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New TV time


drpellypo
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I used to be really into TV's - had all the latest and greatest home AV stuff, but kids came along and it all went as couldn't have anything above level 3 in case we woke them up etc etc.

I have what I still consider to be a brilliant panasonic plasma in the living room but we've managed to find a solution to put a TV in the bedroom (fitted wardrobes prevented it before) so I'm wondering what to get?

Due to the space the max we can have is 28 inches. It does not have to have a TV tuner as will be connected to a nowTV box. So basically just need an HDMI port.

Imagine quality is the priority. Power consumption/features/contrast ratio etc are not important.

Thanks!

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I'd far from a TV expert, I just buy whatever Which? or other places rate highly and make do.

 

Of the brands of TV we own, I say this:

 

Samsung LED - outstanding.  Easily the best we've ever owned (and we have a couple of their 40" LCD and they've been good too)

LG LCD - very good actually and impressed.  We have a 26" one in our youngests bedroom and a 42" used for gaming and the picture is excellent on both

Toshiba (32") - I would not recommend.  The picture quality is good although not on par with the others.  However, it is way too slow to start up and switch channels.  The processor in it for the smart functions is just awful.  It keeps dropping the internet connection too.

 

If we were buying any TV nowadays I'd choose Samsung.  We have 3 of their TV's and they have all been superb.

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I would have my Panni Plasma back in a heartbeat over my fairly high end Samsung LED lit LCD.

check out reviews on Tech Radar and What HiFi etc but most importantly go to Jon Lewis, Richer Sounds or Currys and see the TVs in the flesh, make sure you look at them with what you intend to view on yours, HD or SD.

Take a memory stick with you and watch the same content on each box.

One word of warning, shops tend to have the brightness/contrast cranked high which some people like. If they are looking to sell a particular set they can make that look better than others on display. Don't be afraid to fiddle with the settings.

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Will probably be replacing our Panny plasma next year once we start the lounge project, because I want to build it in to a false wall, and it'd be much easier with a more modern, slim frame, perfectly rectangular TV, rather than the slightly curved bottom and thick frame of the Panny.

Trouble is, as good as the latest LG, Samsung etc are, the picture quality just isn't as good as the Panny plasma.

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Thanks guys. Looks like Samsung LED is the way to go. I loathe going into the shops and having to endure salespeople spouting out all their patter. Good idea on the memory stick. When I've done offline purchases in the past I have asked for the remote control so I can turn Off all the crap and drop the contrast/brightness down. I would rather just trust a reviews opinion to be honest and buy online. I did that with my panny plasma and it's by far the best tv I've owned and the best of anyone I know PQ wise.

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The only thing I'd say about buying online is this:

 

We normally do that, but.....

 

Our main TV, a 55" Samsung LED, was bought from Richer Sounds after recommendations.  It allowed me to negotiate on 3D glasses (never been used, but hey) and also (because of where it is in Newcastle) meant very easy loading in the car.  I thought their staff were okay.  Not brilliant, but okay.

 

However, I say it because I would buy from them again on the basis I thought they were a breeze to negotiate with.  The TV was already at close to the lowest price I could find anywhere online.  Within 10 minutes of walking in I'd got the price below that.  To be honest, that isn't because I'm trying to say I did a good job of negotiating, but because I thought they just wanted to do the deal.

 

The only remotely clever (and it's not that clever) thing I did was to walk in 15 minutes before the store was due to close.  You can't do that online and if you time it as well as you can, you might be surprised what a store will do to get you out and get home - especially when it is a Saturday.

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I was quite impressed with the Samsung models I saw at their HQ a few weeks ago. They also are the only vendor with all the catchup services. We have a nice Sony but it is annoying it only has iPlayer and Channel 5.

Samsung HQ in Chertsey?

They are number 1000 and our Head Office (the only other building there) is number 2000.

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I'd get anything 4k, the only pictures that usurps the 5+ year old pan plasma.

We have bought 3x Panasonic LEDS 48" for the big room, 42" for the snug room, and a 24" for the morning room wall.

Everytime I go in to the man boys room and look at the plasma it pisses me off how much better the overall picture is compared to LED units bought 3, 2 and 1 year ago.

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Everytime I go in to the man boys room and look at the plasma it pisses me off how much better the overall picture is compared to LED units bought 3, 2 and 1 year ago.

The LED tv's look ultra sharp, and I think people confuse that with overall picture quality, put it next to one of the old Panny Plasmas, and the sharpness suddenly becomes irrelevant.

I really really don't want to replace mine, but it's 5 years old now, and hence just out of warranty, and it just doesn't have that modern look to it, despite the sublime picture.

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Which? magazine say that the newest and best OLED and 4K TV's kill plasma off anyway.

 

Such is life.  Things move on.

 

They also said the iMac 27 " Retina 5K murders a plasma.  I have one on my desk in the office and I honestly couldn't say because I'm not a screen afficiando.  What I do know though is that the 5K Mac is a quite devastatingly beautiful display.

Edited by NewNiceMrMe
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I'm not even sure if you can still buy a plasma if I'm honest?

Whatever I buy, will inevitably be OLED or such like, I'll just have a look at Which? And What HiFi etc, and buy whatever scores highest at the time.

The benefits of 'smart' TV will, I'm sure, outweigh any possible reduction in picture quality, although the BT TV box has all the catchup stuff and Netflix etc anyway, so not sure they'll get used much.

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I use Apple TV (I tend to watch TV in the conservatory) and it is much faster than even the SmartHub functions on the main TV.  The Samsungs are very good in that respect, and have a lot more apps, but I find I prefer the Apple TV for speed and I just stream from my iPad.

 

I watch football on the larger TV (normally I watch usual TV programmes on 40" but I try to watch the footie on the 55") and I think the blur on the Samsung 55" is negligible - to me.  I'm quite sure people on here who know their stuff could say differently, but TV is almost always a background event to me anyway.  I rarely focus or concentrate on programmes so quality is a bit insignificant.

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