Question 43" 4k TV advice, please?

juliushibert

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TL-DR Looking for recommendations on a 43” for my living room. I currently have a LG 32LN540V which is rather old now and I’m upgrading because the backlight has started to break in places, I think it's edgelit. Not sure if it's a VA or IPS panel.

My budget could stretch to around £800, as I’d rather buy a TV and keep it for 5+ years. The TV sits on a wooden sideboard so looking for a 43" so it fits and doesn't dominate the room. Current TV has a thick bezel, so ideally looking for a TV that has a thin bezel and looks good as well.

Already pulled together a bit of a shortlist. Open to other suggestions:
  • Samsung 43Q60R / Samsung 43Q60T -- Most expensive, but most feature rich and QLED probably best? I've seen the 2019 / Q60R for £400 but on some 3rd party unknown retailers.
  • LG 43UN73006LC, lg-43un81006lb -- Direct LED backlit, lg-43un81006lb looks a bit ugly with a really thick bezel.
  • SONY BRAVIA KD43XG8096BU / Sony BRAVIA KD43XG8196U
  • LG 43UM7100, LG 43UM7390PLC, LG 43UM7400PLB TV -- these probably seem the best value, but lacking with only 3x HDMI IMO and I think the 43UM7400 looks a bit ugly with a really thick bezel.

In line with the questions on this post by Dodgexander, here's my info:

Initial questions
  • Kodi - 4k, 2k and 1080p movies and TV - 50%
  • UK catchup services and live TV from Freeview and Freesat UK - 40%
  • Amazon Prime / MUBI - 10-20%
  • All of the above via a FireStick 4k
  • I have 76mbps fibre broadband and a BT Homehub 5Ghz wifi system.
  • I mainly watch TV and movies. I only occasional watch action or comic book / blockbuster style movies.
  • I never watch sports.
  • I occasionally play PS4 games (1-2 a month).

Viewing Angles
  • Viewing about 2-3m away. Depending on the sofa
  • View at about 0-40degrees off straight on, depends which sofa sat on. I'm guessing this means an IPS panel would be best?
  • View it both day and night. The TV sits in a large bay window which often gets sun from 12noon onwards and can get quite bright behind TV. Once it's dark outside and watching movies, then I'll tend to dim the lights.

My current TV
  • Currently have an LG 32LN540V. It's quite old now and the backlight has started to break. It's paired with a Samsung soundbar.
  • Not sure if I should be bothered about motion blur enhancements. Probably not, as I don't watch sports.

Please rearrange the following PQ attributes, in descending importance:

- Biggest thing is making sure the TV is viewable during the day and it's sunny outside.

HDR Brightness
SDR Brightness
Blacks
SDR Colour Saturation
SDR Colour Accuracy
HDR Colour Accuracy
HDR Colour Saturation
Local dimming

Now for bugs, tell us your possible pet hates related to TVs, in descending order:

-- I've put the below in an approx order. But very lose as not too bothered about most.

Loss of detail in dark areas
Bad screen uniformity, Dirty Screen Effect, Clouding, Light Bleed, Blooming
Reflective screens
Haloing
Motion Blur
Motion Judder
Motion stutter
Temporary image retention
Soap Opera Effect
3:2 Pulldown Judder with 24hz movies. See: Judder-Free 24p on TVs
Colour banding. See: Gradients on TVs: Color bit depth (warning this is not the same as vertical banding, for vertical banding see bad screen uniformity)

Now which is most important to you?

1. Connections -- looking for min 3x HDMI, 4x HDMI ideally. Also freesat would be an added bonus
2. Wide Viewing angles
3. HDR PQ
4. Price
5. TV look -- one with a thing bezel preferably.
6. SDR PQ
7. Smart TV (which apps)?
8. Sound
 
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Welcome to the forum!
Just so you know, swearing or circumnavigating the forum swear filter is against the rules, so I have edited your post accordingly.

I'd suggest given your want of viewing angles and the distinct lack of higher end models at smaller sizes to look at Sony's XG83 series. Its well priced at the moment and is the only sub 49" TV to use a 120hz panel for better motion.

Like all small TVs though, its not really future proof in the sense it doesn't have good HDR hardware, that is sadly restricted only to larger TVs nowadays!

