Looking to get a 55" Smart TV but a little lost

JustAnotherSaver

I know this is a money saving website, but that doesn't mean i want to go out & just buy the cheapest 55" Smart TV that money can buy. If i wanted to do that then i wouldn't need to ask anyone

Budget: £1,000.

This isn't one of those "if you could just stretch" budgets that you always get when asking these things £1,000 is my stretching. I'd actually like something somewhere around the £800 marker but i will 'stretch' to £1,000.

* Must be 55". I don't want less. I don't want to 'stretch' to 60" etc
* Must be a Smart TV
* Must be a 'big brand' but i'm not tied to any of them in particular. Sony / Panasonic / LG / Samsung, i'm not choosy on which. Just basically not a brand that nobody has ever heard of before.
* Obviously image quality is important. I don't know whether they were set up well or not but i saw some TVs in Curry's where the image quality was horrendous with others being so crisp. Nobody's wanting to watch a blurred TV.

* I'll be having Sky connected to it, a DVD/blu ray player, a games console of some description. The internet will be connected via ethernet cable.


At the start of the week i was looking at Sony KD-55X8005C, however after further googling i found numerous complaints about this TV, especially with the operating system. I also believe it's a 2015 model. Not to say that it MUST be a 2016 model, but we're into the 3rd 1/4 of the year now so it would be preferred (to be a 2016 model).


If you need to know more then feel free to ask & i'll answer as best i can, but can any of you recommend a TV fitting the bill?

[Deleted User]

I'd just read around the review sites if I were you.

wongataa

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

* Must be a Smart TV

Pretty much all televisions now are smart TVs. All TVs in your price bracket are definitely smart. Only very cheap ones may not be.

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

* Obviously image quality is important. I don't know whether they were set up well or not but i saw some TVs in Curry's where the image quality was horrendous with others being so crisp. Nobody's wanting to watch a blurred TV.

TV's in shops are unlikely to be set up properly and so picture quality can't really be determined in Currys, unless you can make sure they have a decent source and can change the settings to appropriate ones which means access to the remote.

Check out AV Forums for TV reviews and forum topics on many other sets and see which ones might fit your criteria. That site also has set up guides to get the best picture quality out of the box.

gr1340

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

I know this is a money saving website, but that doesn't mean i want to go out & just buy the cheapest 55" Smart TV that money can buy. If i wanted to do that then i wouldn't need to ask anyone

Budget: £1,000.

This isn't one of those "if you could just stretch" budgets that you always get when asking these things £1,000 is my stretching. I'd actually like something somewhere around the £800 marker but i will 'stretch' to £1,000.

* Must be 55". I don't want less. I don't want to 'stretch' to 60" etc
* Must be a Smart TV
* Must be a 'big brand' but i'm not tied to any of them in particular. Sony / Panasonic / LG / Samsung, i'm not choosy on which. Just basically not a brand that nobody has ever heard of before.
* Obviously image quality is important. I don't know whether they were set up well or not but i saw some TVs in Curry's where the image quality was horrendous with others being so crisp. Nobody's wanting to watch a blurred TV.

* I'll be having Sky connected to it, a DVD/blu ray player, a games console of some description. The internet will be connected via ethernet cable.


At the start of the week i was looking at Sony KD-55X8005C, however after further googling i found numerous complaints about this TV, especially with the operating system. I also believe it's a 2015 model. Not to say that it MUST be a 2016 model, but we're into the 3rd 1/4 of the year now so it would be preferred (to be a 2016 model).


If you need to know more then feel free to ask & i'll answer as best i can, but can any of you recommend a TV fitting the bill?

I have had a Sony KD55X8509 since about Nov 15 and this was just around the time that many issues had been resolved.

There have been a few software updates to add extra features such as being able to record onto USB from freeview but I use Sky plus for that.

I haven't had any issues with it though, you might get an occasional reboot which has happened 2 or 3 times since I have had it so you then wait 60 seconds for it to boot up again (it runs Android).

Picture quality is great for SD and HD and 4k looks stunning.

I can't comment on sound as it has always been connected to an AV system.

