TV budget - base it on the licence fee?

thrifty_pete

I bought my first telly for £200 way back in 1993 with my paper round money. That telly I kept for 10 years but since then I have only managed to average three years use out of a telly before it became obsolete, got stolen in a burglary, got accidentally destroyed by a child.
Would a sensible budget be the annual cost of telly licence £150.50 times three years = £452? Or if I squeeze four years, £602 or even five years at £753?
I know it is an arbitrary way of calculating the cost, but I don't want to go mad life a friend who spent £1,200!
I suppose it depends on the size I need? My first telly was 14" and the last was 42".

[Deleted User]

That sounds as mad a way of setting a budget as any.

I would start by deciding what I wanted, cost it, and then work my way down from there if I couldn't afford.

I don't think £1,200 is anywhere close to excessive if you want a half decent set up.

JJ_Egan

Start with size and browse Richer Sounds see what you get for your money .

[Deleted User]

You!!!8217;ll get a 6 year warranty with RS anyway.

AndyPK

Stick to 42 unless you watch a lot of films or have a large room.

thrifty_pete

Yes I do like watching films - is there an online guide as to the best size of screen for a given viewing distance? I have a Ikea Bonde unit with a special TV niche but it was really designed for the old fashioned tellies which were almost as deep as they were wide! So a TV any bigger than 42 wouldn't fit.
I have plasterboard walls, is it possible to mount a TV on hollow walls? It might be dry-lined and breeze blocks behind.

macman

Unless you want a 65 inch screen, TV's are one item that has got massively cheaper in the last 30 years in real terms. IIRC, when the first colour TV's were released in the mid-70's, they were £400 to £600 to buy outright? Most people rented them, as the tubes were often short-lived and expensive to replace. Anyone remember Radio Rentals?
I just upgraded from a 32 inch 9 yr old SD Panasonic to a 40 inch 4K Samsung, and it was about £100 cheaper than the original.
You can generally mount a TV on a partition wall as long as you mount into the studs and not the plasterboard.

Robisere

This is what I bought for my Sony Bravia, fits my 42" TV but would take a larger TV.

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/storage-furniture/wall-shelves/ekby-bj%C3%A4rnum-ekby-j%C3%A4rpen-wall-shelf-oak-aluminium-spr-09894509/


Check the dimensions, it builds to a long length, and note that you will need at least two pairs of hands and need to measure/level correctly. I had a strong young engineer grandson to help and we manged fine. The wall is the chimney breast, so solid brick. With hollow walls, you may need deep hollow fix expanding rawl plugs and long screws.


EDIT: What is the distance from your viewing position, to the TV? We are about 12+ feet (4 Meters) away and the 42" TV is fine for movies.

House_Martin

Samsungs 49 inch UEMU6400 and 50 inch MU6120 are both around £450. Go to a shop to see these smart TV 4k models displayed. There is no point in spending much more because you won t improve much unless you spend £1000 at least, more on one of the Oled screens made by LG. These new very thin TV s are so light you could mount it on any plasterboard wall.

getmore4less

I set the budget by a per week cost for the entertainment value.

A set that comes with a 5/6y warranty entertains two people for the cost of a round of drinks a week £6, gives you up to £1,800 to play with.
Throw in entertaining some kids and TV is great value
get a set from a quality retailer like John lewis or Richer sounds with 5y/6y warrany, 2adults + 2 kids £1 per person per week for 5 years and you have £1k to play with,

I have just gone from 42"-55" and it seems about right fo us at around 3m we should be closer for quality UHD material

if moving up to UHD sources you will want a decent TV.
If going to view HDR you will need to spend £800+.

AT 55" current recommended best buy mid rage LED LCD TV is the Samsung 55MU7000. this is available at around £700

Use that as a benchmark for cheaper TV options.

Get over to AVforums for a comprehensive guide to what's out there.

Now is one of the optimum times to change as the 2017 models are at their cheapest while stock last, 2018 models are mostly more expensive. and it will be black Friday before the better prices kick in.


what do you have now if it has wide bezels you can might fit a 50" in the space.

how big is the space in the unit(length and hight)?

brewerdave

When I bought my 51" plasma ~ 8 years ago, I was told by an AV expert that we should sit no further than 7ft away to get the best HD experience. However, as far as we are concerned ,we are happy sitting between 9ft and 14 ft away! I suspect that if we had 20/20 vision we might not be as happy!!