Good 4k TV for darkish room?

sticks23

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Hi there, currently waiting on the black friday promo's and mainly looking at the QE43Q60T (although it sounds like it's seen a spec' decrease over the QE43Q60R 2020 version) room is pretty dark so brightness not a huge issue and indeed the distance from viewer is around 240cm so doesn't need to be a huge panel (43" seems a bit on the big side)

Anything else good to look at? prefer to stay with brands, Sony, Samsung LG etc. Will be used for mainly films and occasional online gameplay. Don't really want anything with that meteor trail effect on fast moving images. Sony's seem to have a 200hz refresh on their sets - which on my limited knowledge would technically offer excellent motion handling? the Samsung is 50hz for instance but I don't know if that is directly comparable if any other features of the sets are taken into account? budget would be around £600

Any suggestions? going for a Sony for similar Samsung budget decreases the screen size and drops it to 1080p, LG's seem to be had for similar cash to the Samsungs.
 
Only TVs at 43" that have a good refresh rate are the Sony 43XH8505 and Panasonic 43HX940. I think the Sony is available in the UK, but the Panasonic I haven't seen for sale. To consider buying one of these TVs, even when prices are at a better point is really wasteful. They cost too much considering its only really motion that is an improvement over cheaper TVs. As with all small models, none can be considered for HDR usage, which is part of the reason for buying a TV nowadays (especially a small one, where UHD itself is rather pointless).

These TVs run 120hz IPS panels. 120hz is rare on smaller TVs. Samsung give 120hz panels only to 55" and up models. So last years Q60R is the same as this years Q60T in terms of refresh rate at 43".

But choice isn't great at smaller sizes...and this is particularly the case if you intend to use HDR on the TV, or your conditions are more suited to a VA panel instead of an IPS one.

I'd suggest avoiding the 120hz models since they are too expensive and buying as cheap as you can. Spending more will not net you a much better TV when the very best TV options at smaller sizes are quite poor.

What are you currently using? Because there's a chance a new TV at this size may not be much of an upgrade at all.

Have you considered upping size? 43" is really small today, and even at 49" there's only one or two sets that are good all round TVs.
 
Hi, thanks for the info - currently between TV's, although the last tv owned was a Samsung LE40C650L the picture on this I thought was excellent, so something similar or better with motion handling! As mentioned distance from viewer is 240cm, so I'm limited to smaller panels. I did like the picture on the new Oled LG 48" but even this is a tad on the too big side when the dimensions are marked on the wall - bit out of budget too, unless they take around £600 off it!
 
As mentioned distance from viewer is 240cm, so I'm limited to smaller panels.

Why?

To see UHD content, purely on a resolution scale, you're sitting just on the edge fo where a 65" would be perfect for you.

It's about the same distance I sit from a 65"in my TV room. I'm not saying you need a 65" but there's no reason to restrict yourself to a smaller screen because of your viewing distance.
 
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Shocker, thought I had the size nailed - might have been looking at a chart for non Hd, don't know.. Options just got bigger though! Will take a look at samsung a 55's as they seem to offer better spec from there - thanks
 
Shocker, thought I had the size nailed - might have been looking at a chart for non Hd, don't know.. Options just got bigger though! Will take a look at samsung a 55's as they seem to offer better spec from there - thanks

55" will definitely be a good fit for you. Sony will give you the best Motion but Samsungs are decent sets BUT have a good read of the Samsung threads first, as lots of unhappy owners over there at the moment due to screen and motion issues.
 
so something similar or better with motion handling!
You are heavily restricted if you only consider 43" TVs.

At your viewing distance I'd be considering a 75-85" TV myself. Possibly a projector. I view about 100cm from my 65 incher.

With UHD you have to view a lot closer to see the benefit.

As the Mrs likes to remind me, Size matters
 
So Black Friday is on the way! and the new UK lockdown is making viewing tv's a bit tricky.. thanks for the posts: was originally going to get the qe43q60t Samsung - though it does sound like the motion can be a bit 1990's bank CCTV (for my budget I guess that might be how it is!) size wise, happy to stick with a smaller set.

- After 43-50" VA Panel (not really viewed off angle)
- Will be used for mainly - Movies via netflix 480p/1080p, blu-ray, DVD (nothing 4K)
- Budget £550
- ideally Samsung or LG (familiar with Samsung EPG etc) moved away from Sony as they're not in budget.