As you have the Google Play store (a bit of a cut down version) there are lots of apps and games available and you can also use a bluetooth or PS4 pad to play them. I also tried the PSNow free trial which gives you access to a hundred or so PS3 games to stream which worked great.

Now priced at £799 from RGB:
http://www.rgbdirect.co.uk/Products/Television/3D-LED-TV/SONY/KD55X8509CBU?gclid=Cj0KEQjw0MW9BRDxtYTn2_S699MBEiQAw33y44L0ziO47odvVtlczT9-Qcg8yPhvhcg8526V-wPuPHwaAtrH8P8HAQ

almillar

* Must be a Smart TV

The term Smart TV doesn't actually mean much in terms of features - simply 'apps and connects to internet' basically I guess. You need to be more specific about what 'smart' stuff you want to do. iPlayer, Netflix, most TVs will probably have. 4OD, ITV Player, Demand5 are absolutely NOT guaranteed to be on any TV you buy. Look for these specifically if you want them.
Remember that some of the smartness you're after, may already be available on your Sky box, or whatever console it is you're connecting. PS3, for example, has all the stuff above. PS - what console do you have?
At 55" and up to £1,000, you'll likely be able to get a UHD (Ultra HD, 4 times as many vertical lines as 1080p (Full HD)). If you do, you really, really should make sure it has HDR (High Dynamic Range - more colours basically). Some of the first UHD TVs don't have this, and you'll find that in the future they ALL will. So I would say that if you can't strech to that, save loads and just buy an HD TV.

Here's an HDR UHD for £800:
http://www.richersounds.com/product/tv---all/samsung/ue55ku6000/sams-ue55ku6000

teddysmum

I was just going to suggest Richer Sounds (linked to in the previous post).


Their showrooms are more intimate than a large 'barn' with multiple product types. The staff don't jump on you as soon as you go through the door and have specific media knowledge. They can be asked to adjust sets to your taste, for comparison purposes and ,usually subject to prior booking, will demonstrate a set in a smaller viewing/listening room. (They also do a price match/beat).

VisionMan

I too would recommend Richer Sounds and reading reviews. Particularity those on the AVForums.

Your budget is more than adequate and for it you'll get a very decent TV.

If your looking at Sony, the 55" model is the Sony Bravia KD55X8509C at £899.
http://www.richersounds.com/product/tv---all/sony/bravia-kd55x8509c/sony-kd55x8509cbu

Its Ultra HD 4K, 3D and has YouView built into it. I was a Beta tester for this range of TVs (43" model) and they are now superb, with all the quirks now ironed out of them. The inbuilt YouView EPG/app and the on demand PSB/SVOD services it offers are unparalleled for choice, quality and reliability, noting Amazon, Netflix and Google Play films & TV amongst only a few.

But as said above read the reviews and make your own mind up. But a demo visit would be highly recommended, before purchase.

davidsuffolk

One of the plus points of Samsung is that there is a single connection to the TV and a separate box where the USB and HDMI cables plug into which saves messing around that the rear of the TV if you ever want to add anything.

Heinz

I have a Panasonic 3D smart TV and, after the initial excitement, I lost interest in all but the basics.

TBH, I'd say that a Now TV box (I bought mine for £14), without a subscription, is pretty much as useful.

[Deleted User]

Heinz wrote: »

I have a Panasonic 3D smart TV and, after the initial excitement, I lost interest in all but the basics.

TBH, I'd say that a Now TV box (I bought mine for £14), without a subscription, is pretty much as useful.

I agree with this. The smart features on my Samsung are not used. I use a ps3 and a humax freesat recorder. I wouldn't look at getting a smart TV next time.

[Deleted User]

Deleted_User wrote: »

I agree with this. The smart features on my Samsung are not used. I use a ps3 and a humax freesat recorder. I wouldn't look at getting a smart TV next time.

While I agree all the SMART functions are replicated by cheap Blu-Ray players, games consoles and/or TV decoder boxes, it's also true that all the decent TVs available today are SMART by default.
So I can't see any way someone wanting a 55" screen would be able to avoid it being SMART.