Television recommendations please

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  • 7th January 2018 at 11:14 am #298756

    It’s time to dump the telly, the old one is probably repairable IF the spares still exist but I think it’s time to invest.

    Does anyone have any recommendations for a make ?

    We are looking at a 40″ – 43″ screen.

    It needs to have a decent sound system as we are both a bit ‘mutton jeff’ !

    Thanks

    7th January 2018 at 11:26 am #298770

    The inbuilt sound on modern TVs is universally pants, it reaaly hacks meoff that you can spend a grand on a TV and then be told that you need to spend half as much again on a sound bar/system to have acceptable sound.
    I think as far as reliability goes TVs, as with most modern electronics are much of a muchness. I’d always go for a known brand,Panasonic/Sony/LG/Phillips, rather than one I’d never heard. Don’t bother with 4K UHD,on a 43inch TV you won’t notice the difference and look around for a non-smart TV (if you don’t know what one does you don’t need it and most people never use the smart features anyway)
    and
    budget to spend another 100+euros on a sound bar, it’sworth paying a bit extra to have one from the same manufacturer as the TVin the hope that it’s more likely to work seamlessly

    7th January 2018 at 12:15 pm #298794

    Blimey, thanks for the invaluable info, I didn’t realise it was so complicated !!

    We are hanging on for the Soldes which should start next week though i’m not sure what will be included in the sales prices.

     

    7th January 2018 at 12:59 pm #298809

    I have had Sony TV’s for the past 35 years. They cost a little more but if you can pick one up in the sales go for it. My current Sony I bought in 2010, it was a demonstrator and I got it for a good price. It goes on when I get up and goes off when I go to bed 7 days a week and the picture is as sharp as the day I bought it. I will definately have another when the time comes, sound is ok too although it is enhanced with a sound bar or surroundsound system, depends how much you want to spend. I wouldn’t worry too much about UHD TV  or 4K as they call it. As far as I know nothing is transmitted in 4K. There are many channels which don’t transmit in HD yet and as for 3D we all know where that went, it is keeping betamax and laserdiscs company.

    7th January 2018 at 1:27 pm #298827

    Can vouch for a sound bar, they are brilliant, great for just music also.  :-)

    7th January 2018 at 1:50 pm #298936

    Sony every time – buy cheap-buy twice as they say.

    If you want a tv repaired use this guy:-

    Phil Haigh is your man – Le Gouray  He is a very good electronic engineer – tv’s, computers, hi-fi’s.

    Contact details are:- Phil Haigh – 0296 302820 – email:- philip.haigh@orange.fr…

    7th January 2018 at 1:51 pm #298939

    Thanks to all.

    Looking at the tv reviews on the french sites it’s impossible to find a model which doesn’t have some criticism with only one or two stars etc

    The last tv was a Samsung which was great and I have a smaller tv in the gite which is a decent Phillips machine which is ‘only’ a 28″.

    It does seem a bit of a minefield out there and Barty’s advice on buying a well known brand is important I believe.

    Anonymous
    7th January 2018 at 2:50 pm #299074

    Can’t fault our Panasonic – wonderful, sharp picture with true colours and good sound (for our use, don’t know about sound bars etc)

    Anonymous
    7th January 2018 at 3:01 pm #299092

    We have 3 x 130 cm LG’s. Brilliant pictures and here in England the difference between ordinary and HD is phenomenal. However, as Barty says the sound is awful! Sound bar for £40 from Argos cured the sound problems.

    7th January 2018 at 3:26 pm #299110

    I bought my 40″ Samsung from Carrefour at Guingamp six years ago, I was absolutely befuddled which one to buy, so I asked the salesman ( Olivier )  ” Which TV do you have ? ” and “Are you pleased with it ?” . He said ” A Samsung , and yes” . So I bought  a Samsung and a Samsung sound bar . Magic !

    7th January 2018 at 3:53 pm #299119

    My son has a 42″ Samsung in the UK and says it’s brill.

    7th January 2018 at 6:14 pm #299207

    We always go for Panasonic and have never been disappointed. Worth a look on the CDiscount website as they often have some good prices (in case you’re not aware it’s the same company Casino).

     

    Re. the sound – it infuriates me why programme makers have to play irritating music in the background when someone is talking. God knows why they feel it’s necessary. You have David Attenborough telling you something interesting and intelligent but in the background the hideous music drowns out his voice. Grrrrrrr

    7th January 2018 at 6:50 pm #299233

    What annoys me is when the sound is just right for the speech in a film or program and then an action scene comes on and the noise is blasting!!!

    7th January 2018 at 8:10 pm #299356

    I have great faith in LG … my younger son said Samsung were the best , sound failed on one within a year , the replacement failed completely in 18 months .

    I have 2 LG’s absolutely fine after 5 years , but I use an LG soundbar on my main set .

    Purhased a SH Toshiba for a bedroom last year , only meant to be 18 months use , died completely after 6 months of occasional use !

    Anonymous
    7th January 2018 at 9:03 pm #299416

    Televisions in bedrooms, what they call in French ‘un tue-l’amour’.

    Volume’s fine for the programme and then the ads come on and it’s deafening.

    7th January 2018 at 9:08 pm #299418

    The biggest ‘tue l’amour’ has to be the Kindle.

    Anonymous
    15th January 2018 at 12:49 pm #304793

    Only just seen this thread. We were also looking a litte while ago for recommendationsfor 42″ to 50″ TV’s and whilst in UK went in to Richer Sounds and spoke with both staff and then clients got involved and even some literature was brought out. So here was the consensus of TV “anoraks” staff and literature.
    1) Panasonic (or Panny’s as they called them!)

    2) Samsung (Sammy’s)

    3) LG’s

    4) Sony’s

    We bought a Samsung as it was ex shop display with a large discount and recommended but when we picked it up, it was actually a new TV and still in the box!!  ;-)

    15th January 2018 at 1:09 pm #304798

    Yes, we settled on a Samsung 49″ last weekend and I have to say it’s brill !

    Thanks for all your recommendations.

    Anonymous
    15th January 2018 at 1:48 pm #304804

    Pete, when we chose the Samsung I asked about settings etc and he gave me a website to go to where the TV boffins offer their thoughts on the settings for the best picture. I never knew there was such a choice within the controls but I tried a few, which in general mostly were around the same figures. Excellent picture like you say.

    15th January 2018 at 1:57 pm #304808

    Agreed Reg, when we first put it on we left it to settle down a bit then explored the ‘Menu’.  I personally found the picture a bit ‘bland’ and the sound a bit ‘dulled’ but after putting the picture on ‘Normal’ if I recall and the sound on another setting , can’t recall which one without looking, he picture and sound became magical. We couldn’t be more pleased.

    I’m curently trying to conect the new telly (with HDMI connections) to the old SKY box  which only has a Scart connector. Hopefully this problem will be sorted very soon. I’m currently using the old tv with the SKY box so it’s very similar to the Trotter’s front room here at the moment !

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