Really underwhelmed by the options at 40” and 43”. Am I missing anything?

faidtoblack

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I’m looking for a small sized TV that In an ideal world would be a 40 or 43 inch screen. After doing a lot of research, including looking at Dodgexander’s excellent Best Buy guide and seeing the TVs in the flesh, I’ve come to the conclusion that there aren’t really any decent sets at this size that represent good value. One of the issues that I have is that I have owned the last two generations of OLEDS from Panasonic, and last years decent 49XF9005 from Sony, and while I know that the quality of the sets at 40” and 43” aren’t going to live up to these I have been really underwhelmed at what is on offer. I’m not prepared to spend £500 on the Panasonic 40gx800 (which looks to be the best option at sub 49” but is terrible value for money (in my opinion). Am I missing anything at this size or is my best bet just to spend as cheap as possible?

One thing that had crossed my mind was whether there was a really great TV at this size from the last few years that offers better picture quality that I could pick up second hand? It’s going to be for solely watching movies on the inbuilt apps (Netflix, amazon etc) or possibly through a Roku 4K stick.
 
Samsung KS7500 from 2016 is the best sub 49” from recent years. Starts at 43” but is curved
 
Do you have any knowledge of the 43”? Is it the same as the larger sizes. Also, do you know what the smart platform is like in it compared to the Samsung platform on today’s sets?

I appreciate your advice. Thanks.
 
I had one before - compared to larger sizes it only has a 60hz panel but for your usage that’s not relevant. It has great peak brightness for good hdr performance.
 
Ok thanks. I appreciate the recommendation. Any others that I could look out for?
 
Not in the same league, no. The Hisense B7500 is a good option at 43” for its price. The Panasonic you mention is really poor value, I agree.
 
Yeah, that Hisense was one option that I was considering. I see it says it has DV but I’ve got low hopes as to how good that and the HDR will be on it. I think it’s around £300 at the moment and I’m guessing at some point it may come down a bit. Trouble is that none of my local stores have one to view which is a shame.

I could get the Panasonic 40gx800 for just over £300 from the ebay refurb store (it’s £360 I think but I have a code which knocks off about £50) but I would be a bit concerned to only have a years warranty.Ive not bern following the pricing on these sets so does anyone know how the current pricing relates to the prices during BF and immediately after Christmas? I’m assuming that prices will fall a bit over the next couple of months as the new TVs are released?
 
If you are concerned about HDR usage on a smaller TV and you are purely using the TV for HDR content then your best option is the GX800. I'd snap up that price from the outlet.

The TV is overpriced at new prices yes, but its the only TV that has a tone mapping feature that is good enough to give you the least amount of trouble when using HDR content.

It is of course by no means a capable HDR TV, with no local dimming and low peak brightness, so especially when buying new the argument I make is not to waste your money, keep watching SDR content only and stick to buying the cheapest TV that suits your circumstances, for most people that is the Hisense B7500.

Regarding the warranty of 1 year, the outlet offers the same warranty as if you were to purchase the same TVs new. The difference is that certain shops such as Richer Sounds or John Lewis are bundling their extra warranties that put another 4-5 years on top of the standard 1 year manufacturer that make buying a new TV more compelling.

Given the fact you can buy the GX800 for only £300 you will be making such a healthy saving its worth the risk to me.

I wouldn't expect a thing from small TVs in the future, prices will remain poor value and there will never be a small TV that is anything more than a low end model. We have been waiting for years and haven't seen even a low-end mid range model since the KS7500 in 2016.
 
This was a problem I found when I was looking for a new TV at the end of last year. I didn't want a 50 inch plus TV, but ended up buying a 55 inch as I wanted a top of the range one. Have to say that now I have a 55 inch I could never go back to a smaller screen!
 
If you are concerned about HDR usage on a smaller TV and you are purely using the TV for HDR content then your best option is the GX800. I'd snap up that price from the outlet.

The TV is overpriced at new prices yes, but its the only TV that has a tone mapping feature that is good enough to give you the least amount of trouble when using HDR content.

It is of course by no means a capable HDR TV, with no local dimming and low peak brightness, so especially when buying new the argument I make is not to waste your money, keep watching SDR content only and stick to buying the cheapest TV that suits your circumstances, for most people that is the Hisense B7500.

Regarding the warranty of 1 year, the outlet offers the same warranty as if you were to purchase the same TVs new. The difference is that certain shops such as Richer Sounds or John Lewis are bundling their extra warranties that put another 4-5 years on top of the standard 1 year manufacturer that make buying a new TV more compelling.

Given the fact you can buy the GX800 for only £300 you will be making such a healthy saving its worth the risk to me.

