there's not much content available yet. But it keeps people buying TVs.
 
Last edited:
A bit like sensors, with TV screens, it's all about size ;)

Seriously though, do you have room for a projector? Watching anything on one of those (rugby, natural world, films, whatever) is just jaw dropping compared with the TV. 4K and all that looks smart, but it's nothing to compare to watching a 4m screen even at only 1080p!! Only downside is they're not great in ambient conditions...
 
neil_g said:
Coming from someone still rocking a 10 year old pioneer plasma :D
Click to expand...
Mine's a bit newer, and while I have a projector and screen for films now, I shall still be sad when it decides to die as there's nothing to replace it. Presently it's effectively working as a big monitor that takes an HDMI input. I only use the built in freeview tuner and speakers when my parents visit, as they can't cope with needing a remote to turn on the screen, another to turn on the amplifier and set the volume and another to change the channel (satellite box), so they just get to use the telly remote and watch freeview :p
 
neil_g said:
Agreed. There are a lot of marketing gimmicks that detract from a lack of image quality.

Coming from someone still rocking a 10 year old pioneer plasma :D
Click to expand...
The legendary kuro. Plasma kicks LCDs arse. I would never pay big money for a LCD.
 
taxboy said:
Rather than ask for specific model recommendations at this stage I thought I'd approach this like choosing a new camera. I've done some initial web reading and hopefully the TV experts out there can assist with my questions and confirm or advise with my thoughts

1) 4K is the latest kid on the block and potentially is the most future proof option but there's not much out there available on 4k AFAIK. Does a 4K TV deal with normal HD or worse broadcasts or is it better to stick with 1080 at the current time. I guess this may well be asking what's better FF or crop sensor in camera speak ??
Click to expand...
In my opinion, there is just not enough broadcast content (any?) to warrant it. Friends who have one put on a youtube clip, then their broadband stutters to copy with the bandwidth. Personally I also notice the upscaling artefacts from the lower HD resolution, I mean just enlarge a photo several times and it will have to fill in the blanks somehow. It also depends what size screen you are looking for, and how far away from it the dominant seating position is.

taxboy said:
2) Input lag is only important for gamers (which I'm not) true or false
Click to expand...
Not necessarily, it can also cause audio/video to go out of sync. But normally there is a correction at the source for such matters. I haven't had to correct anything anymore in the last 10 years with quality components, as such I think it is a thing of the past.

taxboy said:
3) To cope with sports / fast moving films I need a high refresh rate ? If so waht's the minimum I should be looking at
Click to expand...
Nah, broadcast is still at the broadcast standard refresh rate. Purely, ok not strictly speaking purely, a marketing gimmick. Depending where you get your sources from, a panel that does the standard resolutions and refresh rates is absolutely fine. Perhaps if you connect a computer to it, then you want higher.

taxboy said:
4) For SMART TV does ther Ethernet cable need to be plugged directly into the back of the TV or will they function perfectly well via my home hub. If so is there a way to test the effectiveness in advance. I only ask as my hub is upstairs as this is where the phone line comes in
Click to expand...
Mine has built in wifi, but for stability I use ethernet. I have a home plug (ethernet over the power cables) with build-in wifi access point, a three port switch at the size of a power socket with passthrough power socket. So TV, Sky Box, Wii U, Blu Ray player etc are all connected.

taxboy said:
5) I need plenty of HDMI sockets for errm I don't know
Click to expand...
How are you going to do your sound? For decades now I only need one HDMI socket on the TV. Heck I only need a panel. I use a home cinema amp for surround sound and all sources switch through that one. With a logitech harmony remote control it is seamless integration.

taxboy said:
6) Will I need to buy Blu Ray to extract the maximum quality from DVD's
Click to expand...
No, not to extract maximum quality from DVD's. But yet to extract maximum quality from the TV utilising blu ray discs. If you have a lot of DVD's, I had thousands when blu ray came out, it may be worth checking out better players. Contradicting myself regarding upscaling with the 4K televisions, the Oppo Blu Ray player that I got is absolutely magical with upscaling for DVD's. It gave them a new lease of life, especially the Superbit DVDs.

[/QUOTE]

Another bit of advice, size the panel appropriately to the room. In my opinion you can go too big for smaller rooms, and also way too small for larger rooms. Don't let the wife override, mine was overwhelmed by its size at first, but a few weeks in she commented that it wasn't as big as it first looked...
 
dejongj said:
... overwhelmed by its size at first, but a few weeks in she commented that it wasn't as big as it first looked...
Click to expand...
But what about the TV?
 
