Question choice among three sets for 1st-time 4k tv buyer

zmthink

Established Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2017
Messages
74
Reaction score
9
Points
10
Location
Edinburgh
1st-time 4k tv buyer here (jumping from a Samsung 1080p 32'' LCD...). Recently started a family with a baby, moved home, and am now looking for a 4k tv for the living room (viewing distance is roughly 11.5-12 feet).

We don't have a generous budget and the Mrs insists on 65'' sets as she was impressed by one at a friend's new home. That leaves us with either entry-level sets of this year or mid-level sets of last year and we decide to go for the latter. By the way, I'd like to first express my appreciation of all the information and comments shared by members in this forum. I find them extremely helpful, which also help me narrow down to three targeted sets:
1. Panasonic TX65DX750B (benchmark)
2. Samsung UE65KS7500 (costs more)
3. Hisense H65M7000 (saves some money for other extras)

Any comments about these or other possible alternatives are welcome and deeply appreciated. Also, our main purpose would be watching tv and movies, occasionally games. I have also read somewhere that for our viewing distance it is better to have a 1080p set, but we'd still prefer a 4k one. If that would definitely be a wrong choice, feel free to warn us:) Many thanks in advance.
 
Last edited:
I have an oled, and my stepdad bought the hisense m7000, although not in oleds league it's a great amount of tv for the money and produces a very nice image, build quality is also great, and the inbuilt speakers are decent for a TV
 
Congratulations!

Out of the tv's mentioned the KS7000 is the only one with decent HDR performance.

The main drawback to going UHD is the upscaling quaiity of standard definition material vs a FHD TV.

If you don't mind that looking worse, going UHD is fine even if you don't view close enough to benefit for the extra resolution.

It also raises the value of HDR as that can be benefitted from regardless of where you view the tv from, but of course both UHD and HDR are rare to find so that would only really apply if you plan to play source material in HDR like UHD Blu-Rays, HDR streams etc.

If you don't plan to utilise HDR then the other two tv's are about equal in my opinion. The Panasonic has the edge if you plan on using motion enhancement settings but thats about it.
 
I have an oled, and my stepdad bought the hisense m7000, although not in oleds league it's a great amount of tv for the money and produces a very nice image, build quality is also great, and the inbuilt speakers are decent for a TV
Thanks for the comment. Yes, I knew the Hisense M7000 is probably the most budget-friendly set with decent performance. Along with the comment by @Dodgexander, we would seriously consider it given that we probably won't utilize HDR too much.
 
Congratulations!

Out of the tv's mentioned the KS7000 is the only one with decent HDR performance.

The main drawback to going UHD is the upscaling quaiity of standard definition material vs a FHD TV.

If you don't mind that looking worse, going UHD is fine even if you don't view close enough to benefit for the extra resolution.

It also raises the value of HDR as that can be benefitted from regardless of where you view the tv from, but of course both UHD and HDR are rare to find so that would only really apply if you plan to play source material in HDR like UHD Blu-Rays, HDR streams etc.

If you don't plan to utilise HDR then the other two tv's are about equal in my opinion. The Panasonic has the edge if you plan on using motion enhancement settings but thats about it.

Thanks for the comment. I presume we won't utilize HDR that much (in fact I am still not quite sure about what HDR does for normal tv usage). In that case it seems that we could save some fortune by passing the Samsung KS7500. So between the Panasonic and the Hisense that you think are about equal, does the extra £200-300 justifiable for the Panasonic based on the edge you mentioned? Another fact would be Panasonic currently offers 5-year warranty for its 4k tv's while Hisense only does 2-year.
 