I wouldn't expect a thing from small TVs in the future, prices will remain poor value and there will never be a small TV that is anything more than a low end model. We have been waiting for years and haven't seen even a low-end mid range model since the KS7500 in 2016.
Am looking for a new TV, at least 65" and above. This will be main TV not secondary. Options within my budget are Philips 65put7374, Samsung 65ru7400, philips 70put6774 & hisense 75b7500. Which is the best of these TVs? I know there are better TVs, oleds, qleds, fald sets etc. But those are outside my budget. My use case: 50% SD, 40% 1080p, 9% 4K HDR, & 1% PC gaming. SD will be via inbuilt TV tuner and satellite decoder. 1080p mostly via PC and small bits via satellite decoder, 4K HDR via PC and 4K satellite decoder, and my uptake of 4K HDR will increase in the next 2 years. Also, what panel type and lighting is on the Philips? I don't want IPS! My viewing distance is 10 feet. Lastly, I have a Yamaha YHT 1840 AV receiver with 4K passthrough and upscaling. So what will be better, to connect PC and 4K satellite decoder to AV receiver and then from receiver to TV OR connect them directly to TV and use AV receiver just for surround sound? Thank you all for any answers.
 
Am looking for a new TV, at least 65" and above. This will be main TV not secondary. Options within my budget are Philips 65put7374, Samsung 65ru7400, philips 70put6774 & hisense 75b7500. Which is the best of these TVs? I know there are better TVs, oleds, qleds, fald sets etc. But those are outside my budget. My use case: 50% SD, 40% 1080p, 9% 4K HDR, & 1% PC gaming. SD will be via inbuilt TV tuner and satellite decoder. 1080p mostly via PC and small bits via satellite decoder, 4K HDR via PC and 4K satellite decoder, and my uptake of 4K HDR will increase in the next 2 years. Also, what panel type and lighting is on the Philips? I don't want IPS! My viewing distance is 10 feet. Lastly, I have a Yamaha YHT 1840 AV receiver with 4K passthrough and upscaling. So what will be better, to connect PC and 4K satellite decoder to AV receiver and then from receiver to TV OR connect them directly to TV and use AV receiver just for surround sound? Thank you all for any answers.
Have you seen my guide here: My best value TVs, 2019-2020 Edition ?

The best option is by far the Hisense providing you don't need wide viewing angles.

I'd be a little concerned buying a TV of this size if you are still watching regular SD TV though, it may be better to go for a smaller 50/55" for that purpose, depending on your viewing distance.

You can (and should) enjoy UHD content on these TVs, but none are going to be trouble-free with HDR. Do not buy any of these TVs with HDR content in mind as you'll be disappointed with problems you'll encounter. You need to spend a lot more money to reach TVs in cost that do not share these problems displaying HDR.
 
Have you seen my guide here: My best value TVs, 2019-2020 Edition ?

The best option is by far the Hisense providing you don't need wide viewing angles.

I'd be a little concerned buying a TV of this size if you are still watching regular SD TV though, it may be better to go for a smaller 50/55" for that purpose, depending on your viewing distance.

You can (and should) enjoy UHD content on these TVs, but none are going to be trouble-free with HDR. Do not buy any of these TVs with HDR content in mind as you'll be disappointed with problems you'll encounter. You need to spend a lot more money to reach TVs in cost that do not share these problems displaying HDR.
Thanks. Will get the Hisense.
 
Have you seen my guide here: My best value TVs, 2019-2020 Edition ?

The best option is by far the Hisense providing you don't need wide viewing angles.

I'd be a little concerned buying a TV of this size if you are still watching regular SD TV though, it may be better to go for a smaller 50/55" for that purpose, depending on your viewing distance.

You can (and should) enjoy UHD content on these TVs, but none are going to be trouble-free with HDR. Do not buy any of these TVs with HDR content in mind as you'll be disappointed with problems you'll encounter. You need to spend a lot more money to reach TVs in cost that do not share these problems displaying HDR.
Hadn't seen your guide My best value TVs, 2019-2020 Edition
. it's one of the most comprehensive and enlightening TV buying guide I have ever read. Thanks for this. Continue with the good work.
 
Have you seen my guide here: My best value TVs, 2019-2020 Edition ?

The best option is by far the Hisense providing you don't need wide viewing angles.

I'd be a little concerned buying a TV of this size if you are still watching regular SD TV though, it may be better to go for a smaller 50/55" for that purpose, depending on your viewing distance.

You can (and should) enjoy UHD content on these TVs, but none are going to be trouble-free with HDR. Do not buy any of these TVs with HDR content in mind as you'll be disappointed with problems you'll encounter. You need to spend a lot more money to reach TVs in cost that do not share these problems displaying HDR.
Finally got the Hisense H75B7500, its really big and has superb picture quality, even SD is so nice, the upscaling on this set is wow!!!! Thanks Dodgexander.
 
Finally got the Hisense H75B7500, its really big and has superb picture quality, even SD is so nice, the upscaling on this set is wow!!!! Thanks Dodgexander.
Glad you are so happy with the TV! Congratulations.
 
Glad you are so happy with the TV! Congratulations.
Hi Dodge.

I am back after 4 years!

