New TV advice
 

Hi

My Panasonic Plasma TV has given up the ghost and i now need a new main 49-50" TV for the lounge.

I have it connected to an older Tivo box (not the V6) and other gadgets like a blu ray player , firestick and apple tv.

Looking around there is a bewildering array of new TVs to choose from. Many by the same manufacturers with similar specs. My question is what's a good TV to pair up with the Tivo. At present I have no plans to upgrade to the V6.

I imagine picture quality is only as good as the source. So is it worth going for a Super UHD 4K Tv model or am I not going to see the full benefit of it. Would UHD be more than good enough?

For example I have looked at a couple of LG's (if only because I have a 32" LG in another room and am quite happy with it) .

Here's an LG at Currys in a sale £579 (at the top end of my budget)
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and...60553-pdt.html

This is super UHD 4K , refresh rate 200Hz, with Edge Lit LED tech??

whilst this LG is at John Lewis a £100 cheaper
https://www.johnlewis.com/lg-49uj670...a-overlay_show

UHD 4K, a slower refresh rate 50Hz, Direct LED tech.

They look very similar in appearance. Both are Smart Tv's, Freeview HD, enough Connecting ports ...again similar spec. Both these Tv's have 5 years guarantee which i would like.

Should i save the cash on the cheaper TV or indeed any others you may suggest (maybe put it towards a soundbar or something).

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Re: New TV advice
 

Definately go for the best spec for your budget.

Soundbars and other extras are good, but in the end you'll be looking at the TV most of the time, so you'll need the best picture you can get.

The Curry's LG set is definitely the better choice out of those two you've looked at.

Re: New TV advice
 

Sound advice from Ben. I spend days if not weeks when sourcing a new TV, checking spec and value for money.
I would check out all major brands, compare prices and specs.

Re: New TV advice
 

Sound wise I'd recommend a subwoofer as minimum accessory as the sound is very reedy these days especially as the sets get thinner.

I picked up a bargain 100W vibe unit with adjustable cross-over frequency for £30 off Amazon so they don't need to break the bank.

If the set is wall mounted you'll probably need a sound bar as well as the mounting tends to block the speaker ports on the set.

I'm assuming you haven't already addressed the sound issue.

Re: New TV advice
 

Thanks Ben.

Yes I would usually do the same Bear and research many Tv's. However as the main TV is now broken I am getting a bit of pressure from the family to sort a new one out.

My local Currys hasnt got the LG I want in stock at the moment and when trying to order online it tells mer it is not available for delivery in my area right now (but is in stock at a Currys 50 mikes away!)

I like the sound of a longer guarantee though. Here's a Sony at John Lewis £539

https://www.johnlewis.com/sony-bravi...ilver/p3245972

---------- Post added at 17:44 ---------- Previous post was at 17:42 ----------

Cheers Heero.

yeh most TV's sound is pretty average at best hence the thought on a Soundbar. The TV would not be wall mounted.

That said the Currys LG has Harmon Kardon speakers so would perhaps be better than the norm.

Re: New TV advice
 

We're very much Sony fans here. Our 42" HD Bravia has the silver surround and this sort of disappears under subdued light so you just have a floating picture.

The latest Bravia's are running Android so the apps store is available if it's not built in.

Re: New TV advice
 

Curry's tend to get 'special' TVs with slightly different designs and model numbers.

So not sure where you are, but Richer Sounds have a version of the LG TV, but again is a store pick up only:
https://www.richersounds.com/tv-proj...-49sj800v.html

I'm expecting all the other specs for it are exactly the same, and places like ao.com are stocking that model online.

Re: New TV advice
 

I prefer to visit outlets where you can see them in action. High specs and high prices don't always mean best picture.

Then I choose the best deal online.

Re: New TV advice
 

I woudn't buy a TV from Currys, get it from a proper shop like Richer Sounds, John Lewis etc you will get a better warranty, go into the shops and talk to the staff, don't rush into it whatever you do.

Get one that supports atleast HDR10 which is a 10bit panel if i remember correctly, it is possible technology has got better since i bought mine last year though, but get atleast a 10bit panel.

