Nvidia Shield TV - on budget 4K Tv... Better value/performance for £500 than £500 TV?

[DC2020]

Hi I wish to replace my ageing Samsung UE375800 5 series TV from 2010 era. Great service, Great picture - but recently got a VA pc monitor and far prefer VA blacks etc to my IPS Tv...
TL/DR - I want a new TV with VA panel

So I am looking at spending £500 on a new TV - Ideally 43" but possibly persuadable to 50" MAX. Although I sit 9-10ft from the TV (feedback indicates this is the HD zone not 4K - especially at this size) My wife is resistant to a bigger set! Furthermore she often watches SD TV content, on my Samsung these feeds seem to be 576i - but perhaps this is the Samsung interleaving on a 480p transmission. TL/DR - My wife watches SD UK transmission content.

The main use for this TV will be watching TV, free to air transmissions (40% use) and catchup (HD where poss) and Movies from our HD NETFLIX account (60% use).

I was looking at the Panasonic GX800 (40 and 50 variants) as well as the Sony BRAVIA KD43XG8305BU - of which the 100Hz sounded better for motion. But after reading multiple threads on this forum, it seems I am not going to get a lot more for my money than spending eg. £300 (for a 43" model).

So I am looking at models such as:
Hisense H43B7500UK @ £299 - or the 50" variant @ £349
Philips 43 Inch 43PUS7334 @ £380 - or the 50" variant @ £430
I'd consider a TCL model - as they use VA only - but as yet have not done my research.

Getting back to the Title of this post - Would it make any kind of sense to buy a cheaper model, eg H43B7500UK (or 50") but use the better performance of the upscaling via the Nvidia Shield TV (recent 2019 TUBE model at £150 - with AI upscaling). This means all in for ~£500 depending on Tv Size, with improved functionality from the Android tv OS AND better upscaling. Ignoring the SD free to air content (which will be dependent on the TV I choose) but when it comes to NETFLIX HD, and any future HD or 4K content I consume through broadband - to what extent will a (GOOD) budget TV limit or benefit from the NVIDIA SHIELD upscaling? PICTURE QUALITY is the question here.

• Motion - will motion judder etc be improved by the Nvidia or limited by HDMI / TV hardware
• Any other picture qualities such as colour profile / HDR / Sharpness / Brightness etc etc

I cannot remember where i saw such a comment - but someone reviewing the Nvidia Shield online stated that the AI picture scaling was SUPERIOR to the 900XG series Sony tv's that Dodgexander frequently notes as the go to baseline for beyond budget TVs. This lead to me thinking it could be a way to get premium performance on a budget!

Random addendum. Back in the days of CRT my dad bought a 100hz Philips matchline tv. The 100Hz made a great impression. To what extent would the 100Hz picture on the Sony set (KD43XG8305BU) offer a smoother image compared to say my current consideration - the Hisense H43B7500UK?

Thanks for your time, I hope for any useful answers or comments from anyone who might have an Nvidia shield and can comment on performance on budget TVs, or any Theoretical performance issues with this concept
...or any TV suggestions!

Thanks for your time

 

[Dodgexander]

I'd consider your HDR usage before contemplating buying a TV. If you are going to have a slight regression in standard definition picture quality moving to an UHD model, you are best moving to a model with adequate HDR hardware.

You can get Sony XG9005's in budget as refurbs here: Bargain - Sony centre direct refurbished store thread

Although they come and go fast.

That ticks all your boxes, and offers future proofing in the form of decent HDR performance too. In fact its the only sub 55" TV that has both good HDR performance and good motion. VA panel, 120hz.

To address your other points.

• Yes with a strict £500 budget and buying new you are best spending less rather than more. The only time I'd consider spending more is going for the £600 49" Sony XG83 series (VA 120hz, without ample HDR capabilities) or the 800-900 XG9005 (VA 120hz, ample HDR capability). The Panasonic GX800 remains overpriced for a TV that isn't really that much better than much cheaper options.
• Avoid the XG83 at 43" as it uses an IPS panel like your current TV. Yes motion is going to be better than cheaper models, you can expect otherwise similar picture quality characteristics to your current IPS TV.
• Upscaling - It's true what you read about upscaling. The Nvidia shield processor outclasses built in chipsets in TVs, especially budget ones. But it really has no consequence if you are using broadcast SD feeds since it doesn't have a TV tuner right? If its SD feeds on catch up apps etc then yes it will look better than direct on the TV. Is it worth purchasing for HD streams? Probably not. HD upscaling on TVs isn't as challenging, so shouldn't look as bad, especially at your viewing distance on a 50" TV. Where it may be beneficial is if you do opt to go for a cheaper model because you'll then be able to use Netflix with UHD quality on a premium Netflix plan without adding HDR, which is troublesome when used on cheaper TVs and cannot be disabled within the Netflix app. It can however be disabled on the HDMI port.
• This guide may be useful for you regarding HDR: All about HDR (High Dynamic Range) in particular the part that talks about cheaper TVs with HDR and the difference between SD, HD, UHD and HDR.
• Specifically regarding 120hz, the main benefit is if you plan on tweaking motion in the settings. 120hz TVs have less motion blur without changing anything. They can also display films at the correct frame rate without any judder, but the main benefit at least to most people is if you plan to delve in to the TVs settings and adjust motion. I personally feel its integral to have a 120hz panel on a TV nowadays and wouldn't go for less unless it was a bedroom TV. 120hz/100=Same thing.

