Looking to buy a new TV.

[xtramuscle]

Around 49", not really fussed about manufacturer. Around £350-£500

Anything to watch out for? Something I want/want to avoid? What would be your #1 TV choice for this size/price bracket?

Is 4k worth it? Is it worth spending more for curved? #discuss.

[Fascinate]

This is the best deal i could find on amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hisense-Cur...keywords=4k+tv

If you can fit it i would go for it, i went from 40" in my bedroom to 55 and i could never go back.

Otherwise here is one of their lower end models, hisense is a player in the game:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hisense-49-...BTHCTAMCYY17FC

[Flaim]

got myself a hisense h43mec3050 for 400€ as a transition as long as i havent moved out.
i'd say it's a decent device with a few drawbacks, with only one major drawback.
the lighting intensity seems to be pwm regulated instead of dc, which makes it flicker the lower you put the lighting. on maximum you wont notice it anymore, but not everyone likes having it maxed out.

other than this elephant in the room it's a decent device if you don't mind not having a direct-lit device.

[xtramuscle]

How does this compare to what you linked?

https://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/finl...d-led-smart-tv

[PhantasmagoriaX]

How does this compare to what you linked?

https://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/finl...d-led-smart-tv

One thing I dont like about this TV is that it only has 2 hdmi ports, which if you have consoles and a cable/satellite you wont (most likely) be able to hook everything up.

[Fascinate]

How does this compare to what you linked?

https://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/finl...d-led-smart-tv

Ive never heard of that brand. Stick with the hisense 55 i linked above if you can swing the extra 50 bucks. One other question i had for you was, do you guys have a big box retail store in the UK like best buy in the states? At least here, they have better prices than amazon does.

- - - Updated - - -

Op i just googled it and it seems currys is the best buy equivalent. I could not find a 55" for a good price there, but here is a 43" LG that is a really quality set:
http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-...44769-pdt.html

It has an awesome magic remote that you can use sort of like a mouse and the best built in smart interface on the market with WebOS (although i still prefer chromecast lol). This is the TV i suggest if you want to stay in the 40-50" range. It also supports HDR pro which isnt full HDR but its not a bad option for a budget TV.

[xtramuscle]

I was previously looking at this LG TV from currys: http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-...44751-pdt.html

Is it that different from the one you posted?

[Fascinate]

I was previously looking at this LG TV from currys: http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-...44751-pdt.html

Is it that different from the one you posted?

Ya its a different TV altogether, the one i linked has better colors and viewing angles and it comes with the magic remote. Its with the extra money just for the remote honestly, it makes smart tv so much easier/intuitive.

[xtramuscle]

So the GF decided she wants 49". Is this the equivalent?

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-...44965-pdt.html

[Artorius]

Sony's 43X800D is the best LCD TV in this size range, Samsung's UN40KU6300 is the second best. Both 10bit VA panels with "HDR" support although they can't do "true" HDR since they can't reproduce the entire DCI-P3 colorspace. I think they're also both 60Hz so you'll see judder in 24p reproduction. And yes they're both UHD.

[Fascinate]

So the GF decided she wants 49". Is this the equivalent?

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-and-...44965-pdt.html

Ya my dude thats same panel but 49". I think that just went on sale, last i checked it was 599. If you decide to go with it, you will love the magic remote

And this LG is a superior set to samsung 6300, but art prob thought you were still at your 350-400 budget. LG's dont have the best blacks, but the local dimming makes them decent at contrast and being an IPS they have great viewing angles. Ive found for the average person, LG is the safest recommendation for a HDTV set.

[Artorius]

In the ~49" (48~50) size bracket the best purchase is the Samsung KS8000, Vizio's P50-C1 is nice too. More affordable options would be Vizio's M50-D1 or Sony's 49" X800D. The 50" KU6300 is OK too.

Again all VA, and for a reason. IPS literally sucks at black levels and don't think that edge-lit local dimming is going to help that much when something bright needs to be placed in a dark picture. You'll only end up seeing a gracious bright rectangle in the middle of your display going from one side to the other... they're usually fine in bright environments but if you enjoy watching content during the night with lights off then just don't go with IPS, it's only an okay experience when we're talking about FALD displays and there's only a single FALD IPS anyway.

