New TV help

MrOneLung

Looking for a new TV for lounge
Nothing too pricey - looking in the sub £750 range. 55-65 inches 

am a proper technophobe, will only really be plugging the Virgin TiVo box into it, Won’t be used for gaming etc. 

I know there are a lot of tech savvy people on here, so any ideas are welcomed 

SoundAsa£

I’m no expert but I have to say that you can’t go wrong with Panasonic.
Had a few now over the years and have been pleased with them all.

MrWalker

The guts of many TV's are made in the same Vestel factory in Turkey. eg Panasonic, JVC, Toshiba, Hitachi. Took my Phillips apart and the screen was branded Samsung.
My advice is to buy whatever meets your budget, in UHD from John Lewis as when we bought ours last year, it was the only store with a 5 year warranty included.

MummysLittleSoldier

Don't think its by any stretch the fanciest out there, im not a techy at all, but for the price/budget this Samsung has served me well. Great pic quality, I enjoy the curve screen and reviews are very solid. Don't know if all TVs have this now, but Samsung seems to have the licensing to have iPlayer, Prime, Netflix, YouTube, Now TV etc all as built in apps without any faff of downloading.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8134105?clickSR=slp:term:curved tv:1:695:1

I did buy the soundbar to go with it though, apparently the standard sound isnt the best according to the tech gurus

Danepak

I would get a Sony Android TV, as it’s got access to the Google Playstore. I know you only want to use it for your Virgin box, but there are so many good apps out there and technophobes can use them too.
And get an entry level Sony soundbar (HT-S350 for under 200 quid) to go with it. You won’t regret it. Trust me.
I had a look at Curry’s website and you can get both for just under 800 quid (TV £599 and the soundbar £199).

Dazzler21

Danepak said:

I would get a Sony Android TV, as it’s got access to the Google Playstore. I know you only want to use it for your Virgin box, but there are so many good apps out there and technophobes can use them too.
And get an entry level Sony soundbar (HT-S350 for under 200 quid) to go with it. You won’t regret it. Trust me.
I had a look at Curry’s website and you can get both for just under 800 quid (TV £599 and the soundbar £199).

Would you mind linking to the tv model you're referring?

I am personally on the hunt for dumb TV's as I use firesticks and chromecast, but dumb 4k tvs are more pricey than smart ones!

BrentfordAddick

Adding a soundbar is very important but be careful not t buy one that goes to sleep if there is no sound. It will do this immediately there is a quiet moment in a film and take about half a second to restart. In most chain stores you will get a blank look when asking this question, unfortunately, and the tech specs often don't go into this so I can't find one to recommend. Check Richer Sounds https://www.richersounds.com/ for best service. 

ShootersHillGuru

BrentfordAddick said:

Adding a soundbar is very important but be careful not t buy one that goes to sleep if there is no sound. It will do this immediately there is a quiet moment in a film and take about half a second to restart. In most chain stores you will get a blank look when asking this question, unfortunately, and the tech specs often don't go into this so I can't find one to recommend. Check Richer Sounds https://www.richersounds.com/ for best service. 

Half a fecking second. My first tv took a good minute to warm up. How life has changed that half a second is worth worrying about. 😉

cafcfan

SoundAsa£ said:

I’m no expert but I have to say that you can’t go wrong with Panasonic.
Had a few now over the years and have been pleased with them all.

I'm no expert, but I'd say don't touch Panasonic with a barge pole.

Back in 2014 they admitted that their brand new UHD model was not compatible with UHD Netflix and never would be.

Then there's this from their own website: From 2019 the TVs in our range that feature a satellite input unfortunately do not have the Freesat EPG system that you may be accustomed to from previous models in our range. The 2019 range can receive satellite transmissions but it will not have an EPG system for those channels. https://support-uk.panasonic.eu/app/answers/detail/a_id/5296/~/i-do-not-have-a-guide-when-using-freesat-for-transmition.-can-the-televisions

Then, when BBC, ITV, etc switched over to DVB-S2 transmissions, many older Panasonic TVs were incapable of getting reception despite the spec claiming they were compatible.  This was a hardware problem that could not be fixed by a firmware update and consequently immediately bricked large numbers of their TVs in the UK.  Read more here https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5667787/panasonic-tv-or-pvr-cannot-watch-itv-hd-claim-now

So, I had a very nice, very expensive pile of useless non-functioning crap sitting in the corner of the living room.

At that stage I bought a Samsung and splashed out on Sky Q.

So the Panasonic is now doing service as a bedroom TV but only grudgingly because it takes its input from a Sky Q mini box.

