New TV

gman

gman

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Graham
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I think I'm getting old as I used to be on the ball with tech stuff, but I've decided to get a new TV and although I've done a bit of research I'm still not feeling very wise about it all. Does anyone know much about tv's and soundbars etc and could offer up some advice?

Current TV is a Philips 32" and it's being going strong for many years, a couple of red lines occasionally appear at the far right but disappear. Good picture but terrible sound and no optical out or that ARC HDMI thingy. Anyway, I've taken it to our beach house so we don't have a TV on our own house now. Any advice would be appreciated to get me on track and here's the bullet points to try and make this as easy as possible for me:

  • Size: 40-50" max
  • Resolution: at least 1080p full HD. Do I need 4K? I don't have Bluray etc.
  • Stand: must be a centre base type as stands at the edge will not fit on the tv table.
  • Input: at least 3 HDMI inputs (four if I have to use that ARC port for a soundbar) I have Virgin, DVD and a Media Player to connec via HDMI.
  • Sound: good qualityi speakers unless it's easy to attach a sound bar. I hate it when you can't hear the vocals during films and it's all music, so being able to have clear vocals is a must.
  • Price: up to £400 max
  • Smart TV: not bothered, would probably never use it.
  • Make: No real preference I guess. I've had good experiences with Sony of late but they are more expensive.
  • Refresh Rate: obviously as high as possible but do these artificial refresh rates they advertise really work?
  • Source: Currys would be the most convenient but do the major brands still produce store specific versions which are made to a cheaper standard? I'm sure this used to happen with Comet. Don't want to buy online as it will be a pain to return if there are any issues


Sound bars. I don't know much about these but one which has multiple HDMIs so I can run my stuff through it and then onto the TV would be great but I'm guessing they'll be expensive. If I have to use the ARC port will that take up an HDMI port on the TV? Is Optical ok to use and will this mean separate volume remote etc and I can't use the volume on my TV remote? Only looking to spend £100 on one max unless I get the TV cheaper than £400.

I was in Currys and looking at all the TVs and surprisingly the Seiki ones seems to have better image quality than the leading brands. They weren't quite as bright but when the screen was panning over the sea the Seiki ones didn't flicker away like the main brands. Will a Seiki one last thought? Sound quality seemed good though.

Ultimately, just a good honest TV with lots of HDMI ports and a sound bar if necessary.


Cheers!
 
If you're looking at the £400 budget, then I think you'll need a sound bar as the sound quality isn't going to be that great - picture quality wise, buy the best you can and make sure you like it - the same with a sound bar, you need to listen to them and make sure you're happy with the sound quality.

If you can, I would recommend John Lewis or an independent TV shop - JL has excellent customer service (from personal experience)...
 
Get a TV with optical out and a sound bar with optical in that way you dont have to faff about with multiple HDMI cables into the sound bar just one optical cable instead
 
Will the TV remote volume control the sound bar when using optical? Or does it have to be that HDMI CEC thing?
 
gman said:
Will the TV remote volume control the sound bar when using optical? Or does it have to be that HDMI CEC thing?
Click to expand...

Im sure its doable.
I have an LG tv and it has the ability to control sound bar volume using the tv remote in a wireless way as far as i am aware,although happy to stand corrected.
 
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Small speakers create "small" sound. Simple physics. Whilst a little better than many TVs don't expect miracles unless you perhaps also attach a subwoofer to a soundbar.

Considering the price bracket I think there is no substitute for going in store to the likes of Curry's, supermarket and perhaps a low end model in richer sounds (would be my first point of call) and go for whatever you like.
 
gman said:
Will the TV remote volume control the sound bar when using optical? Or does it have to be that HDMI CEC thing?
Click to expand...

If it's the same make as the TV, then I would say yes, the TV remote or Sound bar remote would control each other...

If it's a different make, then it might / might not - This is a good question to ask / get them to hook it to the TV your thinking of buying and try as it should take a matter of minutes - this will also allow you to see 1. how to do it and 2. how easy it is to do on the TV your looking at and then look / listen to the system you're thinking of getting.

Hope it's of help
A
 
gman said:
Will the TV remote volume control the sound bar when using optical?
Click to expand...
Sound bars have their own remote, and work independently of the TV sound control.
gman said:
Or does it have to be that HDMI CEC thing?
Click to expand...
I could be wrong but I think sound bars only work from optical, it's only a very fine wire, a couple of mm thick.
 
dejongj said:
Small speakers create "small" sound. Simple physics. Whilst a little better than many TVs don't expect miracles unless you perhaps also attach a subwoofer to a soundbar.

