Which tv for lounge?

AdamD10

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Looking to upgrade from our 8 year old, 42” Toshiba 40HL933B (TOSHIBA 40HL933B, 40 inch HL Series Full HD 1080p LED TV with Freeview) for the lounge. Size of room dictates a 50” as the max size. More details below:

  • fairly light room (QLED rather than OLED?)
  • not used for gaming
  • general tv, sports and film
  • possibly wall mounted in time but currently at eye height circa 3m from sofa
  • Budget was £800-900 but could extend to the £1,149 if really worth it. No more.

Considering the following but unsure if the jump from £799 to £1,149 is worth it, although the latter looks lovely in the shop.

Option 1 SAMSUNG QE50Q80AATXXU 50" Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR QLED TV with Bixby, Alexa & Google Assistant

Option 2 SAMSUNG QE50QN94AATXXU 50" Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR Neo QLED TV with Bixby, Alexa & Google Assistant

Help!

Please ask any relevant questions as I appreciate I have only provided fairly limited info.
 
You'll see in my guide here:

The QN94A models are omitted from the guide as they offer little compared to the cheaper Q80A model at 50". At 55" and up however they are a lot better TVs.

A fairly light room will probably be fine with an OLED in the guide too, some of them will cope with reflections better than LCD TVs, albeit if they are dimmer.

Make sure you're aware of stark differences between OLED and LCD tech. For example, with an LCD TV you will want to watch the TV only head-on, and not at an angle.
 
You'll see in my guide here:

The QN94A models are omitted from the guide as they offer little compared to the cheaper Q80A model at 50". At 55" and up however they are a lot better TVs.

A fairly light room will probably be fine with an OLED in the guide too, some of them will cope with reflections better than LCD TVs, albeit if they are dimmer.

Make sure you're aware of stark differences between OLED and LCD tech. For example, with an LCD TV you will want to watch the TV only head-on, and not at an angle.
Awesome, thanks. Interested to know more about the Q94A not being much better than Q80 at 50” - in the shop they looked night and day. I’ll have to go back for another look - what should I be keeping my eye out for?

Viewing angle will pretty much be head on so think we’re ok with QLED there.
 
3M viewing distance? Get a bigger TV. 55” at very least. You can get great deals on OLEDs right now. You get a much better TV for the price with an OLED now compared to the QLED. At least at 55”z
 
3M viewing distance? Get a bigger TV. 55” at very least. You can get great deals on OLEDs right now. You get a much better TV for the price with an OLED now compared to the QLED. At least at 55”z
That’s an estimate. I’ll have to measure I may have totally over egged that! Could be 2m. We’d like it on the wall but it’s a brick wall above a fireplace so really tricky so unsure if we can do it.

We can’t fit a 55” the space where the tv goes, hence the 50” decision.

Which OLED would you say to take a look at?
 
That’s an estimate. I’ll have to measure I may have totally over egged that! Could be 2m. We’d like it on the wall but it’s a brick wall above a fireplace so really tricky so unsure if we can do it.

We can’t fit a 55” the space where the tv goes, hence the 50” decision.

Which OLED would you say to take a look at?
2m still want bigger. Many are going 65” or more at those distances.

As for which OLED. You can get the CX 55” for under £1000. Last years model but still great.

But if you can’t fit a 55” TV in at all then….not sure. But have you checked the measurement as most TVs have very small bezels now.
 
Never buy a TV on what you see in the shop. The QN9xA models at 50" are not anything like their larger TVs and comparing in a shop is only going to throw you a red herring.
 
The way that TVs are set up in the shop is for maximum vividness with material that showcases their strengths. It will look nothing like that when you have it home, unless you also want to put it in store mode and watch the sequences.

The narrative in the shop is controlled so one TV looks better than another. Of course, Samsung want you to think a more expensive TV looks better than a cheaper one. A TV sold at larger sizes, is also not always as good as the same TV sold at smaller sizes.

Even the lighting in a shop is nothing like it would be at home.
 
The way that TVs are set up in the shop is for maximum vividness with material that showcases their strengths. It will look nothing like that when you have it home, unless you also want to put it in store mode and watch the sequences.

The narrative in the shop is controlled so one TV looks better than another. Of course, Samsung want you to think a more expensive TV looks better than a cheaper one. A TV sold at larger sizes, is also not always as good as the same TV sold at smaller sizes.

Even the lighting in a shop is nothing like it would be at home.
Well, this makes sense from a business perspective, thanks. Even both set up the same, side by side (the guy in the shop did this yesterday to show the difference) - was quite a contrast.
Makes it super difficult to decide then! What else should I consider in making my decision? In a way I feel like I’m overthinking, it’s just a tv after all!
 
If you're limited by size to a 50" then I'd should look at 48" OLEDs in the guide such as the LG A1 or C1.

Problem with the 50" QN94A (or 50" QN90A) is they are dimmer at 50" with cut-down features than other sizes. So, it's hard to recommend an LCD TV that's just as bright as an OLED when LCD TV strength is typically with brightness versus OLED. It's also hard to recommend a TV when they decide to exclude the better anti reflective coating, and sound on the larger TVs.

It does have more dimming zones than the Q80A though. At 55" though the TVs are fantastic, and without a cut down specs such as lower brightness or anti-glare.

If you don't/can't go OLED, then then 50Q80A is best value. Not much other choice at smaller sizes, but the guide has all the best models listed.
 
Thanks for all the advice and info, very useful.
After a week of overthinking and research, we went for the QN94 in 50”. Was tempted by the LG OLED but didn’t want to go lower than 50”. Also, 50” is the max we wanted for the space it will live so the Samsung was a good choice.

Early impressions - it’s fantastic and a great upgrade on what we had and should last 6-10 years. So much of what I was worried about (viewing angles in particular) is irrelevant. On that point, I just don’t get it as it literally looks the same from all angles unless you’re so side on that you can’t see it anyway :)

All in all, a great choice for fairly limited requirements (no gaming etc).
 

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