50 inch - advice needed please !

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Hi everyone ! I've been reading the forums for a while and I am hoping someone could help me.

I currently have a 32 inch
Philips Ambilight TV that is roughly 12 years old (it says HD ready on it, that's how much I am in need of an upgrade haha)

I recently moved into a new house and the biggest I could go would be 50 inch.

I like the idea of a bigger Ambilight (really love the feature), mainly because the corner of the room the TV will be in, can be dark. I've looked at all the usual retailers and see there are a few different Ambilight options (obviously ranging in price).

I don't love that the models this year all seem to have silver bezels and I know that buying a TV right now = paying 2020 premium prices.

I'm looking in the £500-£600 price range. The TV will be used for Freeview, all the usual streaming apps and PS4 gaming.

I am open to buying other TV brands within that price range (possibility of adding bias lighting behind the TV to act as a semi Ambilight experience) or ...

Maybe just going budget e.g. Hisense Roku TV from Argos which seems to have a good price to value ratio.

Any tips / advice would be greatly welcomed !

Thanks!
 
First step when choosing an LCD TV is: Which panel type should I choose for my TV?

Once you have the panel type most suited to your conditions, you can make a choice from there. Philips 50" models use VA, 49" are probably IPS.

Apart from that, a bit of general advice right now; unless you can find a 2019 model still (with Philips 2019 models end in 4, 2020 end in 5) you are best waiting until later in the year to buy a TV. This is because new 2020 models have recently been released, and cost a premium now compared to how they will cost then.

With smart TV Philips 7 series and up in 2019 ranges have Android TV with a good app selection. The 6 series runs their own, more basic smart TV.

In 2020 that changes, with only 8 series models and up using Android.

If you are interested in other brands, Hisense do tend to make TVs that are a lot better value compared to the competition. The Hisense Roku TV is one, the new U7Q is looking to be another when its price comes down.
 
First step when choosing an LCD TV is: Which panel type should I choose for my TV?

Once you have the panel type most suited to your conditions, you can make a choice from there. Philips 50" models use VA, 49" are probably IPS.

Apart from that, a bit of general advice right now; unless you can find a 2019 model still (with Philips 2019 models end in 4, 2020 end in 5) you are best waiting until later in the year to buy a TV. This is because new 2020 models have recently been released, and cost a premium now compared to how they will cost then.

With smart TV Philips 7 series and up in 2019 ranges have Android TV with a good app selection. The 6 series runs their own, more basic smart TV.

In 2020 that changes, with only 8 series models and up using Android.

If you are interested in other brands, Hisense do tend to make TVs that are a lot better value compared to the competition. The Hisense Roku TV is one, the new U7Q is looking to be another when its price comes down.

Thanks very much!!!

My viewing area would suit an IPS screen more (just ever so slightly) ... But I would be able to get by with a VA panel no problem at all. Mainly just due to chair positioning/small corner where the TV will be.

I absolutely love Ambilight and would be willing to pay 2020 premium prices - if I knew that bottom line, I was getting a good TV. The only thing putting me off is the silver bezels - do they really make that much of a difference to the viewing experience?

Out of curiousity - if you were buying a Philips Ambilight now yourself, in that price range £500-£600 ... Which model do you think would be best?

Cheers!
 
You can get ambilight addons for any tv.
Saw a review of one the other day that was £20 and pretty much as good as the built in version
 
I have an Ambilight type system with a Hue strip behind my TV. I use it as a bias light but can use it as an amblight as well.

I tried it with one movie and switched it back to being a bias light within 10 minutes as it was just annoying me with the constant flickering and changing.
That movie was a drama/thriller and possibly wasn't a good choice as it had very subtle lighting changes the Ambilight accentuated as it switched between characters talking and the camera went back and forth.
Tried it with one of the Avengers movies, didn't even last 10 minutes this time.

I know some people like it, to me it's a pointless gimmick and would only find it useful for bias lighting which you can do yourself with a £15 LED strip off ebay.
 
I have an Ambilight type system with a Hue strip behind my TV. I use it as a bias light but can use it as an amblight as well.

I tried it with one movie and switched it back to being a bias light within 10 minutes as it was just annoying me with the constant flickering and changing.
That movie was a drama/thriller and possibly wasn't a good choice as it had very subtle lighting changes the Ambilight accentuated as it switched between characters talking and the camera went back and forth.
Tried it with one of the Avengers movies, didn't even last 10 minutes this time.

I know some people like it, to me it's a pointless gimmick and would only find it useful for bias lighting which you can do yourself with a £15 LED strip off ebay.

Thanks a lot! That's kind of what I keep telling myself - that I can replicate light behind the TV with a little LED set from Amazon, so I shouldn't restrict myself just to buying a Philips TV.

How are the Samsung Crystal UHD TV's? ... I used to have a 32 Inch Samsung TV a few years ago and loved the picture on it.

Or are there any other brands/models in particular that people could recommend at that price point?

I was almost panic buying a QLED Samsung yesterday for £700
 
There's a lot more to buying a TV now that there was a few years ago.

It also depends upon your sources and desires what you need to spend. Do you have 4K discs and want good HDR or do you just want regular TV with a lot of SD content.

You've already read a little of Dodgexanders guide, I'd suggest you delve a bit deeper to see what you need and how it matches to what you want.


You don't have a large budget and to make the most of it, you'd be better buying a 2019 TV as you'd get much more TV for your money, however 2019 TVs are pretty much sold through everywhere.
 
There's a lot more to buying a TV now that there was a few years ago.

It also depends upon your sources and desires what you need to spend. Do you have 4K discs and want good HDR or do you just want regular TV with a lot of SD content.