Thanks again for your advice last time. The Hisense 75" B7500 has been a big source of joy to my household.

I say 'has been' because the TV screen recently cracked during handling as it was being moved.

So I am back to shopping for a new TV.

I am a movies guys. So size of TV has always been a source of joy for me. The bigger the better. Also, I always take advantage of upgrade cycle to go bigger.

So this time, I have to go bigger than last size. That means an 85".

MY VIEWING PROPORTIONS
1% SD (broadcast TV, some few rare DVDrips)

75% 1080p (1080p SDR movie rips, a few 1080p TV series, a few 1080p Blu-ray discs, 1080p streaming)

23% 4K HDR (4K HDR movie rips, downloaded HDR sample clips)

1% gaming (retro console and Nvidia shield pro android games)

Additional notes
As you can see, compared to last time, my SD content consumption has drastically reduced to bare minimum.

I am not too concerned with tv OS as I use my 2019 Nvidia shield pro for streaming, as a media player and for gaming.

My other source components include a Sony BDP-S373 1080p Blu-ray disc player, a HTPC and retro game console.

I have a 7.1 surround sound system, soon to be 7.1.4. All above source components are connected to my Denon AVC X3700H. The Denon is in pre-amp mode, all channels being driven by external power amplifiers.

I know there are better TVs out there such as OLED, QLED, mini LED, Full Array Local Dimming sets etc. But as per my budget, below are the TVs I have identified.

I strongly prefer VA panel TVs over IPS.

I also easily notice and hate the soap opera effect.

This TV will be main TV.

Kindly advise the best TV out of the below and also arrange them in order of preference. First being the best and so on.

Samsung 85CU8000
TCL 85P745
Hisense 85A7H



Kindly note the Hisense U8 series, U7 series and TCL 8 series aren't available in my location. Though I know they would have been outside my budget.

Thanks so much for your valuable expertise, assistance and passion for this AV hobby and dedicating much of your valuable time to advise us.
 
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Those TVs are all going to perform very similar since they are probably sharing the same exact panel. They are more than suitable for SDR usage which is predominately what you need, but they will fall short with HDR where the picture on all is going to look worse than the SDR version of the same show. With an Nvidia shield you should be able to disable HDR in those cases to avoid any picture issues, if you notice them.

Expect a small gain in picture quality compared to your old TV, but a larger size. It won't be drastic.

I'd probably go for the TCL since it's a 2023 model and comes with Google TV built in.

All those models are using a 60hz VA type panel.
 
Those TVs are all going to perform very similar since they are probably sharing the same exact panel. They are more than suitable for SDR usage which is predominately what you need, but they will fall short with HDR where the picture on all is going to look worse than the SDR version of the same show. With an Nvidia shield you should be able to disable HDR in those cases to avoid any picture issues, if you notice them.

Expect a small gain in picture quality compared to your old TV, but a larger size. It won't be drastic.

I'd probably go for the TCL since it's a 2023 model and comes with Google TV built in.

All those models are using a 60hz VA type panel.
The Hisense 85U7H has just appeared on offer. It's rarely available at my location and it's currently on offer. The offer price represents the limit of what I am willing to stretch my TV budget this time.

On displayspecifications.com it's listed as having 128 local dimming zones. Are 128 zones enough?

Kindly advise how good/better/different is the Hisense 85U7H compared to the Hisense 85A7H.

This will help me make a good and informed decision and also keep my expectations in check, plus I will also know whether stretching my budget for the 85U7H will be worth it or not.

Also, the TCL 8 series are never available at my location.

Also note the 85U7H big brother Hisense 85U8H is rarely available at my location and when it does it's very very pricy, so it's outside even my budget stretching limits.

This means for now my max budget can only accommodate the Hisense 85U7H and not the 85U8H

Thanks once again for your valuable advice.
 
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The Hisense 85U7H has just appeared on offer. It's rarely available at my location and it's currently on offer. The offer price represents the limit of what I am willing to stretch my TV budget this time.

On displayspecifications.com it's listed as having 128 local dimming zones. Are 128 zones enough?

Kindly advise how good/better/different is the Hisense 85U7H compared to the Hisense 85A7H.

This will help me make a good and informed decision and also keep my expectations in check, plus I will also know whether stretching my budget for the 85U7H will be worth it or not.

Also, the TCL 8 series are never available at my location.

Also note the 85U7H big brother Hisense 85U8H is rarely available at my location and when it does it's very very pricy, so it's outside even my budget stetching limits.

This means for now my max budget can only accommodate the Hisense 85U7H and not the 85U8H

Thanks once again for your valuable advice.
You have to be careful of reviews of Hisense TVs. They make different TVs for different regions. For example, the Hisense U8H in the UK is not the same TV as the U8H in the US.
 
The U7H, even if it is the lesser European version is an upgrade over the other TVs and should give you an introduction to a decent HDR picture compared to the other TVs.

You'll also get a 120hz panel too. I'd definitely recommend that model over the other TVs.
 

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