Recommend me a 43 inch TV

[caprinut]

Hisense are at cheap end of the market, Chinese of course, not as good as LG but they're building a place in China, they already build smaller TVs there.

 

[jenki]

LG has great picture quality but the remote is irritating and the software is shockingly bad. It will often badger you to do updates when you turn it on or use any app. You also have to agree for your data to be sent. I do not like smart tv's..

For example, we have a bluetooth hearing aid that can connect to tv. The TV wants to connect to any paired device as soon as it sees it. You go into menu and disconnect it, then it will reconnect. Most BT devices are not as bad particually ones that are off when not in use, but this one is so irritating we have unpaired it - which is extra annoying for me as now the tv is at an extra loud level that my ears find uncomfortable.

Have to agree with Kram my LG has good picture quality but the remote and the operating system is complete S***e, I use my Pansonic PVR (at least 10 years old) for the program guide as the system is just so much better as others have said make sure you can get on with the operating interface.

 

[minimutly]

For what it's worth my LG (the last of the non Smart ones) is still working fine after 12 years. No idea if the build quality of their new offerings is the same.

I bought mine from Richer Sounds, you really need to have a play with one yourself to see if you're going to get on with it. Online reviews tend to gloss over things like slow laggy controls, software bugs and the like.

Don't know if it's even possible nowadays but I deliberately kept the display and the online streaming parts separate (I use an Amazon Fire stick). The first bit should last 30+ years, the second is likey to be obsolete and incompatible as soon as the streaming companies come up with their latest shiny new offering.

The Fire stick is bug-ridden shïte, I view devices like that as disposable nowadays, which is why I don't want them built into the TV.

I concurr with this post - it's allways the software that lets these things down - I guess providers come up with new gizmos, and the chipsets in the tv just can't deal with it - new operating system needed? Download the OS, sorry your tv is not compatable with this OS. So you have to bin a perfectly good tv..
Our last one, an LG if I recal was given away for this very reason. The previous crt set we had, a Panasonic, was like new at 10 yrs plus, but allas, just a dumb tv, so that was given away too. I suspect if we added up the cost of all the sets we've had it would be quite a bill.

 

[Morrisman]

LG or Samsung are the only companies who still make their own sets. The rest are all bulk issue, badged according to who ordered them. Many are Vestel from Turkey, a few others are made in similar "pile 'em high" factories in China and Eastern Europe. I made a policy decision more than a decade ago, only to sell LG or Samsung. I don't recall having a single one back.

The result is that you WILL get exactly what you pay for and after sales service is likely not to be an option.

I’ve been LG for years. I gave my last 50” to my daughter when she moved house, as she was short of funds, and promptly bought myself a 55”
It get 6- 8 hours use every day and never had a problem.
I use it for PS5 or with my laptop hooked up, or Netflix/Amazon so no idea how it works with terrestrial tv.

 

[gaz1]

Have you got an aerial signal, as well as free sat. If you rely on free sat only, some brands wont tune without an aerial signal, so youll need LG. I know this because we have no aerial signal.

Both LG and Samsung are decent brands in my opinion. They are all too dam complicated now, Im starting to dislike technology as I get older, its almost witchcraft I tell you.

i also dont want the tech as im not interested with it

as goes for brands its do your homework with them as all the makes have there issues with them as most tvs are sold in other countrys so check out reviews there whilst here in the uk we get forced to use widescreen tvs, which i hate with a vengence as i like both height and width to a tv not width on a tv

as goes for tech smart tvs id rather have basic

netflix and prime and others well those are preinstalled on most tvs nowadays and to be honest it shouldnt be used to up the price of your tv yes you can download others apps but what are those apps doing ( what other things are they collecting whilst you have that tv on )

What your smart TV knows about you – and how to stop it harvesting data​

What your smart TV knows about you – and how to stop it harvesting data

Smart TVs are always gathering data about you that can be monetised. What can you opt out of – and what can you safely leave alone?

www.theguardian.com

but as all TVs become “smart” – connected to the internet via your router – they are gaining the ability to watch you too. As soon as you switch them on, smart TVs made by the likes of LG, Samsung and Sony are gathering data from the TV itself, as well as from the operating system and apps. Then there are the devices you plug into your TV, such as Google’s Chromecast, Apple TV and Amazon’s Fire Stick.

now we know youtube collects info

freeview now i dont mind it to a degree my bug bear is with the ( tv license ) as i dont watch it and dont really want to pay for it either but to watch the other channels on freeview i have to pay for it the bbc channels should be encoded when you pay for the license you should get a code to de-encryt them

i have been caught with no license ( before i knew better ) they checked that the bbc was tuned in and then proceeded to check that 4 and 5 and some other channels was viewable at the time ( so if it tunes in you have to pay for it )

 

[Mark 5]

I’m looking round to buy my first smart TV, probably 43in and at the cheaper end of the spectrum. My last two TV’s were easily chosen LG’s, but is LG still a prime choice??? I’ve also been looking at Samsungs.

Looking at buyer reviews (mostly on the John Lewis site), some models seem to get complaints about their operating systems, taking 7 clicks to get a station, and comments about small size remote controls with stiff buttons. These are not problems that anybody ever commented on in the past.

Any advice about specific models, or about what to look for in general, much appreciated (pref £400 abs max). Please be nice to me; I've reached an age where this is all one big pain, which adds to my other sundry other various pains.

Thanks

Searching out a new TV is like Oyster fishing, 1 in every 1000, you might come up with a gem and every good Oyster fisherman listens to others, best spots but end of day he/she has to dive off the boat and fish.

We are/were a Samsung family, then a number of years ago on a whim I purchased a large LG , it was a mistake, it wasn't so much the TV but support was atrocious, I got shot of the damn thing as quick as I could, our next purchase was a Pani, great TV all round.

Lots of Dos and Don'ts from everyone all relating personal experience and opinions, they all count.

Don't be put off buying an Amazon warehouse deal, timing is the thing for best price, BF deals not always best.

Samsung brand will remain at the top of the list imo but consider a Pani or Toshiba, even a Sharp.

Get a TV with as thin a bezel as possible.

Whatever TV picture you view in a showroom, once home/delivered and operating, yours will very rarely if ever look the same.

Regardless of brand or quality there isn't a screen that copes well with direct or even strong indirect bright days, on that note try to make sure TV can cope with dark colour rendition, black especially.

1080p and up, 60Hz bare minimum, don't be put off purchasing an Android TV, I'm using one to write this.

Imo 3 x HDMI slots as a minimum, if wall mounting make sure you know size and length of mounting bolts, TVs rarely come with them.

If wall mounting, TV/wall mounts, the hype out there, some are better then others but they all share a common feature, they hang a TV, tilt and swivel are important ones, however don't expect the selection of VESA mounting bolts that may be included, to fit your TV.

If Freesat is important and no aerial connection, as has been stated, LG may well be your friend, other then that a Firestick will get you out of trouble.

Program selection lag, that can be a bitch and almost always down to TV software, you do need to do some reading on others brand experiences, one of my sons has a 50" Toshiba TV, decent enough picture but I swear I can drum up a feast the amount of time a selection can take, slow is not the word and from new, a tiny but annoying pixel issue, be aware of that.

Sound/audio, you won't get much out of built in, any brand , Samsung are ok as is Philips out of the box but a sound bar goes a long way, factor that in when it comes to TV connections.

Warranties, rarely worth the paper they are written on but JL are good in honoring them.

Large remotes and ease of use, you rarely get perfect harmony but Sharp Aquos remotes are easy enough.

Up to 400 quid you'll do alright, I took a quick look on Amazon, a Samsung 43" £245.

 

[Nomad]

You can't get much more straightforward than Freesat, although an older Humax receiver is preferred to a Freesat badged device which is all that you can buy now. They have carved themselves a nice little monopoly.

I had a Humax PVR (recorder), it had the best user interface of any I've had, I used to recommend them highly, when it died (blown caps, a common problem) I lost all my recordings and found it's easier to just bin it and start again.

I'll never buy another Humax if I have a choice.

 

[Kram]

I forgot the most important annoyance with the LG, brightness. It is bright. With sensitive eyes I dont need a super bright tv and you cant really turn it down very much.
Now if you use the included subscription apps, Netflix or Amazon etc... they all have adverts these days. Adverts are generally bright, attention grabbing anyway, flashing with lots of colour. Advert comes on and it turns the brightness right up to maximum which I find painful. Its not enough to look away - I have to cover my eyes.

Would I buy one again? Yes probably, the screen outweighs the annoyances but I wish it could be better.

If it help, ordered mine from Marks Electrical, courier delivered, seems a good shop.

 

[ajlelectronics]

I lost all my recordings

That wasn't Humax being malicious, it was the Copyright protection mafia that demanded encryption for the recordings and also a device lock so that the drive couldn't be read elsewhere. The Freesat company have made matters worse by withdrawing all of the manufacturing licences and only allowing their own product to be marketed. It's (or at least was) full of bugs and "interesting" software quirks and now there is no viable alternative to them for Freesat.