LG is the only company manufacturing IPS displays for televisions and mostly the single vendor selling them, it doesn't provide you the best viewing experience for content watching but it doesn't matter for them, their high-end line concerned about quality is their OLED line. Which are arguably the best current sets you can buy nowadays.

[Fascinate]

I think 499 pounds is the top of his budget tho. Agree with everything you said but you are docking LG too much for lower contrast ratios, if he values viewing angles LG does really well there and the WebOs interface with magic remote is far and away the best smart tv experience you can have right now.

Lets assume 499 is the top of his range (considering he upped it from 400) what TV would you recommend to him over the LG i linked from currys.

[Artorius]

Contrast ratio is the single most noticeable picture element. Normal consumers might not be able to tell the difference between accurate colors and burning bright blue Walmart colors, they also might not be able to tell the difference between smooth 24p playback, 3:2 pull-down and motion interpolation, but they always notice how it looks much better and much more realistic when the blacks are indeed black rather than grey.

iPhone users all go "wow, this screen is amazing" when they look at one of Samsung's recent S or Note phones. The difference mainly comes from the infinite contrast ratio.

And I have no clue about price of televisions in the UK, I could take a look at it if I was at home and come up with a recommendation but right now I'm overseas and quite busy =p

[xtramuscle]

Difficulty is I don't know the price range. My partner's Dad offered to buy us 'a TV' for Christmas, didn't want to purchase it without me choosing it as I'm a bit of a geek..but not knowing much about TVs currently I wanted to do my research. As it's a gift I don't want to 'take the piss' but wanted to know what was best value for money etc.

[Fascinate]

Difficulty is I don't know the price range. My partner's Dad offered to buy us 'a TV' for Christmas, didn't want to purchase it without me choosing it as I'm a bit of a geek..but not knowing much about TVs currently I wanted to do my research. As it's a gift I don't want to 'take the piss' but wanted to know what was best value for money etc.

If currys is the place you are gonna buy from the LG you linked above is easily best value for money. It was 599.00 when i linked you the 43" a couple days ago, if it was 499 i woulda suggested the 49.

[xtramuscle]

I'm not against buying online, but currys is 2mins from mine, I've seen them boxed on the shop floor, and it's far easier to go there and shout if something goes wrong.

[Artorius]

Just keep in mind that televisions in stores are usually set to burning bright blue light mode so they can look bright even considering the other light sources inside a store. It's hard to know how they'll look in your home when configured more or less correctly just by looking at them in stores.

[xtramuscle]

One more question: It seems given the choice I'd take the magic remote over a standard one, all day long.

That said: the 49 lg from currys seems to be the same as this tv from AO : http://ao.com/product/49uh661v-lg-tv...41029-108.aspx

on ao they also have this tv: http://ao.com/product/49uh610v-lg-tv...41002-108.aspx

Now I can't see any difference between the 2 except the stand.

They both list 'standard remote x 1' in the box. Now if it is the same as the currys one, does the ao version come with a 'magic' remote, if so, do both? And is there any reason not to get the one that is £70 cheaper!?

[Fascinate]

One more question: It seems given the choice I'd take the magic remote over a standard one, all day long.

That said: the 49 lg from currys seems to be the same as this tv from AO : http://ao.com/product/49uh661v-lg-tv...41029-108.aspx

on ao they also have this tv: http://ao.com/product/49uh610v-lg-tv...41002-108.aspx

Now I can't see any difference between the 2 except the stand.

They both list 'standard remote x 1' in the box. Now if it is the same as the currys one, does the ao version come with a 'magic' remote, if so, do both? And is there any reason not to get the one that is £70 cheaper!?

Those are different panels, stick with the one from currys it has technologies those others dont AND it comes with the magic remote Those technologies being a richer color palate mostly. The magic remote is like 60 or 70 bucks if i was to buy one seperately.

The things you want in LG TV's is "color prime pro" and "ultra luminance" Another thing most people overlook on TV's is speakers, not sure about the other LG models but the one from currys has harmon kardon speakers, id assume they are at least passable.

This going to be a bedroom or living room tv btw? You are lucky tbh, cheapest TV in the states that comes with a magic remote is 899 for a 55" model.