OLED TV Recommendations (£1400 budget) - Upgrading from old Plasma

WeaponX

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Hi all,

Finally upgrading from my 12 year old Samsung B550 Plasma due to backlight issues. The backlight flickers and eventually shuts of unless set to max setting. If it weren't for the backlight issues, I'd still be happy with this old tv!

I'm looking at upgrading to an OLED, and have a £1K budget, but could stretch to £1200. Size wise I'm looking at 48-55inch, but open to others.

My main and almost only use will be viewing films, Netflix/Prime etc, with potentially some of the odd PC gaming, but 99% of the time for films. Most content I watch is in 1080p, so 4K viewing isn't a big deal for me. In the past, when viewing 4K on friends TV's, I've actually preferred 1080p to be honest, 1080p looked more natural and cinematic to me. This was a while back though, and on cheaper brand TVs.

Sound quality on the TV doesn't matter to much to be, as I have a home cinema set up that I use.

Its been a long time since I did in depth research on TV's, but can see the same brands are still at the top. Sony, Panasonic, Samsung and LG. I was wondering are there any models at the minute which stand out from the rest, and are a better buy?

I'll be continuing to research, but any recommendations are appreciated.

Thanks.
 
I'd go with the LG C1 55" (2021) model.

Excellent picture quality and fast/snappy user interface for streaming apps. The "magic" remote is the icing on the cake.

Costco and Richer Sounds are both doing it for £1110 after discount. You can get Currys or John Lewis to price match if you prefer.

All come with 5+ year warranty which I think is very important with OLEDs. Do check if they cover screen burn as some of them can get funny about it.
 
Depend on what you want. for me someone who has an AV system and drives the TV from my AppleTV the Panasonic TX-55JZ1500B is a little more but worth it for the near calibrated out of the box performance which is cut above the alternatives. If you want the Audio coming from the TV then this TV is not for you.
 
I'd go with the LG C1 55" (2021) model.

Excellent picture quality and fast/snappy user interface for streaming apps. The "magic" remote is the icing on the cake.

Costco and Richer Sounds are both doing it for £1110 after discount. You can get Currys or John Lewis to price match if you prefer.

All come with 5+ year warranty which I think is very important with OLEDs. Do check if they cover screen burn as some of them can get funny about it.

Thanks, this is one of the TVs that I'm considering. I'd say I'm not to worried about the TV's app interface, since I'll mainly be accessing the apps via my own devices that are connected.

Yeah, screen burn is one concern for me since I'll have a PC connected to it as well.

I'd say so far, the LG C1 55 and the Sony A80J 55 are the top two options at the moment.

Depend on what you want. for me someone who has an AV system and drives the TV from my AppleTV the Panasonic TX-55JZ1500B is a little more but worth it for the near calibrated out of the box performance which is cut above the alternatives. If you want the Audio coming from the TV then this TV is not for you.

Had a quick look online. The Panasonic looks good, but £1,600 seems to be the cheapest available. Hoping to try and keep it £1200ish.
 
Thanks, this is one of the TVs that I'm considering. I'd say I'm not to worried about the TV's app interface, since I'll mainly be accessing the apps via my own devices that are connected.

Yeah, screen burn is one concern for me since I'll have a PC connected to it as well.

I'd say so far, the LG C1 55 and the Sony A80J 55 are the top two options at the moment.



Had a quick look online. The Panasonic looks good, but £1,600 seems to be the cheapest available. Hoping to try and keep it £1200ish.
I have never used a PC with my Panasonic and so no idea if thats a real issue or not.

Regards price I have to agree you pay a bit more for Panasonic and by about the same margins today as when I purchased my GZ950 over the LG a few years back. I replace my previous LG Oled with the Panasonic GZ950 and think the extra money was well worth it.
 
We have three LG OLED TVs in the house currently (2016, 2018, 2021) so I might be slightly biased lol but honestly couldn't be happier with them, although the oldest one did fail after 4 years which Currys covered under their 5 year warranty without hassle. Why I emphasised the importance of a good retailer warranty regardless of manufacturer.

Putting that aside the convenience of the remote and user interface of LG can't be understated. I'm not sure how good the Sony and Panasonic are in that regard.

We used to have a top of the line pro calibrated Fujitsu plasma display and even my old 2016 LG OLED blew that out of the water. There have been incremental improvements to the picture quality year by year but the jump from Plasma to OLED is on a different scale, I'm sure you'll love it given a good quality source.

Picked up the latest 2021 G1 model (very similar to C1) and the colour and picture processing out of the box is phenomenal especially in FilmMaker and ISF expert modes. It's so good in fact I see no real value in getting it calibrated. I hear some say Sony and Panasonic offer superior picture processing, not sure about the validity of the claim as I've never compared them side by side under ideal conditions, but I think all OLEDs offer excellent PQ (especially from the big three) and it'd be very difficult to tell them apart.
 
Thanks, appreciate the info. The C1 does seem highly recommended by many.

Yeah, I'll definitley be purchasing from a retailer with a 5 year warranty for peace of mind as well.
 
Thanks, appreciate the info. The C1 does seem highly recommended by many.