Because there are no high end models at smaller sizes, spending as much as £800 makes little sense. In fact you could argue even the Sony XG83 is overpriced. The Samsung LCD TVs you mention certainly are and I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole!

So with the Sony you must be realistic with things like HDR picture quality, screen reflectivity, blacks, contrast and screen uniformity..they will not at the same level as larger TVs can be, as manufacturers only sell higher range models at larger sizes.
 
Thank you for editing @Dodgexander and apologies.

I hadn't considered the Sony's XG83 series. So something like Sony KD43XG8305BU? Does it have a Freesat? I've tried looking on the Sony website but it's not clear to me, it implies there's a satellite coaxial input.

Also what about the Panasonic 40GX800, would you still recommend the Sony's XG83 over the Panasonic?
 
I've seen the 2019 / Q60R for £400 but on some 3rd party unknown retailers.
Have you per chance read the online reviews for this company including the trust pilot review of a buyer receiving a rock instead of a tablet?

The address seems to be for a garage and the website refers to physical stores located in the USA.

Finally, the website domain is owned by another website, the owner of which is redacted for "privacy" reasons. In other words the owner goes to length to not be contactable or identifiable, contrary to UK and EU consumer law to protect consumers buying goods by distance

If ever 'caveat emptor' and 'if the price looks too good to be true' were to apply, this is it
 
Have you per chance read the online reviews for this company including the trust pilot review of a buyer receiving a rock instead of a tablet?

The address seems to be for a garage and the website refers to physical stores located in the USA.

Finally, the website domain is owned by another website, the owner of which is redacted for "privacy" reasons. In other words the owner goes to length to not be contactable or identifiable, contrary to UK and EU consumer law to protect consumers buying goods by distance

If ever 'caveat emptor' and 'if the price looks too good to be true' were to apply, this is it
Think I'll be avoiding them!
 
I've been wanting to pitch in to this for a long time, so here seems as good a space as anywhere as the OP is very precise in his specification. Just when will one of the bigger players in TV manufacturing be bold enough to test the market for a sub 50" inch quality TV? The question is frequently asked "what is available in this range" and the answer is, quite accurately, "you won't get quality in this size", just budget TVs with no frills and a lot of shortcomings. Actually customers looking for 'bargains' above this size will still be getting similar quality for their money. The main focus of that market place seems to be the lowest price for the greatest acreage of screen size. Only when you go well above £1000 are you starting to get anything resembling real quality.

Judging by the number of queries in the Forum there is a market for this area. Quite a lot of UK citizens at least have modest size living rooms, don't want the TV to be the main focus of the furniture, and frankly, as day to day TV watchers, don't necessarily want the 'home cinema' experience. Those of us who have grown up with TVs very much smaller than 50"+ are not always comfortable with these monsters. I can remember thinking a 19" 4:3 screen was pretty huge. Unless you have a large living space, a dedicated cinema room or a family of Jacob Rees Mogg proportions an extremely large screen, in my book, falls into the 'naff' category of flock wallpaper or pebble dashing the house and crazy paving the drive! Although each to his (or her) own.

The technology and associated screens are out there in the movie & TV industry monitor market although nobody wants to be paying those prices. The argument that 4k can only be appreciated on a large screen doesn't entirely hold up with me. I have a 1080p 22" Samsung of unknown vintage in my bedroom and I can usually spot the difference between SD and HD, especially from OTA BBC transmissions at quite a distance.

The OPs request is perfectly reasonable. A quality smart TV at 4k +genuine HDR, with better than average quality sound, say for around the £700-800 price bracket could find a market. So come on Samsung, Sony, Panasonic etc be brave, you might be surprised.
 
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I've been wanting to pitch in to this for a long time, so here seems as good a space as anywhere as the OP is very precise in his specification. Just when will one of the bigger players in TV manufacturing be bold enough to test the market for a sub 50" inch quality TV? The question is frequently asked "what is available in this range" and the answer is, quite accurately, "you won't get quality in this size", just budget TVs with no frills and a lot of shortcomings. Actually customers looking for 'bargains' above this size will still be getting similar quality for their money. The main focus of that market place seems to be the lowest price for the greatest acreage of screen size. Only when you go well above £1000 are you starting to get anything resembling real quality.

