43" TV recomendations?

[paulrbarnard]

I wouldn't waste money on the 4K phenomenon; there's not a lot around in the over hyped arena. And the price differentil is also totally unjustified. Well it is for me and no doubt many others too.

Really? Pretty much everything I watch is available in HD. It is instantly apparent.

 

[okeydokey]

Look forward to hearing how the new TV is much better than the existing

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Buying TVs is a little like going to a restaurant:

• buy cheap - it delivers basic calories, in uninspired surroundings, using cheap ingredients, at best cooked averagely. Motorway services spring to mind.
• mid range - a meal with reasonable flavour and ingredients, produced by someone who may have been to a catering college - the local curry house, decent pub grub etc. A place where ambience and companions are at least as important as the food.
• top end - probably has a few rosettes or stars to justify their costs/prices to produce complex dishes with high quality ingredients, in upmarket surroundings. You eat there because food quality (or status is paramount

Why the TV analogue:

• low end allows you access to the programming, but for most would rarely be watched and never be a source of enjoyment
• mid range provides a decent experience for most, and if replacing that which is 10+ years old will almost certainly be a real improvement
• top end with lots of tech and gizmos for discriminating afficionados.

I make no apologies for mid range - I am a glasses wearer which may anyway distort a "perfect image". Although I can tell the difference with a sound bar it is insufficient to justify the clutter and expense - when I watch TV it is the story that interests, not the audio and image quality (unless poor).

 

[JSW]

I wouldn't waste money on the 4K phenomenon; there's not a lot around in the over hyped arena. And the price differentil is also totally unjustified. Well it is for me and no doubt many others too.

Not true. There's plenty to watch in 4K. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney, Apple, Ultra HD Blu-Ray etc etc

Really? Pretty much everything I watch is available in HD. It is instantly apparent.

Did you mean 4K? HD is 1920x1080, 4K is 3840x2160, 4x as many pixels.

4K only really comes into its own on larger TV's, 50-55"+. Something like a 43" TV, you'd need to sit closer than would normally be considered comfortable, say 4' or so to really see the difference between full HD and 4K.

There's a massive industry behind AV equipment, take a look on AVForums, the sky really is the limit on how far you can go, but you need very, very deep pockets.

 

[pgrbff]

Bigger is better.

I understand it depends on how far away you sit to watch. There is an optimum size depending on distance.

 

[JSW]

I understand it depends on how far away you sit to watch. There is an optimum size depending on distance.

https://www.samsung.com/uk/tvs/tv-buying-guide/what-size-tv-should-i-get/

If you scroll down that page, there's an animation that shows the optimum distance, as mentioned higher up in this thread, TV size, let's say 50" x 1.2 = 60"
Personally I find that a bit too close, but each to their own.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Not true. There's plenty to watch in 4K. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney, Apple, Ultra HD Blu-Ray etc etc



Did you mean 4K? HD is 1920x1080, 4K is 3840x2160, 4x as many pixels.

4K. We have the first 4 in your list.

 

[John Brown]

Buying TVs is a little like going to a restaurant:

• buy cheap - it delivers basic calories, in uninspired surroundings, using cheap ingredients, at best cooked averagely. Motorway services spring to mind.
• mid range - a meal with reasonable flavour and ingredients, produced by someone who may have been to a catering college - the local curry house, decent pub grub etc. A place where ambience and companions are at least as important as the food.
• top end - probably has a few rosettes or stars to justify their costs/prices to produce complex dishes with high quality ingredients, in upmarket surroundings. You eat there because food quality (or status is paramount

Why the TV analogue:

• low end allows you access to the programming, but for most would rarely be watched and never be a source of enjoyment
• mid range provides a decent experience for most, and if replacing that which is 10+ years old will almost certainly be a real improvement
• top end with lots of tech and gizmos for discriminating afficionados.

I make no apologies for mid range - I am a glasses wearer which may anyway distort a "perfect image". Although I can tell the difference with a sound bar it is insufficient to justify the clutter and expense - when I watch TV it is the story that interests, not the audio and image quality (unless poor).

I agree with your last sentence. I've never understood the obsession with higher definition. If the story's good enough, I could watch it in black and white 405 lines(OK, a bit of an exaggeration..). Maybe if you spend your time watching golf or something the extra pixels are useful?

