TV Recommendations please!

[Deleted User]

I have one of these, bang on your budget:

https://www.samsung.com/uk/tvs/uhd-4k-tv/tu7100-50-inch-crystal-uhd-smart-tv-ue50tu7100kxxu/

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7517390

I only bought it from Argos because I get 7.5% discount.

The 43" version got 5 stars and 2020 awards at What Hifi which was persuasive in me choosing it:
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/samsung-ue43tu7100

It has the Tizen based OS found on the more expensive Samsung and has all the apps you would expect.

To get the best out of it, switch off eco-mode and change the display to "Film maker mode" for faithful reproduction with no post-processing.

dllive

Sandtree said:

it could be any of the above, easiest way to test normally is to use a smartphone or computer to access it and see if there is a material difference in speed.

When you say 'access it' do you mean the internet or the TV? (I would know how to do the latter!)

I suppose I dont mean 'lag'. What I dont like is when I click left/right/up/down on the controller when searching for something on Netflix (for example) and theres a second or two before the cursor moves. Sometimes I get impatient and click twice thinking that it hasnt registered my first click, but it has, and moves over 2 spaces when I meant it only to move 1 space. Basically, I just want the TV to be faster at responding when I click the controller. 

dllive

[Deleted User] said:

I have one of these, bang on your budget:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7517390

I only bought it from Argos because I get 7.5% discount.

The 43" version got 5 stars and 2020 awards at What Hifi which was persuasive in me choosing it:
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/samsung-ue43tu7100

It has the Tizen based OS found on the more expensive Samsung and has all the apps you would expect.

To get the best out of it, switch off eco-mode and change the display to "Film maker mode" for faithful reproduction with no post-processing.

Oooo. I like the look of that! I presume you compared it to other TVs in-store to compare? I think I need to do the same, just to experience it in person.

(The MSE forums are always my first port of call due to the very helpful responses).

[Deleted User]

dllive said:

Deleted_User said:

I have one of these, bang on your budget:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7517390

I only bought it from Argos because I get 7.5% discount.

The 43" version got 5 stars and 2020 awards at What Hifi which was persuasive in me choosing it:
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/samsung-ue43tu7100

It has the Tizen based OS found on the more expensive Samsung and has all the apps you would expect.

To get the best out of it, switch off eco-mode and change the display to "Film maker mode" for faithful reproduction with no post-processing.

Oooo. I like the look of that! I presume you compared it to other TVs in-store to compare? I think I need to do the same, just to experience it in person.

(The MSE forums are always my first port of call due to the very helpful responses).

No, I bought it pandemic lockdown 2020 so couldn't actually see it in the flesh, relied on the online reviews.

It might be harder to find now with it being a 2020 model, I think this is the 2021 version:

https://www.richersounds.com/samsung-ue50au7100.html

Also got What Hifi awards 2021 in the 43" inch:

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/samsung-ue43au7100-43-inch-tv

neilmcl

dllive said:

Deleted_User said:

I have one of these, bang on your budget:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7517390

I only bought it from Argos because I get 7.5% discount.

The 43" version got 5 stars and 2020 awards at What Hifi which was persuasive in me choosing it:
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/samsung-ue43tu7100

It has the Tizen based OS found on the more expensive Samsung and has all the apps you would expect.

To get the best out of it, switch off eco-mode and change the display to "Film maker mode" for faithful reproduction with no post-processing.

Oooo. I like the look of that! I presume you compared it to other TVs in-store to compare? I think I need to do the same, just to experience it in person.

(The MSE forums are always my first port of call due to the very helpful responses).

You might want to also look on AV specific forums such as https://www.avforums.com/

[Deleted User]

Just wanted to add....

Seeing TV's in store doesn't do them justice when comparing for picture quality. The lighting is unnatural, the TV's are often set to vivid mode and usually displaying some curated demo video. I'd let the professional reviews guide buying choices. 

