40" Samsung MU6470 or Panasonic EX700B?

Rickbo

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Hi again,

So, also looking for a TV for the living room. Unfortunately due to space limitations, realistically a 40" is what we need (although I think we could squeeze a 43" into the gap but HQ doesn't agree...)

So, of the two models, which would be best for general TV and movie viewing? We have a Netflix premium sub which gets used a lot so 4k content will increase I guess. We don't have a sound bar although I do have a decent set of Q Acoustics running through a Denon amp with optical output, which should help sound-wise if the TV speakers are rubbish.

Any other models we should be considering (including 43" if I can swing it?)

Thanks again!
 
Both are good picks at that size. Unless you go for the FHD Samsung M5500 instead I would not go 43" as most TVs use worse contrast panels at that size.

Guide: My best value TVs, 2017 Edition

edit* you will want to check the specs of TV outputs if your amp will only take optical input, some TVs may not have one anymore.
 
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I've got the 43" panasonic and after more than a month with it i think it is excellent bar the fact that the screen is a bit reflective.

The majority of my viewing is via Sky Q (@ 1080i) but i've watched a few 4k vids on Youtube and been impressed with its performance there too. The kids even watch SD DVDs on it and whilst given that they are usually CGI animated which look good on most screens i have to say at times you could tell me i was watching a blu-ray and i'd believe you - one of the benefits of a smaller screen ;)
 
Both are good picks at that size. Unless you go for the FHD Samsung M5500 instead I would not go 43" as most TVs use worse contrast panels at that size.

Guide: My best value TVs, 2017 Edition

edit* you will want to check the specs of TV outputs if your amp will only take optical input, some TVs may not have one anymore.

OK, so shouldn't go wrong with either then. Was wondering if it was even worth going 4k at that size but most of the new lines appear to be going that way regardless. Looking at your other thread though it would appear that there may be a trade-off with SD broadcasts not looking as good as they would on an FHD screen. That said, we stream a lot of the stuff we watch now and the rest of it is mostly on Freeview HD, so SD broadcasts probably make up less of what we watch.

Thanks for the advice!
 
OK, so shouldn't go wrong with either then. Was wondering if it was even worth going 4k at that size but most of the new lines appear to be going that way regardless. Looking at your other thread though it would appear that there may be a trade-off with SD broadcasts not looking as good as they would on an FHD screen. That said, we stream a lot of the stuff we watch now and the rest of it is mostly on Freeview HD, so SD broadcasts probably make up less of what we watch.

Thanks for the advice!

I don't think anyone who is even remotely clued up on what 4k is would go out of their way to then buy a 43" telly but as you mention, if it's thrown in for 'free', why not? It's not going to hamper the screen's ability (however good that might actually be in comparative terms) to reproduce 1080p or SD :thumbsup:
 
It really depends on a lot of things, SD TV broadcasts and streams will likely look worse but a lot of people may view so far away from a smaller TV that they don't notice is as much anyway.

Same goes for UHD, you might see a benefit but its heavily dependant on what you watch. UHD streams vs FHD..maybe if they are higher bandwidth. You will get better colour with HDR on both those TVs too. If you are comparing standard blu-rays to UHD blu-rays then maybe not...but even then it really depends on the source.

Like you said SD isn't that important, if it was a would say go demo the TVs with your own content, including some SD TV and see what you think before you buy...a demo is a good idea anyway compared to a blind purchase tbh.
 
Oh and i should also mention the viewing angle (EX700), as with a lot of VA panels, is fairly narrow but for my living room set up this isn't a problem.

YMMV so best to demo in store from the type of angles typical to the viewing in your room at home.
 
So managed to get a look at the MU6470 in store but was set up next to a Panasonic EX600B (they didn't have the 40" EX700 at all, only the 50"). Have to say, really liked the Samsung. The Panasonic had banding issues with the diagonal Curry's info display which, helpfully, had a gradual shade from light to dark pink. The Samsung had it also but I had to look much closer to see it. Once I'd seen it on the EX600 I couldn't un-see it! Picture generally was fantastic on both models apart from the slight banding issue. Preferred the build of the EX700B but I'd want to see the 40" screen before I make a decision.
 
Oh and i should also mention the viewing angle (EX700), as with a lot of VA panels, is fairly narrow but for my living room set up this isn't a problem.

YMMV so best to demo in store from the type of angles typical to the viewing in your room at home.

Yes, I did swivel the sets and manoeuvre myself around to look at them from different angles. To be honest though, they'll mostly be viewed from the sofa opposite, so VA panel should be fine.
 
Urgh, so I started wavering and wondering if a 4k TV was going to be the right way to go given the majority of content we'll be watching is HD for the time being, so I started looking around for 40" FHD sets. Am I right in thinking that basically all of the manufacturers have given up on making quality FHD TV's? We're looking at spending up to around £600 (flexible) and everything around the £500 mark seems a bit underwhelming. I did see the Sony WE663 in the shop which seemed OK but even little things like only 2 HDMI slots (?!) suggests that they can't be bothered to make an effort with FHD any more! I still think I'll end up getting a 4k Samsung 6400 series for that kind of money as either way it'll be a major step up from the old Sony KDL-26L4000 that is currently in our lounge. Just seems to be like there's no point in spending that kind of dosh on the current crop of FHDs at 40".
 
There isn't a significant difference in quality of low end FHD TVs compared to low end UHD TVs.

The entry level MU series TVs are on par overall with the M series, just resolution/features may be different.

Same with Sony's WE series vs XE series.

But it depends on the panel types they use, its heavily dependant on size.

At 40"/43" the Sony's, UHD or FHD use IPS panels, so wider viewing angles but worse blacks/contrast...usually worse screen uniformity.

Samsung UHD models at 43" may use IPS type ones too (PLS) whilst 40" uses VA type, so better contrast, blacks, narrow viewing angles...usually better screen uniformity.

Samsung FHD models should all be using VA even at 43".

So you have to be careful when comparing, when comparing the Sony WE6 series it likely uses a completely different panel tech compared to the Samsungs.

Also gotta be careful you don't end up with Samsung UHD TV at 43" as they probably use PLS.
 
There isn't a significant difference in quality of low end FHD TVs compared to low end UHD TVs.

The entry level MU series TVs are on par overall with the M series, just resolution/features may be different.

Same with Sony's WE series vs XE series.

But it depends on the panel types they use, its heavily dependant on size.

At 40"/43" the Sony's, UHD or FHD use IPS panels, so wider viewing angles but worse blacks/contrast...usually worse screen uniformity.

Samsung UHD models at 43" may use IPS type ones too (PLS) whilst 40" uses VA type, so better contrast, blacks, narrow viewing angles...usually better screen uniformity.

Samsung FHD models should all be using VA even at 43".

So you have to be careful when comparing, when comparing the Sony WE6 series it likely uses a completely different panel tech compared to the Samsungs.

Also gotta be careful you don't end up with Samsung UHD TV at 43" as they probably use PLS.

So from what I've seen (and your previous reply at the start of this thread) if I stick with the original idea of the 40" MU6400 with its VA panel we should be fine. I've seen the 6470 in Curry's but from what I gather there's no significant difference between that and the 6400. I was pretty impressed (again, it's all relative and compared to what we already have, pretty much everything in there was like night and day!) so I'll probably pick up the 6400 from RS during the week. We could spend more money on something more impressive but we just don't have the space to make it a worthwhile purchase. Once you go up a price bracket or two the screen sizes just become way too big to be practical for us.

Thanks again for your input guys.
 

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