Judging by the number of queries in the Forum there is a market for this area. Quite a lot of UK citizens at least have modest size living rooms, don't want the TV to be the main focus of the furniture, and frankly, as day to day TV watchers, don't necessarily want the 'home cinema' experience. Those of us who have grown up with TVs very much smaller than 50"+ are not always comfortable with these monsters. I can remember thinking a 19" 4:3 screen was pretty huge. Unless you have a large living space, a dedicated cinema room or a family of Jacob Rees Mogg proportions an extremely large screen, in my book, falls into the 'naff' category of flock wallpaper or pebble dashing the house and crazy paving the drive! Although each to his (or her) own.

The technology and associated screens are out there in the movie & TV industry monitor market although nobody wants to be paying those prices. The argument that 4k can only be appreciated on a large screen doesn't entirely hold up with me. I have a 1080p 22" Samsung of unknown vintage in my bedroom and I can usually spot the difference between SD and HD, especially from OTA BBC transmissions at quite a distance.

The OPs request is perfectly reasonable. A quality smart TV at 4k +genuine HDR, with better than average quality sound, say for around the £700-800 price bracket could find a market. So come on Samsung, Sony, Panasonic etc be brave, you might be surprised.

I hear you. It's annoying that there are models at the higher range, but from what I've read on this forum they're mainly overpriced. Seems to imply that manufacturers know there's a market but are happy to let people pay over the odds.
 
I hadn't considered the Sony's XG83 series. So something like Sony KD43XG8305BU? Does it have a Freesat? I've tried looking on the Sony website but it's not clear to me, it implies there's a satellite coaxial input.
Sony TVs don't have freesat, no. Some have sattelite tuners, but there will be no EPG only now and next info.
Also what about the Panasonic 40GX800, would you still recommend the Sony's XG83 over the Panasonic?
The Panasonic GX800 has very narrow viewing angles, so is not suited to your set up I'm afraid. Compared to the Sony it has better contrast and blacks, and has a mode that can compress HDR video down to SDR levels without too many adverse effects but its motion is also poorer due to only using a 60hz panel versus 120hz on the Sony.

If you don't mind poorer motion, poorer viewing angles and you have no option other than to shop at less than 49" then the Panasonic GX800 is the only way you'll find a TV that has a method to give you less problems when using HDR.

I've been wanting to pitch in to this for a long time, so here seems as good a space as anywhere as the OP is very precise in his specification. Just when will one of the bigger players in TV manufacturing be bold enough to test the market for a sub 50" inch quality TV? The question is frequently asked "what is available in this range" and the answer is, quite accurately, "you won't get quality in this size", just budget TVs with no frills and a lot of shortcomings. Actually customers looking for 'bargains' above this size will still be getting similar quality for their money. The main focus of that market place seems to be the lowest price for the greatest acreage of screen size. Only when you go well above £1000 are you starting to get anything resembling real quality.

Judging by the number of queries in the Forum there is a market for this area. Quite a lot of UK citizens at least have modest size living rooms, don't want the TV to be the main focus of the furniture, and frankly, as day to day TV watchers, don't necessarily want the 'home cinema' experience. Those of us who have grown up with TVs very much smaller than 50"+ are not always comfortable with these monsters. I can remember thinking a 19" 4:3 screen was pretty huge. Unless you have a large living space, a dedicated cinema room or a family of Jacob Rees Mogg proportions an extremely large screen, in my book, falls into the 'naff' category of flock wallpaper or pebble dashing the house and crazy paving the drive! Although each to his (or her) own.

The technology and associated screens are out there in the movie & TV industry monitor market although nobody wants to be paying those prices. The argument that 4k can only be appreciated on a large screen doesn't entirely hold up with me. I have a 1080p 22" Samsung of unknown vintage in my bedroom and I can usually spot the difference between SD and HD, especially from OTA BBC transmissions at quite a distance.

The OPs request is perfectly reasonable. A quality smart TV at 4k +genuine HDR, with better than average quality sound, say for around the £700-800 price bracket could find a market. So come on Samsung, Sony, Panasonic etc be brave, you might be surprised.
I can't say I share the same view regarding TV size, or a TV being too big for a room but I certainly understand where you are coming from. The sad thing is manufacturers have neglected smaller sized TVs for some time now. If I was to guess there's a few reasons. The first is smaller TVs require more intricate engineering to bring the same technology found in larger models, thus its not achievable/too expensive. The second is that the push in recent years has been toward UHD, and UHD is next to pointless on a smaller TV. The third is simply that people are buying bigger and bigger TVs in general, even in the UK. Most people buy 55" models now, with 65" models increasing in popularity.

