Question Replacement for Panasonic 50AX802

[Sgiandubh]

Ok, so I have a Panasonic 50AX802 that i have had since 2014, I don't really have many complaints about it other than those that come with a set of its age such as only having the one HDCP 2.2 socket that is HDMI 2.0 compliant.

Unfortunately, i got up this morning to discover the power LED was flashing and the set will not turn on. I have tried various things and i can eventually get it to turn on, it just sits at the panasonic logo and eventually turns itself off.

I do have a warranty for it and although that will cover any repair that is possible, I am resigned to the fact i will very likely need to start considering a replacement model. However this is where it gets complicated, the warranty is with a retailer (Currys) which means any replacement i need to consider must be sourced from said retailer.

Based on their current stock, I suspect the model they will suggest as the replacement is the Panasonic 50EX700b, however from what i have read about this set, it suffers quite heavily from motion blur, therefore i need to consider another replacement model from Currys at a price point circa £750 or a little bit higher.

I would prefer to stick to 50" but could possible go as big as 55" but no higher, I also have a little bit of wiggle room on price, perhaps as much as an additional £150 which would give a budget of around £900.

Any suggestions/help would be appreciated.

 

[EndlessWaves]

Based on their current stock, I suspect the model they will suggest as the replacement is the Panasonic 50EX700b, however from what i have read about this set, it suffers quite heavily from motion blur, therefore i need to consider another replacement model from Currys at a price point circa £750 or a little bit higher.

You're dropping down from a ~£2k TV to a £700-900 one so you may find whatever you buy has a compromise in some area. Which effects bother you least?

 

[Dodgexander]

Imo they should replace like for like so a EX750 or DX802/DX750.

Where have you read about motion on the EX700?

 

[Sgiandubh]

You're dropping down from a ~£2k TV to a £700-900 one so you may find whatever you buy has a compromise in some area. Which effects bother you least?

You make a valid point, but the warranty, if replacement is required, will only replace the set with something on a like for like specification basis and whilst this might have been a £2k set (I paid £1,400 as it's the 50" model) the specifications on the more recent panasonics are in some ways higher, for example they have HDR which mine does not.

I am only guessing at the figures as I could get a surprise and they will match me with something better. I might not even need a replacement if it can be repaired, I am just trying to get ahead of the game and do my research now in the event a replacement is required

 

[Dodgexander]

They aren't like for like though.

Your current tv has 3D and a 120hz panel.

The only HDR support the EX700 has is a wide colour gamut. It's HDR is very limited. If you want HDR you need to spend more.

The problem is you should replace like for like, not price to price. Right now if you replace per price with a 2017 model you're losing out massively in value as the 2017 models like the ex Panasonic's are still very overpriced.

 

[Sgiandubh]

I am not saying specifically I want HDR (although obviously that would be an advantage) I am just referencing one specification that they will more than likely use to demonstrate how a lower priced set could be considered an equivalent, or better, on paper.

You and I might know that not to be the case, but I also doubt very much I am going to get a £2k Panasonic out of this. Unfortunately I am not in a position to spend substantially to replace the set so I am going to have to replace for whatever they offer or close to it

 

[aidey6]

I agree with @Dodgexander. It should be spec for spec, also that Panasonic LCD TV's this year are overpriced.

Looking at the AX802 specs list Specs - VIERA TX-50AX802B | 4K LED TV | Panasonic UK & Ireland

The nearest is the DX802 Specs - 50 inch 4K UHD TV with HDR | Panasonic UK & Ireland

As they both have A THX picture setting, twin tuners, professional picture settings (isf mode) and 3D

The only problem is that looking on their website Currys do not appear to be stocking the DX750 or DX802 anymore.

 

[Dodgexander]

I understand how it works, they argue and try to give you as little as possible, but I do think you should argue your case if you can. Its worth it because otherwise you are going to end up with a lower end model.

A warranty is a warranty for that TV. If that can't be repaired or replaced then you are looking at replacing it like for like. Their like for like isn't like for like, its as simple as that. If they say "well the new model is HDR" - tell them thats its HDR is so limited it shouldn't even be a consideration.