Considering the price bracket I think there is no substitute for going in store to the likes of Curry's, supermarket and perhaps a low end model in richer sounds (would be my first point of call) and go for whatever you like.
Click to expand...
I would look here to see what you like:
http://www.richersounds.com/products/home-cinema/lcd-and-plasma/all-tvs#6
http://www.richersounds.com/products/hi-fi-separates/speakers/soundbars-sound-base#1

You'll likely get some good advice in store as well.
 
I'm sure I read that using the HDMI Arc which is CEC allows full control through your TV remote but could be wrong. It's annoying how the premium brands seem to offer so few HDMI ports whereas JVC often have four which is great for me. But I don't know if JVC is any good?

Currys don't seem like a good place for advice, their Seiki one said it had ARC but none of the HDMI ports were marked with this and the salesman confirmed that it didn't and many of their stuff was mislabelled. I think a smaller independent will be a better option for advice than a big store. I like seeing the tvs on display together though as you can really see the difference.
 
gman said:
I'm sure I read that using the HDMI Arc which is CEC allows full control through your TV remote but could be wrong.
Click to expand...
You could be right, things move on, I bought mine 2.5 years ago.
Looking at the links, prices seemed to have dropped as well, typical :D
 
gman said:
I'm sure I read that using the HDMI Arc which is CEC allows full control through your TV remote but could be wrong. It's annoying how the premium brands seem to offer so few HDMI ports whereas JVC often have four which is great for me. But I don't know if JVC is any good?

Currys don't seem like a good place for advice, their Seiki one said it had ARC but none of the HDMI ports were marked with this and the salesman confirmed that it didn't and many of their stuff was mislabelled. I think a smaller independent will be a better option for advice than a big store. I like seeing the tvs on display together though as you can really see the difference.
Click to expand...
To be fair you can't really see the difference. Not unless they have all been calibrated to the same standard which they haven't. It is also rarely representative for home viewing unless you've got tubes on the ceiling and no daylight in your lounge.

Personally I wouldn't limit myself to features like arc. Just get a good harmony remote control which is activity based opposed to device based and you'll have a single one for all your devices. Don't think it is like the one4all nonsense which is still device focussed.
 
Cobra said:
You could be right, things move on, I bought mine 2.5 years ago.
Looking at the links, prices seemed to have dropped as well, typical :D
Click to expand...

Tell me about it, my TV is not particular old yet compared with the new stuff it seems to be very limited.


I'm listening to all the replies, can anyone throw up some tvs and sound bars they'd recommend?
 
@gman Graham, what area of the country are you in? Do you have any good independents locally? (many offer sound :D advice & will often price match, deliver & install)
 
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I used to be a samsung only for TV but our latest one is an LG 1080 43 inch. Got it from the tesco outlet on ebay for a mere £240.
It only has 2 hdmis but for me that is fine as i only have a tivo box and an xbox 1 and the xbox does HDMI pass through so i only use one HDMI slot on the TV.
Im about to drop some cash on an LG 2.1 soinbar which will connect to the TV by optical cable and it will be sufficient for our needs.
 
stupar said:
Im about to drop some cash on an LG 2.1
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That's what I've got, and LG, with a bluetooth sub woofer ( can't remember the model off hand, but more than happy with it.)
 
Cobra said:
That's what I've got, and LG, with a bluetooth sub woofer ( can't remember the model off hand, but more than happy with it.)
Click to expand...

Ive got my eye on the LG LAS350B model. It will be more than ample for our moderate sized living room and far better than the tv's less than adequate speakers
 
Another happy Richer Sounds customer here - you get 5 years warranty on most TV's and very keen pricing.

Make sure you join their VIP Club (free) for even bigger discounts - I'd also check their customer reviews.
 
We bought a new Samsung 40" TV just after xmas.

I did a fair bit of research and came to the conclusion that 4k TV was unnecessary for the following reasons:-
  • the tv size and viewing distance meant it was not required,
  • there is little material available at the moment
  • the reviews showed that £ for £, the non 4k models offered a much better quality screen.
Because the technology we were buying wasn’t exactly cutting edge, we looked for good deals on the previous years models, and looking at reviews, Samsung TV's were consistently amongst the best. So we decided on a non-4k Samsung 40" from the previous year, and as high in the model range as we could find - in our case it was a 40h6400, bought at John Lewis for the 5 year guarantee (and they were also the cheapest).
 