This leaves those shopping for smaller TVs with slim pickings. I wish it wasn't the case, but it is how it is.
 
Thanks for sharing your very helpful knowledge. It's been really helpful.
 
in the same boat, looking for a 43inch set with good picture & motion handling, don't want to spend more than roughly £500, have no interest in onboard streaming apps, bells, whistles etc, if the sony kd43xg830 is better in that dept than the samsung 43ru7400 which all seem to be gone now, then the sony it will be, if i have missed any sets in my price bracket, please make suggestions.
 
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in the same boat, looking for a 43inch set with good picture & motion handling, don't want to spend more than roughly £500, have no interest in onboard streaming apps, bells, whistles etc, if the sony kd43xg830 is better in that dept than the samsung 43ru7400 which all seem to be gone now, then the sony it will be, if i have missed any sets in my price bracket, please make suggestions.
The Sony XG83 is more similar to the RU8000 found at larger sizes than the RU7400. It uses a 120hz panel which contributes to its better motion.
 
I've been wanting to pitch in to this for a long time, so here seems as good a space as anywhere as the OP is very precise in his specification. Just when will one of the bigger players in TV manufacturing be bold enough to test the market for a sub 50" inch quality TV? The question is frequently asked "what is available in this range" and the answer is, quite accurately, "you won't get quality in this size", just budget TVs with no frills and a lot of shortcomings. Actually customers looking for 'bargains' above this size will still be getting similar quality for their money. The main focus of that market place seems to be the lowest price for the greatest acreage of screen size. Only when you go well above £1000 are you starting to get anything resembling real quality.

Judging by the number of queries in the Forum there is a market for this area. Quite a lot of UK citizens at least have modest size living rooms, don't want the TV to be the main focus of the furniture, and frankly, as day to day TV watchers, don't necessarily want the 'home cinema' experience. Those of us who have grown up with TVs very much smaller than 50"+ are not always comfortable with these monsters. I can remember thinking a 19" 4:3 screen was pretty huge. Unless you have a large living space, a dedicated cinema room or a family of Jacob Rees Mogg proportions an extremely large screen, in my book, falls into the 'naff' category of flock wallpaper or pebble dashing the house and crazy paving the drive! Although each to his (or her) own.

The technology and associated screens are out there in the movie & TV industry monitor market although nobody wants to be paying those prices. The argument that 4k can only be appreciated on a large screen doesn't entirely hold up with me. I have a 1080p 22" Samsung of unknown vintage in my bedroom and I can usually spot the difference between SD and HD, especially from OTA BBC transmissions at quite a distance.

The OPs request is perfectly reasonable. A quality smart TV at 4k +genuine HDR, with better than average quality sound, say for around the £700-800 price bracket could find a market. So come on Samsung, Sony, Panasonic etc be brave, you might be surprised.

Totally agree with you, I have a small lounge and would love a 43” Samsung q85r I’d happily pay £800 for it, I’d go to £1000 for a 43” oled. I also can tell the difference between a quality 4K picture over HD. But strangely it’s more after watching a stunning 4K picture, when you go back to HD, I see that it’s not as good.
The smallest high end tv at the moment is the 48” oled from LG and Sony,
One thing I have noticed at the smaller size tv’s (all my friends/relatives have 43” or smaller tv’s) in my opinion is the quality of your source 4K or blue ray/HD seems to be more important than the make of the tv.

If I was the op I’d buy the sony XG83 as well, only thing to note is that model has a huge power brick attached to the set, which makes it difficult to wall mount.
 
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does anybody have an opinion on hughes direct?, they have 12+ of these sony sets on ebay, as ex display/customer returns with 1yr gt. i've had refurbs fron RS, trade in's from Peter Tyson without problems, wondered how they stack up with customer service, honest description of item etc.
 
does anybody have an opinion on hughes direct?, they have 12+ of these sony sets on ebay, as ex display/customer returns with 1yr gt. i've had refurbs fron RS, trade in's from Peter Tyson without problems, wondered how they stack up with customer service, honest description of item etc.
Is there big discount on them? Is that why you're asking?
 
yeah mate, hughes are doing b grade sony g830 for £410 with 1yr gt, or buy new £550 with 1,5,6, year gt, depending where you buy right now, as my local sony, euronics shops should be opening again next week, might be worth going in for a haggle lol.
 
cheers, never new sony sold their refurbs online, thought it was always good old managers special in shop, any idea if local sony shop can access these sets, as delivery details are about zero, free delivery is fine if you are not at work!
 
cheers, never new sony sold their refurbs online, thought it was always good old managers special in shop, any idea if local sony shop can access these sets, as delivery details are about zero, free delivery is fine if you are not at work!
You have to pop them a call or live chat. They also offer extended warranties you can buy on top of the TVs.
 