Personal opinion doesn't count for much, most people just look at their own TV and can't really compare against what it should look like but for what it is worth....

In my opinion this TV does live up to the reviews in What Hifi in terms of picture quality - it is just right in all ways. I watch a lot of 4K HDR movies / TV shows through my Nvidia Shield Pro / Plex server so I'm probably not the typical low-fi Freeview / streaming user, I push this TV to it's limits and it does credit to the high end viewing for a "cheap" TV.

Sound is good but I always recommend a sound bar / external speakers, I mostly listen on Sony wireless headphones though.

Cornucopia

Inclusive warranties at Richer Sounds and John Lewis that other retailers charge £££s for.

jamesd

At the moment OLED TVs win all of the picture quality awards except for bright room or budget prices. You might want to take a look at the Black Friday deals mentioned here. LG make almost all of the OLED display panels and I use a higher specced 48 inch OLED as my computer monitor and TV.

See whether Richer Sounds will match or come close to the price you can get anywhere else. Their extended warranty (which they really do honour) and service make them the best buy provider in Which? Doesn't look as though they are currently offering the cheapest deals, though.

HDR gives brighter whites but makes no difference to blacks, which can only be improved really by OLED instead of LED, given that OLED really does completely turn off pixels that are black. Ultra-HD and 4k are the same.

mobileron

Im amazed that a lot of people buy on price with 12 months warranty  and poor service.
JL or richersounds for FREE 5/6 years warranty  must be worth at least £200.

Username03725

dllive said:

Id like a TV that is 110cm wide, smart TV (Netflix and YouTube) and good quality. Im overwhelmed with all the options and the new fandangled stuff. I dont know if I want HD, or 4D or anything else. I just want a good picture and good sound (obviously). Does anyone have any recommendations? I suffer from a severe case of analysis paralysis!

Thanks 

I'm not going to advise on any specific tv, but would offer the following points if I may.

All new TVs are 4K / UHD, so that's what you'll get. Note though there's a lot of difference between the cheapest and the top end sets, even though the majority of 4K panels (screens) are made in the same factory. The electronics make the biggest difference.

Setting a budget of £500 because 'you don't watch much tv' is a bit errrmm... short-sighted, if you don't mind me saying. When you do watch it you presumably want to be able to enjoy it and know that what you're watching is as good as you could get for your budget, so maybe decide on a cost that you'd be comfortable paying and see what you can get for that rather than picking a numerically tidy number, just because. £500 is at the bottom end of where TVs start to be quite good, so a not very big increase will open up a lot more choice.

All TVs are Smart TVs these days and come with the apps you expect built-in - typically iPlayer, Amazon, Netflix and lots of other stuff. The problem is that the app providers e.g. BBC for the iPlayer are continually developing their services and it's quite normal for TVs to drop out of support quite quickly. It's very common to see people on the 'net wondering where Amazon has gone on their 2 year-old TV - the answer is that it's simply dropped out of support and no longer works or is not available on that make / model. The point is to embrace any included apps etc that add to your viewing, but accept that they will stop probably working in not many years. The easy workaround is to buy a plug-in like a Firestick for £35 when you need to, rather than dump the telly.

Shops on display in the big sheds are probably on what's called Shop mode, or Demo mode, which enhances colour, brightness, contrast etc to make it stand out and to overcome the fluorescent lighting in these shops. The one you buy won't be in Demo out of the box - it has to switched on so don't worry about it, but in the shop it's worth asking to view the TV showing normal HD TV pictures instead of the dreamy slow action vids they show with vibrant primary colours to the fore, and ideally if poss (usually not tbh) view SD programming to see how it deals with it. Also ask to view with all of the image processing options switched off, and have a play with the colour brightness and contrast settings yourself to see if you can get a picture that YOU like, not the bright over-saturated popping settings that stand out in shops.

Some Sony sets use the screen as a sound board to improve sound quality so although these may be at the top end of any potential budget they do provide very good sound.