Smart TV advice required

[Rooter]

Damn this thread and my london office being two doors down from RS city store!! I am in the office tomorrow too!! Must resist going in!!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

The more expensive one has full web browser capability and a better (quad core) processor.
Minor details if these are not features you would use but well worth the extra cost of you would IMO.

If you are not much of a TV user then the bottom one would do you [more than] fine and the image quality will be superb. Coupled with a decent sound unit it would be a good set up for any basic user.

Thanks @GiF

My wife sits in front of the TV struggling with a small tablet and wishes she had a bigger one - like an iPad. She generally only browses when sat in front of TV so could the more expensive one with full browser capability meet her general web browsing needs? I guess she may not be able to watch TV at same time as browsing - though maybe the TV supports both simultaneously.

 

[GreiginFife]

Thanks @GiF

My wife sits in front of the TV struggling with a small tablet and wishes she had a bigger one - like an iPad. She generally only browses when sat in front of TV so could the more expensive one with full browser capability meet her general web browsing needs? I guess she may not be able to watch TV at same time as browsing - though maybe the TV supports both simultaneously.

To be honest, never used the browser on my own TV so cant really comment on how easy it is to use. Use all the other features as well as connection to a NAS in a remote location for streaming.
As for size, older TVs tended to have thicker bezels and so cabinets were larger by aome margin. A 40" with a narrow bezel wont be much larger than an old style (LCD / early LED) 34 - 36".

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

To be honest, never used the browser on my own TV so cant really comment on how easy it is to use. Use all the other features as well as connection to a NAS in a remote location for streaming.
As for size, older TVs tended to have thicker bezels and so cabinets were larger by aome margin. A 40" with a narrow bezel wont be much larger than an old style (LCD / early LED) 34 - 36".

OK thanks - I'll investigate the web browsing as that could be an answer to a great frustration she suffers from (other then being stuck with me)

I'm guessing the bezel is the 'frame'. Our current 32" one is 36.5" corner to corner and in the alcove we have the TV we could go to 40" corner to corner but that's about it.

 

[GreiginFife]

OK thanks - I'll investigate the web browsing as that could be an answer to a great frustration she suffers from (other then being stuck with me)

I'm guessing the bezel is the 'frame'. Our current 32" one is 36.5" corner to corner and in the alcove we have the TV we could go to 40" corner to corner but that's about it.

Yes the bezel is the plastic (sometimes metal) surround or frame.
My Viera is a 50" and is 51" dead on corner to corner including bezel.
Got an old LG 32" that has a wide bezel and measures a huge 38" corner to corner. 3.5" of plastic basically either end.

 

[c1973]

Assuming that it will work the same as the 50" then yes you can watch telly while browsing (small screen in corner).

I'd get a wireless keyboard hooked up though as the one drawback for browsing the web through the telly is the 'on-screen' keyboard. It's a case of using the arrow keys to move around from letter to letter.
Not a big deal for me, as I only use it for You Tube music vids and Netflix, but might be worth considering.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Assuming that it will work the same as the 50" then yes you can watch telly while browsing (small screen in corner).

I'd get a wireless keyboard hooked up though as the one drawback for browsing the web through the telly is the 'on-screen' keyboard. It's a case of using the arrow keys to move around from letter to letter.
Not a big deal for me, as I only use it for You Tube music vids and Netflix, but might be worth considering.

Same as browsing through my DVD player then - and I really don't get on very well with that and my wife would hate it. Anyway thanks for that guidance sir!

 

[Midnight]

I known nothing about tvs or soundbars. Just wondering what could i get with a budget of about £500. Basically tv in front room which is a 32 inch one is on way out. Want something which is good with the hd channels and also good for the PS4.

Can anyone suggest anything apart from save more money.

Cheers

Midnight. ..

 

[c1973]

http://www.tesco.com/direct/panason...reeview-hd-silver/521-4457.prd?skuId=521-4457

£550.00 for a 50" screen?

Or

http://www.tesco.com/direct/panason...iew-hd/740-9004.prd?pageLevel=&skuId=740-9004

48" for £359.00

 

[Midnight]

http://www.tesco.com/direct/panason...reeview-hd-silver/521-4457.prd?skuId=521-4457

£550.00 for a 50" screen?

Or

http://www.tesco.com/direct/panason...iew-hd/740-9004.prd?pageLevel=&skuId=740-9004

48" for £359.00

Thanks I will have a look at them.

