Question Looking for a budget 50" to 55" TV (updated from 43")

jesuisclandestine

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Hi all,

Unfortunately I'm in the market for a new TV as my current one has developed horizontal/vertical lines and no longer displays a full picture. This TV is a 2015 40" Panasonic TX-40CS520B, Full HD, LCD Smart TV which I purchased ex-display for around £330 (originally priced at £370).

I'm looking for a slightly bigger unit now and, as such, recommendations would be appreciated. I've never had any complaints about the picture or sound from the Panasonic, which is primarily used for streaming, watching live sports and gaming, and I've been very happy with it since purchase. Whilst I use the TV a lot for gaming, 4K HDR is a bonus, rather than an essential.

With regards to processing speed, the onboard OS has been slow since purchase but this is no longer an issue since investing in streaming boxes.

My budget is upto £400 (unless purchased from Amazon or Argos where I could stretch to £450 as I have credit with them. However I believe they don't offer the best warranty!)

At this price point, am I better off sticking with the more 'premium' brands e.g. Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, LG and settling on an HDTV (no 4K) but getting a better quality set, or is it more advisable to look at more budget-friendly brands e.g. Hisense knowing that I'll be compromising on picture/sound quality, but getting potentially higher specs at a lower price?

Bearing in mind the above, are there any recommendations at this price point?. This is the only TV in the house- waiting until Black Friday is a stretch but is still an option, depending on options and availability.

Thanks
 
You'll get similar kind of specifications to your old TV if you shop for a 43" model from Chinese manufacturers now like Hisense or TCL since they use the same panel type. At 50" (not 49")all the TVs you find will have similar performance, no matter the manufacturer. They all use the same type of panel as your current TV.

Since you need to buy now you can expect to pay more than you would later if you go for a 2020 model since prices are on the high side. Hisense tend to have more competitive release pricing, so you are probably best sticking with them.

Shopping for low end/small TVs really is a matter of just finding the cheapest deal. There's no TV that stands out over another at this size any more. Manufacturers start there mid range TVs at 49/50" and those TVs are priced currently around £800. Far too expensive considering they are only a little better than cheaper ones.

When you know you can't buy anything fantastic, its best to save the money and upgrade the TV sooner, later on.
 
You'll get similar kind of specifications to your old TV if you shop for a 43" model from Chinese manufacturers now like Hisense or TCL since they use the same panel type. At 50" (not 49")all the TVs you find will have similar performance, no matter the manufacturer. They all use the same type of panel as your current TV.

Since you need to buy now you can expect to pay more than you would later if you go for a 2020 model since prices are on the high side. Hisense tend to have more competitive release pricing, so you are probably best sticking with them.

Shopping for low end/small TVs really is a matter of just finding the cheapest deal. There's no TV that stands out over another at this size any more. Manufacturers start there mid range TVs at 49/50" and those TVs are priced currently around £800. Far too expensive considering they are only a little better than cheaper ones.

When you know you can't buy anything fantastic, its best to save the money and upgrade the TV sooner, later on.

Thanks for your reply, which has definitely cleared up some misconceptions on my side of things. By the sounds of things at both 43" and 50", there's no tangible difference between quality no matter the manufacturer. This is both surprising and not at the same time (clearly I'm a sucker for marketing!)

Not really too bothered about a TV from 2020 over something from last year, unless there's a specific benefit in quality. Seen a few offers on Hisense lately which are probably worth paying some serious attention to.

Thanks for your reply.
 
Its surprising, but its because manufacturers don't give there smaller/lower tier TVs higher specs. The are all low end models now. A 50" TV from LG, Samsung, Hisense, TCL or Philips will all perform broadly the same.

If you can find a 2019 model at a discount you should pay quite a bit less right now than a 2020 one. Problem will be availability on the older models though.
 
Its surprising, but its because manufacturers don't give there smaller/lower tier TVs higher specs. The are all low end models now. A 50" TV from LG, Samsung, Hisense, TCL or Philips will all perform broadly the same.

If you can find a 2019 model at a discount you should pay quite a bit less right now than a 2020 one. Problem will be availability on the older models though.

I've been doing some research over the last few days, and the Hisense A7500 range looks like a relatively good spec for the price. Currently 43" @ £329, and 50" @ £379. Looks like it has a few more features over the 2019 model and the AE7400 (also 2020), e.g. dedicated gaming mode.

Additionally, the Samsung TU7100/8000 is on my radar albeit at a slightly higher price (43" @ £379 and 50" @ £429).

However, I did read your post earlier about HDR and gather that it can actually make things worse on lower-end TVs. I imagine that this would apply to a set like this?
 
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You'll get similar kind of specifications to your old TV if you shop for a 43" model from Chinese manufacturers now like Hisense or TCL since they use the same panel type. At 50" (not 49")all the TVs you find will have similar performance, no matter the manufacturer. They all use the same type of panel
Hi Assuming this is VA is this true of the LG models? Thought LG only used IPS (except OLED of course).
 
