Best 48-55" TV Around £650ish

[RadioactiveCheese]

Evening all,
I've spent a long time scouring through various forum posts and I can't make a decision.

I am looking at getting a new TV - current is 48" Seiko? got it super cheap many years ago to fill a space and now finally have a bit of money (and new house/bigger space) so what to upgrade. Might be worth noting our current TV is 'dumb' so this will be our first 'smart' TV.

Main use: BBC iplayer, Netflix, Disney+, Prime, Youtube, a tiny bit of Freeview. We have a firestick but also looking at a Chromecast with Google TV - unless this is pointless with either of the options below. Gaming wise I will only be using the Switch. Maybe BT sport if it's accessible.

Location - Against a large white wall in our living room with windows opposite - windows have blinds but we get a lot of sunlight in throughout the day (even with the blinds closed) and our current TV just cannot handle the light/glare and reflections - almost impossible to see nigh scenes etc.
The soft is up against these windows and so viewing will be straight ahead to the TV.

Budget: Probably around £650ish

Which of these would you pick?
Refurbished Hisense 55U8QFTUK 55" (£599.49) I appreciate this is refurbished - is that a major issue?
Hisense QLED 55U8GQTUK 55" (£634 inc £40 off) I have a £40 off code for this.
Hisense 55U7QFTUK 55" (£459 inc £40 off) I have a £40 off code for this.
Philips 58PUS8536 58" (£609 inc £40 off) I have a £40 off code for this.

If anyone has any other alternatives I would be more than happy to consider them.

Many Thanks in Advance for your help

 

[Dodgexander]

The U8Q is the only pathway to enjoy HDR without too many adverse effects on Netflix, Disney and Prime and a much better TV than the others on the list including the newer U8G.

I believe Box are a reputable retailer so I don't think there will be a problem buying refurbished from them. If you need to return it, it shouldn't be a problem, but you can always contact them about it first.

 

[RadioactiveCheese]

The U8Q is the only pathway to enjoy HDR without too many adverse effects on Netflix, Disney and Prime and a much better TV than the others on the list including the newer U8G.

I believe Box are a reputable retailer so I don't think there will be a problem buying refurbished from them. If you need to return it, it shouldn't be a problem, but you can always contact them about it first.

Hi Dodgexander,

Many thanks for your response. Admittedly I'd hope you would as I have read your TV guides and responses on most posts and they are brilliant.

May I ask what makes the U8Q that much better than the U8G in your opinion - I know the latter has eARC but I presume that isn't enough to make it a better pick than the newer U8G?

On the topic of eARC - I see that it is necessary for Dolby Atmos - is there another way to get this (turn ARC into eARC) e.g. a converter or a dongle etc or would a 4k firestick/Android TV work? This isn't really a deal-breaker either way as we don't have a soundbar - but have looked at the possibility of one at some point, we've survived on the speakers built into our very cheap TV until now.

The TVs on the list above are just ones that caught my eye from various forum posts if you had any other suggestions I am all ears. Are there any Sony/Samsung/LG TVs that if the price dropped into this territory would be good bets? I've seen Costco do some great deals.

Many Thanks,

 

[Dodgexander]

May I ask what makes the U8Q that much better than the U8G in your opinion - I know the latter has eARC but I presume that isn't enough to make it a better pick than the newer U8G?

The U8G in Europe is using an IPS panel. So, it has better viewing angles than the U8Q and less motion blur too..but because of the IPS panel it has a lot more issues with screen uniformity. Nowadays if you're buying a higher end LCD TV you need to buy one with a VA panel to avoid problems with screen uniformity in HDR mode.
For SDR though, the U8G as long as it's viewed in brighter conditions will be fine and if you need wide viewing angles, a TV using an IPS panel may be a necessary evill.

On the topic of eARC - I see that it is necessary for Dolby Atmos - is there another way to get this (turn ARC into eARC) e.g. a converter or a dongle etc or would a 4k firestick/Android TV work? This isn't really a deal-breaker either way as we don't have a soundbar - but have looked at the possibility of one at some point, we've survived on the speakers built into our very cheap TV until now.

Its only necessary if you plan to use the TV to switch HD audio.
Streaming services that aren't using HD audio, and will never use HD audio do not require eARC, even Dolby Atmos.
Only time you need to think about eARC is if you plan to hook up an UHD Blu-Ray player or Games Console to the TV and you want to use the TV to switch the audio of those devices back to an external sound device like a soundbar or AVR.

Even so, some soundbars and AVR's have inputs themselves, so eARC is often unneeded in these circumstances too.

So, you need to think about what your setup is going to be, now and in the future to understand if eARC is needed or not.

The TVs on the list above are just ones that caught my eye from various forum posts if you had any other suggestions I am all ears. Are there any Sony/Samsung/LG TVs that if the price dropped into this territory would be good bets? I've seen Costco do some great deals.

Not at similar price levels. There are refurb Sony X90J's sold from their own refurb outlet. These TVs will cost more than the U8Q and offer less HDR performance, but they have better processing and more up to date HDMI connectivity and smart TV.

Bargain - Sony centre direct refurbished store thread

To coincide with the Bargain - Panasonic refurbished eBay store thread I am also making this thread to stay as a bargain thread throughout the year. Much the same as the Panasonic thread, deals on this outlet tend to peak around this time of year (25/03/20 today) as they are trying to ship out...

www.avforums.com

 

[RadioactiveCheese]

The U8G in Europe is using an IPS panel. So, it has better viewing angles than the U8Q and less motion blur too..but because of the IPS panel it has a lot more issues with screen uniformity. Nowadays if you're buying a higher end LCD TV you need to buy one with a VA panel to avoid problems with screen uniformity in HDR mode.
For SDR though, the U8G as long as it's viewed in brighter conditions will be fine and if you need wide viewing angles, a TV using an IPS panel may be a necessary evill.

Its only necessary if you plan to use the TV to switch HD audio.
Streaming services that aren't using HD audio, and will never use HD audio do not require eARC, even Dolby Atmos.
Only time you need to think about eARC is if you plan to hook up an UHD Blu-Ray player or Games Console to the TV and you want to use the TV to switch the audio of those devices back to an external sound device like a soundbar or AVR.

Even so, some soundbars and AVR's have inputs themselves, so eARC is often unneeded in these circumstances too.

So, you need to think about what your setup is going to be, now and in the future to understand if eARC is needed or not.

Not at similar price levels. There are refurb Sony X90J's sold from their own refurb outlet. These TVs will cost more than the U8Q and offer less HDR performance, but they have better processing and more up to date HDMI connectivity and smart TV.

Bargain - Sony centre direct refurbished store thread

To coincide with the Bargain - Panasonic refurbished eBay store thread I am also making this thread to stay as a bargain thread throughout the year. Much the same as the Panasonic thread, deals on this outlet tend to peak around this time of year (25/03/20 today) as they are trying to ship out...

www.avforums.com

Apologies for the late reply Just wanted to say thanks for the help - I plumped for the U8Q from Costco (managed to get it for £399)...sadly they delivered the U8G though. Hopefully they still have stocks for a swap!

 

[Dodgexander]

Apologies for the late reply Just wanted to say thanks for the help - I plumped for the U8Q from Costco (managed to get it for £399)...sadly they delivered the U8G though. Hopefully they still have stocks for a swap!

ah that's a shame! They are pretty good with returns, so hopefully they still have stock of the older model.