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Author Topic: Smart TV  (Read 10046 times)

Black Sheep

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Smart TV
« on: February 15, 2017, 08:02:09 PM »

Have any Kitizens recently upgraded their TV set ???

Although our current Panasonic Viera still appears to be ok after quite a few years, compared to others I see during my day-to-day workings, it is nowhere near as sharp, crisp or bright.
So I've decided the time has come to update, but my god ..... technology has moved on in leaps since I last spent time comparing LED v Plasma, before opting for the Viera !!  ??? ???

4K v HDR, or a set equipped for both modes, or maybe Dolby ?? Flat or curved ?? I have to admit to losing patience slightly trying to absorb all the info.

So, with that in mind ........... do any of you guys have any recommendations regarding a set that is tech future-proofed for a reasonable amount of time to come, that is also reasonably priced ?? By that, I mean I don't want to be spending £2k on a set just for the name, where a lesser known make has the same spec.

I know it's a long-shot but if tha' dunt ask, tha' dunt get.  :)
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Smart TV
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2017, 09:06:52 PM »

We replaced our 2008 Sony with a new Panasonic just over a year ago, have been very pleased.  Ours is basic 4k led backlit, nothing special.   The one technology that inspires me is OLED, but it was just too expensive then, maybe still is.  And I've yet to see a reasonable demo of OLED, showing typical program material, rather than stuff contrived to look good.

There are lots of 4k demos on youtube and it does look amazing.  But apart from demos it is a bit  pointless as there is hardly anything available to watch, unless you resort to Netflix home-brewed material, which has never inspired me.  I'd make sure you have 4k as most sets do, but don't raise your hopes of getting much use from it.

A big consideration was the OS, as I found Sony were now in bed with Google, shipping Android as the underlying OS.  I am deeply mistrustful of Google, so that that made Sonys a no-no for me, but to each his own.  Panasonic run Firefox OS which scares me a little less but even so, you have to go hunting around the setup menus to disable the option that allows Panasonic to collect and sell your viewing habits, even on normal terrestrial channels BBC/ITV etc.   :(

Panasonic have obviously struck a deal with Netflix, as they have stuck a dedicated Netflix button on the remote.   If you don't like Netflix that may annoy you and even if you do it may still annoy you as it is located in a position that is all to easy to hit by accident.   Then again, if Netflix pay Panasonic for the button, it means Panasonic can sell me the TV for less money.    :)
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NEXUS2345

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Re: Smart TV
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2017, 09:12:41 PM »

OLED is certainly the technology to watch, but only LG and Sony are really investing into it. Samsung are going with QLED, which is basically just a slightly upgraded LED TV, as opposed to OLED which is a completely different underlying technology.

In terms of OS, I prefer TVs that use Android TV due to the fact that it is more likely to get updated for longer, as it tends to be that with most of the work being done by Google, the TV manufacturers are willing to release updates for longer. Samsung are quite poor for updating their TVs in the long term.

4K is certainly a technology to invest in, with HDR being a nice addition but not a necessity. 4K content is definitely going to become more ubiquitous over the next year, with Sky being one of the first to release mainstream TV with 4K soon, which means the others won't be far behind.

In terms of the built in Netflix button, I think they have struck that deal with several manufacturers, as a Sony television my grandparents own also has a dedicated button.

At the moment my recommendation would be an LED 4K TV from Sony, LG, or Panasonic. Samsung TVs are good, but as I say, their smart features tend to get left to die, meaning it is more likely they would be vulnerable to security flaws. Sony tend to be the sharpest, while LG tend to be the brightest and most colour accurate.
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j0hn

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Re: Smart TV
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2017, 09:26:01 PM »

Sony, Samsung, LG or Panasonic. My preference would be 1 of the 1st 3, less so Panasonic. 4k with HDR, if you're actually going to pay to watch 4k. I wouldn't bother with 4k without HDR.

Sony's now run on Android, with YouView tv guide and interface, brilliant for On-Demand.
LG have their webOS for the interface which is also excellent
I have a Samsung smart tv from just before they switched to Tizen as the tv's OS and haven't really used it.

Many sets now come with Freeview Play, which is a good alternative to YouView if you actually watch tv through your aerial. Like YouView you can watch On-Demand content straight from the tv guide just by scrolling back through time.

If you want to spend big bucks, go OLED. It's still very expensive though, but if you're willing to pay the picture quality beats anything else out there.

