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Post by bryan on Jan 10, 2021 20:50:18 GMT
Are you a member already? If not the first step is to join (as a professional I think you are eligible - for around £30/yr) - you could always go for a look with a friend who is a member or take some proof of your eligibility and thinking of joining and they will give you a visitor view only pass to have a nosy.
They usually have someone very knowledgeable on TVs - you basically see the one you like and hope the car is big enough to bring it home (or hire one of the vans they have on the hour rental thing)
They have a 5 year warranty on the TVs - this has changed a little as people were taking the piss returning 4.5yr old TVs for new all the time.... so now you can return back into store for 90days for any reason and then the rest of the warranty is via a concierge service which will try and fix issues/prior to replacing (I believe)
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 10, 2021 22:26:37 GMT
No. I have been once, a few years ago, with some friends who were members and remember a vast warehouse in somewhere like Merton stuffed with industrial-sized packages of everything. I think it took us three years to get through the box of dishwasher tablets we bought there.
I assume the car ought to be big enough to take a 50" TV boxed. Question is how it works during lockdown?? Can you shop on-line?
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 10, 2021 22:30:33 GMT
We have an 8yr old 42" Panasonic Viera plasma in our sitting room, which has a generally excellent picture for normal HD but absolutely cannot cope with eg the latest Attenborough films - presumably those shot in 4k or some such - the movement of eg flocks of birds is blurred and jerky. Plus as an early smart TV, it's a bit old tech, and the sound has always been pretty crap. So we're planning to retire it to our bedroom where it would replace an ancient 32" Sony Bravia which is not a smart TV and get a new 48/50" TV for the sitting room. It can't be bigger than that because the space for the TV in the built-in shelving won't take a TV bigger than 50", plus since our sitting room isn't large (about 11ft x 17ft), we only sit about 8ft from the screen, so no need for the screen to be bigger than that anyway. So thinking of this: www.richersounds.com/tv-projectors/all-tvs/sony-bravia-kd49xh9505bu.htmlWe contemplated an OLED, but just couldn't quite justify £1,500 on a TV. Are they really that much better than a top-end LED? That tv looks good . If you could get a 55inch in , then I’d defo go OLED as you can get one for £1000, but the 48 inch oled is £1500 so the one you’ve suggested should be good for the money It’s when you see an oled v led next to eachother when you’re in somewhere like Richer sounds or John Lewis with a dark scene in a movie clip that it really shows the difference . We have a Which subscription (I know, right up there with carpet slippers) and having read it and WhatHiFi and various others, what I really fancied was the latest Phillips Ambilight, which is very well-reviewed and until very recently Currys was knocking them out with £300 off, although it was still £1,499. But what put me off was that Phillips only offer a two year guarantee versus a minimum of five from nearly all other manufacturers. Then my wife decided that Freeview Play was a must, and for that I gather you need a TV with an Android TV operating system, which means Sony and not LG or Samsung. Then I read the reviews and the Sony sounded like the best bet for around the £900 mark.
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Post by Andy C on Jan 10, 2021 22:49:17 GMT
If you buy it from richer sounds you get a 6 year guarantee on all TVs
5 with John Lewis
Richer sounds price match too
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Post by alf on Jan 11, 2021 10:08:40 GMT
Good to see you have a Which subscription - I was going to recommend that, all the brands seem to have endless product lines and you need to see reviews of the actual model you are buying. When I was last buying, 2-3 years ago, Samsung and LG generally won more reviews, but all the vendors had their good products. I bought a 43" LG for the old house then a 49" and 43" for mine when I moved out (The 49 was then top of the range non-OLED, with the OLED processor) My partner here had just bought a new Samsung mid-range 55". The picture is very different - LG tends to be a warmer picture and Samsung a whiter, sharper, more defined picture. I've noticed this using scores of hotel TV's - my point being they can look very different so personal preference will be a big thing. I prefer the LG look on high quality inputs and find there are far more settings to tweak (the "pro expert ones can be great starting points) than on the Samsung, but SD looks better on the latter, as can some nature stuff and sports. It gets well reviewed but I don't like the LG UI - despite it being my main one for years - or the pointer thingy. Samsung and Panasonic have faster, simpler menus. If you don't use hifi/sounds bars all the time then sound is important - my 49" LG is incredible for a TV and with genuine bass too, annoyingly (as its the one in the lounge that we watch the most) the Samsung has weak sound and no real backup - there is a Sony mini hifi in there which I have connected up via optical output and a DAC box but its not great. I'll roll out the proper hifi when the kids are old enough not to wreck it............. OLED I have never tried... I will check it out some time. How much to spend depends in my mind on whether you are someone who really notices the difference and cares, or not. Its like hifi in that respect. I notice
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Jan 11, 2021 11:00:58 GMT
We bought a Sony Bravia 4K 43" Smart TV for the living room about 4 years ago and when we got it I was blown away by how good the picture was. It doesn't have a soundbar but the sound was pretty decent anyway. If I can fault it then it is its tendency to suddenly crash and reboot the android OS for no apparent reason.