Currently looking at the UE43TU8500 for £430 and 5-6 year guarantee (possible panel lottery apparently? VA or IPS) - anything else from LG or Samsung that would be a better shout? or, guarantee a VA panel? - ideally placing more budget to improve the picture quality only - motion ideally.

Thanks!
 
I have gone with the Sony XH95 65 inch the 49 inch might be good for darkroom but expect some blooming.
 
I have gone with the Sony XH95 65 inch the 49 inch might be good for darkroom but expect some blooming.
It definitely won't fall over! shame, bit out of budget that.

I'd considered a Sony - I do want a VA panel ideally as it's pretty much viewed straight on.. well, 150cm either side and then from about 250cm..

The manufacturers rarely seem to state the panel type? must be a supply side thing as I thought it ws fairly key information to the picture. Also I'm not sure if the specs are confused with the 230v mains 50hz where they quote the refresh rate on a few sites! might just be over thinking it.. sounds like if they're under £600 they're all fairly the same to watch bar the panel type.
 
So Black Friday is on the way! and the new UK lockdown is making viewing tv's a bit tricky.. thanks for the posts: was originally going to get the qe43q60t Samsung - though it does sound like the motion can be a bit 1990's bank CCTV (for my budget I guess that might be how it is!) size wise, happy to stick with a smaller set.

- After 43-50" VA Panel (not really viewed off angle)
- Will be used for mainly - Movies via netflix 480p/1080p, blu-ray, DVD (nothing 4K)
- Budget £550
- ideally Samsung or LG (familiar with Samsung EPG etc) moved away from Sony as they're not in budget.

Currently looking at the UE43TU8500 for £430 and 5-6 year guarantee (possible panel lottery apparently? VA or IPS) - anything else from LG or Samsung that would be a better shout? or, guarantee a VA panel? - ideally placing more budget to improve the picture quality only - motion ideally.

Thanks!
There's a panel lottery with Samsung 43" models. The TV you buy could be using a VA or IPS panel. No way to know until you own the TV.
Unfortunately I see little sense in spending more money at 43" no matter which you buy, you'll only buying into a TV with low end specs.

It means there's very little difference, or no picture quality difference between a £300 43" TV to a £600 one.
 
There's a panel lottery with Samsung 43" models. The TV you buy could be using a VA or IPS panel. No way to know until you own the TV.
Unfortunately I see little sense in spending more money at 43" no matter which you buy, you'll only buying into a TV with low end specs.

It means there's very little difference, or no picture quality difference between a £300 43" TV to a £600 one.

The lottery was won with the LE40C650L I had - I think the serial label had to be SQ01 or 03 something!. Is there no way of telling from the side of the retail box what panel they've used?

LG appear to all be IPS too.. IPS really that bad for movies? I was trying to avoid something filmed like 'saving private Ryan' looking like Emmerdale.
 
No way of telling. Even if it was possible to see one in the shop you won't know for sure your TVs revision will be the same as the one on display! You can of course just make sure you buy from a reputable retailer and return the TV after if you find it does come with the panel type you don't want.

Regarding IPS vs VA, both have their pros and cons. At larger sizes where TVs pack better specifications VA pulls away quite a bit from IPS TVs, but at smaller sizes the differences can be very important between each type of panel.

IPS may not be a good choice to watch in darker conditions, but they are better in brighter conditions and have less motion blur.

I already mentioned it in my first reply, but I'd first decide which panel type you want before deciding on a TV: Which panel type should I choose for my TV?

If you really want a Samsung, you are just going to have to take a gamble on 43". Their 50" models definitely use VA, but 43" it could be either.
 
Going for the UE43TU8500 (£430) - I did contact Samsung live chat, they said it was a VA panel in the 43", although.. they were quoting off 3rd party sites for their own specs!?

UE50TU8000 (£430) and UE50TU8500 (£500) also in the running! I don't see any prices shifting for Black Friday :(
 
Samsung CS don't know the panels that come on their TVs. If they knew it would make my life a lot easier recommended them. If you want Samsung and want VA, go for the 50" models. Bigger is better provided you have the quality sources to back it up. 50" is very small today, most people don't even view close enough to a 55" or 65" TV to benefit from the increase in resolution alone.
 
Dar... went for the 43".... Samsung indeed don't know their own products. :(

We've a Samsung 32" from 2013 and a 40" from 2010. the picture on those is better than this 2020! tv.