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roseway

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Re: Smart TV
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2017, 10:51:37 PM »

Concerning flat or curved, I understand that the curved screens have a very limited angle of view. So unless you'll be watching the TV on your own, get a flat one.
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  Eric

sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Smart TV
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2017, 11:24:45 PM »

One further comment... our own purchase followed a long period of negotiation over screen size.   I wanted bigger, she was less convinced, I kind of won as we got a 55" screen.  Wall mounted, just above eye level when seated and for watching movies, viewed at our sofa distance about 12-15ft, it is pretty good.

But for 'background' viewing, say, when we're watching the news while chatting amd eating dinner off our laps, it's a bit dominating.   I'm seriously considering getting a little, say 12", tv to put in the corner of the room as well as the big screen on the wall. ::)
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Chunkers

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Re: Smart TV
« Reply #6 on: February 16, 2017, 06:47:50 AM »

My personal approach to this is to buy a good quality screen and forget about the "Smart" features, tuners or using the built speakers.  Over the TV's life I just use it as a monitor and connect different boxes to it to provide whatever features I want as the built in ones tend to go out of date very fast and tend to be badly supported.

I upgrade my TV about every 6-10 years.  From what I have read currently 4K is pointless until there is decent amount of content AND unless you get a huge TV (55" plus) you can't really see the difference from normal viewing distances.  The technology that apparently DOES make a difference is good HDR.

You can't beat a good HTPC for covering all the bases for smart features imho.  If you have a good quality screen and a decent HTPC theres not much you can't do (with the possible exception of Sky TV)

So if your current screen is good quality HD, works OK and unless you want HDR maybe you should buy the new features you want through a box of some kind and save yourself some money?

Personally I have a MediaPortal TV server all my telly is over the network to everything : phones, tablets, HTPC's etc.  Its cool and is a really fun geeky project

Chunks
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Black Sheep

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Re: Smart TV
« Reply #7 on: February 16, 2017, 07:48:22 AM »

Wow !!! Thank you so much for the replies, there is definitely some great food-for-thought in all those comments. I'll sit back for a couple more days and see if anything else is added, before I use this info and trudge down to my local TV shop.

*Apparently they will match the low prices you seem to get when ordering on-line (Amazon etc).
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vic0239

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Re: Smart TV
« Reply #8 on: February 16, 2017, 10:16:44 AM »

Just last month I upgraded to an LG OLED UHD HDR tv. It’s the “Picture on Glass” model so is only a few millimetres thin and looks great even when switched off. Picture wise it is stunning, great dynamic contrast range, excellent colour rendition and good sound thanks to the built-in sound bar. Upscaled broadcast HD or 1080p Blu-Ray is exceptional, but give it a UHD HDR source and the image on the screen is fantastic and being an OLED tv there is no issue with viewing angle. I’ve partnered it with a Panasonic UHD Blu-Ray player, there are quite a few releases on UHD disc so hopefully plenty of future viewing material. Highly recommended.
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roseway

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Re: Smart TV
« Reply #9 on: February 16, 2017, 11:28:21 AM »

This one looks good, and there's a whole £1000 reduction on the price. A real bargain. ::)
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  Eric

tubaman

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Re: Smart TV
« Reply #10 on: February 16, 2017, 11:50:24 AM »

This one looks good, and there's a whole £1000 reduction on the price. A real bargain. ::)

How much!  :o
I've never spent anything like that on a car let alone a TV!
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jaydub

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Re: Smart TV
« Reply #11 on: February 16, 2017, 12:28:44 PM »

Don't think we have ever spent more than £500 on a TV.  Over 20 grand for a TV. That's just stupid money. :no:
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broadstairs

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Re: Smart TV
« Reply #12 on: February 16, 2017, 01:02:27 PM »

I never had a mortgage as high as that amount  :o :o

Stuart
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Ronski

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Re: Smart TV
« Reply #13 on: February 16, 2017, 01:16:14 PM »

A good source of reviews for TVs is AV Forums

https://www.avforums.com/homecinema/TV.3

PS.  These might be better value. ........ :-\

http://www.mostluxuriouslist.com/most-expensive-televisions-in-the-world/
« Last Edit: February 17, 2017, 01:18:57 PM by Ronski »
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Smart TV
« Reply #14 on: February 16, 2017, 02:02:38 PM »

Re these prices, so far as I recall, a basic colour TV retailed about £250 to £500 in the early 1970s.  By today's values that would be about £3500 to £7000, converted for inflation since 1970.   :o

I seem to remember a big breakthrough in mid 70s, the first colour set under £200, reckoned to be affordable at last (was it an early Sony trinitron, iirc, probably about 14" screen? )  But again, converted for inflation since 1975, that's still over £1500 today.

My parent's bought their first TV 1957.   Cost them just over £50 then, or over £1000 after converting.  It was about the size of a modern dishwasher with, iirc, a 12" b&w (obviously) screen. 
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