A new tv at a reasonable price

kah22

After enlarging my living quarters I’ll be buying a new television. The one I have at the moment would be to small

I’m in my early 70’s so cost is important. From a practical point of view it will be down to either a 65 inch or 55 inch tv. Now I’m a casual viewer: with no games, or interest in satellite tv. I do enjoy Netflix and catch up tv.  The ability to record is a must, I currently have a Humax HD Recorder and have no real intention of replacing it. 

Sound is also important and I’m advised that sound from tv’s is problematic if only because tv’s are so thin at the moment, so I will be getting a sound bar, not immediately but within the next few months. Finance again!

I’m not interested in all the bells and whistles, if it ticks the boxes last years model will suit me.  Would you care to throw a few suggestions this way, recommendations, what to watch out for and what to avoid.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Kevin

ps Just as I had finished drafting this post it occurred to me how important tv was to me while shielding, I hadn’t thought of that before!

Farway

What's the budget?

You're in my age range so I know just what you mean but from my fairly recent experience I wouldn't let the not wanting bells & whistles drive your choice

I have a "bells & whistle" TV but also have a Humax style box for recording [so I can skip the adverts & boring bits]

Despite my TV being able to get Netflix etc I also have a ROKU, which gives far more access to things I never knew existed, a lot of course are of zero interest, but the ability to see my photos on a large screen is a bonus for me

I also have a soundbar, helps but doesn't stop the actors mumbling

kah22

Farway said:

What's the budget?

You're in my age range so I know just what you mean but from my fairly recent experience I wouldn't let the not wanting bells & whistles drive your choice

I have a "bells & whistle" TV but also have a Humax style box for recording [so I can skip the adverts & boring bits]

Despite my TV being able to get Netflix etc I also have a ROKU, which gives far more access to things I never knew existed, a lot of course are of zero interest, but the ability to see my photos on a large screen is a bonus for me

I also have a soundbar, helps but doesn't stop the actors mumbling

Budget max £750, might stretch to 8.  What sort of tv have you Farway: manufacturer, size etc ?  And your soundbar (know what you mean about the mumbling 😁)

Kevin

JJ_Egan

Richer Sounds with a 5 year extra warranty .

Sound bar nope tried and sent back , adjusted sound settings on TV instead .

https://www.richersounds.com/tv-projectors/all-tvs.html

Farway

kah22 said:

Farway said:

What's the budget?

You're in my age range so I know just what you mean but from my fairly recent experience I wouldn't let the not wanting bells & whistles drive your choice

I have a "bells & whistle" TV but also have a Humax style box for recording [so I can skip the adverts & boring bits]

Despite my TV being able to get Netflix etc I also have a ROKU, which gives far more access to things I never knew existed, a lot of course are of zero interest, but the ability to see my photos on a large screen is a bonus for me

I also have a soundbar, helps but doesn't stop the actors mumbling

Budget max £750, might stretch to 8.  What sort of tv have you Farway: manufacturer, size etc ?  And your soundbar (know what you mean about the mumbling 😁)

Kevin

The TV I have is Philips’ 50PUS6703. I was very confused, possibly similar to you, so many choices these days.

I opted for the 50 inch due to my room size, didn't want it overwhelming me.

Somewhere there's a chart for size versus distance from screen. It fell within those guides

Being MSE I had Arg0s vouchers to use so that narrowed my choice to whatever TVs they sold, plus local to me for click & collect [my son doing the lifting & shifting] and helped in my final selection

It came with what I considered useless extras, like "Ambilight" wi-fi, internet access, casting.

However since I bought it about a year ago I have gradually found some of the useless stuff is handy at times, even "Ambilight" on a dark winter's evening with curtains drawn, subs for background room lighting.

Had to remember to turn room light on before turning TV off or stumble around in the dark

My previous TV was about "22" model,

OK but struggled to see the small print, like subtitles or the infuriating habit in modern dramas where they show image of a Tweet on someones 'phone instead of proper dialogue

I was astounded at the picture crispness & clarity of the new one compared with old, and the old was not old, about 5 years maybe?

Mine sits on a table, but could hang on a wall

Sound bar, knew nothing about them except, like you, I thought one would help.

I bought it prior to new TV, so used on the old one for a while first

I didn't want to spend hundreds only to find it made no difference, and really only wanted simple, plug & play kind of set up.

With my hearing super duper fidelity would be wasted, despite hearing aids

In the end I opted for this one, cheap enough not be a total waste if nothing changed, plus it looked OK, mine just sits in front of TV but could hang on a wall

I can tell a difference, and still wonder how a 'phone rings in the corner of my room when watching say an office shot on TV

I've just left it as is, no extra speakers fitted. Biggest problem is loosing the remote, it's a slippery little devil

roddydogs

RS has 6yr gtee. Any of lg, panny, sony, Samsung deffo not Philips. Same old advice!

mobileron

Look at Hisense

kah22

I’ve had a quick look at Hisense and from what I can see they all appear poor.  

My mode of operation is going to Which? having a look at a number of their best, or near best buys then searching elsewhere to see what the real world thinks of them. At the moment the only one that falls within my budget is the LG 55SM8600PLA coming in at about £630.  I’m still searching for a 65 inch but so far no luck.

I am having a look at the Samsung UE65RU7020 but it seems to let itself down by not having Freeview Play. I’ll have to think can I live without it. Any of you guys got Freeview Play, could you live without it?

The search continues

jon81uk

kah22 said:

I’ve had a quick look at Hisense and from what I can see they all appear poor.  

My mode of operation is going to Which? having a look at a number of their best, or near best buys then searching elsewhere to see what the real world thinks of them. At the moment the only one that falls within my budget is the LG 55SM8600PLA coming in at about £630.  I’m still searching for a 65 inch but so far no luck.

I am having a look at the Samsung UE65RU7020 but it seems to let itself down by not having Freeview Play. I’ll have to think can I live without it. Any of you guys got Freeview Play, could you live without it?

The search continues

My LG TV has Freeview Play and I've never used it.
We use the Smart TV functions a lot, Netfix, iPlayer etc. My Mother-in-Law has a cheaper LG and it takes a lot longer for Netflix to load up. So it seems the more expensive Smart TVs with better processors and more RAM are worthwhile.

We paid £1000 for a 55" OLED LG from Currys.

roddydogs

Freeview play on my LG oled is very clunky to use, as is freesat and freeview. Too many pushes (yes i do know about the quick facility on the magic remote.) Don't need it much as i have virgin package.

kah22

Things change quickly.

A friend of mine, a Chartered Architect / Designer visited me yesterday and when I showed him what I was doing he wiped out his tape And began to take measurements then: put this here, put that there.  Don’t do that, do this. Don’t tile the floor, it’s to cold  Your tv is in the wrong place you’re missing a lovely view, put your tv there and taking proportions into account a 42 inch is what you need you’d  never fit a 55  inch in there, tape out to show me.

When my sister and I stood back and looked at it he was right! Maybe I’d tweak one or two bits. But with a professional designer giving an hour of his time free I’d be mad not to listen to him and I’d be saving about £700 into the bargain for my ‘good’ television is 42 inches

Things do change quickly