Samsung 43RU7470 vs Philips 43PUS7304. Which should I choose?

[MrVerm]

Hi all,

I am looking for a 43" TV as a main home cinema screen. Larger screens offer more, however I cannot move them so I am logistically stuck at the 43" mark. Due to the screen getting a reward over at WhatHIFI I'm interested in the Samsung 43RU7470. However what bothers me is that it has an Edge-lit screen.

Philips offers the 43PUS7304 with a Direct-led screen, so in theory it should be a better screen contrast wise, but I cannot find any reliable reviews on the PUS7304 range. I owned a 55POS9002 which I loved and the 43PUS7304 is related picture processing hardware wise. Screen and hardware wise it seems like a great choice.

And there lies the issue, what is the superior pick according to this forum? The 43RU7470 or the 43PUS7304?

Pricing is very similar in my region. I'm one of the purist types so I don't care much about image processing or interpolation techniques, I switch those off. I just want the best 43" inch screen to enjoy movies like their directors intended.

Thanks for the recommendations!

 

[zeppelino]

Will you watch any 4K and hdr content?

 

[MrVerm]

Will you watch any 4K and hdr content?

For sure, I have a Sony X500 Blu-ray player and the latest Shield TV Pro.

 

[zeppelino]

For sure, I have a Sony X500 Blu-ray player and the latest Shield TV Pro.

Then the Samsung is the better of the two. Are Hisense models available where you are?

 

[MrVerm]

Then the Samsung is the better of the two. Are Hisense models available where you are?

I'm able to get anything on the Dutch or German market. Apparently Amazon.de has some HiSense screens so yes I guess I could also get a HiSense.

Regarding the Samsung, why is it the better screen? Edge-lit seems inferior to direct-led LCD's.

 

[Dodgexander]

Edge lit vs direct lit makes no difference, if you are worried about screen uniformity you can expect the worst unless you are looking at larger, more expensive TVs with local dimming.

I think either you are getting mixed up between direct LED and local dimming, or you are thinking direct LED is better because of how it was 10 years ago or so when indeed direct was better than edge.

Its changed now, where edge lit models can even have better uniformity than direct lit models. All that happens now is edge lit models tend to have brighter corners/edges, but more uniform in the centre. Whilst direct models suffer more from dirty screen effect with more patches of poorer uniformity in the middle, and darkened edges.

I'd generally avoid looking at TVs at 43" like the Philips 6 or 7 series or Samsung's RU7xxx series as you could end up with an IPS type panel which will have horrendous uniformity. Always look for a TV that will for sure come with a VA panel if you want the best uniformity. Unfortunately buying from Samsung, or to a lesser extent Philips is very much a lottery now, not knowing for certain which panel type that comes on the TV until you own it.

Just be aware, that with no local dimming there's no way to minimise poor screen uniformity, so whilst VA panels let less light through from behind its not unusual for screen uniformity issues to be present.

But beware, TVs with VA panels have narrow viewing angles. More detail:

Which panel type should I choose for my TV?

OLED vs IPS LCD vs VA LCD Panels One of the most important decisions, if not the most important when buying a TV is the panel type a TV uses. When deciding which TV to go for, you must first choose the type of panel you want from a TV. VA LCD Panels Pros Higher contrast ratio. Deeper blacks...

www.avforums.com

 

[MrVerm]

Edge lit vs direct lit makes no difference, if you are worried about screen uniformity you can expect the worst unless you are looking at larger, more expensive TVs with local dimming.

I think either you are getting mixed up between direct LED and local dimming, or you are thinking direct LED is better because of how it was 10 years ago or so when indeed direct was better than edge.

Its changed now, where edge lit models can even have better uniformity than direct lit models. All that happens now is edge lit models tend to have brighter corners/edges, but more uniform in the centre. Whilst direct models suffer more from dirty screen effect with more patches of poorer uniformity in the middle, and darkened edges.

I'd generally avoid looking at TVs at 43" like the Philips 6 or 7 series or Samsung's RU7xxx series as you could end up with an IPS type panel which will have horrendous uniformity. Always look for a TV that will for sure come with a VA panel if you want the best uniformity. Unfortunately buying from Samsung, or to a lesser extent Philips is very much a lottery now, not knowing for certain which panel type that comes on the TV until you own it.

Just be aware, that with no local dimming there's no way to minimise poor screen uniformity, so whilst VA panels let less light through from behind its not unusual for screen uniformity issues to be present.

But beware, TVs with VA panels have narrow viewing angles. More detail:

Which panel type should I choose for my TV?

OLED vs IPS LCD vs VA LCD Panels One of the most important decisions, if not the most important when buying a TV is the panel type a TV uses. When deciding which TV to go for, you must first choose the type of panel you want from a TV. VA LCD Panels Pros Higher contrast ratio. Deeper blacks...

www.avforums.com

Thank you for elaborating! I didn’t know that the uniformity is now very similar.

Both screens have micro dimming however but I was under the impression that a direct-led panel would always have a better screen uniformity and therefor always be superior in image quality. So again thanks for setting that straight

However since I cannot buy a larger screen then 43” due to logistics, and manufacturers not making OLED screens smaller then 55”, what would be the best 43” pick? Both screens have micro dimming but will equally suffer from the IPS and VA lottery.

 

[zeppelino]

Thank you for elaborating! I didn’t know that the uniformity is now very similar.

Both screens have micro dimming however but I was under the impression that a direct-led panel would always have a better screen uniformity and therefor always be superior in image quality. So again thanks for setting that straight

However since I cannot buy a larger screen then 43” due to logistics, and manufacturers not making OLED screens smaller then 55”, what would be the best 43” pick? Both screens have micro dimming but will equally suffer from the IPS and VA lottery.

Hisense B7500, if available. 48” oleds are coming to market next year but I think they’ll be priced expensively.

 

[Dodgexander]

The choices vary depending on local pricing and availability. I wouldn't buy either the Samsung or the Philips you mention without being sure you can return the TV to the store if unhappy.

Hisense TVs like the B7500 already mentioned are likely to going to be best value, the B7500 has Dolby Vision HDR support whilst the B7100 doesn't. Both have the same picture quality otherwise.

If you cared less about value for money and just wanted the very best you can find, you need to look at TVs like the Samsung 43Q60R or Panasonic 40GX800 but you can expect to pay more than they are perhaps worth, for the benefit of marginally better overall picture quality.

EDIT* forgot to mention the Panasonic 40GX800 may have a different model number outside the UK. Look out for GXW804 which is the German model number.