1) TVs are a revolving door of obolescence - they're introduced and replaced at a frightening rate compared to cameras. You can spend a fortune on something state-of-the-art but the depreciation is eye-watering and there's no such thing as future proof, not even close. Maybe 4K is the latest thing. Maybe 8K is on the horizon. By the time 8K gets here then people will be excited about 16K. To be honest on a 40" screen it makes little difference.

2) Input lag is only important for gamers although any current decent TV will cope

3) Any current TV will cope with sports / fast moving films

4) If your wifi is strong you don't need ethernet. Can your laptop/smartphone stream 1080 without issue? If so, your TV will too.

5) You need as many HDMI sockets as you do HDMI devices. I have three; PS4, Tivo, NOW box. Having spares won't do you any harm.

6) You need a DVD player to extract the maximum quality from DVD's. You need a Blu-ray player to extract the maximum quality from Blu-rays. You'd need a 4K player to play 4K discs and so on.|

Just go to your nearest TV retailer and buy the one you think looks best; any mid-range TV from a major brand will be fine. The difference which you'll probably notice most on a day-to-day basis is the interface, so play about with a couple and see which you like most.
 
100% I actually measured the panel, the viewing distance. Made cardboard cut out to double check as well. Not just for the living room, but also to transport it home upright.
 
dejongj said:
100% I actually measured the panel, the viewing distance. Made cardboard cut out to double check as well. Not just for the living room, but also to transport it home upright.
Click to expand...
You have too much time on your hands :)
 
I prefer to call it good analysis and planning to ensure a favourable outcome.
 
dejongj said:
I prefer to call it good analysis and planning to ensure a favourable outcome.
Click to expand...
You can call it what you like!

We bought a 50 for my dad for Christmas it was a tight squeeze in the car.
 
Last edited:
We have both Samsungs and Panasonic 2015 budget offerings in my family the panny cs520b range and the samsung u5100 range and i can wholeheartedly recommend either.
 
I don't understand it all. Other than 10 years or so I spent £799 on a 32" panasonic LCD (don't know the model number) but it kicked bum at the time.. still does what we need (tempting fate there) , but now you can buy so much with £800....(in TV world!)
 
2 3 more questions hijack
Is plasma still available?
Is OLED affordable yet and comparable to plasma?
Curved or flat screen?
 
DorsetDude said:
2 3 more questions hijack
Is plasma still available?
Is OLED affordable yet and comparable to plasma?
Curved or flat screen?
Click to expand...

Samsung released a plasma in 2014 may still find one available doubt it though.

OLED price has dropped and is comparable to plasma. Its need to drop further for me to consider it affordable.

FLAT!
 
Last edited:
Lynton said:
I don't understand it all. Other than 10 years or so I spent £799 on a 32" panasonic LCD (don't know the model number) but it kicked bum at the time.. still does what we need (tempting fate there) , but now you can buy so much with £800....(in TV world!)
Click to expand...
I just bought a samsung 32" 1080" for £190 plus £5 of clubcard points and 5yr warranty, Quite unbelievable really. Why people buy supermarket own brand rubbish with big brand prices like that amazes me. Surely the warranty alone is worth the extra 50 quid.

I remember watching made in Britain when the kid smashes up the electronic shop. There is a sony tv in the window probably 22-24" 1982 price £350, £1200 in todays money!
 
Last edited:
DorsetDude said:
2 3 more questions hijack
Is plasma still available?
Is OLED affordable yet and comparable to plasma?
Curved or flat screen?
Click to expand...
Unfortunately it seems to be a dying format. I still got a Samsung 60" plasma, not as good as my Pioneer was. But miles better to my eyes under my viewing conditions than any lcd I've ever seen. I like my picture to look natural.

But in brightly lit viewing areas we do have lcd and it is an acceptable compromise. Don't want it in my main movie watching area. So long may this plasma last.
 
On bluray v DVD. Most of the benefit in bluray is in the sound quality, so unless you've got a surround sound system it's probably not worth the extra investment.
 
boogie man said:
On bluray v DVD. Most of the benefit in bluray is in the sound quality, so unless you've got a surround sound system it's probably not worth the extra investment.
Click to expand...

Considering a DVD can do digital multi channel surround, but can not do high definition video I beg to disagree full heartedly.
 
dejongj said:
Considering a DVD can do digital multi channel surround, but can not do high definition video I beg to disagree full heartedly.
Click to expand...
Well that's my experience. I'm hard pushed to see any difference between an upscaled DVD and a bluray on my TV. The audio is vastly different though, bluray is much better.
 
I bought a 40" Samsung HD LCD in 2009, paid about £650 for it.

