Help, PLEASE! Drowning in the wrong information...

steve641

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I'm about to embark on a modest spending spree... and hope to re-vamp both TV and audio for my new living room. I haven't fixed a budget - but, as AV is fat from being 'my passion and my life' - I'd prefer to spend less rather than more - assuming I won't be disappointed every time I switch it on.

Right now I have:

* 28" CRT TV which I've used for 12 years - To be taken to the dump.
* ~25 year old Denon AV Amp bought second hand in 1996 for £80.
* UGLY Mission floor standing speakers - Excellent sound quality - cost £350 in 2003.
* Excellent Yamaha CD player - as new - cost £250 in 1997 - Though I gave up on CDs in 2001.
* A very, very cheap and nasty DVD player.
* Topfield PVR - broken - to be free-cycled tomorrow.
* Great home network with loads of music and film/TV rips available from a Linux server over WiFi and Ethernet.
* My mobile is Android - and I expect to stick with Android for the foreseeable future.

What I want:
* Large-ish (ideally approx 44") TV - supporting 1080p. Must be thin - anticipating mounting as if a picture on my living room wall.
* Streaming of TV - either from the AVIs on my server, or Netflix or similar.
* Freeview TV - and I may want to dabble with Freesat in future - no urgency for the latter.
* MP3s played through my stereo - ideally using an Android tablet (and TV?) to select music - which is then to be streamed from my network. As little 'computer' stuff involved as possible.

I envision replacing everything - though I hope not to need to do this all-at-once.

I'd really like to solicit your collective advice about the TV - my first purchase... I know I want:

* About 44" screen... 40" (if necessary); 42" (bit small); 46" (bit big) - larger if necessary.
* I want a THIN TV - and a small bezel. This is my main aesthetic requirement.
* Good picture quality - must do 1080p "properly".
* Should allow me to connect a laptop - VGA input an advantage (short term) but not critical.
* Want to be able to surf the web and watch media from my own network as well as youtube, BBC iplayer, 4OD, and possibly other paid streaming services such as Love-film.

A superbly thin 40" Samsung LED job from PC World @£449. [UE40ES5500 - I think]

A neo-plasma 50" thing (bought last week by friends) and recommended (though it is a bit too big and more expensive than I'd like.) @£995.

I'd love to get some wider recommendations - bearing in mind that I'd like to keep this TV for many years, I'm looking for good quality first and great value for money second.

Ideas?
 
There aren't any 44" TVs :)

Samsung tend to be the slimmest, but have weak sound as a result

Here's a review of the 46" version of the ES5500 - note poor viewing angles which may be an issue if wall mounted and not viewed head on

Samsung ES5500 (UE-46ES5500) LED LCD TV Review | AVForums.com - UK Online

If you want to keep the TV for many year, definitely buy one with an extended warranty - PC World (and Currys) charge loads for their extra cover and can have questionable aftersales

Buy Samsung UE40ES5500 LED HD 1080p Smart TV, 40 Inch with Freeview HD online at JohnLewis.com Ask John Lewis to match the PC World price (assuming that £449 is their instore price and not web only) for a 5 year warranty and solid customer services

Edit - ES5500 is £499 from PC World according to website, same as JL - so better to buy from the later

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/samsung-ue40es5500-full-hd-40-led-tv-12448374-pdt.html

You could ask JL to price match C&M http://cramptonandmoore.co.uk/ue40es5500-copy-i624667.html
 
Last edited:
There aren't any 44" TVs :)

I knew that... :) A 40" seems a bit small - a 50" a bit big - 42" or 46" seem the best compromises... though I've made no final decision on size yet.

Samsung, aesthetically, make some ideal looking LED units... so no problems there. I'm assuming you think I should go for LED rather than Plasma?

One thing I'd love to clarify is if I'll need to buy an external bit of kit to stream content from my server (basically a glorified NAS box) over Ethernet/Wifi to my TV... Essentially, will I need one of these?

Roku Box | Roku Streaming Player

I'll start looking for deals on the Samsung... :smashin:
 

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