I will be after one when I return from my hols ,the best deals seem to be in our local super tesco stores I.e 55 inch smart TVs for circa £300 or less
 
Besides my earlier recommendation of richer sounds (they are picky about why they stock) often just the what TV what hifi winner. I would also take a look in Costco. Often got some very good deals on.

Warranty wise there is nothing in it between JL, Richer sounds and Costco AFAIK.
 
In Arran at the moment but get back to Glasgow next week and will be shopping then. All the usual supermarkets, got a Richer Sounds and I'm also a member of Costco.

Will probably avoid 4k. Never thought about Bluetooth sound bar!
 
Unfortunately in the price range you are looking at it is going to be much of a muchness, I would maybe avoid the cheaper LG's and go with Samsung at your budget. £400 might get you a good used Panasonic PDP (Plasma) look for one of the later ST,VT models, these will be far superior to any LCD you might be thinking about at this price range (some will have some warranty remaining, so ask if this is the case, as Panasonic gave out 5 years with these TV's)
 
Well, I did my research and found it was the best available for the money, and now a happy owner.
 
Barry L. said:
Just not a very good TV.:(
Click to expand...

What's wrong with it?

I had previously considered a plasma but there doesn't seem to be many about. I've noticed Richer Sounds stock Hisense, which although appear to be a cheaper Chinese band they do seem to be fairly well regarded. Some good specs with lots of HDMI ports etc, hell there's a 50" 4k one that ticks all the boxes for £450 I think it was! If there's a six year guarantee then could it be worth a punt?
 
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gman said:
What's wrong with it?

I had previously considered a plasma but there doesn't seem to be many about. I've noticed Richer Sounds stock Hisense, which although appear to be a cheaper Chinese band they do seem to be fairly well regarded. Some good specs with lots of HDMI ports etc, hell there's a 50" 4k one that ticks all the boxes for £450 I think it was! If there's a six year guarantee then could it be worth a punt?
Click to expand...

PDP (Plasma) TV's most company's stopped production a couple of years ago, in particular the last of the great plasma TV's from Panasonic. LCD will never I am afraid be up to PDP standards for PQ, Black Levels, Motion Resolution, Colour Accuracy, Viewing Angle etc, the only thing these days that comes close is OLED costing into the thousands of £'s, but even they (apart from black level) are still lacking in most of these attributes.
 
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The ue48h6400 gets excellent reviews also and can be had for a decent price although it will probably rule out a soundbar.
 
Perhaps i should have said the UE48H6400 is not a very good TV compared to PDP's but in the world of LCD it is a bargain.
 
Barry L. said:
Perhaps i should have said the UE48H6400 is not a very good TV compared to PDP's but in the world of LCD it is a bargain.
Click to expand...
Although it still depends on your viewing habits, PDP do have their drawbacks if you are in a brightly lit room, and arguably since Pioneer withdrew from that market no PDP has ever been as good as they were. Which was a real shame. I have a Samsung 59" PDP and it is ok, but we generally only watch in a darkened room, nowhere near as good as my Pioneer Kuro though. But anyway, within the stated budget it just isn't an option.
 
dejongj said:
Although it still depends on your viewing habits, PDP do have their drawbacks if you are in a brightly lit room, and arguably since Pioneer withdrew from that market no PDP has ever been as good as they were. Which was a real shame. I have a Samsung 59" PDP and it is ok, but we generally only watch in a darkened room, nowhere near as good as my Pioneer Kuro though. But anyway, within the stated budget it just isn't an option.
Click to expand...

The Panasonic ZT was equal to and in some areas surpassed the Kuro and as i said they can still be picked up for a very reasonable price.
 
With regard to warranty, might be worth bearing in mind that as a consumer, you can expect an appliance to last a reasonable amount of time, with average use.

When my first flat screen TV failed at 6 years old, I contacted Samsung UK directly, and they replaced it without batting an eyelid.

Well worth what amounted to three emails.
The final email included the statement that, for Samsung, six years is unacceptable.

Needless to say when I replaced the main TV (not the same one) out of choice last December, I also opted for another Samsung.
 
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