Thanks for the comment. I presume we won't utilize HDR that much (in fact I am still not quite sure about what HDR does for normal tv usage). In that case it seems that we could save some fortune by passing the Samsung KS7500. So between the Panasonic and the Hisense that you think are about equal, does the extra £200-300 justifiable for the Panasonic based on the edge you mentioned? Another fact would be Panasonic currently offers 5-year warranty for its 4k tv's while Hisense only does 2-year.
Get the hisense from richer sounds and it's a 6 year warranty I beleive, hdr doesn't make a difference to every day tv watching, it comes into play on 4k blu rays, streaming from Netflix and amazon, and gaming on the ps4 pro or Xbox one s, the m7000 isn't a true 10 bit panel but uses 8 bit dithered for hdr, if hdr isn't something you'll be utilising much then the hisense is a great shout for the money, the Panasonic will have better motion processing if that's something you use, I personally leave all motion processing off
 
Get the hisense from richer sounds and it's a 6 year warranty I beleive, hdr doesn't make a difference to every day tv watching, it comes into play on 4k blu rays, streaming from Netflix and amazon, and gaming on the ps4 pro or Xbox one s, the m7000 isn't a true 10 bit panel but uses 8 bit dithered for hdr, if hdr isn't something you'll be utilising much then the hisense is a great shout for the money, the Panasonic will have better motion processing if that's something you use, I personally leave all motion processing off
Thanks for the further comment. Both Richer Sounds and John Lewis, the sellers who provide 5+ years warranty by default, don't have the 65'' Hisense M7000 at the moment though. Another minor reason is that the mrs seems not quite sure about the newcomer Hisense being a reliable tv manufacturer as opposed to a renowned brand like Panasonic or Samsung, which I hope I could convince her eventually though. By the way, if you don't mind an extra question, are you aware of any other sets that are comparable (quality and price range) to the three I listed? Many thanks.
 
Thanks for the further comment. Both Richer Sounds and John Lewis, the sellers who provide 5+ years warranty by default, don't have the 65'' Hisense M7000 at the moment though. Another minor reason is that the mrs seems not quite sure about the newcomer Hisense being a reliable tv manufacturer as opposed to a renowned brand like Panasonic or Samsung, which I hope I could convince her eventually though. By the way, if you don't mind an extra question, are you aware of any other sets that are comparable (quality and price range) to the three I listed? Many thanks.
Hisense have been around longer than you think, just not in this country, they are one of the biggest manufacturers of tv's in the world, they are doing what Samsung did when they first hit the scene, undercutting their rivals for brand recognition, the m7000 got a very good review on this site by Mr withers and is the best bang for buck tv of last year imo
 
Hisense have been around longer than you think, just not in this country, they are one of the biggest manufacturers of tv's in the world, they are doing what Samsung did when they first hit the scene, undercutting their rivals for brand recognition, the m7000 got a very good review on this site by Mr withers and is the best bang for buck tv of last year imo
Both me and the mrs actually know about Hisense for a while, as we have a Chinese friend telling us it's a big manufacturer back there since years ago. I guess the mrs is just not that sure about the quality but I could convince her with all the evidence found in this forum. I guess what is left is just for me to find a retailer of it with longer warranty, and then we could save some money to buy a Blue-ray player to accompany the tv. By the way, is Panasonic (funny it's Panny again in the conversation) DMPBDT700EB9 a good player if you happen to know about that as well? Thanks again.
 
Both me and the mrs actually know about Hisense for a while, as we have a Chinese friend telling us it's a big manufacturer back there since years ago. I guess the mrs is just not that sure about the quality but I could convince her with all the evidence found in this forum. I guess what is left is just for me to find a retailer of it with longer warranty, and then we could save some money to buy a Blue-ray player to accompany the tv. By the way, is Panasonic (funny it's Panny again in the conversation) DMPBDT700EB9 a good player if you happen to know about that as well? Thanks again.
Don't know about blu ray players as I havnt looked into them for a while, panny are normally pretty decent though, I've had a look online and can't find the 65 inch m7000 with 5-6 years warranty, they used to sell them at John Lewis and richer sounds but looks like they don't have stock anymore, what's your budget? I don't know what the new hisense models are like but there should be owners threads in the tv section
 
