Hep - New TV for In-laws

Imnoexpert_2

In laws are in their 80s and have delegated me to get them a new TV

MIL mainly watches soaps and films on Indian Sky channels

FIL watches tennis on Sky Sport

They want a 50" TV

I have assumed they won't see the benefit of OLED and set a budget of £500-700

At the top of that range I've seen the Samsung QE50Q65A which is QLED and £699. I have read some reviews which say it's a bit overpriced and not much better than some cheaper sets like

Samsung UE50AU9000 whci sells for £599

But now I've been cofused with mentions of

LG50 NANO 756PA which would have a wider viewing angle £549

And others who think that Sony's are still good TVs

I have to say within the price range money isn't the issue but I'm not sure which sets are the best, and whether they, or anyone will notice much difference given they aren't going ot be watching much HD TV. And then of course there is the sound qulity which I guess is important.

I do have a tendancy to overcomplicate things so some recommendations/thoughts would be great.

Thanks

[Deleted User]

Having done this myself, first port of call was always the remote then sit them in front of it at John Lewis or Currys. Unless that is not an option? I know some of my elder relatives have excellent eye sight and spot a good picture.
Sky glass a possibility?

neilmcl

Why do you assume they "won't see" the benefit of OLED, if anything an OLED will probably give them a better viewing experience, although it wont be in that budget you set.

JJ_Egan

As above OLED much better picture .

RumRat

No mention of where the TV is going to be situated...Makes a big difference to OLED if it's being watched in a bright room. Then QLED would be my next choice in that environment.
That said, watching sports on the OLED would mean that they would benefit (Bright room not withstanding).
I have the 43" version of the Samsung Q65A in the guest room and find the picture to be very good.

OnlyTheBestWillDo

Erm...it's not quite as simple as described here. OLED is a tribe apart from the rest.

Saying QLED if not OLED ignores the wide variation in quality of non OLED screens.

Once you have eliminated OLED from your choices; you then have to consider backlighting. OLED screens don't need a light source behind them.

So the next best thing to OLED is a high quality LCD/LED screen with Full Array Local Dimming. Here is an example: https://www.tcl.com/uk/en/new-product-list/c825k-series/55-c825k.html

Over budget; https://ao.com/product/55c825k-tcl-tv-silver-87352-108.aspx so you'll need to scale things down. You might still get Full Array, but perhaps not with Mini LED. 

You may also consider the operating system. Android TV, LG Web OS....

Don't get bamboozled by misleading descriptions such a Micro Dimming and Global Dimming. They aren't full array; nor is Direct LED. 

https://www.lg.com/us/experience-tvs/edge-lit-vs-full-array

So think about how important the quality of the screen and then the operating system. For instance, are they likely to use the function of the Android TV/Google TV?  Voice commands, Chromecast integration, Playstore etc

Once you have decided on that, you can look at the spec more closely. Does the device have enough grunt to run it's OS quickly and smoothly etc

OnlyTheBestWillDo

I will add that it is entirely possible that they won't even notice the difference in picture quality and just want a TV that is easy to use and to navigate; so spending extra to get the blackest blacks and the whitest whites, along with over a billion colour shades may be of no interest to them at all.

But having a TV that does everything without having to attach more peripherals might be a higher priority for them. Find out


Looking at screen and ignoring the OS for a moment; here is a within budget Full Array LED TV: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B089N6MSZW
But, it has a proprietary OS; VIDAA U. Not sure that I would be comfortable with an OS not widely adopted and supported. I think it was based on Android TV a while back; I don't know about now.
https://hisense.co.uk/tvs/all-tvs/u7qf/

Another thing of which you might want to take note, is the version of the OS supplied with the TV.

Android TV is at version 12(renamed Google TV) otherwise the latest Android TV is version 11; also named Android TV R.

Hisense Vidaa U is up to version 5. The TV above comes with version 4. Does it update to version 5?  TV buying can be a nightmare



 

getmore4less

Not the best time to be looking for TV as the best of 2020 are low/no supply and the 2021 are overpriced

See if you can find any 2020 options
good guide here
https://www.avforums.com/threads/my-best-value-tvs-2020-2021-edition.2325951/


For the use cases will HDR  feature much.
are the Indian sky channels doing UHD HDR material?

At this price point there won't be any decent HDR option anyway.

probably the best around non OLED was the 49XH9505 but over budget and Out of stock


Motion processing  for the tennis/sport could be a higher priority.

Then viewing angles as that will rule out some options. 


Don't forget the 48"/49" models are in the same size category and some are better than the 50" options.

also have a look at Hisense models a lot of TV for your money.

mobileron

Ensure you buy from J lewis or Richersounds for free 5/6 years warranty,dont buy from Currys or Argos.
Sony is a good brand of tv, look at the new player in the market, Hisense great value for money.

neilmcl

Maybe too big and certainly out of budget but this is a very good deal at the moment for an excellent OLED.

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/lg-c1-series-oled55c16la-55-4k-smart-uhd-oled-tv-5-year-warranty-ps1099-delivered-with-code-at-sevenoaks-3810547

Even cheaper

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/lg-oled55c15la-55-ps99898-delivered-at-costco-3814257#comment-45916111

getmore4less

OLED also come in 48" last years models creeping closer to £700, too early for the 2021 to get big discounts.