I've been doing some research over the last few days, and the Hisense A7500 range looks like a relatively good spec for the price. Currently 43" @ £329, and 50" @ £379. Looks like it has a few more features over the 2019 model and the AE7400 (also 2020), e.g. dedicated gaming mode.
There about as good as last years models. A bit more unknown with out of the box picture accuracy but that's only because I haven't seen any reviews. It would be a mistake to think they are better than last years. They have the same specs, and the dedicated game mode has always been there, so no clue why they are talking about it with the new marketing.
Additionally, the Samsung TU7100/8000 is on my radar albeit at a slightly higher price (43" @ £379 and 50" @ £429).
You'll want to avoid Samsung at 43" unless you don't mind which panel the TV comes with. People have bought 43" models from them and found they come with IPS instead of VA panels. As you can see with the price difference though, you pay more for the Samsung brand. The TVs aren't really any better with the TU7100 being in line with the A7100 and the TU8000 the AE7400/A7500. At this end of the market you are not going to find a TV considerably better than another, so you are wasting your time trying to compare which is better. They are all the same.
However, I did read your post earlier about HDR and gather that it can actually make things worse on lower-end TVs. I imagine that this would apply to a set like this?
You should treat the TV purchase as SDR only. Having HDR on a TV without high peak brightness and local dimming can be messy, and you'll probably find in many titles you'll want to disable it. Problem is you can't disable it using built in apps usually, so you either choose to watch a non HDR version, or you use an external smart device. This is no different to any budget TV you can buy today.
Hi Assuming this is VA is this true of the LG models? Thought LG only used IPS (except OLED of course).
LG using IPS at 43/49/55/65/75" and VA at 50/58/60/70".
 
Just wanted to pick up on this thread, as I've held off until Black Friday so far and, with this, my options have slightly changed. I'm no longer considering 43" options, instead looking at 50" and 55" sets. My thoughts with my budget (happy so long as the first of the three digits is a 3!) are now the 50" Hisense A7500F and the 50"/55" Samsung TU7100.

Usage is primarily for sports, action films and gaming so motion handling is hugely important, as is getting the best depth of blacks that my budget can afford- admittedly not great by any means.

Are the components different to those used in the 43" category for these TVs and, as such, does one set outperform the other at this size? (I've read your latest thread for 2020/21 so am aware of potentially getting a different panel type on the 55" Samsung- I'm willing to bite the bullet with a reputable company for possible returns).

I did have an eye on the Hisense Q7F, but some early reviews mentioned that motion handling was poor. It's also slightly more expensive that I'd like to pay, so currently out of the equation.

Thanks in advance. Forgive me if I'm just rehashing old ground.
 
Just wanted to pick up on this thread, as I've held off until Black Friday so far and, with this, my options have slightly changed. I'm no longer considering 43" options, instead looking at 50" and 55" sets. My thoughts with my budget (happy so long as the first of the three digits is a 3!) are now the 50" Hisense A7500F and the 50"/55" Samsung TU7100.

Usage is primarily for sports, action films and gaming so motion handling is hugely important, as is getting the best depth of blacks that my budget can afford- admittedly not great by any means.

Are the components different to those used in the 43" category for these TVs and, as such, does one set outperform the other at this size? (I've read your latest thread for 2020/21 so am aware of potentially getting a different panel type on the 55" Samsung- I'm willing to bite the bullet with a reputable company for possible returns).

I did have an eye on the Hisense Q7F, but some early reviews mentioned that motion handling was poor. It's also slightly more expensive that I'd like to pay, so currently out of the equation.

Thanks in advance. Forgive me if I'm just rehashing old ground.
The U7Q is in a different class to the other budget TVs, it has local dimming and higher peak brightness, unheard in other TVs at similar prices. It will mean blacks in particular will be a lot better than any other TV in this price range, and in some HDR titles you may get away with using the TV since it can reach about 700 nits brightness (twice of other TVs).

However its strong point is not motion, but that is perhaps not a strong point of any budget TV, specifically those that use VA panels.

If motion is a priority consider buying from Philips or Sony instead. Philips have TVs that use VA panels at 50" and 58" in my best buy guides, there motion will be better than Hisense and Samsung models, but since they use VA panels still, there will be quite a lot of blur.

If you want to avoid motion blur consider instead 49" or 55" models in the guide from LG or Sony.

Are the components different to those used in the 43" category for these TVs and, as such, does one set outperform the other at this size? (I've read your latest thread for 2020/21 so am aware of potentially getting a different panel type on the 55" Samsung- I'm willing to bite the bullet with a reputable company for possible returns).
If motion is a priority I don't think Samsung are any better than Hisense. They too, have motion complaints.
 
If motion is a priority consider buying from Philips or Sony instead. Philips have TVs that use VA panels at 50" and 58" in my best buy guides, there motion will be better than Hisense and Samsung models, but since they use VA panels still, there will be quite a lot of blur.

If motion is a priority I don't think Samsung are any better than Hisense. They too, have motion complaints.

Thanks for the Philips suggestion- forgot that the PUS7805 is also on my list too. Insight is, as usual, very much appreciated.
 

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