Hello all, these forums have so much interesting information thank you! I have a rather specific scenario question, so figured I would make a post as I'd like to ask for your advice.
We're looking to buy a 50" for predominantly 1080p watching. In 2021, it appears that only one Full HD model is still being sold in the UK at 49/50", the Sony KDL50WF663 at £449.
Previous TV situation/ habits:
We're looking to buy a 50" for predominantly 1080p watching. In 2021, it appears that only one Full HD model is still being sold in the UK at 49/50", the Sony KDL50WF663 at £449.
- Is it worth buying this Full HD Sony WF66 for £449, over a budget 4K that is cheaper?
The LG 50 UN7300 is selling for £399 and the Hisense 50 U7Q is at £449. We're in no rush to buy a TV and prices may even fall a bit further in the next months.
- What is the upscaling like on today's budget 4K TVs?
Even if watching upscaled 1080p is a little bit worse, is it that noticeable, and hence we could buy the 4K TV anyway (because it's cheaper and gives the option to watch 4K streaming services in the future?
Previous TV situation/ habits:
- Been living with my partner's parents for a long time, so we did not watch much TV on their old 40 inch Full HD TV.
- When we did watch, 60% SD Freeview broadcast, and 40% Netflix
- Most of our watching comes from watching 1080p on my laptop. 1080p videos, 1080p sport, 1080p youtube, etc.
- We have now moved into our own place so are looking to buy our first TV, 50" size, lower-tier prices.
- We do not currently own a TV.
- No soundbar, DVD, Blu-Ray or games consoles
- Our TV watching habits will probably change once we have a TV in our own space and start using the TV as a primary entertainment source
- On this forum I've discovered that there are some HD Freeview broadcast channels which I never knew about! And that catch-up apps work well on TVs too
- I imagine once we get a TV, our former SD Freeview watching will be replaced by either watching HD Freeview or watching catch-up apps. And some of the 1080p laptop stuff will be moved to watching 1080p on the smart TV.
- Hence mainly on our new TV we will be watching 1080p stuff
- If we got a 4K, in the future we do not intend to watch 4K Blu-Ray or do gaming
- If we got a 4K, then perhaps we'd subscribe to Netflix UHD and similar UHD streaming services, however it's not super duper necessary or important.
- Viewing distance is about 2.1-2.4m depending on where we put the sofa.
- My eyesight is -0.25 and things far away are a tiny bit blurry. I only wear glasses when driving. I watch TV without glasses, and on the old 40" the text was sometimes a little bit blurry, though I could still make things out. So perhaps I won't notice the imperfections from upscaled 1080p.
- Ultimately whilst I understand watching 1080p on a Full HD will be 'better' than watching upscaled on a 4K, how much more noticeable will it actually be, given my eyesight and viewing distance? And since a budget 4K is cheaper, and allows the option to watch 4K streaming in the future, should we just go for the 4K?
- IPS and VA doesn't matter TOO much. We're not heavy TV watchers and we're buying lower-tier TVs anyway. 60% leaning towards IPS and 40% VA. We live in a one bedroom apartment, two of us watching head-on, only in the evenings and on weekends. The TV space is not overly bright during the daytime since it's north facing and not near a window, though I guess IPS would still be better for daytime watching. Plus IPS would be better on those occasions with guests. In the evenings we're comfortable watching with the lights on, or with the lights off, no huge preference. I tend to watch a fair amount of 1080p sports, but from what I currently understand from reading these forums lower-tier IPS and VAs are both not great for sports clarity anyway.
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