[Closed] TV conundrum. To buy now or wait.

I'd wait until there's more 4k stuff to watch/play - I'm hoping that by the time that happens (or current TV dies for some reason) OLED will be a bit more affordable.

I quite like curved PC monitors but not TVs, I'm sure they work well if you plonk an armchair right in front of it but most people will be watching a bit off-centre and the curve does that no favours at all.

I can't see 4k really getting much progress. Sure, everything will support 4k, but most people still watch standard definition DVDs and TV!

Blu Ray hasn't taken over the world and physical discs are dying. Streaming is taking over and most of that is compressed to hell, even when it's in HD, though most are happy with SD and even just watching TV and films on their phones and tablets!

There will be 4k content, but niche. Broadcasters upgrading everything to 4k by default is going to take a very long time. We still have a limited selection of HD channels and far less of them free to air.

As for what to buy though, I'd want to see how well 4k TVs upscale SD and HD content to their native resolution. If it's pretty much undetectable difference between HD on a 1080 TV vs a 4k, then I'd go for the 4k. On the basis that the newer technology in the panels are in the newer models. Much like, even though 3D is basically dead, it was better to get a 3D model with a newer panel than an older 2D only panel.

My 2p:

I wouldn’t buy a 4K telly for the sake of an upgrade just now, but there’s more 4K ‘about’ than a few years ago - Sky Q, Netflix and Amazon Prime offer 4K services and I stream a lot more than record of view as it’s transmitted these days.

Equally if I had to buy a TV 4K is one of the ‘must haves’.

In short, unless you need it to replace a broken one or you want a new screen I wait till you do.

I'd only buy a new telly if mine broke. The one you have does what you want it to so why change?

(obviously this only applies for tellies and not bikes)

Unless you've got loads of 4k content to watch there's no point.

I've got both a 4K and HD TV - Blu-rays on the 4K look a little better (it upscales) but the difference is negligible.

TV technology changes, and modern TV's don't usually last that long.  Get what you think has all the features, but don't expect any UHD stuff for a long time. Full 1080 is good, but many programmes are compressed - they certainly aren't sending 20 plus GB down the line - DVD dual layer was 8gb which is SD.  A typical HD streamed movie might be 2-4gb - certainly not blu-ray at 25gb

I’d look at the MU7000 version if I was you they can be found for a good price, forget curved it’s a silly gimmick.4K is slowly becoming readily available, the arguments of “Oooh! there’s no prorgrammes and no beneifts” sound just like those who told you 1080p wasn’t worth it.

I was set to buy a mu8000 this month but other plans are afoot so it’s on hold.

Simple.  Do you need a new TV?  If yes, buy one.  If no, don't.

I wouldn't give a toss about 4K or curved screens, personally.

do you have a big room to take a big telly? I seem to remember somewhere (a thread on here??) having a screen vs seat distance graph and if you are too close then you don't get the benefit of a massive telly and the 4k looks too 'granular' so you'd be better off with 1080

Generally agree, there's not that much proper 4k content still, and upscale isn't proper 4k.

Even gaming at 4k requires a very expensive pc, some consoles can do it at lower frame rates but that's kinda defeating the objective.

I'd spend the vouchers on something more practical, and buy a 4k screen in a couple of years when it's more standardised, cheaper and there's more content.

I'm just buying an LG 49SJ800V (arrives tomorrow) from Richer Sounds.  I have an older 32" Panasonic, which still works OK but I'm having difficulty reading the text when playing Elite Dangerous on the PS4 so wanted a bigger screen.

Prices for 4k  appear to have dropped and the majority of them at that size are now that resolution.  Apparently according to work mates Amazon Prime do a lot of 4k stuff.  Obviously Netflix has a chunk of 4k too.

I'd sooner not have a smart telly but a really good screen with HDMI ports I  can plug boxes into as this year's 'smart' telly is next year's 'dumb' one as services end but you can't get them.  Unless they're monitors then you need an external tuner.

Simple.  Do you need a new TV?  If yes, buy one.  If no, don’t.

I wouldn’t give a toss about 4K or curved screens, personally.

If the price was good, and the picture quality up to scratch, then I’d certainly consider 4K, because, why not?

Curved screens on the other hand are up there with 3D as something that’s just not worth the candle, and I would try to avoid so-called ‘smart functionality’, because manufacturers don’t seem too fussed about updates, and there are better ways to get that functionality.

There's also privacy concerns with 'smart tv's' as they'll all be running dodgy proprietary software.

I'd sooner buy a high quality 'dumb' 4k monitor.

5 years in with my Smart TV and had no issues with the software not being updated or services ended.

4K consoles run at 60fps which is absolutely fine, if you’re looking at getting the benefit of gaming then again MU7000 is a better choice as it gets a very good refresh rate.

Do both by buying now, waiting for a bit then selling it for a massive loss. Cake ÷ (had + eaten) = winner

I'm looking at a new TV as well. Signed up for the £1 Which trial.  The Best Buy TVs under £1000 are all Samsungs or LGs ijncluding the  MU7000 mentioned above.  I'll probably be getting the cheapest 50" best buy the Samsung MU6100 at around £450.

Should be a decent upgrade on our current 32"  set.

I’m having difficulty reading the text when playing Elite Dangerous on the PS4 so wanted a bigger screen.

I'd respectfully suggest a visit to the opticians rather than a new TV.

If the price was good, and the picture quality up to scratch, then I’d certainly consider 4K, because, why not?

Absolutely.  But I'd rather throw good money at a high end 1080p panel than worry about 4k; if that panel happened to be 4k then fair enough.

4K is not worth it for the upgrade alone. My dads just got a decent 4K tv and i’m Not that impressed at the 4K picture over my HD plasma. And the sd/hd upscaling is not any better then a decent hd tv. Also when more 4K content is available you’ll have to pay for it as a premium service with your content provider and you’ve got to be watching a lot of tv to make that worth your while.

if my telly broke i’d Have it, but I won’t be upgrading just for 4K.

For me TV's are a long term purchase therefore I'd personally until you can go OLED. Best buy would be an LG B7 or C7 at ~£1500. If you're not prepared to spend that I'd wait.

I'd concentrate more on HDR than 4K. 4K is better than HD, but 4K HDR is where the huge jump is. Without the true blacks of an OLED you're going to struggle to get the most out of HDR content though.

I bought an LG C7 about 6 months ago and have been stunned by the quality. Once you're used to a OLED , LED screens just look horribly murky. I've been surprised how much 4K (and more importantly 4K HDR) content there is out there. I'd say more than half my viewing is 4K HDR (Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, XBox One X, even You Tube).

There are a fair few people complaining about image retention on OLEDs, so I wouldn't buy one without investigating that more and whether you will take the necessary care to avoid getting it.

I would also look at the new Sony X900F, it is fald and they are doing something a bit cleverer with the black frame insertion so movement looks a bit better than normal LCDs.

The neighbour has asked me for a tv recommendation so I have had a quick look at the Samsung but it looks like it is not that great with motion. Here is a video where he calibrates the Samsung and then makes some comments :

The 4k TVs tend to be the higher range TVs and therefore have better and/or higher grade features. I wouldn't care if it is 4k, just how well it shows HD and SD material.

Also consider viewing angles, which are good with OLED but not so good with the VA panels used in a lot of LCD TVs.

Never bother waiting for new technology, if you need a new TV, buy one. We replaced a Pioneer Kuro that was struck by lightening with a curved Samsung something not 4K. The picture is very good, but the curvature is a gimick. I wouldn't bother next time. You don't sit close enough for the curvature to matter.

Curved - avoid for a TV, there's no immersion benefit when sitting usual viewing distances away and everything else is a negative

4K - There's a surprising amount of 4K content on Netflix (£10 a month version), Prime doesn't have much free (a few shows but not really any films). Sky Q is also a bit 'meh' when it comes to 4K content (unless you watch a lot of football)

HDR - amazing (at least on my OLED TV), I see it as more of a viewing enhancement than 1080 to 4K is

Size - it matters when it comes to TVs, especially with 4K - I've say 55" would be the smallest size you want to consider. If you're not in a hurry to change I'd wait and see if a 65" version drops within your budget in the next 6-12 months

I've not used that model Samsung before but they generally do decent mid-range TVs and there's plenty of reviews on them available. My last TV was a Samsung and I had no complaints (other than it halving in price 6 months after I bought it but that's what you get for buying newly released models).

So if it were me and I didn't need to buy a new TV right now (and the vouchers weren't about to expire) I'd wait 6 months and see if anything 65" were available in my budget. If I were buying now I'd get a month's free Netflix and binge watch 4K stuff then decide if there was enough content left worth continuing to subscribe for or just ditch it until there is. Whatever you do don't get Sky Q for 4K content at the moment, it's a joke.

Size – it matters when it comes to TVs, especially with 4K – I’ve say 55″ would be the smallest size you want to consider.

It all depends on how close you sit to the TV, a bit like a computer monitor.

Also look for the number of hdmi inputs or might have to add an expansion box at some point, some of the 1080p sets rest in the lower ranges and only have 2 inputs. My panny has 3 but that's not enough, 4 would be better.

And then not all the inputs are 4k enabled either on a 4k set, it's like they are trying to catch you out.

Also, while the current one is ageing (getting on for 10 years, a 1080p 40″ Samsung)

You don't say whether this was a high end set at the time or even a Plasma (as a 10 year old Samsung could have been).

Unless you're going really big, or watching really close, 4k won't offer anything over 1080, though you might see some impact from the HDR on PS games. However, a decent modern LCD will likely have a much better picture than a 10 year old one.  On the other hand, I still don't think any LCDs I've seen can match the last plasma sets (whether Pioneer, Panasonic or Samsung).  OLEDs still seem to have a significant cost uplift.

My 1080 Panasonic plasma is staying for the forseeable future.

Think I am going to recommend the Panasonic 40EX700B to my neighbour, from JL :

https://www.johnlewis.com/panasonic-40ex700b-led-hdr-4k-ultra-hd-smart-tv-40-inch-with-freeview-play-slim-metallic-bezel-switch-design-adjustable-stand-ultra-hd-certified-silver/p3170789

4 HDMI inputs? What have you got plugged in?

In my case: Sky box, Xbox One, PS3, Chromecast (all into the amp, then one cable to the TV). Could do with more really, I've to start unplugging things if I want to use my Xbox 360, laptop or tablet on the TV, and having a spare dangling Just In Case can be handy.

I have my PS4 and a DVD which is only plugged in as it’s used as a surround sound system, the ARC HDMI means I only need one remote.

Virgin box, Amazon Fire, Bluray player. Have to toggle blueray player with google chromecast although got cast functionality on one of the other devices I think. If I had a console then I would need to toggle that as well.

A Smart TV means 2 of those aren’t necessary.

... for about a fortnight, until it's out of date and half of the functionality doesn't work any more.

5 years in and no such issues here.

4 HDMI inputs? What have you got plugged in?

PVR

PC

AppleTV 4k

Xbox One X

Wii

Blu Ray player (though could go as I could use the Xbox)

Soundbar

5 years in and no such issues here.

wow - you must be an AV God.

A Smart TV means 2 of those aren’t necessary.

I'd rather not be reliant on the functionality of my smart tv and whether the manufacturer can be bothered to keep updating it, or to base my decisions on buying a TV on whether it has good smart tv functionality, prefering to use picture quality as the deciding factor.

A cheap hdmi selector/switch box would also do, but that's possibly another remote.

Or an AV amp, but I prefer 2 channel and I am not aware of one that is as good a pre-amp as my Music First TVC.

These days I wouldn't spend more on £500 on a TV and would expect that to probably last 8 years or more.

I don't see any functions that are revolutionary.

And yes HDMI's are important our current has 4 and only just ok for what we currently have connected.

I personally wouldn't bother with a 'SMART' TV most stuff is done from my phone to TV.

I’d rather not be reliant on the functionality of my smart tv and whether the manufacturer can be bothered to keep updating it, or to base my decisions on buying a TV on whether it has good smart tv functionality, prefering to use picture quality as the deciding factor.

I’m not reliant on my Smart TV funnily enough, I chose it as at the time it offered the best picture, best for gaming and best value for those. Being an AV god didn’t come into it was more the manufacturer still supporting the apps. Yes one day it will stop but it’s certainly not a short time. If/when they do I’ll use my PS4 as it has all those apps on and is plugged into the hdmi.

Most TVs £500+ will be smart TVs these days so it's not really a big factor in most people's decision-making. I access Netflix & Prime through my TV, there's even dedicated buttons on the remote for them so can't see any point in buying a Chromecast etc. (I only have 1 HDMI input into my TV...). I didn't buy the TV for that reason though (and on my previous TV that was fine for years accessing Prime without needing an external device), sure some apps get messed up or removed but the core apps like Prime, Netflix and iPlayer are stable IME.

I've got nothing against Chromecasts etc, I I just think they're becoming increasingly less required.

Many thanks for all contributions.

Im going with the dull option I think for now. As it’s not the primary TV, and the current one is doing more than a sterling job, I’ll hold off till it dies. I can always use the vouchers on something else (Waitrose food shops if it looks like they’ll expire, could be worse...)

Got a much more tricky dilemma, coming to a thread near you soon....😩

I’m with FuzzyWuzzy on the smart tv bit.

I didn’t want it but it was on the Sony I got cheap a few Black Fridays ago but Netflix and  prime just work and As it’s android it’s not as proprietary as some and it’s not an unpleasent thing to use.

<div class="bbp-reply-author">Drac
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I’d look at the MU7000 version

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Great TV - I have the 55" version. Netflix HDR / 4k is stunning. Youtube in 4k too.