Don't know about blu ray players as I havnt looked into them for a while, panny are normally pretty decent though, I've had a look online and can't find the 65 inch m7000 with 5-6 years warranty, they used to sell them at John Lewis and richer sounds but looks like they don't have stock anymore, what's your budget? I don't know what the new hisense models are like but there should be owners threads in the tv section
Thanks again for getting back. We might skip blu ray player and go for a decent game console for the sake of family fun as well, so not a big point at the moment. Our budget is about £1000 but could shoot to £1200ish for a decent choice (that is why the Sammy KS7500 is included as well in my list). I did look into the new hisense models a bit and found only one 65'' model - H65N6800, which seems similar to M7000 specification-wise, but costs £1400 at John Lewis. I think for our budget it is probably better to go for a model from last year.
 
Some more research this weekend leads to another set: LG 65UH770V. Any comment on it would also be appreciated.
 
Some more research this weekend leads to another set: LG 65UH770V. Any comment on it would also be appreciated.
I would only go for an lg if going the oled route, their lcd tv's are bottom of the current crop I would say, save your pennies and get the hisense, here's the av forums review of it
Hisense H65M7000 UHD 4K TV Review
 
I would only go for an lg if going the oled route, their lcd tv's are bottom of the current crop I would say, save your pennies and get the hisense, here's the av forums review of it
Hisense H65M7000 UHD 4K TV Review
Thanks again. Yes, I have read that review and was impressed by it. The LG one is just something I spotted over the weekend. I guess the only thing that puts me off from the Hisense is the short warranty (as opposed to the Panny one with 5-year warranty but £200 dearer). We would make a decision by the end of June. Thank you @furryhobnob for following this thread and consistently providing advice.
 
Thanks again. Yes, I have read that review and was impressed by it. The LG one is just something I spotted over the weekend. I guess the only thing that puts me off from the Hisense is the short warranty (as opposed to the Panny one with 5-year warranty but £200 dearer). We would make a decision by the end of June. Thank you @furryhobnob for following this thread and consistently providing advice.
No problem pal
 
What Panasonic tv is that? You'll want to be looking at 2016 models to get best value right now. The 2017 equivalents are marked up in price right now you can actually spend more and get less buying a low end one.

Prior comment regarding lg is correct, they tend to use worse contrast panels. They don't really have a choice though as those are the panels they manufacture and sell themselves!
 
What Panasonic tv is that? You'll want to be looking at 2016 models to get best value right now. The 2017 equivalents are marked up in price right now you can actually spend more and get less buying a low end one.

Prior comment regarding lg is correct, they tend to use worse contrast panels. They don't really have a choice though as those are the panels they manufacture and sell themselves!
Thanks. The Panasonic set is TX65DX750B, as listed at the beginning of the thread. Yes, we have decided to go for a last year's model for better value given our budget.
 
Of the three, the KS7500 is probably the most future proof. Its also UHD Premium accredited and whether you want HDR at the moment or not, it may well be something you want in the near future. You can watch HDR content on the youtube App too. It will be updated with HLG (A type of HDR for broadcasters) and should be updated to support Dynamic Metadata HDR10 too. It also has 4 full bandwidth 4k HDMI ports and certainly the best here for gaming. Its great for Wall Mounting too as it has a 'One Connect Box' for all your connections so you don't have a lot of cables to channel or have to keep reaching behind the TV if you want to connect devices, use a USB etc. Picture Quality is great and it was many sites 'Best TV of 2016'. Its actually better than a number of 2017 TV's too. I have the KS8000 myself - the next one up but has the same Panel and a lot of my friends have the KS7000 (the flat version) as they are 'gamers'. All are very happy with it...
 