Broadly, it appears that Panasonic fail to make future-proof products, don't care and don't tell customers the truth about why their products don't work.  I'd give them a swerve.

ricky_otto

ShootersHillGuru said:

BrentfordAddick said:

Adding a soundbar is very important but be careful not t buy one that goes to sleep if there is no sound. It will do this immediately there is a quiet moment in a film and take about half a second to restart. In most chain stores you will get a blank look when asking this question, unfortunately, and the tech specs often don't go into this so I can't find one to recommend. Check Richer Sounds https://www.richersounds.com/ for best service. 

Half a fecking second. My first tv took a good minute to warm up. How life has changed that half a second is worth worrying about. 😉

Are you sure it was the fire that you had turned on? 

cafcpolo

Samsung UE65TU8500UXXU 65" HDR 4K Smart TV with Bixby, Alexa & Google Voice Assistant (hughes.co.uk)

You won't find many (if any) better 65in TVs than this at this price point.

2121

Ill second the Samsung. Very easy to use with apps and phone connectivity, no need for sticks or cables. 

Lg very good as well. 

Chef_addick

I got a new 4k Samsung 2 years ago and whilst the picture is great Samsung put ads on the main menu bar and there is no way of turning them off, I'll never buy a Samsung TV again now.

bobmunro

I've pretty much always had Sonys and have never been disappointed.

Mendonca In Asdas

Currys pc world have been pretty good in the past, I saw a 75 inch telly LG I think for £800 recently, Telly’s really have come down in price a lot.

Danepak

Dazzler21 said:

Danepak said:

I would get a Sony Android TV, as it’s got access to the Google Playstore. I know you only want to use it for your Virgin box, but there are so many good apps out there and technophobes can use them too.
And get an entry level Sony soundbar (HT-S350 for under 200 quid) to go with it. You won’t regret it. Trust me.
I had a look at Curry’s website and you can get both for just under 800 quid (TV £599 and the soundbar £199).

Would you mind linking to the tv model you're referring?

I am personally on the hunt for dumb TV's as I use firesticks and chromecast, but dumb 4k tvs are more pricey than smart ones!

Absolutely:
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-home-entertainment/televisions/televisions/sony-bravia-ke55xh8096bu-55-smart-4k-ultra-hd-hdr-led-tv-with-google-assistant-10220837-pdt.html

Soundbar:
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-home-entertainment/dvd-blu-ray-and-home-cinema/home-cinema-systems-and-sound-bars/sony-ht-s350-2-1-wireless-sound-bar-10191276-pdt.html

With the soundbar, it turns on and off, when you turn the tv on or off. Also, volume is controlled from the TV remote, so no need to use the remote which comes with the soundbar.

You can either install the soundbar on a table beneath the TV or have it mounted below (there are options available for this).

SoundAsa£

cafcfan said:

SoundAsa£ said:

I’m no expert but I have to say that you can’t go wrong with Panasonic.
Had a few now over the years and have been pleased with them all.

I'm no expert, but I'd say don't touch Panasonic with a barge pole.

Back in 2014 they admitted that their brand new UHD model was not compatible with UHD Netflix and never would be.

Then there's this from their own website: From 2019 the TVs in our range that feature a satellite input unfortunately do not have the Freesat EPG system that you may be accustomed to from previous models in our range. The 2019 range can receive satellite transmissions but it will not have an EPG system for those channels. https://support-uk.panasonic.eu/app/answers/detail/a_id/5296/~/i-do-not-have-a-guide-when-using-freesat-for-transmition.-can-the-televisions

Then, when BBC, ITV, etc switched over to DVB-S2 transmissions, many older Panasonic TVs were incapable of getting reception despite the spec claiming they were compatible.  This was a hardware problem that could not be fixed by a firmware update and consequently immediately bricked large numbers of their TVs in the UK.  Read more here https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5667787/panasonic-tv-or-pvr-cannot-watch-itv-hd-claim-now

So, I had a very nice, very expensive pile of useless non-functioning crap sitting in the corner of the living room.

At that stage I bought a Samsung and splashed out on Sky Q.

So the Panasonic is now doing service as a bedroom TV but only grudgingly because it takes its input from a Sky Q mini box.

Broadly, it appears that Panasonic fail to make future-proof products, don't care and don't tell customers the truth about why their products don't work.  I'd give them a swerve.

🙄🙄🙄.......Oh ermm.......right oh then?🤨

Justin20474

I went to Richer Sounds for my new TV, they were very knowledgeable and match my needs and budget perfectly while explaining functionality of the TV in simple teminaology. .