 

[ajlelectronics]

If it help, ordered mine from Marks Electrical, courier delivered, seems a good shop.

I think I would recommend Hughes Electrical or Amazon, based on their returns policy.

 

[Red'n'Black]

That wasn't Humax being malicious, it was the Copyright protection mafia that demanded encryption for the recordings and also a device lock so that the drive couldn't be read elsewhere. The Freesat company have made matters worse by withdrawing all of the manufacturing licences and only allowing their own product to be marketed. It's (or at least was) full of bugs and "interesting" software quirks and now there is no viable alternative to them for Freesat.

I've just bought a Humax PVR, secondhand from a charity shop to replace our old Sony one which kept crashing. Very pleased with it so far, not many people use them any more but it lets you do something the streaming services don't i.e. skip through the ads. There's rarely more than 40 minutes of actual content in a one-hour program any more.

Humax seem to have a good following among the techies, there are a few custom software builds available now that let you decrypt the recordings so you can transfer them to a PC or tablet etc, haven't looked into that yet.

 

[Mark 5]

I think I would recommend Hughes Electrical or Amazon, based on their returns policy.

I agree.

 

[Migmac]

Hisense are at cheap end of the market, Chinese of course, not as good as LG but they're building a place in China, they already build smaller TVs there.

We have two of these, so far they’ve been faultless

 

[skotl]

LG all day lomg

 

[8ob]

Please be nice to me; I've reached an age where this is all one big pain, which adds to my other sundry other various pains.

Thanks

Forget the telly, spend the money on fast bikes cars or women.

Bob

 

[minimutly]

i also dont want the tech as im not interested with it

as goes for brands its do your homework with them as all the makes have there issues with them as most tvs are sold in other countrys so check out reviews there whilst here in the uk we get forced to use widescreen tvs, which i hate with a vengence as i like both height and width to a tv not width on a tv

as goes for tech smart tvs id rather have basic

netflix and prime and others well those are preinstalled on most tvs nowadays and to be honest it shouldnt be used to up the price of your tv yes you can download others apps but what are those apps doing ( what other things are they collecting whilst you have that tv on )

What your smart TV knows about you – and how to stop it harvesting data​

What your smart TV knows about you – and how to stop it harvesting data

Smart TVs are always gathering data about you that can be monetised. What can you opt out of – and what can you safely leave alone?

www.theguardian.com

but as all TVs become “smart” – connected to the internet via your router – they are gaining the ability to watch you too. As soon as you switch them on, smart TVs made by the likes of LG, Samsung and Sony are gathering data from the TV itself, as well as from the operating system and apps. Then there are the devices you plug into your TV, such as Google’s Chromecast, Apple TV and Amazon’s Fire Stick.

now we know youtube collects info

freeview now i dont mind it to a degree my bug bear is with the ( tv license ) as i dont watch it and dont really want to pay for it either but to watch the other channels on freeview i have to pay for it the bbc channels should be encoded when you pay for the license you should get a code to de-encryt them

i have been caught with no license ( before i knew better ) they checked that the bbc was tuned in and then proceeded to check that 4 and 5 and some other channels was viewable at the time ( so if it tunes in you have to pay for it )

What, you let them in your house? Silly burger

 

[Ross365]

I'm quite a distance from the nearest John Lewis, so I called Richer Sounds to ask what they had in stock that I could look at. They had nothing at 50" or less in stock, which ruled me out. I guess Curry's is next. The problem with all first buys is not having a clear picture of what the issues you most need to ask about.

 

[Melvyn Best]

Question - LG TVs with Freesat: how to check satellite signal strength and quality?

I'm still playing with the setup of my new LG 49SM8500PLA TV, and for the life of me, I can't find the option in the menus to check the signal strength and quality with the TV is being used in Freesat mode -- Freeview is fine. I checked with LG and they gave me the following: "To check the...

www.avforums.com

Have a look before you buy an LG especially if you want to watch Freesat channels

 

[ajlelectronics]

They had nothing at 50" or less in stock

Unfortunately that is the most common purchase nowadays. 43" and below are going to restrict your options.

 

[mark roberts]

One thing with buying a tv in places like currys is they show their tv's with special content giving a enhanced picture that you dont get at home.
What spec makes a good tv?
We had a small LG LCD screen that had the best most crisp picture I've ever seen, we gave it to my daughter when we bought a new one. Regretted it ever since, nothing weve had has come close. We have a new LG now and I find the picture quite poor. I'm tempted to dig out the owld plasma from the shed and have the dead spot repaired.