Best 55 for £1000?

The_Wierd

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Got the nod from the boss to get a new telly. Budget is absolute tops 1K. 55 inch will do, and ideally want OLED, but not locked to that, as I know it would be the “base” model and a Full Array LED might be better overall package at the price. Not bothered about sound or smart features as I have a surround system and an Apple TV, so those are covered. Also TV is wall mounted and we sit head on to it, so side angles aren’t an issue. So I just want the best basic picture I can get for general TV, Netflix etc.

I fancied a Philips 705/706 for the Ambillight, but looks like I missed out in the end of line deals on last year’s models, and the new ones are out of budget.

Can get the LG A1 for £900. Seems ok, I don’t need 120Hz, but I do want stutter free 24Hz playback, and seems it does that Ok, but not sure if it has any other limitations as there are few reviews and even little discussion on here.

The Sony XR55X90JU also looks well specced for the same price, but it’s a chunky beast at 7cm thick, and it doesn’t actually go all the bright, which seems like it would be benefit of a modern FALD set.

I know some are going to say just spend a bit more, but really this the max budget, and I would rather go lower if possible! Don’t know whether to go now or wait for Black Friday offers, I never bought anything in those sales, so not sure if they are really good offers or not.
 
Timing is key at the moment, as you've seen from the models you've picked out pricing is not very good. Wait for Black Friday/Xmas sales or look for a 2020 model still knocking about on the cheap.

It should be achievable with the right deal to get a higher end OLED for that money than the A1.

The Sony X90J isn't competitive at all, its really a TV mainly for SDR use and falls short in HDR where it can't get very bright for an LCD.

Have you considered which tech works best for your viewing conditions, and you're preferences when it comes to picture quality? There's no one size fits all best TV, everyone is different and likes different things from a TV.
 
Thanks, for our viewing OLED is the ideal, I have a laptop with OLED screen, so I know how good they look. It‘s mostly evening viewing in a shaded room, but I have projector for “serious” movie watching. Yes, would rather get last year’s mid-range than this year’s low-end though. That’s what I did when I got the current set, got it just as the new models launched so for less than half the original price.

I’m thinking wait and see is the best strategy given how close we are to Black Friday.
 
Actually I founds a Sony 55A8, last year’s model going for £1049, I guess that’s close enough. Seems that’s a well reviewed set.
 
Yep, its a very good TV but that price is also a bit on the expensive side. The TV that replaces it; the A80J is also very good, might be worth waiting for a discount on that model if you can.
Check: OLED Price Changes

Because there are also TVs like LGs C1 which are newer.
 
Thanks, I just saw that, but I got lucky and got one of the £100 off codes, so I broke my own rule and stretched to £1099 for the step-up 806. I guess it’s just a bit more future proof. I think that price is unlikely to beaten by much or at all on BF.

If I think about a decision like this for too long, I end up stuck in an endless loop, especially with so many very similar TVs available, so just did it.
 
Thanks, I just saw that, but I got lucky and got one of the £100 off codes, so I broke my own rule and stretched to £1099 for the step-up 806. I guess it’s just a bit more future proof. I think that price is unlikely to beaten by much or at all on BF.

If I think about a decision like this for too long, I end up stuck in an endless loop, especially with so many very similar TVs available, so just did it.
Any reason why you went the extra £200 odd for the 806? I honestly can't see any difference apart from its got 4 sided ambilight rather than 3. I've heard it's 100nits brighter but don't see any reference to that anywhere.

Also how did you get the £100 off code? The current black Friday deals are not even as good as that 😂
 
And how it the set?
 
Any reason why you went the extra £200 odd for the 806? I honestly can't see any difference apart from its got 4 sided ambilight rather than 3. I've heard it's 100nits brighter but don't see any reference to that anywhere.

Also how did you get the £100 off code? The current black Friday deals are not even as good as that 😂

The £100 code was some kind of flash deal they were doing on the day, people seemed to get them at random at the top of the web page and it was only for TVs over £1000 so I think the difference on the day was £120.

As far as I can tell the differences are (allegedly) a bit higher peak brightness, 4-sided Ambilight and a voice remote with mic. For some reason I had convinced myself there was some difference in connection options, but I think not.

As I have it wall mounted, I have to say the 4-side lighting definitely looks better (the bottom side can be turned off, so easy to compare). If you plan to use the table-top stand, then there is no benefit. Is it worth the extra? Maybe not, but I really like the effect so no regrets.

So yes, love the TV, absolutely no issues at all with it so far.
 
The £100 code was some kind of flash deal they were doing on the day, people seemed to get them at random at the top of the web page and it was only for TVs over £1000 so I think the difference on the day was £120.

As far as I can tell the differences are (allegedly) a bit higher peak brightness, 4-sided Ambilight and a voice remote with mic. For some reason I had convinced myself there was some difference in connection options, but I think not.

As I have it wall mounted, I have to say the 4-side lighting definitely looks better (the bottom side can be turned off, so easy to compare). If you plan to use the table-top stand, then there is no benefit. Is it worth the extra? Maybe not, but I really like the effect so no regrets.

So yes, love the TV, absolutely no issues at all with it so far.
Dammit... Yeah well they're like 980 most places now... I'm trying to figure out if that is an actual black Friday deal though or if that's just the price they'll remain after black Friday. Every shop seems to state even the smallest discount as black Friday nowadays.

I might get from richer sounds though... They do a 6 year TV guarantee which I guess would be worth paying for even if it is like an extra 60 quid compared to the deals people like you found them going for... Maybe. Have no idea how good the guarantee is 😂

My current TV a Panasonic

TX-55DX650B​

is still a pretty good set and I'm having difficulty persuading the Mrs its a big upgrade for the sake of a £1000 hahaha
 
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