HiDefHarry
Standard Member
Hi there,
I've consumed myself in all sorts of reading on here over the last few days. Thanks to everyone who is so friendly and helpful. I've learned a lot. It is a confusing area that's for sure, if you're not particularly technical or haven't bought a TV in a while.
My Sony 50 inch LCD from 2016 has just died. Apparently it can't be repaired and I have been given £450 towards a new one under the warranty. I haven't had a TV die on me so young. This has messed up my set-up and plans a little. I swooped in 2016 to buy a non-4K TV. There weren't many left. 90% were 4K at the time. My Sony had a great picture and as all my sources were HD I felt I had a TV that was just as good as those costing 2-3 times as much. It was £580 at the time.
I had hoped to get 8-10 years (2027 ish) out of it and then perhaps I could replace my Blu-Ray Player, PS4 and sound bar all at once along with a new TV, (assuming they all lasted as long as that). They are all aligned for the HD world but not the 4K world. I also have Sky HD which is the bulk of the TV usage. I like sport/movies. From an environment/landfill perspective I didn't feel comfortable with upgrading or replacing perfectly good stuff, so wanted all the equipment to have a long life.
Of course a new TV now is going to be 4K. So what to do? I sit about 7 feet from my TV and could stretch to a 55 inch although 50 inch is better and wouldn't dominate as much. Using the viewing distance chart I seem to be right on the dividing line of HD/4K.
1. Should I be buying something relatively cheap for 4-5 years to tide me over until all my other equipment is pretty old. Maybe Sony BRAVIA KD49XH8505BU for example. I will just need to accept some of my sources may not be as good as previously because of the upscaling that's now required?
2. Is it worth stretching my budget a little bit e.g. Sony Bravia KD-49XH9505. Would this do a better job with my sources and at least future proof me a little with things like HDR if did upgrade to a PS5 or something in a couple of years time?
3. Should I be looking at something in the 55 inch (£1200-£1500) type of range to really future proof myself? As and when my other sources go I can obviously replace them with UHD/HDR enabled devices? I kind of feel for this option there is no point in doing this unless one source was at least UHD right now. E.g. upgrade to Sky UHD at this point (although that seems to have a lot of issues and will I actually see any benefit on a 55 inch screen?)
I appreciate there is a big dollop of personal preference here, and no wrong or right. I've taken in a lot of info in a very short period of time but am a little confused with where I stand. I wasn't expecting such decisions for another 5 years or so! Many thanks in advance for any thoughts provided.
I've consumed myself in all sorts of reading on here over the last few days. Thanks to everyone who is so friendly and helpful. I've learned a lot. It is a confusing area that's for sure, if you're not particularly technical or haven't bought a TV in a while.
My Sony 50 inch LCD from 2016 has just died. Apparently it can't be repaired and I have been given £450 towards a new one under the warranty. I haven't had a TV die on me so young. This has messed up my set-up and plans a little. I swooped in 2016 to buy a non-4K TV. There weren't many left. 90% were 4K at the time. My Sony had a great picture and as all my sources were HD I felt I had a TV that was just as good as those costing 2-3 times as much. It was £580 at the time.
I had hoped to get 8-10 years (2027 ish) out of it and then perhaps I could replace my Blu-Ray Player, PS4 and sound bar all at once along with a new TV, (assuming they all lasted as long as that). They are all aligned for the HD world but not the 4K world. I also have Sky HD which is the bulk of the TV usage. I like sport/movies. From an environment/landfill perspective I didn't feel comfortable with upgrading or replacing perfectly good stuff, so wanted all the equipment to have a long life.
Of course a new TV now is going to be 4K. So what to do? I sit about 7 feet from my TV and could stretch to a 55 inch although 50 inch is better and wouldn't dominate as much. Using the viewing distance chart I seem to be right on the dividing line of HD/4K.
1. Should I be buying something relatively cheap for 4-5 years to tide me over until all my other equipment is pretty old. Maybe Sony BRAVIA KD49XH8505BU for example. I will just need to accept some of my sources may not be as good as previously because of the upscaling that's now required?
2. Is it worth stretching my budget a little bit e.g. Sony Bravia KD-49XH9505. Would this do a better job with my sources and at least future proof me a little with things like HDR if did upgrade to a PS5 or something in a couple of years time?
3. Should I be looking at something in the 55 inch (£1200-£1500) type of range to really future proof myself? As and when my other sources go I can obviously replace them with UHD/HDR enabled devices? I kind of feel for this option there is no point in doing this unless one source was at least UHD right now. E.g. upgrade to Sky UHD at this point (although that seems to have a lot of issues and will I actually see any benefit on a 55 inch screen?)
I appreciate there is a big dollop of personal preference here, and no wrong or right. I've taken in a lot of info in a very short period of time but am a little confused with where I stand. I wasn't expecting such decisions for another 5 years or so! Many thanks in advance for any thoughts provided.