 

[Doris]

The best thing I've done to my TV is to calibrate it properly.

You can download the software from the avforums site, stick it on a USB stick or stream it from the computer and follow the instructions. Both my father and FiL can't believe the picture on my 40inch samsung TV compared to their 4k Sonys. Calibrating their tv's is on my todo list!

 

[tugglesf239]

Hope nobody minds my hijacking this thread.

I am on the look out for a 55" plus Smart TV. Not sure if i need 4k or anything just yet and was hoping to get a state of the art standard HD model. Reasoning being that i will save a big premium by not buying the latest tech.

Looking for a discrete sound bar too and have a budget of around 800 for both.

Anyone have any recommendations?

Ta!

 

[GreiginFife]

Hope nobody minds my hijacking this thread.

I am on the look out for a 55" plus Smart TV. Not sure if i need 4k or anything just yet and was hoping to get a state of the art standard HD model. Reasoning being that i will save a big premium by not buying the latest tech.

Looking for a discrete sound bar too and have a budget of around 800 for both.

Anyone have any recommendations?

Ta!

State of the art and not latest tech don't really tie up. State of the art is SUHD curved with all the bells and whistles.
You will pick up a decent 55" smart 1080p HD unit for around the £450 - £550 mark no bother and a reasonable discrete soundbar or soundbase for a couple of hundred.

Personally I use Richer Sounds due to excellent service and knowledge, prices are also good. They had a LG 55" smart for £499 recently.

 

[splashtryagain]

Curved tv is only great and wonderful if you live on your own, looks downright odd from outside the viewing angles suggested IMO - or stack your furniture up and have multi storey viewing!
Get a nice flat hd screen by samsung or Panasonic look on avforums for some settings and enjoy - richer sounds are a good bet as has been stated. For gods sake don't buy any mumbo jumbo cables either.
I still mourn the demise of plasma...... State of art is oled or nano crystal, one looks fabulous (although billy no mate curvy) the other has really small crystals.

 

[tugglesf239]

State of the art and not latest tech don't really tie up. .

A very good point actually. It makes no sense reading it back

I suppose what i meant is i would like an absolute bad boy non 4k model.

 

[GreiginFife]

A very good point actually. It makes no sense reading it back

I suppose what i meant is i would like an absolute bad boy non 4k model.

I'd be looking at something like this http://m.richersounds.com/#!/product/PANA-TX50AS650

Great price. 50" is plenty big for most rooms.
Lots left over for a soundbase/soundbar as well.

 

[tugglesf239]

I'd be looking at something like this http://m.richersounds.com/#!/product/PANA-TX50AS650

Great price. 50" is plenty big for most rooms.
Lots left over for a soundbase/soundbar as well.

Ive just splashed the cash on this

http://ao.com/product/55lf580v-lg-tv-silver-35703-108.aspx

and got myself one of these

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/tv-dv...ray-dvd-wireless-soundstage-10122458-pdt.html

managed to price match and got the TV for £640 and the sound base / blu ray player for £220

So just over budget by have saved a good few quid on the TV.

Just what i wanted. Big and a recent 2015 model and a nice discrete sound base.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

At a slight tangent - with all the talk of 55" screens - what size of rooms do you guys have? Not kidding - if I had a 55" screen in my 1918 semi you'd hardly be able to get in the room (my front room is 12' square ignoring a wee bay window). It would certainly completely dominate the room. I'm wondering if - in such a 'small' room - a 55" TV is actually too big - in that you would be too close to it?

 

[tugglesf239]

At a slight tangent - with all the talk of 55" screens - what size of rooms do you guys have? Not kidding - if I had a 55" screen in my 1918 semi you'd hardly be able to get in the room (my front room is 12' square ignoring a wee bay window). It would certainly completely dominate the room. I'm wondering if - in such a 'small' room - a 55" TV is actually too big - in that you would be too close to it?

Currently in a 2 bed terrace house build circa 1914 and my current 32" Sony looks pretty large. I'm moving house in 3 weeks though (3 weeks after my Mrs gave birth to my second baby girl....) to a much, much larger house with a very large living room.

I agree though. Some of the TV's on my current street basically block out any natural light through the window. Looks terrible and would probably burn out the retina of the inhabitants.

 

[Smiffy]

I haven't got a massive living room by any stretch of the imagination, but by placing the television tight up against the wall so that it looks as if it's hanging there, my 49" is the perfect size.