You've already read a little of Dodgexanders guide, I'd suggest you delve a bit deeper to see what you need and how it matches to what you want.


You don't have a large budget and to make the most of it, you'd be better buying a 2019 TV as you'd get much more TV for your money, however 2019 TVs are pretty much sold through everywhere.

Thanks a lot for the link!!!

Main uses would be Freeview, Netflix (and other streaming services), watching sport and PS4/5 gaming.

I think I may be better getting something like the Hisense Roku TV for now (as I will need to probably buy 2 TV's within the next year) it's a good price and would do the job in the short term ... And then make the bigger/better TV purchase later in the TV yearly cycle.
 
Main uses would be Freeview, Netflix (and other streaming services), watching sport and PS4/5 gaming.
This usage isn't really any different to most people shopping for a TV and doesn't really play a part in deciding which TV is better for you than another. All TVs now will display what you use to a high standard as long as its SDR.
What you have to think about is not just what sources you use, but also how many of those sources are going to use HDR material. If you read my guide about HDR, you'll see the big difference when buying a cheaper TV compared to a more expensive one nowadays is with HDR.

The first true HDR TVs start at around £800 such as this one: Sony KD-49XG9005 49" Full Array LED 4K TV with Android TV | Crampton and Moore

Below that, there's this TV: Buy Sony 49 Inch KD49XG8305BU Smart 4K Ultra HD LED TV | Televisions | Argos

Which comes with better motion than cheaper models, but lacks true HDR like the higher tier XF9005.

In your shoes I'd buy a TV on picture quality alone and put ambilight second. The XF9005 is worth paying extra for if you can. If you want both Philips and a capable HDR TV you're really looking at their OLEDs, as their LCD TVs are not really great performers compared to the competition when it comes to HDR. That means also shopping for a 55" TV instead of 49/50" as they don't yet make 48" models.

If these are out of budget, then there's little sense buying a model for £600 compared to one for £300 so I'd recommend the Hisense Roku TV, if you want Philips. Look for their models ending in a 4, but its likely you'll have to pay a lot more money and get a TV that is no better with picture quality than the Hisense.
 
This usage isn't really any different to most people shopping for a TV and doesn't really play a part in deciding which TV is better for you than another. All TVs now will display what you use to a high standard as long as its SDR.
What you have to think about is not just what sources you use, but also how many of those sources are going to use HDR material. If you read my guide about HDR, you'll see the big difference when buying a cheaper TV compared to a more expensive one nowadays is with HDR.

The first true HDR TVs start at around £800 such as this one: Sony KD-49XG9005 49" Full Array LED 4K TV with Android TV | Crampton and Moore

Below that, there's this TV: Buy Sony 49 Inch KD49XG8305BU Smart 4K Ultra HD LED TV | Televisions | Argos

Which comes with better motion than cheaper models, but lacks true HDR like the higher tier XF9005.

In your shoes I'd buy a TV on picture quality alone and put ambilight second. The XF9005 is worth paying extra for if you can. If you want both Philips and a capable HDR TV you're really looking at their OLEDs, as their LCD TVs are not really great performers compared to the competition when it comes to HDR. That means also shopping for a 55" TV instead of 49/50" as they don't yet make 48" models.

If these are out of budget, then there's little sense buying a model for £600 compared to one for £300 so I'd recommend the Hisense Roku TV, if you want Philips. Look for their models ending in a 4, but its likely you'll have to pay a lot more money and get a TV that is no better with picture quality than the Hisense.

Thanks so much Dodgexander ! That really helps to put it into perspective !!! I suppose for HDR my main uses would mainly come from Netflix/Amazon and the PS4/5 ... So I'll have to weigh up whether it is worth the extra £££ for the Sony. I take it that it really does make a noticeable difference when the HDR is done properly?

Also can I ask - I looked up the top Sony model you sent and found this on richer sounds ... Is it the same model, despite this one ending in BU ?


Thank you so so much!
 
Also can I ask - I looked up the top Sony model you sent and found this on richer sounds ... Is it the same model, despite this one ending in BU ?
Yeah sorry, that is the 49" model. 49XG9005. The BU at the end has no significance, I think it just means it has a black frame.

Its definitely a better idea to spend more on that TV now, than it will to buy cheap and buy again later, you could spend a similar amount of money by buying two TVs, but the second one you buy won't be suitable for HDR use unless its quite a bit more expensive.
 
Yeah sorry, that is the 49" model. 49XG9005. The BU at the end has no significance, I think it just means it has a black frame.

Its definitely a better idea to spend more on that TV now, than it will to buy cheap and buy again later, you could spend a similar amount of money by buying two TVs, but the second one you buy won't be suitable for HDR use unless its quite a bit more expensive.

Cheers Dodgexander !

Last few things I promise haha!

1) I can't seem to find if the Sony comes with Freeview HD?

2) I assume that this is last year's model? Seeing as it originally was £1100? Is there another similar model this year?

3) is it possible to replace the stand with a "universal type stand" ? Just with how the legs stick out at an angle?

Many thanks!
 
1. Every TV comes with Freeview HD.
2. Yes. The replacement is the XH9505.
3. Yes, just match the VESA spacing with the stand. You can buy table top stands that fit the rear holes designed for wall mounting.
 
1. Every TV comes with Freeview HD.
2. Yes. The replacement is the XH9505.
3. Yes, just match the VESA spacing with the stand. You can buy table top stands that fit the rear holes designed for wall mounting.

That's brilliant Dodgexander thank you - you've really helped focus my search and give me something to think about!

Appreciate it!
 

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