Re: New TV advice
 

I'm not sure that's correct , the TV from Currys and the one BenMcr linked to are only 8 bit panels but both support Dolby Vision and HDR10.

Re: New TV advice
 

Maybe i got it wrong but i was sure when i bought mine a 10bit panel was HDR10.

Re: New TV advice
 

The two TV's I've listed have an 8bit+2 panel , which means they are 8bit panels but use software enhancements to produce the same colour spectrum as a genuine 10 bit display according to info I've read.

Re: New TV advice
 

Don't think that was around when i bought mine, it was just 8bit and 10bit, Dolby Vision may even be 12bit colour, technology changes so quickly! :)

Re: New TV & Tivo v6 advice
 

thanks everyone for the advice.

Currys have now got the LG back in stock so I have ordered it online and it will be delivered tomorrow for free. (I had seen the TV on display in the store and it looked good to me and gets good reviews for the price ) That should keep the family happy.

Now its got me thinking of whether to take advantage of the new screen is it worth getting the Tivo V6??

How much is it to change boxes?
We currently have Xl Tv with sky sports (not HD) and XXl BB (200MB) with talk anytime. With the current bundles thats roughly equivalent to Full House I think. 2 tivos (1TB and 500GB) and a basic HD box.
I would keep the basic box as thats in the granny flat and I dont think my 91 year old mother in law would want a new fangled box. So would would maybe change one or both of the existing Tivos.

Re: New TV advice
 

This sounds like good advice. Hopefully Currys have upped their game since I last purchased from them, their after sales service used to be dreadful.
I think you can have HDR10 sets which are 8 bit +2 dithering, i'm told the visual difference is very subtle compared to true 10 bit. Not sure there is better than 10 bit available to mainstream buyers, though i could be wrong.

Re: New TV advice
 

Unfortunately he has ordered from Currys, the worst thing he could have done in my opinion.

Re: New TV advice
 

I know, i noticed that as I was writing my post. From what I have read they seem to have improved a bit regarding replacements, but refunds don't go down too well. Like you I always buy from RS or occasionally John Lewis, i prefer the reassurance of knowing I probably won't be given the run around if the tv is faulty.

Re: New TV advice
 

I think most of the latest LG 4k tv`s support Dolby vision but obviously always good to check before you buy

Re: New TV advice
 

No they don't , and this is the problem for the average punters who don't understand all the jargon.

Re: New TV advice
 

Well i looked at 3 models and they all had Dolby vision I went for the 48 inch 4k version with 3d it was £650 at Currys this was about 6 months ago

Re: New TV advice
 

Cityfan247, Just to add a little bit of optimism to your purchase, it is worth remembering that everyone has different experiences with retailers and in my opinion there is a greater chance that once you have your TV you will never have to talk to the retailer ever again than there is to deal with any after sales customer services.

I hope all goes well and you enjoy your new TV.

PS. The V6 is great, always worth phoning VM to see what deal you can get. If it suits you, go for it. I had a £99/month for VIP offered a couple of months back which will give you everything you have and more with the only exception of your 3rd box

Re: New TV advice
 

I hope the OP got a free 5-6yr warranty as the other retailers do that for free, and it is a must in my opinion.

Re: New TV advice
 

thanks guys

I have purchased stuff from Currys before and in my experience it was fine. Like hsa been said everyone's experience may differ

Convenience was the key as much as anything. It should be delivered tomorrow.

I dont live close to a Richer Sounds or a John Lewis store. The LG and Sony at Richer Sounds were only available as in-store purchases unfortunately or i would likely got it from them .

My Panasonic was an online purchase from John Lewis 7 years ago. All was fine. And of course it had the 5 year guarantee.

The LG from Currys also has the 5 year guarantee as I agree with Snoopz I would not have bought it from them without it.

I shall see what VM can to about a V6 upgrade. I went on the website and it says some news is due in February and to hold tight??

see http://www.virginmedia.com/shop/tv/v6.html scroll down a bit.