 

[DC2020]

Dodgexander - your reply is MUCH appreciated, thanks

I have re-read it a few times to digest fully.

I will keep an eye out for the Sony XG9005 at refurb prices, but am not sure how long I can excercise patience on a new toy purchase! Currently nothing on there.

RE: HDR - really useful links. I've learned more than I thought there was to know! Its sounds sexy as hell, but at my budget, and to be honest lack of source material (perhaps a netflix package upgrade might change this) fairly uncommon that I'll be watching material with it.

Funnily enough by chance I think I found the Sony £600 XG83 series you alluded to at 50" -
SONY BRAVIA KD-49XG8396BU 49"
SONY BRAVIA KD-49XG8305BU 49"
Both for £599 from (sadly) Currys.

50" seems to be the size I think I must upsize to, in order to see any benefit from 4K at 9-10ft. I guess the only trade-off is perhaps a slight reduction in quality of the upscaled SD free to air terrestrial tv transmissions.

However with the Hisense H50B7500UK 50" at £349, it seems that paying £250 more for the Sony's above (XG83's) is a big chunk more money, and poor value for money.

1. You've given a generality before of budget tvs offering 90% of the performance of those mid-range above them - not in XG9005 territory. Would you say this is true of the models above - the Hisense H50B7500UK 50" at £349 vs the SONY 49" models above?

2. I presume these Sonys are VA panels? That is on my wishlist

I keep coming back to the Phillips Ambilights, eg. the Philips 50PUS7334 on your best buy list - but the forum just seems inundated with bug issues and reads quite offputtingly.

As such the H50B7500UK 50" at £349 is my current strongest contender, with - depending on how happy I am with performance of the apps and upscaling, the option to add an Nvidia Shield to the mix for some performance gains on streaming/motion and still be at £500.

3. I'm guessing that streaming Netflix movies via HDMI and through the Nvidia Shield - is still going to be susceptible to any motion blur / judder from 24fps > 60Hz conversion that the Hisense will have to undertake, as opposed to the Nvidia Shield doing this before outputting to HDMI?

4. Lastly Would LG TV's at 50" be VA panels? I read conflicting information that LG use their own panels which are always IPS, but another user said that ALL 50" panels are VA?

Thanks so much for your help

 

[DC2020]

Sorry I forgot to metion the Hisense 4K U7B - the 'model above' the H50B7500UK. From what little feedback I've seen, and no obvious direct comparison - it doesn't seem an improvement? It has local dimming but I think considering few zones the implementation might have worse effect than the 7500 not have it at all. I'm not sure if it is any brighter (nits) or has any better harware or software, so am guessing its not really worth the extra £'s

 

[Dodgexander]

50" seems to be the size I think I must upsize to, in order to see any benefit from 4K at 9-10ft. I guess the only trade-off is perhaps a slight reduction in quality of the upscaled SD free to air terrestrial tv transmissions.

The closer you view to a bigger TV the more benefit you get from higher quality sources, but the worse poorer ones will look. At your viewing distance a 50" would be a good balance, but you could go as larger as 75" or even projector size screens to benefit more from UHD quality stuff.

However with the Hisense H50B7500UK 50" at £349, it seems that paying £250 more for the Sony's above (XG83's) is a big chunk more money, and poor value for money.

1. You've given a generality before of budget tvs offering 90% of the performance of those mid-range above them - not in XG9005 territory. Would you say this is true of the models above - the Hisense H50B7500UK 50" at £349 vs the SONY 49" models above?

That is correct, you pay a big chunk of money to only move from a low range TV to a mid range one. Generally most people don't delve into motion settings of the TV and they aren't usually too critical of motion on 60hz TVs either so its not worth it. When it may be worth it is if you already know you are susceptible to notice motion problems on a 60hz VA panelled TV, and you watch a lot of sport, for instance.