Of the three, the KS7500 is probably the most future proof. Its also UHD Premium accredited and whether you want HDR at the moment or not, it may well be something you want in the near future. You can watch HDR content on the youtube App too. It will be updated with HLG (A type of HDR for broadcasters) and should be updated to support Dynamic Metadata HDR10 too. It also has 4 full bandwidth 4k HDMI ports and certainly the best here for gaming. Its great for Wall Mounting too as it has a 'One Connect Box' for all your connections so you don't have a lot of cables to channel or have to keep reaching behind the TV if you want to connect devices, use a USB etc. Picture Quality is great and it was many sites 'Best TV of 2016'. Its actually better than a number of 2017 TV's too. I have the KS8000 myself - the next one up but has the same Panel and a lot of my friends have the KS7000 (the flat version) as they are 'gamers'. All are very happy with it...
Thanks for the comment. I was tempted by the KS7500 as well though more expensive than the other two. But I think I've read somewhere that for the KS series the flat versions are generally better than the curved version for some reason. We still haven't pulled the trigger on the Hisense or the Panasonic, and should probably give a bit more thought on the KS7500 as well.
 
I have an oled, and my stepdad bought the hisense m7000, although not in oleds league it's a great amount of tv for the money and produces a very nice image, build quality is also great, and the inbuilt speakers are decent for a TV
Sorry for another question for you @furryhobnob, as you mentioned that you have an OLED tv. Currently there seem to be various deals on the LG OLED55B6V, which could be had for another £200 out of our budget in mind. I know OLED is the way to go in the future hence am quite tempted by this price mark. The only concern for me (and particularly the mrs) is whether 55'' is suitable for our viewing distance (given the tv stand we are looking to buy, the viewing distance should be about 11.5 - 12 feet). What is your opinion on that? Many thanks.
 
Sorry for another question for you @furryhobnob, as you mentioned that you have an OLED tv. Currently there seem to be various deals on the LG OLED55B6V, which could be had for another £200 out of our budget in mind. I know OLED is the way to go in the future hence am quite tempted by this price mark. The only concern for me (and particularly the mrs) is whether 55'' is suitable for our viewing distance (given the tv stand we are looking to buy, the viewing distance should be about 11.5 - 12 feet). What is your opinion on that? Many thanks.
Yeah that's too far, to see the difference between 4k and 1080p you need to be at 7ft at the furthest away on a 55 inch screen, so you would need the 65, if you can up your budget I would try and go oled, a 65 inch one was listed on the classifieds here with warranty until 2021 I belive for around your budget
 
Yeah that's too far, to see the difference between 4k and 1080p you need to be at 7ft at the furthest away on a 55 inch screen, so you would need the 65, if you can up your budget I would try and go oled, a 65 inch one was listed on the classifieds here with warranty until 2021 I belive for around your budget
Thanks for the prompt reply. I think I found the classified ad: very good price with transferable warranty but the tv was already sold; anyway the location is quite far away. Thanks again.
 
Thanks for the prompt reply. I think I found the classified ad: very good price with transferable warranty but the tv was already sold; anyway the location is quite far away. Thanks again.
It might be worth putting up a wanted ad pal as you might drop lucky with someone more local to you
 
Update: we finally pull the trigger today and go for the Panasonic, as we find a local RS with one new unit left and we get a bit discount on that. Thanks for all the comments about the Hisense and the Samsung; in the end we justify the extra £150 over the Hisense for the extra couple years of warranty, meanwhile though the Samsung could be had for £100 more online it is not from a reputed retailer like JL or RS. Hope we have made the correct decision.

Now we are looking forward to the delivery next week and hopefully get a good unit without the banding problem I read from the forum, otherwise it would be painful to search for a set again. Also need to spend probably even more time here to study how to better utilize the new tv, particularly as a newcomer to large-screen 4K tv.

Many thanks again for everyone who participated in this thread.
 
New update: the order was cancelled yesterday due to mistaken stock information... Go back to search and currently have three options: 1. the Panasonic (only refurbished) 2. the Hisense at about same price 3. the Samsung at about £300 more. Lean strongly toward the Hisense now.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom