Question Best 43" to 49" 4K with FreeView HD

ac427

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My Mum and Dad's 42" Panasonic Plasma conked out a few days ago, So i'm looking to get them a replacement.
They watch a lot of TV rather than films and like Formula 1.

The budget is £500 although i could stretch it for a really good set.

Picture quality is paramount and i've been considering LG, Samsung and Sony but open to other makes if better.

Thanks in advance for any help
 
Every TV has Freeview HD.

Best overall package at this size, especially for motion with F1 would be the Sony XF85/XF87 range.

But you should first decide which panel type is suited to them, if they need wide viewing angles your choices of TV can change as TVs with the best picture quality from the front are not ones with good viewing angles.

Which panel type should I choose for my TV?

If they only watch regular TV then it may even be better to go for a HD model rather than an UHD one. Less scaling means the less than stellar quality TV channels won't look as bad.
 
Thanks the viewing angle doesn't need to be wide. I just measured the viewing distance, it is 3m.

I guess at that distance any panel would do. I am thinking IPS for the motion and colour.

I fancy 4K but totally agree FHD is probably the better choice. I need to remember this is not for me!
 
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3m away it really won't make any difference UHD or FHD, that is too far to benefit from an UHD signal but also probably too far to notice extra upscaling to UHD on a smaller TV.

IPS panels are suited if they need wide viewing angles, their colour reproduction is not better than VA type. If you are used to computer monitors IPS colour is often lauded ahead of TN type panels, which is true, but its not better than VA type found on TVs.

Sony XF85/XF87 remains the best choice at 49" due to its 120hz panel. Its downside is poorer smart TV. If smart TV is more important than motion then I'd look at a 50" model from LG or Samsung instead (not 49").

There is also a FHD Sony WF series at 50" which is about on par with the other 50" UHD models for overall quality, but its smart TV platform is very basic.
 
In the UK and Europe where traditional broadcast TV still uses the PAL standards (25/50fps contnet) TVs can refresh at 50/60hz or 100/120hz depending on the model.
 
I took a guess and thought it was down to the mains frequency.

Thanks for the info
 
Sony XF85/XF87 remains the best choice at 49" due to its 120hz panel. Its downside is poorer smart TV. If smart TV is more important than motion then I'd look at a 50" model from LG or Samsung instead (not 49").

When you say the Smart TV is poorer is this just available of slowness in the menus ?
 
When you say the Smart TV is poorer is this just available of slowness in the menus ?
It uses android TV on an underpowered chipset which means it runs quite slow yes. Comparing it to other smart TV platforms its not as intiuitive either, so ease of use isn't fantastic compared to other platforms.
I took a guess and thought it was down to the mains frequency.
That was the reason they created the PAL video standard in Europe so its closely related. Nowadays though our TVs can also refresh at 60hz to match other frame rates. 60 or 120hz are actually the default refresh rates. Its nice because it means the TVs can display older TV shows or american sports without judder. With 120hz panels its nice because the refresh exactly at a multiple of the film frame rate to display films without any judder.
 
I bought a Samsung 49" NU8000 in the end. It's a great TV, i couldn't stretch to the Sony but i am more than happy.

One thing that i have noticed is the bass. Even at low volumes there is a lot of bass. I have reduced the first two frequencies on the TV's equaliser but no joy.

Is there any think else i can do to reduce the bass?
 
I bought a Samsung 49" NU8000 in the end. It's a great TV, i couldn't stretch to the Sony but i am more than happy.

One thing that i have noticed is the bass. Even at low volumes there is a lot of bass. I have reduced the first two frequencies on the TV's equaliser but no joy.

Is there any think else i can do to reduce the bass?
You could ask other users here: Samsung NU8000 Owners Thread

But I don't really know if there's much you can do other than change the frequencies on the equaliser.
 

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