Anyone know what this is?

Re: New TV & Tivo v6 advice
 

If your mother in law has a Tivo, she won't notice any difference with a V6 except that it is lightning fast.

Re: New TV advice
 

Be very wary of lower cost LG "4K" TVs, they use a LG RGBW panel which is incapable of displaying true 4K, display spec here: https://www.displayspecifications.com/en/model/121fae5

Re: New TV advice
 

I'm sure the tv will be fine mate, enjoy it. TV's now are generally so much better than they used to be for the money.

Re: New TV advice
 

Hi cityfan247, I recently purchased a very similar specced LG 49" UHD TV (in fact it is the one BenMcr linked to at Richersounds).
I'm sure you'll be very happy with your purchase however I do have one or two caveats to add.
I bought my TV ahead of schedule, I had been planning on upgrading at some point but had decided not to buy during Black Friday but rather save up for what my research had led me to believe was the best one below the OLED and QLED level and was pleasantly surprised to see it was discounted to £579 rather than being the £800 I had planned on spending,
however buying sooner than I expected meant I hadn't done enough research into all things 4k/HDR so hopefully you can learn from my mistakes.
At first I hated my new TV thinking "oh god what have I done" when every setting I tried to produce a good picture failed, however eventually I found a good calibration guide on AV Forums and with a few tweaks from that calibration I am now very happy.
I would urge you too to carry out a firmware update before you do any calibration or settings changes as a new Technicolor mode will become available which makes (imho) a vast difference to the picture quality.
In my experience as well unless you are very close to the TV when watching it then on a 49" TV the difference between full HD and normal (non HDR) 4K is very subtle, certainly not as striking as going from SD to HD.
HDR, Dolby Vision and HLG make a much greater difference, check out Blue Planet II on your new tele's Iplayer app to see how well it can be done if you don't have Netflix or Amazon, but to really see how good things can be you'd need to invest in or find a way to watch 4k HDR Blurays.

Now onto what could prove a costly mistake, I have discovered that unlike in normal HD land where a £2:99 Amazons Basic HDMI lead is just as good as one of the £60 ones the likes of Currys try and con you into buying in the land of 4K not all HDMI 2 (High Speed HDMI) cables are made the same and when buying a cable to connect to the 4K equipment you'll no doubt end up buying to go with your new TV you need to buy certified high speed HDMI cables,
to give an example, earlier in 2017 I needed to upgrade my HTPC so I invested in a future proof 4K compatible one for when I got a new TV, I found when running at 4K resolutions the screen was very glitchy and often disappeared completely with the original cables I'd bought, but when I switched to a certified cable all these glitches disappeared, luckily I picked up a couple of certified ones in an Amazon flash sale for only 7 quid each (as an aside for any HTPC users Windows HDR implementation is borked and is either permanently on or off, only Powerdvd will dynamically switch between the two).

Finally I would not recommend upgrading to a V6 yet as VM have no UHD material available, spend any extra money it may cost on Netflix and or Amazon and use the inbuilt webOS apps to receive 4K HDR/Dolby Vision loveliness.

Re: New TV advice
 

The V6 has UHD on Netflix and YouTube. And you'd get a suitable HDMI lead for free with the V6.

Re: New TV advice
 

Very interesting Buckeye. Thank you for your insight. I shall take your advice and carry out a firmware update.

TV came today. First impressions are very good.

Connected the Tivo , Blu Ray, Firestick and Apple TV easy enough.

Sound is far better than my old Panasonic .....so i may delay on a Soundbar for now.

Watched the Liverpool v City game (well until we went 4-1 down!) on Sky Sports that I only have in SD. Picture was perfectly fine (bar on occasion there was a subtle change up and down on picture brightness that seemed to be on a certain camera angle. Not sure if it was the camera or my TV).

Of course putting on a HD channel the picture quality improved greatly (unsurprisingly of course).

At present I have no 4K content to really show the TV's capabilities. I only have the standard Netflix and a bog standard Samsung Blu-Ray.At some point no doubt i will look to upgrade.

I think the TV will meet my requirements. I am not so much the enthusiast that I would pay 4 figures for a TV and have super high expectancy levels to match.

It is not the most amazing TV ever but I reckon the LG will be a decent performer at a reasonable price .

Re: New TV advice
 

You probably have to manually enable HDR on your inputs, this may also give you an HDR setting for normal TV which you may or may not wish to use, i dont think i use it in my Samsung.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinmu...r-on-an-lg-tv/

Re: New TV advice
 

The TV cityfan247 has ordered will have native webOS apps for both so no need to upgrade to a V6 to get them in UHD.

P.S. Can anyone with a V6 and Netflix tell me does the V6 Netflix app also give Dolby Vision on the 4K content or does it just offer 4K on its own?





Yes you're correct, I can't read that Forbes link as I have an ad blocker running so in case it doesn't say so the setting is in "general settings" then "HDMI ULTRA HD Deep Colour" where you can enable or disable for each HDMI input.
I don't recall having to change any settings or enable anything to get HDR on the Amazon app or Dolby Vision on the Netflix app.

Re: New TV advice
 

And I still use my 28" Sony WEGA CRT beast and until it breaks see no reason to change. Picture and sound are both fine and I really don't want or need anything bigger than 32" for the distance we mostly use it at - plus we don't want something huge dominating the room.

Re: New TV advice
 

Over the years my Dad has gone from a 26" CRT TV (I think) to a 32" original LCD to a reasonably current 40" LED LCD TV.

Each of which took up less space than the last, so actually dominates the room less than each of the previous one used to.

Current TVs also allow for more creative room layout - you don't have to rely on sticking the TV in a corner and then ensuring the rest of the furniture is pointed at it, or at least not blocking the TV.

Re: New TV advice
 

All true but the furthest distance normally used would be 2-3 metres and the closest less than 1m. Yes it could be positioned slightly differently but the back of the CRT sits into the room corner so doesn't take up much space, any screen would still take the same space just have dead area behind it. We could wall mount but then would lose that space we have pictures on.

I also remember the "fun" getting a monitor to replace a CRT model. Wanted not to lose any pixels in any direction, be able to use for movies, games, photos, text etc so good for all purposes and not cost an absolute fortune or be too big. The pixel item was challenge, the CRT ran at 1600x1200. We have a 16:10 BenQ but it's not perfect but for budget is good enough. I guess TV's don't need to cope with being so general and ratio isn't the same problem.

Anyway that is getting off topic about choosing a TV for the OP's purpose.

Re: New TV advice
 

As Ben says, i think you would easily get by with a 43in, itll probably take up far less space than a 28in CRT as there is very little bezel.

Re: New TV advice
 

We went from a Philips 100Hz 28" FST to the Sony 42" Because the Sony's bezel is so thin the set isn't that much bigger but so much more picture. :)

Re: New TV advice
 

Yes newer sets tend to have a much thinner bezel so you can get a bigger screen taking the same or less space.

The 49" LG has replaced a 7 year old 46" Panasonic and is no bigger in terms of actual dimensions. (weighs a lot less as well)

Had the TV a couple of days now. Have tweaked the picture settings on the advice of some of the posters on here so thank you.

The only 4K stuff I actually get right now is limited to WebOs apps like BBC I player. So i havent got too fixated on things like Ultra HDR settings. I may have to upgrade my Netflix subscription from the basic level but I am very happy with the picture and the sound surpasses any TV i have ever had before.

As I said before I am not a TV enthusiast to the extent that i would spend £1K + and be hooked up on whether it was 10 bit or RGBW tech and all or spend ££ to have the very best 4K content.

I wanted a good TV that was to an extent future proof at an affordable price. Hopefully I will have achieved that.

Again thank you everyone who has provided advice and insight.

Re: New TV advice
 

Costco used to sell a 152" beastie. The price included a survey to see if you could actually fit on in and set it up safely. A multiman install and setup and a service at 1 year. All yours for £750,000.

The web page stated you couldn't buy online and to call a service number to confirm you had the wherewithal to pay.