Budget 43inch TV

[OutOftheLoop]

Hi all,

I hope you're all well and safe. Thanks for all the knowledge that's being shared on this forum.

I'm on the hunt for a budget 43inch TV for a friend and holding out until Black Friday to make the purchase. Budget is approximately £300.

• It's for a new (small) flat that already has a built-in TV cabinet/bookshelf that only fits a max 43inch screen.
• The couch will be about 1.5 metres (5ft) away and mostly viewed head-on.
• Viewing habits will be almost entirely HD and UHD streaming (90% netflix/prime/youtube - 10% BT Sports/ BBC Iplayer) - no terrestrial tv
• Mostly viewing in the evening and weekends so will be a dark room most of the time.
• In terms of motion handling, I have seen TVs with blurry motion which are unwatchable. I currently have the Hisense 55 NU8700 (VA Panel) and have switched off all motion handling and we can comfortably watch action movies and sports, so am looking for something with similar abilities with regards to motion.

Am I right in thinking that a VA Panel would be the best fit? I'm not sure how to tell which TVs have which panels.

• Would like a solid after-sales experiences with a good warranty, so I think that limits me to John Lewis and Richer Sounds (which rules out the TCL TVs)
• Also considering adding a roku streambar in the future to take care of sounds and platform so the TV needs HMDI ARC compatibility (I think that's how it works)

I have narrowed down the search and price watch to the following TVs but can't find any proper reviews on them (Except the samsung):

1. HISENSE 43A7100FTUK - £299 now (no reviews, should be a VA panel)
2. SAMSUNG UE43TU7100 - £350 now but hoping for a Black Friday Reduction (has great reviews, especially on upscaling, unknown panel type)
3. Philips 43PUS7555 - £350 now but hoping for a Black Friday Reduction (some good reviews, unknown Panel type)

Is anyone of these significantly better than the other? Or Is there any TV that I am overlooking that should be in this list?

Thanks all!

 

[Dodgexander]

Bottom level budget and bottom level specs mean you can't be too picky about things. Main difference between one TV and another when choosing between 43" models will be the panel type used. Both have their pros and cons which are less apparent when looking at larger, higher spec TVs like your Hisense than they are to smaller, lower spec TVs.

For example, cheaper TVs use 60hz VA panels which have response times that are quite slow, whereas once you step up to 120hz VA panels like with your own TV, this becomes less of an issue. Slow response times from TVs using VA panels makes for more motion blur and trailing objects.

Its a case of choosing your pros and cons:

Which panel type should I choose for my TV?

OLED vs IPS LCD vs VA LCD Panels One of the most important decisions, if not the most important when buying a TV is the panel type a TV uses. When deciding which TV to go for, you must first choose the type of panel you want from a TV. VA LCD Panels Pros Higher contrast ratio. Deeper blacks...

www.avforums.com

Hisense A series would be top of my list if shopping for VA, and LG for IPS. Like you've already seen its hard to recommend Samsung/Philips because you won't know what panel the TV has before owning it and therefore its not really possible to make the best decision for your friends viewing conditions/preferences when it comes to picture quality.

Every TV has ARC now, so no need to worry about that.

In terms of upscaling you'll probably find TVs from Philips, Samsung, Sony and LG have the edge over Hisense, so if the importance of how poorer quality material looks outweighs the benefits/cons of a VA panel on the Hisense, you may want to go for one of those instead.

 

[OutOftheLoop]

Thanks a lot Dodgexander, very helpful and insightful as always. Much appreciated.

It looks like I can't have have my cake and eat it at this price point and size. I'm now leaning slightly towards an IPS Panel and I've added the LG 43UN7300 to the watchlist. Ultimately budget will determine the TV.


Thanks again for the advice, and thanks also for the advice on my last Hisense TV. It's been over 2 years but I still smile when I switch it on

 

[Dodgexander]

Thanks a lot Dodgexander, very helpful and insightful as always. Much appreciated.

It looks like I can't have have my cake and eat it at this price point and size. I'm now leaning slightly towards an IPS Panel and I've added the LG 43UN7300 to the watchlist. Ultimately budget will determine the TV.


Thanks again for the advice, and thanks also for the advice on my last Hisense TV. It's been over 2 years but I still smile when I switch it on

Spec sheet for the LG models is here: LG_TV_LineUp_chart_2020_v1.0.pdf very small differences between all, and some models will be sold in different shops.

 

[OutOftheLoop]

Went ahead and ordered the LG 43UN73006LC from RS £330. No special Black Friday deal but within budget. Also ordered the Roku streambar from Amazon £99

Thanks for all the help and advice!

 

[Shinton]

I'm also in exactly the same boat as the OP and looking at the LG. Currys have the 43UN7300 and 43UN7400 for the same price and I'm struggling to find any differences apart from the stand. The TV will be going on quite a small stand so the 7400 is the better option for me. Anyone know if there are any other differences as the compare function at Currys and the pdf that Dodgexander posted above doesn't seem to show any?

 

[OutOftheLoop]

I just took a look at the LG website to compare the two specs, can't see any real differences there either (LG 43UN73006LC : UN73 43 inch 4K Smart UHD TV | LG UK and LG 43UN74006LB : UN74 43 inch 4K Smart UHD TV | LG UK)
The 7400 also has a "hotel mode" and a narrower stand and is a bit heavier.

 

[Shinton]

Great thanks, I will get the 7400. The stand comes up 15mm too wide for the unit which means I can't get the 7300 from Richer Sounds with the 6 year warranty

 

[OutOftheLoop]

It might be worth looking into a universal TV stand (about £20) that meets your size requirements (I've never used one, but I've seen them being recommended). This way you can get the 7300 with the 6 year warranty if that's really important.

 

[Dodgexander]

I'm also in exactly the same boat as the OP and looking at the LG. Currys have the 43UN7300 and 43UN7400 for the same price and I'm struggling to find any differences apart from the stand. The TV will be going on quite a small stand so the 7400 is the better option for me. Anyone know if there are any other differences as the compare function at Currys and the pdf that Dodgexander posted above doesn't seem to show any?

Did you look at the comparison chart posted a few posts up?

There's practically no difference between the entire 'UN' range.