Tell them that the new model doesn't have 3D, is worse with motion + the features @aidey6 mentioned above. Don't settle and don't give up!

Did you buy a model in the 700 range or 800? Even panasonic themselves are still releasing models from low to high in the 700,800 and 900 range. Its simple to see which is more equivalent.

Tech doesn't move that fast with TVs to make a budget model now better than a higher end one of 3-4 years ago. In many cases TVs that you can buy now are actually worse than tv's of a few years ago.

 

[EndlessWaves]

You make a valid point, but the warranty, if replacement is required, will only replace the set with something on a like for like specification basis and whilst this might have been a £2k set (I paid £1,400 as it's the 50" model)

But did you buy three or four months after release? That's how old most of the sets on the Currys website are. A TV that was £1300 in November/December or the year after on clearance would have been several hundred more at this time of year.

You and I might know that not to be the case, but I also doubt very much I am going to get a £2k Panasonic out of this. Unfortunately I am not in a position to spend substantially to replace the set so I am going to have to replace for whatever they offer or close to it

Your best option at 50" would be a Sony XE90 (or Samsung Q7, but they're currently massively overpriced), but you might find an EX750 acceptable.

I would be cautious about playing the 3D card as you'll box yourself into a corner because so few TVs support it.

The DX802 is a good example to use to argue your case. On the July after release (2016) it was around £1200 for the 50" model, and that would have been on contracts agreed before the brexit exchange rate drop:
Panasonic Viera TX-50DX802B (TV)

 

[Sgiandubh]

So given that Currys don't sell the DX range, is it worth considering moving away to something else such as Samsung or LG?

I have read horrible things about the recent range of LGs and i am not sure where the recent range of Samsung rank currently

 

[Sgiandubh]

Although I am still no further forward on whether the TV can be repaired or not, it would seem that there is literally only one model currys can offer without giving me a set with features missing and that is the Panasonic 50EX750 because it is only one of 4 TVs currys sell (via their website at least) that as active 3D and the 50ex750 is the cheaper of those. I guess it now remains to be seen if the repair will happen

 

[Sgiandubh]

Just had the dreaded call, my tv is beyond economic repair apparently and I need to wait until tomorrow to find out what it is they are offering...

 

[aidey6]

As @Dodgexander said you have an 800 series TV, so no way should you accept the EX700

You have the top spec TV for its year; so you can argue that you are requesting the top spec LCD that Panasonic currently have, which is the EX750...

 

[Dodgexander]

Repairing the kind of fault you reported on your old TV isn't necessarily difficult. In many cases it can be fixed by replacing capacitors or at most a part swap with a replacement board. I repaired my 8 year old Samsung LCD when the LED was blinking by fitting another motherboard from eBay. It was just a power delivery fault.

But yes, the EX750 is a fair swap, since there doesn't seem to be a EX800 range this year. The EX700 isn't in the same league as your current TV.

 

[Sgiandubh]

Well as it happens, 3D might be the key to this argument assuming it even gets to the point of argument, because there was only about 8 TVs on the Currys website that have 3D and of those only 6 have Active 3D and of those, only one is 50" and that is the 50ax750.

Things will only get murky if they choose to overlook 3D, but the other ace in the hole is that my old set had Freesat

 

[Sgiandubh]

Ok, so I have been given £1,000 for a replacement TV which is £129 short of the 50EX750 so will be going down to see them to discuss the finer points of specifications.

The ludicrous thing is that they can't actually tell me which TV I am supposed to buy for that money so expect to have an uphill struggle on my hands

 

[Dodgexander]

Thats not bad considering the new 2017 models are currently pretty overpriced as they have not long been released!

 

[Sgiandubh]

Yeah I am surprised as I suspected they would try to fob me off with something in the region of £6-700

 

[Sgiandubh]

Well that's my TV ordered, I got them bring the voucher up to the price of the 50ex750 and it is being delivered tomorrow