Best 50"+ TV up to £500

[elesian]

I am looking for the best general purpose TV in the £400-£500 range. I am not willing to spend more than £500. The screen must be in the 50-55" range. It seems to me that there are quite compromises at this price point. I have done some preliminary research and the best TVs appear to be:

1. Hisense A7G (QLED)
2. Samsung 7100/7020 (LED) - the bluetooth functionality of the 7100 is welcomed.

The movie will be used for mainly for movies and light gaming. I do not need wide viewing angles. Any recommendations are highly welcome!

 

[Dodgexander]

Size is important, 50" models will all be using VA panels. 55" versions of both the TVs you mention could be using IPS panels. Hisense at 55" definitely, Samsung at 55 could be VA or IPS. AU9000 is the only cheaper Samsung guaranteed VA at 55".

Provided you are using just SDR either of those models is fine. But the problem comes when you use HDR. A cheaper TV like these just won't cut it, and will give you picture problems when you're forced to use HDR.

All about HDR (High Dynamic Range)

One of the major decisions to make when purchase a TV, especially an LCD TV is based on HDR. So what is HDR, how will you use it and do you need it on your TV? Major points to understand HDR HDR (High Dynamic Range) in the TV tech world is a means to add data to a video source which contains...

www.avforums.com

It's so much of an issue, I decided against recommending any cheaper TVs in my guide I make each year here: NEW: My best value TVs, 2021-2022 Edition

 

[elesian]

Great, fantastic advice. Regarding VA or IPS, for my purposes (looking pretty much straight on) a VA screen is going to be generally better with better contrast but poorer viewing angles? Should I concern myself too much with VA versus IPS at this price point? Further, is it possible to know what panel my screen will have (will it be specified for each screen size of, say, the Samsung 7100 etc)? Many thanks!

 

[Dodgexander]

Most people in your situation would choose VA because the main downside is worse viewing angles. They do have another disadvantage though which is more motion blur, particularly in darker areas. So, a TV using an IPS panels retains better viewing angles and less motion blur, but worse blacks, contrast and screen uniformity.

There's no winner, so it depends on which display technology you like the pros and cons of the best.

Determining the panel type of a TV.

Determining the panel type of a TV Manufacturers don't make it easy, they won't freely give away panel information because they often use more than one panel type on the same model line. Sometimes it can differ based on region, sometimes by date of production. Sometimes it can just be...

www.avforums.com

 

[Petey20]

Size is important, 50" models will all be using VA panels. 55" versions of both the TVs you mention could be using IPS panels. Hisense at 55" definitely, Samsung at 55 could be VA or IPS. AU9000 is the only cheaper Samsung guaranteed VA at 55".

Provided you are using just SDR either of those models is fine. But the problem comes when you use HDR. A cheaper TV like these just won't cut it, and will give you picture problems when you're forced to use HDR.

All about HDR (High Dynamic Range)

One of the major decisions to make when purchase a TV, especially an LCD TV is based on HDR. So what is HDR, how will you use it and do you need it on your TV? Major points to understand HDR HDR (High Dynamic Range) in the TV tech world is a means to add data to a video source which contains...

www.avforums.com

It's so much of an issue, I decided against recommending any cheaper TVs in my guide I make each year here: NEW: My best value TVs, 2021-2022 Edition

Does the chart you have linked not show the Samsung 55AU7100 to have a VA panel? Or am I reading the chart wrong?

 

[Dodgexander]

Does the chart you have linked not show the Samsung 55AU7100 to have a VA panel? Or am I reading the chart wrong?

Yeah, it does, so at 55" you can add that model to the AU9000 I mentioned above.

 

[elesian]

The hisense range offer QLED at a fairly low price point, and from this perspective, I would have thought that the hisense screens would have been better than the budget Samsung ones?

 

[ab12]

The hisense range offer QLED at a fairly low price point, and from this perspective, I would have thought that the hisense screens would have been better than the budget Samsung ones?

Yes, but they've switched to IPS/ADS in 2021 for 55''. Only the E76 will give you VA or any other 50''. You can get the U8Q at 514 which gives you decent motion and HDR brightness. Dark room performance won't be great as its IPS with too few dimming zones.

Hisense 55U8GQTUK 55 Inch ULED 4K Ultra HD Smart TV | Costco UK

Unlock the Astonishing Unlock astonishing levels of colour purity with Quantum Dot Colour that gets you closer to reality with over 1 billion true-to-life colours whilst Ultra HD Premium offers exceptional 4K clarity. Bring the true cinematic experience home, achieving up to 1000-nits peak...

www.costco.co.uk

Another option would be the U7QF

50U7QFTUK | Hisense 50” 4K Ultra HD ULED Smart TV | ao.com

Get ready for some explosive entertainment in front of this 50U7QFTUK 50-inch Hisense TV, featuring a 4K Ultra HD ULED screen, Full Array LEDs and Dolby Atmos®.

ao.com

Hisense H55U7QFTUK 55 Inch ULED 4K Ultra HD Smart TV | Costco UK

ULED TV. Our ultimate 4K HDR experience. Get closer to reality with the Hisense U7QF ULED TV with Quantum Dot Colour, delivering over a billion true-to-life colours. Direct Full Array Local Dimming utilises independently controlled dimming zones for added precision. Bring the true cinematic...

www.costco.co.uk

 

[elesian]

I think I am going to go for a Samsung 7100/7110/7020. How can I know, for certain, whether I will get an IPS or VA panel? I am thinking of considering a 65" Samsung TV but only if it has a VA panel. The online specifications seem to list both IPS/VA. How can I know?

 

[ab12]

You can't they use both during the assembly depending on availability. I guess most batches will be VA, but some will have ADS/IPS panels as well, see my chart.

 

[Petey20]

I think I am going to go for a Samsung 7100/7110/7020. How can I know, for certain, whether I will get an IPS or VA panel? I am thinking of considering a 65" Samsung TV but only if it has a VA panel. The online specifications seem to list both IPS/VA. How can I know?

According to the chart Dodge linked you can't be certain at 65".
Go for a 58" or 70" if you want to be certain of getting a VA panel around that size.

 

[elesian]

I'm having second thoughts about the VA panel.

My situation is that the TV screen will be approximately 4m from the headboard of the bed. The plan is to have the screen on a wall mounted arm. The centre of the TV will be offset about 15-30 degrees (30 degrees being the farthest away viewer to the edge of the screen) from the bed (but this angle can be modified by using the TV arm to have the screen directly inline with the viewers).

Dark room viewing is more important than day time viewing. The main use is movies, followed by light gaming.

I am gravitating towards a 65"-75" setup now. Based on the above information, do you recommend IPS or VA?

P.S. I have heard that VA can suffer from black smear, which was noticeable on a friend's Samsung 'the frame' model.

 

[Dodgexander]

30 degrees either side (60 cone) should be okay. At the tightest viewing angle, you may notice the far edge is a little darker than the rest of the picture, and in darker conditions the blacks at that side will be raised a little but it shouldn't be a big deal.

Going for a model using IPS tech is generally a bad idea for dark viewing, even the very top end models with local dimming still suffer in these conditions.

However, if you are averse to traits on VA panels like tighter viewing angles, or black smearing then definitely don't hesitate to go with IPS and live with those negatives instead. Its all about which pros and cons tick the boxes best for you. Not everyone is the same, but most people prefer VA panels today.

On the other hand, you do see a lot of complaints (particularly from gamers) about motion blur on VA panels.