Yeah, I'll definitley be purchasing from a retailer with a 5 year warranty for peace of mind as well.

If you can get in richersounds or something in their demo room they could setup your choices and can compare them all where you get to change the pic settings etc... I took in some blurays went with a Panasonic as most cinematic plasma picture from the 3 but each have their strengths...
Not sure if the Panasonic jz980 has same chip as the 1000 panel...??
Last yrs hz980 was 50hz apparently...
 
Thanks. Unfortunetly, no Richersounds close to me, but mannaged to check out the C1 and A80j in currys. However, the C1 was not turned on.

Seeing them in person was helpful though, made me decide to go 65" and up my budget.

I think I'd prefer the Sony, but will take which every has the best deal next. Hoping to purchase before Feb 23rd. Been keeping an eye out on the Panasonic prices as well.
 
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They tend to shrink by the time you get them home and on the wall so unless you have some physical obstruction, probably best to get the biggest one you can. :D
 
Yeah, I was suprised to see the diffference in size between the 55" and 65" in person. I think I'd have been dissapointed if I'd purchased the 55".

My living room is fairly small, and the TV viewing distance is supposed to be best for 55", but I think the 65" will be perfect.
 
Yeah, I was suprised to see the diffference in size between the 55" and 65" in person. I think I'd have been dissapointed if I'd purchased the 55".

My living room is fairly small, and the TV viewing distance is supposed to be best for 55", but I think the 65" will be perfect.

You do get used to the size...
In my front room we have a 50inch kuro but sit either 7 to 8 feet or 15 feet but in my den I did sit 6.5 feet from a 55inch ez952 now its a 65hz2000... its great for movies...
If you find you're looking left to right the screens to big...
 
Thanks. Unfortunetly, no Richersounds close to me, but mannaged to check out the C1 and A80j in currys. However, the C1 was not turned on.

Seeing them in person was helpful though, made me decide to go 65" and up my budget.

I think I'd prefer the Sony, but will take which every has the best deal next. Hoping to purchase before Feb 23rd. Been keeping an eye out on the Panasonic prices as well.
I've been in two different currys and the c1 wasn't in in either. Wonder if there's a reason for this. Seems a strange coincidence.
 
I've been in two different currys and the c1 wasn't in in either. Wonder if there's a reason for this. Seems a strange coincidence.

That's strange, when I was looking for my G1 late December all I could find were the C models at both Costco and Currys, had to make a special trip in the end to nab one.

I'm guessing the recent sale had something to do with it?
 
That's strange, when I was looking for my G1 late December all I could find were the C models at both Costco and Currys, had to make a special trip in the end to nab one.

I'm guessing the recent sale had something to do with it?
Sorry typo, I meant on not in. Never had the c1 turned on to view, and no one around to ask
 
I'd go for the Panasonic HZ1000, great colours OOTB with the best near blacks of all OLEDs, better than even the JZ from last year. £1,699.00 seems lowest on price spy
 
I'd go for the Panasonic HZ1000, great colours OOTB with the best near blacks of all OLEDs, better than even the JZ from last year. £1,699.00 seems lowest on price spy

Didn't think you could still get them...??
I know the hz1000 and 1500 were like gold dust last yr when I was looking... come August/Sept the prices of the 1000s actually went up again as the 1500s were gone ...

Luckily... only good thing at time my tv purchase ( I had bulging discs in my back nerve probs) I managed to get one of the last hz2000 in 65 for 2500 New with 5yr warranty.. deal considering it was 4200 on release...
 
My mate has one for sale 6 months old fully calabrated
 
Sony refurbished site has the 65 a80j for £1399
Costco 65 c1 £1400 bargin that is

Not a bad deal on the Sony, but think I'd prefer to purchase new. C1 is no longer available at that price again unfortunetly. If it were to come back to £1400, I'd purchase it.

I'd go for the Panasonic HZ1000, great colours OOTB with the best near blacks of all OLEDs, better than even the JZ from last year. £1,699.00 seems lowest on price spy

Interesting, is the HZ model considered better than JZ in general or just when it comes to blacks? I had been keeping an eye on the JZ1500 as well, but never seems to have deals.
 
Not a bad deal on the Sony, but think I'd prefer to purchase new. C1 is no longer available at that price again unfortunetly. If it were to come back to £1400, I'd purchase it.



Interesting, is the HZ model considered better than JZ in general or just when it comes to blacks? I had been keeping an eye on the JZ1500 as well, but never seems to have deals.

Think so regarding the Panasonic as its a different chip from what I've heard...
I know people buy refurbs and some are ok as long as 5yr warranty..but prior to my hz2000 I nearly pulled the trigger on an hz1000 ex display and changed my mind..
RS near me had a refurb hz1500 for 1900 but only the 1yr cover... sounds good but nearly 6months I've had mine already and that's gone fast... 1yr is not good enough for me to spend that amount..
 
id go with lg or sony , favouring lg due to their remote and operating system

phillips ambilight would be tempting

pana are great but only 12 months cover if you get screen burn

sony seem to cover it for 5 years and lg do the cheap repairs currently
 
Thanks for this.

I think I'll pick up whatever has the next deal on either the C1 or a80j. Hopefully one appears again soon.
 

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