Recommend me a 32" or higher that doesn't suck

[JXBournemouth]

Hi everyone;
I'm upgrading from my flatmate's old Vestel 32". I thought I was clever saving £50 on a Gumtree purchase (LG 32LM6730PLA) and I've just plugged it in to find it has three dead pixels. It's fine beyond that but I sit about a metre from it and I'm never not going to be able to see them.
While I wait to see what my options are with that (I am probably going to have to eat it) I want to see if I have any other, better options. The stand I have the set mounted on is great too because it lines up perfectly with the inputs so I can only use the side inputs!
I feel like an idiot.

From what I'm reading, the set I'm trying to get rid of is the best of a bad bunch, which is a disappointment. I can get a bit larger than 32" but not much since it isn't wall-mounted. What other options are there? 34, 38"? 42" is way too big even though I understand it'd give me more options.
Is it the stand that sucks or do different manufacturers put their inputs in different spots? I'd rather not take an angle grinder to my new stand but what options do I have, exactly?

I'm not overjoyed about getting a "Smart" TV since they all shove ads down your throat but I'm just not going to connect it to the internet, at all, so smart features are completely unimportant for me. This aversion to ads led me to avoid Samsung like the plague – I still don't like the brand or want to support them – but I am willing to reconsider this if blocking the internet shields me from their anti-consumer nonsense.

In terms of budget, it's the same thing you've heard of before. My ceiling is around £300, but I'm flexible if it's for something that's definitely worth it.
Thanks all for any help you can impart on this.
JXB

 

[Dodgexander]

What you've read is correct, no good TVs sold at smaller sizes now. Even at 43" which is more common, TVs are poor.

Hopefully that will change next year when 42" OLEDs are released.

I sometimes view a metre away from my 65" so I really think 32" is very, very small. Is there some shuffling about you can do to accommodate a bigger TV? Remember that TVs are measured in diagonals, not height and width. So a 48" OLED is going to be a lot smaller than you may think.

Also, don't be so put off by the dead pixels, you can get them on any display. I've known someone to return 5 in a row because of it. It doesn't mean every TV in that line will have them.

 

[JXBournemouth]

I appreciate that. The TV is in such a position that 32" really is the ideal size otherwise it would overshadow everything else in the room.
I take it from that that the LG I posted about really is the only logical option then? That's irritating given my stand woes. It seems like any stand using the VESA mounts is going, by nature, to involve a long horizontal plate which completely cuts off access to the HDMI ports.
I can get right-angle HDMI cables, fine, but I'd really rather switch to a different model... but it sounds like that one is the only one anyone is going to offer?

 

[mike7]

I've got a Samsung TV and I'm not aware of being plagued by any Ads. Third party Apps, like You Tube, do of course have them. If you are going to stream anything, or expect any updates then you will have to connect to the Internet. Not sure what you mean by "anti consumer nonsense"

 

[JXBournemouth]

Not sure what you mean by "anti consumer nonsense"

Stuff like this:




Now who knows. It might be that this stuff doesn't apply in the UK or that it only applies to the more expensive panels. I don't really want anything to do with a company that thinks this is acceptable (I will not be advertised to) but if cutting the internet does the job then I'll reconsider.
You actually have one of their sets so I defer to your expertise here.

 

[Dodgexander]

You could return it and try and find a model with a central stand, or perhaps it will fit a VESA mount. May want to look at VESA arms/mounts for monitors instead to avoid the spacing issues.

It really doesn't matter too much which TV you go for, because all are relatively poor. The LG you got is actually a decent option because its smart TV built in is decent. If you don't care so much about that you could look at Sony TVs that last I checked some of which were non-smart models.
Not entirely sure if they are still making them though.

Regarding ads I think most platforms have them now. I have an Android TV and a Roku TV and I've seen ads on Samsung and LGs too. They don't bother me that much as they are just ads for video content.

 

[JXBournemouth]

The only non-smart Sonys I could find were 1366x768, which I can't really cogitate in 2021. It needs to support Full HD.
I appreciate what you say about stands. It's looking like I'm going to have to return what I have and get one that's better designed, I'm just trying to avoid too much work here to get things into a working situation – but I think that train has probably sailed. Most likely I'm going to end up taking a bath on this whole thing and will need to start from scratch.

Maybe I just won't use a stand, that'll give me some more space to work with. It also mitigates the issue of the ports being blocked. The "Best 32 inch TV" question appears to have been answered with this crummy LG – is there an answer for the next size up?

Thanks for all your help with this. I really am incredibly frustrated.

 

[Dodgexander]

Don't be fooled by resolution. There's more to a TV than only its maximum resolution. At 1m from a 32" TV HD/FHD makes next to no difference. Only time that kind of thing matters is if you're using the TV for gaming very close, or in a desk-top setup. For video don't worry about it.

TVs generally come in 32" and 43", there may be a few 40" models too. If I were you I'd keep with what you have, or buy another 32" for now and look to upgrade possibly to a 42" OLED when they are released next year...just because there's nothing compelling at the moment smaller than 48" and you're not really going to be taking every step forwards compared to back going to a 43" UHD model.

 

[mikej]

Maybe I just won't use a stand, that'll give me some more space to work with. It also mitigates the issue of the ports being blocked.

Is there a reason you can't use the feet that the LM6370 comes with ?

 

[JXBournemouth]

Is there a reason you can't use the feet that the LM6370 comes with ?

Only because a 32" TV on my short table forces you to crane your neck down a bit to watch it. If I'm getting a bigger panel, this will be less of a consideration, mitigating the need for a stand entirely.
I just wish there were more exciting options for a 40" panel.

The LM6370 in my living room currently will not last the week. I will not have a set with dead pixels.
God knows whether I'm going to be able to get any money back on it, but I'm not having it in the house.

 

[mike7]

The comments about 'advertising' within Samsung Tizen are highly exaggerated. Its limited to one App which is easily ignored unless you click on it. In the UK it seems to be limited to promoting additional streaming services. Usually it only appears for a day or so. Hardly a big deal. All other unwanted Apps are removable, including TV Plus if you don't want it.

 

[mikej]

The LM6370 is a 2021 set (albeit identical to the LM6300 from 2019) so one reason someone was selling such a new TV could have been the dead pixels. I take it that wasn't mentioned in the advert ? Do Gumtree offer any recourse in such cases, like eBay / PayPal do ?

It's strange they didn't try taking the TV back as it would be well within the 1 year warranty although some retailers can try and fob customers off, claiming that a certain number of dead pixels is acceptable.

That TV doesn't have any sockets below the VESA holes so if you do keep it or end up with something similar, then I think you probably just need to choose a different design of stand. A stand with a design like this, for example, wouldn't block the sockets.

Choosing a stand of that type which takes a maximum of VESA 200x200 should ensure the back-plate doesn't sick out any further than needed. You'd also have to check any height adjustment options meet your needs.