Best 43" 4K TV (UK)

Rufus McDufus

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OK. I guess this has been asked a million times before but maybe not quite this exact question!

I'm looking for ideally a 4K TV, max size 43", wall mountable using an Ergotron LX arm (VESA spec I think), viewing angle would be around 15 degrees each way off-centre (VA acceptable at those angles?). Price not a massive consideration but ideally under £500.

I stream quite a lot of content using DLNA from a NAS (using Serviio), with gigabit ethernet (wi-fi not necessary). 1080p50 would be very desirable, though I'm guessing this is standard. Most content currently 1080p usually but obviously I'm looking to future-proof things a bit. Apps such as iPlayer would be fairly essential. Also looking for a better overall software experience than my ageing Samsung UE32D6750 (just stupid things like having to scroll through all sources, even if they not connected, and so slow to do so). I'm guessing most TVs are now better than that, hopefully.
 
I can't speak for all TVs but from my limited experience using built in DLNA or network share clients functionality and file type support is severely limited.

You are still better off using a dedicated solution, which is food for thought to spend a lot less and keep your current TV rather than upgrading.

If you do buy a TV then you take the same risks as with your current TV, limited file type support and potential user interface niggles, not to mention performance risks. Sometimes you can get around this with serviiio or alike with transcoding support, but the server needs to be powerful enough to support it and you will be messing around trying to find a working profile.

I have done a lot of research on the subject after my current TV surprised me that even this day and age this kind of functionality can be quite poor. The best solution is to integrate everything into a plex server or create a SMB share on the server and use a dedicated media streamer with kodi or similar. Even the TVs that have Plex apps built in or the android models where you can install Kodi functionality and file format support is quite poor compared to a dedicated box.
 
Cheers - I'm not even 100% sure if fairly basic DLNA is still a given with most TVs nowadays though funnily enough it is one aspect of my old Samsung which I really like and does seem to work very effectively. I recall I did have to edit the Serviio profile for it a little though. I rarely have to transcode any content though, and if I do I often just convert the file using DVDFab9 or whatever rather than rely on real-time transcoding. My old Qnap will definitely struggle transcoding some of the higher resolution content nowadays anyway! If SMB/CIFS support is fairly standard then that's easy. I'm a little weird in that I tend to favour local streaming as opposed to over-the-internet but I'm sure my habits will change eventually!

As for TVs I'm currently tending towards a Samsung UE40MU6400 which seems to be available for fairly decent prices and gets good reviews. If anyone wishes to steer me away from that choice, then opinions welcome! Also if anything newer is possibly due to come out as I notice products do seem to become available around March each year.
 
I think in terms of format support the Samsungs are probably one of the better manufacturers, no idea how much better the client will be on that model compared to your current TV.

It is certainly a good value option and listed in my best buy guide.
 
OK, so a bit more digging plus looking at your excellent guides, it's looking like a choice between Samsung UE40MU6400 vs Panasonic TX-40EX700B. Both support HDR though the Panny looks like it's a little bit better on that front, not that it's the biggest issue in the world (and I realise the limitations with smaller TVs like this).
 
Supporting HDR and displaying it to even a satisfactory level are two different things. Essentially any TV in this price category is going to be very poor with HDR and the TVs ability to accept the signal should only really be useful for compatibility purposes rather than to make the picture look a lot better than the SDR version.

Sadly HDR carries a large premium right now and manufacturers slap it on any TV they can. Before you start to see models that do a decent job with it you are looking at 49" and £1000 minimum right now for a TV like the Sony 49XE9005.
 
I've decided to hang on for a month or two. I figure we'll get a better idea of the 2018 models then (the forthcoming Panasonic TX-43FX602 looks quite interesting for example), plus of course World Cup this summer may mean oversupply and/or a desire for manufacturers to get those new models out the door quickly with possibly some good deals on last year's TVs!
 
I wouldn't count on World Cup discounts since the new TVs are usually very overpriced compared to last years models but its never a bad idea to be patient and wait...just be prepared to wait a while for those models to get reduced in price. Even a 20% discount on release prices for the world cup pitches them higher than this years models. In the European Cup in 2016 the discounts were very poor indeed, not because they didn't give money off, but because the initial pricing of the new models were so high.

I don't like the sound of the new Panasonic models as they are using IPS type panels in 2018. I own a Panasonic and its also awful with media playback, mostly because it doesn't support DTS audio and has stutter issues.

The best time to buy a TV
 

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