A good mantra is to spend little, or more, not inbetween. Especially so because mid range models still do not display HDR well.

2. I presume these Sonys are VA panels? That is on my wishlist

Yes at 49" the XG83 series use VA panels. They are the same TV with different numbers.

I keep coming back to the Phillips Ambilights, eg. the Philips 50PUS7334 on your best buy list - but the forum just seems inundated with bug issues and reads quite offputtingly.

Its similar in spec to the Hisense B7100, B7120 or B7300 and is a decent TV that has seen a price cut recently. If you like the idea of having Android TV/Chromecast integrated and ambilight then go for it. Compared to other brands Philips tend to have better motion and good upscaling, but they also have bad remote controls and smart TV. I think every TV has its fair share of issues and I'm not sure you'd find a single model without complaints...that is unless you buy one no one else has purchased!

3. I'm guessing that streaming Netflix movies via HDMI and through the Nvidia Shield - is still going to be susceptible to any motion blur / judder from 24fps > 60Hz conversion that the Hisense will have to undertake, as opposed to the Nvidia Shield doing this before outputting to HDMI?

It depends how you set things up. Its common to use motion interpolation slightly on 60hz TVs to alleviate the judder caused by 3:2 pulldown. If you set your shield to 60hz it will perform the pull down before it reaches the TV and you will not be able to adjust motion settings on the TV. Its all up to the shield then what it does before it reaches the TV. If you set it to 24hz the TV will do the pulldown instead and you can adjust motion settings on the TV. It shouldn't make a difference which does it and judder may be present both ways...but if you let the TV do it, you will be able to use motion interpolation to iron out some judder.

4. Lastly Would LG TV's at 50" be VA panels? I read conflicting information that LG use their own panels which are always IPS, but another user said that ALL 50" panels are VA?

Yes, all 50" TVs are VA panels, doesn't matter the manufacturer. LGs 50" UM range TVs are the same spec as the other 50" ones you are considering. Side by side they will all look very similar. They use their own panels at 49" but not 50".

Sorry I forgot to metion the Hisense 4K U7B - the 'model above' the H50B7500UK. From what little feedback I've seen, and no obvious direct comparison - it doesn't seem an improvement? It has local dimming but I think considering few zones the implementation might have worse effect than the 7500 not have it at all. I'm not sure if it is any brighter (nits) or has any better harware or software, so am guessing its not really worth the extra £'s

It's basically the same as the B7500 but it has an extra HDMI port.

 

[DC2020]

Hi Dodgexander - just wanted to say a big thanks for all your help and input

After your previous feedback I came across a deal for a 50" LG UM7600PLB, for £350 + shipping from Sonic Direct. They had good feedback from Trustpilot - so I pulled the trigger.

I thought the well appreciated OS, magic remote and what turns out to be really decent sound from a 'flat panel' TV tipped the scales in the LG's favour.

On the whole I am pretty happy The VA panel is great - lovely blacks and contrast. What little 4K content I have watched has also been great. As predicted standard definition TV looks pretty terrible but watchable depending on the source, while HD is upscaled very nicely.

Out of the Box the picture looked very average, but tinkering with almost all picture quality settings have resulted in several presets I am quite happy with.

The only negative so far is what I can only describe perhaps as a less natural picture than my old Samsung UE375800 - which was very easy watching and resulted in zero eye-strain or eye-fatigue.

I am uncertain if this is partly down to a MUCH bigger screen (I find 50" huge, even from 9-10ft) or possibly the 4K and upscaling (only noted while watching upscaled HD, as not spent any time with 4K sources yet) and overly processed picture? Do you have any idea what picture settings or processes result in eye-fatigue?

Lastly the TV is equipped with DTS Virtual X - which is actually pretty decent, again though the TV speakers. I have learned this is simply a sound processing format to virtually emulate surround sound. However I cannot determine if the TV can output sound already processed in DTS Virtual X through HDMI/Optical to ANY external speaker/s or soundbar - or if it requires another Virtual X ready external speaker setup?

Anyway if you see this any replies would be most gratefully received. As it stands you have already helped enormously

Cheers

 

[Dodgexander]

Glad you are happy with the TV! Moving to another model can take some adjusting, the LG will be able to display colours your Samsung couldn't before so it may appear to seem artificial suddenly seeing these you haven't been used to before. Sometimes fatigue can be caused by motion settings on the TV, so you can try experimenting turning them off, or trying different settings to see what works best for you.