 

[Chris70]

I am tasked with obtaining a replacement 43" TV for the present Panasonic (TX-43D302B) which has got gradually darker and no amount of fiddling with settings can make it brighter

So has anyone and recomendations for a replacement

It has to be said I do not watch the TV very much, its my wifes domain, there are so many variables I simply do not know enough about with the modern sets

There are some as cheap as £180 right up to as much as you want to pay, budget is not so much the problem as a good set that is watchable and preferably easy to set up and use

I have read reviews and best of reports but am as confused as ever (or more so)

Any advice appreciated

L&G all the way. No

I am tasked with obtaining a replacement 43" TV for the present Panasonic (TX-43D302B) which has got gradually darker and no amount of fiddling with settings can make it brighter

So has anyone and recomendations for a replacement

It has to be said I do not watch the TV very much, its my wifes domain, there are so many variables I simply do not know enough about with the modern sets

There are some as cheap as £180 right up to as much as you want to pay, budget is not so much the problem as a good set that is watchable and preferably easy to set up and use

I have read reviews and best of reports but am as confused as ever (or more so)

Any advice appreciated

L&G all the way.

 

[glenfield2]

https://www.samsung.com/uk/tvs/tv-buying-guide/what-size-tv-should-i-get/

If you scroll down that page, there's an animation that shows the optimum distance, as mentioned higher up in this thread, TV size, let's say 50" x 1.2 = 60"
Personally I find that a bit too close, but each to their own.

In our house, the dog generally occupies the seat closest to the tv. Now i know why - I slipped into it while he was eating his dinner: it gives a much sharper picture than mine. He refuses to swap places - if I leave the room he returns to his spot.

 

[Doug71]

I'm embarrassed posting this but you could tell how far my 12 year old son sat from his 55" telly as he used to rest his feet against it while gaming , I guess it's a good advert for how tough Samsung TVs are.....

 

[JSW]

Please tell me that's not an OLED

 

[whatknot]

Look forward to hearing how the new TV is much better than the existing

Well in summary , I orderedd the new set with Richersounds on Wednesday 22nd just before 4pm, delivery estimates as 5 working days

Friday 24th had message from DPD that it would be delivered between 11 and 12, it arrived 11:20

First thing I noticed is nothing at all on how to set up the TV, plenty on fitting the stand but zero on how to use the set

After the usual faff of going through setting uo with various questions I had not a clue what they referred to I got it working, set up the passwords for Disney, Iplayer etc

Picture is fantastic according to my wife, I thought so too compared to the previous set, no changes were neccesary as to brightness etc, straight out of the box its an excellent picture so she is a happy bunny (not for long I will wager ;-)

So excellent service from Richersounds and DPD

Free 6 year guarantee which I hope I will not need

 

[Doug71]

Please tell me that's not an OLED

It's just a basic Samsung LED, it's on the wall in "The Cave" which is a room that my son and his mates hang out in. The TV has been hit by Wii remotes, footballs, nerf darts, water pistols etc but still keeps working

I clean it with some spray and a cloth I got from Richer Sounds, that photo was when some yoghurt had somehow exploded over the screen

 

[Sideways]

I've never understood the obsession with higher definition. If the story's good enough, I could watch it in black and white 405 lines(OK, a bit of an exaggeration..).

There is a lot of money and effort going into filming in 4k these days, high quality audio for the soundtrack, etc.
Natural history documentaries, food, art, science, movies, drama series, ... if well made, the higher quality almost always makes it better. Acting evolves too. When you can see even tiny movements, understatement and subtlety tell a story with great effect. In contrast, watching in the old broadcast resolutions are like watching a stage actor in grease paint exaggerating to be seen at a distance.

 

[Spectric]

You have to feel some sympathy for the actors and actresses as with such high definition it gets harder to hide the imperfections and must give the makeup department some right headaches.

So 4K is 4000 pixels horizontally and next will be 8K but unless there is a lot of 8K films and such available then your expensive 8K tv is just a 4K tv and I bet many here can remember the old 405 B/W tv we grew up with that had the big old clunky channel selector knob . Also just like Hifi and audio where your hearing range deteriorates with age your eyesight is also not getting any better so do you see any improvement in high def tv or does it just make it look like it once did ?

 

[JSW]

4K content became widely available in 2014, 8K is already out, but expensive. 32K is at prototyping.

 

[Sideways]

I have a 55" oled, 3 ish years old. Sit about 1.8x the diagonal away from the screen and even at that distance I can see that the image is crisper and more detailed when watching 4k content. I wouldn't pay that bit extra for a 4k streaming subscription if I couldn't see a worthwhile difference.
I wear glasses and have pretty ordinary eyesight.

Each to their own.

 

[Blackswanwood]

You have to feel some sympathy for the actors and actresses as with such high definition it gets harder to hide the imperfections and must give the makeup department some right headaches.

I agree but also think a lot of imperfections are now “corrected digitally” in post production.

 

[JSW]

I agree but also think a lot of imperfections are now “corrected digitally” in post production.

.. Like Henry Cavill's ridiculous moustache removal in Justice League

"Hey .. Does this look Ok to you?"