Lit room it's fine, dark room it just looks like a laptop from 2002 - torch effect at both bottom corners and as soon as you're off centre veiwing it, the screen looks milky. The older tvs we have are just black. Not sure what to do, live with it being a bit crap, or return it and pay another £150 to get the 50".
 
55"
 
Dar... went for the 43".... Samsung indeed don't know their own products. :(

We've a Samsung 32" from 2013 and a 40" from 2010. the picture on those is better than this 2020! tv.

Lit room it's fine, dark room it just looks like a laptop from 2002 - torch effect at both bottom corners and as soon as you're off centre veiwing it, the screen looks milky. The older tvs we have are just black. Not sure what to do, live with it being a bit crap, or return it and pay another £150 to get the 50".
Which model Samsung?
What panel type does it come with?
 
It's a ue43tu8500. I'm not entirely convinced it's IPS (some review called it avs)
1. the blacks are actually pretty good if you're watching mixed scenes.
2. it flashes when you tap the panel
3. the torch effect isn't as bad as some images of IPS on the web though I guess ISO setting might affect that

Seems the only 100% way to confirm it's VA is to ask the manufacturer (bit of a fail that one) or photograph the pixels.. tried various ways of getting them on camera. no luck.
 
actually, if the panel needs to be replaced the panel they fit is BN95-06358A

Though they had no idea if it was VA or IPS. Indeed i don't know if that's really a confirmation of what's in the tv now.
 
It should be a VA type panel but Samsung play panel games so it wouldn't surprise me if they also had some PLS (IPS variant) models knocking about.

You can still get bad screen uniformity with a TV using a VA panel, but its usually a lot better than ones using IPS. There's always variation between one specimen and another though, so its possible you drew a poor card from the lottery.

If viewing angles are bad, its probably a VA panel but bad viewing angles are too be expected. You must never buy a TV that uses a VA panel if you have intentions to view beyond 20-30 degrees each side. If you view a TV at an angle screen uniformity also looks a lot worse. Likewise, if you view too close the edges of a TV using a VA panel will look washed out, so try seeing if viewing angles get better when you view farther away.

At the end of the day all smaller TVs now are low tier models. None have features that can help alleviate poor screen uniformity such as local dimming. That's a feature that's exclusive to larger, more expensive models. None come with more than bottom level specs.

The TU8500 is a bottom tier model in Samsung's range. The model number itself is a bit deceiving when the picture quality is more or less the same as even the cheapest TU7000/TU7100. Makes it seem you're buying into better picture quality, when in fact all you are buying into is better features and connectivity. Years back the TVs with the 8500 number were high end models, not any more.

For a pixel structure pic you need a camera that has a zoom, or add a zoom lense to the exterior of the camera phone. Most camera phones don't have lens zoom, and only let you digitally zoom which just means the picture is stretched rather than actually zoomed in.
 
ha champagne taste, beer budget :) i was going for a QLED 43 as for 2019 the reviews were good, this year they seem to have been panned for the model I was after, hence dropping down to the 8500 (positives reviews bang for buck.. though all the reviews are of the 50"!)
 
There's nothing about the 'QLEDs' (QLED being just marketing, not a display technology) at this size that are better than their other LCD TVs. Anything more than the TU7100/TU7000 is a waste of money unless you need the extra features/connectivity.
 
Yep it's just a filter or something - I was only getting it as it was a 43" and the 2019 tv reviewed well. 2020 reviews were a bit rubbish for qleds (well, the ones I was looking at at least) so I went for the next one down in the range. In fariness the picture on this tu8500 is ok, just the 'pink hue glow' annoys me as our other old samsung tv's don't have it. It's really notable on the black bars on a 16:9

I'm guessing most of the negative reviews, they bought a 43" ;)

'IPS the colours look way better than VA off axis'
'..And the pink tinted black glow?'
 
IMG_2821.JPG


Looks like it's PLS for the 43" TU8500 ....interesting that some sites give the entire range the same review when they're likely looking at a VA!? Reviews of TV's in a dark setting would make more sense!

Have the option of exchanging against a 50" TU8500, are these 100% a VA panel? I don't want to swap for a bigger PLS display! I'm happier with the size of the 43" (I get the viewing distance etc) only concern with the 50" is the refresh rate doesn't get faster until the 55". Likely to see anymore judder in the 50" over the 43"? it's an extra £100 for the priviledge too.

I don't get why the manufacturers don't put the panel type on the box/ product info? It's the main part of the TV - would've saved me some aggro, and by the sounds of it, the retailer I purchased from has a lot of returns from people searching for specific panels!
 

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