Very interesting.

@Dodgexander, I'd noticed in one of your other posts about Samsung discounts for students. My partner is doing a Masters so would be eligible for student discount. Any other recommendations on TVs based on the discount? Or is the Sony's XG83 series still the No.1 recommendation. How about at the 49" mark as well?
 
Very interesting.

@Dodgexander, I'd noticed in one of your other posts about Samsung discounts for students. My partner is doing a Masters so would be eligible for student discount. Any other recommendations on TVs based on the discount? Or is the Sony's XG83 series still the No.1 recommendation. How about at the 49" mark as well?
The Sony XG83 is a rare commodity, it uses a 120hz panel at smaller sizes which Samsung TVs do not, therefore Samsung models have quite a bit worse motion.

The 49" XG83 is a more popular TV than the 43" version because it uses a VA type panel at this size.

Beware that at 43" it uses an IPS panel...so understand the differences in both panel types here:

With Samsung they play more games with the types of panels, we only know for certain their models that they sell at 50" use VA type, whilst other sizes could be VA or IPS. I see no reason really even with the extra discount to go with Samsung for this reason.

There's also a few other downsides getting the discount:
  1. You have to order directly from Samsung.com which means you only get a single year warranty and with no option to pay extra for an extended one. I'd recommend if you buy from the Sony refurbished store you also give them a call and ask to pay extra for a 5 year warranty.
  2. There's a limited choice on their website right now anyway, most stock are 2020 models which are overpriced.
 
I'm in a similar predicament looking for a new 43" and have looked at the main guide. I'm primarily using my current Sony 40" FHD for Netflix/Gaming/Sky Sports and looking to upgrade as it's on it's last legs.

Currently looking at:
Hisense A7500F (2020) as i saw the 2019 model is really popular on here and its £449 but with £100 cashback taking it to £349
Sony XG83 which is currently £429 on the Sony outlet/refurb

I know with the 43" class there is not much difference in HDR quality so difficult to compare the two looking at them with my novice eyes, mainly Dolby Vision/-20ms input lag on the Hisense and the Sony's 120hz/X1 processor

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as i'm stuck between the two.
 
I'm in a similar predicament looking for a new 43" and have looked at the main guide. I'm primarily using my current Sony 40" FHD for Netflix/Gaming/Sky Sports and looking to upgrade as it's on it's last legs.

Currently looking at:
Hisense A7500F (2020) as i saw the 2019 model is really popular on here and its £449 but with £100 cashback taking it to £349
Sony XG83 which is currently £429 on the Sony outlet/refurb

I know with the 43" class there is not much difference in HDR quality so difficult to compare the two looking at them with my novice eyes, mainly Dolby Vision/-20ms input lag on the Hisense and the Sony's 120hz/X1 processor

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as i'm stuck between the two.
You should read my link I posted above about difference in panel types. The 43" Sony is using a 120hz IPS type panel, while the Hisense will be using a 43" 60hz VA type panel.

Other specifications you mention mean little difference compared to these. Input lag is low on both TVs. Dolby Vision HDR support is next to useless on TVs of this calibre and the processor means very little, especially on a smaller TV.
 
You have to pop them a call or live chat. They also offer extended warranties you can buy on top of the TVs.
thanks for that lead, my local sony centre is getting an A grade refurb KD43XG8396 in for me next weekend, they are also giving me a 5yr gtee as well!, also getting £30 quid trade in for my old panasonic 32 inch set lol, £400 all in for this set seems a good deal, shame i don't have the space for the 49inch which is the same price!
 
is it worth getting the sony ubp-x700 blu ray player for the xg8396?, will i see a difference with hdr type blurays? or will a cheaper 4k upscaling blu ray player give me much the same picture quality?, thanks in advance for any guidance....
 

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