Could use some help choosing a TV

Torchwood84

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Hey,

New to the forum, as I'm hoping for a bit of help in deciding which TV to buy for my new flat. I think I've narrowed it down to a bout 3 choices, but any suggestions would also be appreciated.


Some context: I'll likely be using it for blu-ray viewing for the most part, the Mrs will likely watch standard tv on it, and I'll potentially do a little bit of gaming on it, though that will likely be infrequent as I have another set-up for that. I'll be viewing it from ballpark around 300cm away, though it could be closer to 250cm depending on the TV unit I buy, so I think viewing angles will be somewhat mitigated. I might be at a slight angle from the TV itself, but I'm open to putting it at an angle if needed. As for sound, I'm looking at getting a vinyl set-up which means I should be able to use the amplifier and speakers for that via RCA cables, so I'm not too concerned on sound/soundbars. The room is fairly light due to white walls, and the one window will be situated behind the TV.

I'm looking for something in the 50 inch sort of range, and preferably not much more than £700.00.

Currently I'm looking between 3 models which are:
1) Panasonic TX-50HX580BZ (between £440 and £500) - Seen this listed on a lot of sites as a good choice, but think I saw some posts here suggesting it may not be so good after all.

2) Sony KD49XH8505BU (Can currently purchase for £635) - I've seen some positive things, but it's a bit of an older unit, so not sure if it's the best choice for the price.

3) Sony KD49XH8196BU (Can currently purchase for £515) - This seems very similar to the Sony above from my eye other than the refresh rate, though I suspect given the price difference that isn't the case. I have seen some reviews saying the audio can get out of sync with the video which is putting me off a bit.

If anyone could help me it would be very much appreciated. I suppose what I'm really asking for, is, is each of these better than the previous for the amount of extra money spent?
I've looked into the Sony Bravia KD49XH9505, but with that being £849 I'd like to avoid it, unless, again, the difference between that and the above models justifies the price.

Thanks.
 
Sorry to give you the answer you perhaps didn't want to hear, but try to stretch to the XH9505 if you can, its much better value for money than others, and has some future proofing due to its HDR capabilities. Anything less and I can't help but think you'll regret not paying extra later when you come across problems using HDR on the TV.

Regarding your proposed audio setup, make sure your amp has a digital input, since TVs don't have RCA outputs any more. If you plan on going for a full-analogue audio setup then you'll need to buy a DAC to sit between the TV and Amp.
 
Sorry to give you the answer you perhaps didn't want to hear, but try to stretch to the XH9505 if you can, its much better value for money than others, and has some future proofing due to its HDR capabilities. Anything less and I can't help but think you'll regret not paying extra later when you come across problems using HDR on the TV.

Regarding your proposed audio setup, make sure your amp has a digital input, since TVs don't have RCA outputs any more. If you plan on going for a full-analogue audio setup then you'll need to buy a DAC to sit between the TV and Amp.
I appreciate the input, despite it being the least desirable answer 😆

I'll certainly look into whether I can stretch the budget to that. And thanks for the comment regarding the input for the amplifier, I'll be sure to look into one with an optical input.
 
The KD49XH8196BU is a pretty decent telly and gives a nice sharp bright picture, I think you'd be pretty happy with it.
 

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