2 years ago I bought a 55" Samsung QLED with soundbar and subwoofer for the family room and that is where we do most of our viewing now. It has all the Freeview stuff and Netflix, Prime etc all built in. I've been delighted with it and when I went to watch something on the old Sony (we hadn't been in the living room for about 6 months) I did notice a slight reduction in quality - not much mind.
We got ours from John Lewis so you get the 5 year warranty. I also got them to come and do the installation, fit it to the wall, remove the packaging etc. I think that was about £100 but worth it to make sure it's level and won't fall off.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 11, 2021 11:41:47 GMT
Thanks all. I've not been tempted by the Samsung QLED range as, having browsed around in Currys when you still could do that, I found there was something indefinable artificial about the picture quality on the QLEDs - almost like it was very life-like animation rather than actual life action. I far preferred the OLED image quality - I could see the difference right away. My wife was less convinced but then she is quite short-sighted and her long vision with contacts/glasses is still nowhere near mine (which remains excellent although I do now need reading glasses).
I remember we were absolutely mesmerised by our current Panasonic plasma when we got it in January 2013 - first thing we watched was Gladiator in HD and it was spell-binding - almost like there was a tiny 3D diorama inside the TV - night and day better than the 2006-vintage Samsung LCD flatscreen we'd previously had.
So I'd like a similar "wow" factor from spending the thick end of a grand on a new TV this time as well. Hence the focus on the Sony Bravia which gets better plaudits for picture quality than the Samsungs (be they QLED or LED).
Yes, I'm tempted by the John Lewis option of fitting - adds £200 by the time you've bought the mount and had the fitment.
One question - does anyone know if the mounting points for wall brackets on the back of TVs are more or less in the same place on most models? Our Panasonic is on an extendable/tilt-able etc arm bracket mounted on the wall in the space for the TV in the book-case. It would be annoying to have to move the position of the mount on the wall to accommodate a new larger TV (if eg it sits higher or lower than the current one).
What I'd want the JL installation team to do (if they would), is fit the new mount (just a simple tilting one) to our bedroom wall and mount the old Panasonic there, and then attach the new TV to the existing mount in the living room, but not sure if that's asking too much of them. For £125 I don't think so, but I guess they could be quite rigid about it if they wanted to be.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Jan 11, 2021 11:54:31 GMT
The Samsung QLEDs are usually, like most TVs in shops, set up with the Auto Motion feature on by default, which is great on fast moving sports but can give an artificial "soap opera" effect on other pictures. It's a feature of debate in movie circles with people like Tom Cruise saying people should switch this feature off to enjoy movies as they are intended. You can have it on, off, or custom. We have the latter configured. www.tomsguide.com/uk/us/samsung-tv-settings-guide,review-4663-7.html The two JL fitters that installed ours were really good and accommodating. I think if I'd asked them to put the replaced TV on another bracket I think they'd have done so but they're under no obligation and you're really at the mercy of their goodwill. Most TVs have standard VESA mounting points that match up with any bracket. I remember my mother in law asking me to install a TV in her bedroom on an articulating bracket. It was an outside wall so required some serious drilling. I asked her where she wanted it and she said about a foot above her dresser so I measured, drilled away, plugged and installed the bracket, hung the TV and stood back to admire my work, at which point she came in and produced a small jewelry box, about 10 inches high, put it on top of the dresser and said; "no, I meant about a foot above that". TV down, bracket off, holes filled, painted, new measurement, new holes drilled, bracket rehung, TV installed. Not a happy bunny.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 11, 2021 16:15:49 GMT
[...] articulating bracket [...] That's the term I was looking for and couldn't think of...
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Jan 11, 2021 16:19:38 GMT
[...] articulating bracket [...] That's the term I was looking for and couldn't think of... I've been called worse...
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Tv advice
Jan 11, 2021 17:09:01 GMT
via mobile
Post by Roadrunner on Jan 11, 2021 17:09:01 GMT
"Tell me. Do you think television has come to stay?"
One of my favourite Keith Joseph quotes, along with, "How do the birds know it is a sanctuary?"
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2021 17:58:01 GMT
Talking of tv's, what is the current opinion on projector types? Any good?
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Tv advice
Jan 11, 2021 17:59:45 GMT
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Post by Alex on Jan 11, 2021 17:59:45 GMT
One thing I like about my Samsung is the ability to cast things from Youtube on my android phone onto the screen, can you still do that with Panasonic, LG etc? It is good watching Harry's garage on the big screen The LG has a YouTube app, but you can share content from another device. Yes on Panasonic too. I've got a 40" Panasonic 4k and I'm really happy with it. Smart functionality is pretty good with the only exception being that they don't have the Disney+ app. Mine cost about £400 about 5 years ago and is still providing a great picture. I'm sure a higher end set would be better but for most of what I watch I'm pretty happy.
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Post by PG on Jan 11, 2021 19:42:43 GMT
We contemplated an OLED, but just couldn't quite justify £1,500 on a TV. Are they really that much better than a top-end LED? Short answer - Yes. Absolutely. If you can afford the OLED, get one. We got a 55 inch Samsung OLED a few years ago. They can look a bit "fake" on the shop settings, but overall the quality we've experienced is way above what top end LED's offer.
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Post by Martin on Jan 11, 2021 19:47:46 GMT
We contemplated an OLED, but just couldn't quite justify £1,500 on a TV. Are they really that much better than a top-end LED? Short answer - Yes. Absolutely. If you can afford the OLED, get one. We got a 55 inch Samsung OLED a few years ago. They can look a bit "fake" on the shop settings, but overall the quality we've experienced is way above what top end LED's offer. I agree, our 65” LG C8 is fantastic.
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Tv advice
Jan 11, 2021 19:55:34 GMT
via mobile
Post by bryan on Jan 11, 2021 19:55:34 GMT
No. I have been once, a few years ago, with some friends who were members and remember a vast warehouse in somewhere like Merton stuffed with industrial-sized packages of everything. I think it took us three years to get through the box of dishwasher tablets we bought there. I assume the car ought to be big enough to take a 50" TV boxed. Question is how it works during lockdown?? Can you shop on-line? Lockdown is no different to normal, just rock up and shop/looks at TVs, but you need a card from a friend or register for a visitor pass. Online is possible but everytime I have bought online the delivered item has had a problem and been some effort to resolve, but always satisfied in the end
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Post by clunes on Jan 12, 2021 18:11:10 GMT
I bought the 55" version of the model you are looking at a couple of years back (so not the same but equivalent in the range at the time). OLED is superior no question but the Full Array LED backlight of the Sony you are looking at is preferable to edge lit panels that are typically much more common as it gives better contrast (better blacks) and improved brightness control over different areas of the screen
The QLED technology is (I think!) just a filter between a standard LED panel and the backlight which is supposed to improve colours but if you setup your (any!) TV correctly then the colours should be very accurate.
OLED is a different beast altogether and gives improved picture as every pixel is individually controlled and when you need black they can simply switch off giving better contrast and improved brightness overall (important in some viewing locations if there is a lot of ambient light).
I've been more than happy with the picture on my Sony though - it was probably the best 'standard' LED at the time and it seems this years model has carried on that path - one thing to note is that when you first setup the picture as recommended (lots of sites have recommendations and walk throughs of the settings) it might seem a little 'dull' as most televisions come with default brightness and contrast/colour turned up - looks impressive at first glance but once you get used to the more natural picture I far prefer it.
The Sony (at least when I purchased) got praise for the processor (and the one in 'your' set looks to be quite a step up again) it used and its ability to upscale standard signals well and handle motion more effectively.
The Android OS isn't the best though - distinctly sluggish on mine when you turn it on before you can get to the guide/menus in some cases and it's not as slick to navigate compared to my (limited) experience with LG and Samsung but again - the new processor in the current model may well resolve all those items as well.
For the money I doubt you'll find a better sub 50" set right now
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 13, 2021 11:33:35 GMT
That's really helpful - thanks
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Post by Tim on Jan 13, 2021 12:25:27 GMT
I bought a 40" Sony smart TV for about £250 a couple of years ago. I thought it was doing a great job but reading through this thread leaves it feeling a bit inadequate
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Post by johnc on Jan 13, 2021 12:43:10 GMT
I bought a 40" Sony smart TV for about £250 a couple of years ago. I thought it was doing a great job but reading through this thread leaves it feeling a bit inadequate Me too. We have a 12 yr old 40" Panasonic Plasma and a 32" Panasonic LED which is even older. My Father in Law has told us we can have his 6 or 7 yr old 40" Samsung 3D TV because they are replacing the unit it used to sit on with a fireplace and are getting a new TV fitted on the wall which acts as a piece of art or a mirror when you aren't watching TV!
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Post by garry on Jan 13, 2021 12:54:41 GMT
I took Martins advice and was so delighted with the LG I also bought a 77 inch c9 for a cinema room i created. They are incredible TVs. The cinema room is circa 14 feet square and the 77 inch TV makes for a truly immersive experience.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 13, 2021 20:28:04 GMT
My 12 year old 46" Panasonic plasma is soldiering on with a decent picture. Weighs a ton so unlikely to be nicked. We have an 8yr old 42" Panasonic Viera plasma in our sitting room, which has a generally excellent picture for normal HD but absolutely cannot cope with eg the latest Attenborough films - presumably those shot in 4k or some such - the movement of eg flocks of birds is blurred and jerky. Plus as an early smart TV, it's a bit old tech, and the sound has always been pretty crap. So we're planning to retire it to our bedroom where it would replace an ancient 32" Sony Bravia which is not a smart TV and get a new 48/50" TV for the sitting room. It can't be bigger than that because the space for the TV in the built-in shelving won't take a TV bigger than 50", plus since our sitting room isn't large (about 11ft x 17ft), we only sit about 8ft from the screen, so no need for the screen to be bigger than that anyway. Not so different from us then. Our Sony in our bedroom must date from about 2006. It was my wife's and she can't remember when she bought it but it wasn't new when we met in 2010.
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Post by racingteatray on Feb 1, 2021 15:38:23 GMT
So in the end went ahead and ordered one of these. Should arrive towards end of this week or latest early next week. Looking forward to it as our first new TV in 8 years. Partly because I'm really interested to see how much improved the viewing experience is with the bigger screen and up-to-date tech. Partly because we will be able to move our existing smart TV to the bedroom and therefore finally have decent image quality and eg Netflix/iPlayer etc in our bedroom and not just in the sitting room.
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Post by racingteatray on Feb 5, 2021 18:36:39 GMT
So the Eagle landed today, so to speak.
I did manage, very carefully, to remove our existing TV from the wall mount, get it upstairs (plasmas are pigging heavy), mounted back on its stand and set up in the bedroom.
And, hallelujah, I hadn't thrown away the spare bolts of different sizes that came with the sitting room wall mount six years ago - tracked them down in a compartment of my tool box and one set was the right size. And then double hallelujah, the new TV bolted straight onto the wall mount and fits into the recess in the bookcase without needing me to move the mount.
I am almost more excited by the leap in picture quality in our bedroom (from c.2006 32" LED to c.2013 43" plasma), which verges on quantum, than I am in the leap in picture quality from the c.2013 43" plasma to the new 49" LED.
In fact it has reminded me that, with the right HD format, the picture quality on our plasma really is still very good. It's just the newer formats it struggles with.
I was actually a bit underwhelmed initially when I turned the new TV on - the picture quality on say BBC1 HD really didn't look meaningfully different.
But then I tried A Perfect Planet on iPlayer and the difference was obvious - it copes much, much better with movement captured in whatever newer format today's Attenborough films are shot in compared to those of a decade ago.
Likewise, a quick trial of Netflix showed that the picture quality is actually excellent.
Where there's a massive improvement is in the sound - put bluntly our plasma (a Panasonic) has always had rubbish sound - like the whole thing is wrapped in blankets. This new Sony has way more punch and clarity.
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Post by Andy C on Feb 5, 2021 19:00:11 GMT
Sounds good Jonny. A decent source like SKY Q/Netflix/Blu-ray 4k should really show it off. It's always worth making sure the picture is set up properly too, and not on 'currys' settings. Not saying pay for a calibration or anything, but follow a guide like here : www.avforums.com/PicturePerfect/Always used to be Cinema was the go to mode, but now TVs have THX presets, which are the most accurate out of the box. Some even have a filmmaker mode.
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Tv advice
Feb 6, 2021 10:45:18 GMT
via mobile
Post by racingteatray on Feb 6, 2021 10:45:18 GMT
Thanks. I figured as much from reading the reviews, but have yet to sit down and really read the settings instructions.
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Tv advice
Feb 6, 2021 10:49:45 GMT
via mobile
Post by racingteatray on Feb 6, 2021 10:49:45 GMT
One thing that surprised me is that the new Sony is quite bulky - although the frame is barely 1cm around the screen, the whole thing must be a good 10cms thick. Whereas our Panasonic plasma has a 2cm frame around the screen but is at a guess no more than 4cms thick - practically disappears seen in side profile.
Might explain the difference in sound quality!!
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Post by Martin on Feb 6, 2021 11:17:45 GMT
One thing that surprised me is that the new Sony is quite bulky - although the frame is barely 1cm around the screen, the whole thing must be a good 10cms thick. Whereas our Panasonic plasma has a 2cm frame around the screen but is at a guess no more than 4cms thick - practically disappears seen in side profile. Might explain the difference in sound quality!! That’s surprising. Our 65” OLED is 3mm thick on the top 2/3rd and 4cm thick at the bottom where the speaker and all the connectors are. Its an LG and the best setting for us is Expert (Dark Room) as we like to keep the light levels in the room low when watching films. Our old Sony LCD is an even 4cm thick
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Post by racingteatray on Feb 7, 2021 15:47:52 GMT
This is our old Panasonic plasma in side profile:
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Post by racingteatray on Feb 7, 2021 15:49:58 GMT
New Sony:
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