Samsung Q70R, Sony XG9005 or something cheaper?

Jjparker331

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Hi all,
Being in lockdown in a small room with no laptop or tv has got to me and I feel the urge to finally buy myself a tv. I had originally looked at spending up to £400 however doing some research I found that below that price I can't get a full array VA screen and if I'm going to buy a tv I may as well do it once and do it right. Unfortunately OLED is just too much of a jump in budget.

I can get a 49" Q70R for £729 delivered from hifidirect, or a 49" Sony XG9005 for £760 from Sevenoaks.

I will be sitting straight on to the screen, normally with low to no lighting for movie watching on Netflix, Prime and Sky. I do have an xbox one however that isnt my priority.

I will be using Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones mainly as I'm in a dorm style room.

I dont mind spending less if I will get 90% of the quality, ie a Samsung 74xx series etc but they seem difficult to find right now.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated as I'm looking to buy soon.

Many thanks :)
 
For video content the Sony is more suited, it has better HDR support for Netflix. It also has a headphone port.

For gaming, the Samsung is more suited, it has better HDR support for Prime and is a better gaming TV. There is no headphone port so you'd need to buy a separate powered Optical>Headphone converter. However picture accuracy, particularly with HDR isn't as good as the Sony.

Both these TVs are considered pretty small by today's standard, and the 55" equivalent models were selling for around the same price not that long ago. Consider upping to a 55" TV instead to get better value for money. The bigger the better with UHD content. Even on a 55" most people don't sit close enough to fully benefit from the increase in resolution.

If you decide to buy cheap instead, treat the TV only for SDR content. Do not expect to use HDR on a cheaper TV.
 
Thank you for the reply :) unfortunately 55 inch may be a tad large for a 5.5m x 4m bedroom which also is my office and lounge, but I will certainly look into them. I see that the TX-55ez952b 55 inch oled is currently in the Panasonic outlet for £809, is this a huge step up for not much more?
I was also looking at the SM8600 in 49" but this doesnt seem much better than the lower end models? But is available for £479.
 
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The Panasonic OLED is a high end model that competes more with high end LCD TVs, it's a lot better than the ones you are considering.

The LG LCD TV you mention is a lower mid range model, worse than the prior TVs you are considering. It also uses an IPS panel, so is a TV for different purposes.

The problem with value at 49" is lack of competition and squashing of specs. The Sony XG9005 is the only sub 55" TV to have acceptable HDR and also a 120hz panel. The Samsung Q70R doesn't even use a 120hz panel at 49".
 
The Panasonic OLED is a high end model that competes more with high end LCD TVs, it's a lot better than the ones you are considering.

The LG LCD TV you mention is a lower mid range model, worse than the prior TVs you are considering. It also uses an IPS panel, so is a TV for different purposes.

The problem with value at 49" is lack of competition and squashing of specs. The Sony XG9005 is the only sub 55" TV to have acceptable HDR and also a 120hz panel. The Samsung Q70R doesn't even use a 120hz panel at 49".


Thank you, the panasonic is hugely over my budget however if it is leaps ahead and well priced at £809 I'm not averse to choosing that one if it will see me through a good few years.
Out of all mentioned so far, which would you recommend? My initial budget was £400 which has now stretched to near double. Are there any other models I have overlooked in this price range?

I have looked at clearance sony but they seem to be not operating atm due to the virus.
 
There's a whole host of best buys in the guide here: My best value TVs, 2019-2020 Edition

You can buy a lot of TV for 400 but you won't be able to use it without HDR without picture quality issues. HDR and motion is the main reason to spend more.
 
Looking through your guide it seems a shame the U8B is no longer available. The 55 U7B is taking my fancy though, as I will mainly be watching netflix and using an xbox one which may not warrant the HDR capabilities of a 55Q70R.
 
I've just seen costco has the 55U7B for £399, based on what I've said above, I think it may be my best value for money option?
 
I've just seen costco has the 55U7B for £399, based on what I've said above, I think it may be my best value for money option?
It's certainly a lot of TV for the money.
 
Before I take the plunge and order the 55U7B, I see in other threads you have said it has bluetooth but I cant see it written anywhere that it's the correct protocol for headphone connectivity? If it doesnt have bluetooth, with it lacking a 3.5mm connection I assume I can use an adapter to the optical output?
 
Before I take the plunge and order the 55U7B, I see in other threads you have said it has bluetooth but I cant see it written anywhere that it's the correct protocol for headphone connectivity? If it doesnt have bluetooth, with it lacking a 3.5mm connection I assume I can use an adapter to the optical output?
Not sure on that I'm afraid. Many TVs only have Bluetooth for input devices, but if I was to guess I'd say it will work with Bluetooth headsets. The chip they use in the TV is not too different to the kind of USB combo/wifi adapter you can buy for a computer.

Yes because there's no headphone jack you'd have to use a powered adaptor.

In your shoes I'd be hesitant to use Bluetooth because of the added latency though, some people seem to be okay with it, but it can add quite a lot of latency on to content making obvious lip sync.

In that respect you may be best searching for Sony or Panasonic TVs, I think they are the only ones that still use headphone jacks on their lower tier models.
 
Hmm, all interesting food for thought. I've seen the Philip's 55PUS6754 for the same price as the Costco Hisense, well £15 cheaper when I factor in membership.

Having a VA panel, hdr10+ and dolby vision, is there any huge reason to avoid it?
 
all 50 inch tvs are VA screens. so get 50 inch if VA is better for you.
 
I've also just found stock of the U8B for £599, is that worth the premium?
Definitely.

Philips could be either IPS or VA at 55", much the same as Samsung at that size, you just won't know until you own the TV.

All 50" models are VA because there's no 50" IPS panels. 49" is the size where IPS is used.
 
Excellent, I'll get the U8B ordered now. It is above my initial budget but doesnt completely blow it like the Samsung 49Q70R and Sony mentioned above would do if was to buy them in 55" like the U8B.

Weirdly Jacamo have them in stock of all places, so no long warranty but it should be ok with just the manufacturer's?
 
Given the fact it's so much better than the other options and priced well for a mid range model it's definitely worth not having the free extra 4-5 years other places offer on top.

The next best deal for a mid range TV with an extended warranty would be the Samsung Q60R which is selling for £700. £100 worse for a TV that doesn't get as bright and has no Dolby Vision HDR support.
 

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