When I look at what £650 buys you now it makes we want to go out and buy a new TV, however the picture is still fantastic so there's just no justification do do it.

I'd definitely recommend a Samsung unit, my parents just bought a UHD 40" Smart one from argos for less than £400, great picture and cracking "Smart" features.
 
rjbell said:
I just bought a samsung 32" 1080" for £190 plus £5 of clubcard points and 5yr warranty, Quite unbelievable really. Why people buy supermarket own brand rubbish with big brand prices like that amazes me. Surely the warranty alone is worth the extra 50 quid.

I remember watching made in Britain when the kid smashes up the electronic shop. There is a sony tv in the window probably 22-24" 1982 price £350, £1200 in todays money!
Click to expand...

yep prices 10 or so years ago were crazy.............. what will it be in 10 yrs time....
 
Russ77 said:
I bought a 40" Samsung HD LCD in 2009, paid about £650 for it.

When I look at what £650 buys you now it makes we want to go out and buy a new TV, however the picture is still fantastic so there's just no justification do do it.

I'd definitely recommend a Samsung unit, my parents just bought a UHD 40" Smart one from argos for less than £400, great picture and cracking "Smart" features.
Click to expand...

Just replaced my old Samsung at Christmas ...it died. 37" and just shy of ten years old. Cost £799

Replaced with another Samsung at less than half the price for bigger, thinner practically no bezel and Smart.
 
Buying an new TV all depend on what you want to play on it,most of my viewing is Blu rays i am into my home cinema so an big screen,linked to an full speakers setup.
My next tv will have to be up to the new UHD premium specs,so a couple of years of for me yet.

Pick the one that suit what you view most :)
 
simonblue said:
Buying an new TV all depend on what you want to play on it,most of my viewing is Blu rays i am into my home cinema so an big screen,linked to an full speakers setup.
My next tv will have to be up to the new UHD premium specs,so a couple of years of for me yet.

Pick the one that suit what you view most :)
Click to expand...

Worth reading this about what the latest happening in the TV market 2016

https://www.avforums.com/article/ultra-hd-alliance-hdr-and-4k-blu-ray-at-ces-2016.12295
 
viv1969 said:
Just replaced my old Samsung at Christmas ...it died. 37" and just shy of ten years old. Cost £799

Replaced with another Samsung at less than half the price for bigger, thinner practically no bezel and Smart.
Click to expand...
Aye, but will it last ten years?
 
boogie man said:
Well that's my experience. I'm hard pushed to see any difference between an upscaled DVD and a bluray on my TV. The audio is vastly different though, bluray is much better.
Click to expand...

Our experiences are different. But it also wholly depends on the kit you're using to watch and listen. I'm lucky to have a cinema room (and a wife who's allowed me this extravagance!) On my 4m projector screen sitting about 3m back (yes, I have a full-on viewing experience) I can see the difference, as can my wife. But that's simply down to being within our ability to resolve the differences between 1080p and 576p - which is pretty massive at that scale, TBF.

On the audio front, I have what I consider to be a pretty mid- to high-end setup. Cyrus amp acting as a stereo power amp to the front two speakers, being fed from a Yamaha AV integrated amp. The Yammy does the decoding, pre amp and acts as power for the other three channels (I only run in 5.1). The subwoofer is a fairly high end (for AV purposes) SBS setup. Speakers are B&W and I have acoustic treatments on the walls, floor, ceiling and corners to normalise the frequency response within the room. I also use it as a listening room for stereo music, using the Cyrus and front pair / sub only. I can't tell the difference between HD audio on BR and DD/DTS 5.1 on DVD (although bear in mind I'm only listening in 5.1). I absolutely can tell the difference between uncompressed stereo and MP3, so there is still an ability to resolve audio differences but not at the relative qualities between DVD and BR, at least using my setup.

So in summary YMMV - a lot of the guff is all marketing, but it boils down to how you choose to enjoy your AV experience, I guess...
 
I you are buying now and want some future proofing, I suspect getting a 4k TV is not going to be any good, as 4k HDR is going to be on top of us before 4k 'on it's own' has got a foothold.
In other words, when you can get 4k content, it'll be HDR as well.
 
Last edited:
ianp5a said:
I you are buying now and want some future proofing, I suspect getting a 4k TV is not going to be any good, as 4k HDR is going to be on top of us before 4k 'on it's own' has got a foothold.
In other words, when you can get 4k content, it'll be HDR as well.
Click to expand...

I suspect thar Sky will be the biggest provider of 4K material. Have they said anything in their press realeased about HDR? What about BT, they already broadcast 4K. Is that HDR?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top