TV suggestions - 49/55 inch, much appreciated

Jim38

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So distance from my sofa to TV in the living room is 2.1m, however we usually lie on the rug which is more like 1.3m to 1.7m.
TV is directly in front so no viewing angle issues.
I also have sufficient light in the living room with blackout curtains, can definitely control the amount of light I want

Budget is around £500 to £900 ish, whichever is the best value for money.
Main use would be youtube videos, 1080p animes from laptop, some gaming on nintendo switch. HDR would be a plus but can't see me using it much. Plan to plug in my laptop, soundbar and Switch to the TV at most, no 4k player etc. Therefore I think my main criteria in order would be:

1. Excellent upscaling
2. Ability for Apple Airplay without much hassle
3. Decent colours,
4. Decent motion processing.

My friend got a Samsung RU7020 recently and I wasn't too excited with some motion lag I noticed when watching videos on it.

Right now I've narrowed it down to:
1. Samsung RU8000 - 49 inch
2. Samsung Q70R - 49 inch
3. LG B8 - 55 inch

Bit conflicted whether I should go 55inch as it represents the best value, fear it might be too big causing too much eye/neck twitching =D

Through works promo I can get 10% off on Curry's gift vouchers or 20% off Samsung website, so plan is to wait until boxing day for max savings.

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated =)
 
Hi. I’d suggest you start by having a look at @Dodgexander posts about best value TVs in different price brackets etc as it’s very helpful and comprehensive. Cheers
 
Going for a 55" is a lot better value, I'd personally go for the LG B9, but be careful of pricing right now as it was obtainable come black friday for around 1000 so you don't really want to pay much more than that.

The TVs you mention are in my guide apart from the cheaper RU8000. If you did want to buy cheaper because you don't require good HDR performance for instance, then its better to look at the cheaper 50" models in my guide.


There's a few points I can think of with your wishes:

1. Upscaling, well upscaling is always the very best on the most premium of models, but is by no means poor on the LG B9. If you want poorer quality sources to look there best then there is an argument to go for a smaller TV, although you'll have to accept with a smaller TV that whilst poorer sources won't look so bad, you won't get as much from higher quality sources. Not just this but most TVs that are smaller in size have worse specs than larger models. If you are still using a lot of poorer quality content I'd look no further than the Sony 49XG9005. It does however lack current airplay support, but they intend to add the apple+ app in the future.

With upscaling its important to understand at which stage the upscaling will be done, and also the quality of the material you will be watching. If you send the TV a 4k signal already from a computer or tuner box then its already going to have the content upscaled before it reaches the TV and if you are already using high quality sources with the TV, you won't see a difference between good upscaling and poor upscaling. The Nintendo switch for example will look excellent upscaled to 4k compared to say broadcast TV, despite both being HD the switch is considerably higher quality.

2. Apple Airplay limits you to LG or Samsung

3. Colours, well colours are good on every TV now. If you don't intend to get pro calibration then you need to look at TVs that have better out of the box color accuracy. Sadly we don't know how well the B9 does in this area, but it doesn't stop it from being a best buy.

4. Motion is in the eye of the beholder but wanting the very best motion is just another reason to buy Sony.

In the respect of HDR, you need an upper-mid range or higher TV as mentioned in the guide.
 
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@Dodgexander Much thanks for your advice! I combed through the whole thread last week and came to the conclusion that I had rule out Sony due to the lack of Airplay. However they've begun updating for Airplay features this month:



This gives me great hope as the Sony XF seems to be a tad bit better in terms of motion and picture quality compared to the Q70R. (I could go for the XG9505 but I don't think it represents good value?)

Happy to find this as Sony seems the clear cut winner for me at the moment. Will probably keep myself busy going to the shops next week trying to judge for myself between 55 and 49 inch. I think 1.5m to 2m distance should be okay for a 55 inch but always good to double check again.

Much thanks!
 
Sony XF series will not get AirPlay. It’s select 2018/19 sets.

The XF90 is no better than the Q70 for picture quality.
 
Sony XF series will not get AirPlay. It’s select 2018/19 sets.

The XF90 is no better than the Q70 for picture quality.

You're right, I misread the model numbers. =(
Will probably be a case of choosing between X950G and Q70R at this point, depending on which seems cheaper on boxing day.
 
Is airplay critical? would it not be better just using the apple TV+ app?

What is it you are going to use airplay for?
 
Is airplay critical? would it not be better just using the apple TV+ app?

What is it you are going to use airplay for?

It's more of a convenience feature which my family would love. =) Maybe I can persuade them to settle for apple TV app. My parents aren't too tech savvy so they hate learning anything new.
 
It depends what they want to do, its more for sharing photos or videos from their phone than anything else. That's why I asked what it is you are planning to use airplay for.

If its to access apple TV content like films/tv series its probably best served using the apple+ app and the remote, since I'm guessing you'll have the remote anyway. In fact you could control the TV with your phone using the remote app and do similar.

Also, the Sony TV you are considering is a 2019 model anyway right? The 49XG9005 is 2019, the 49XF9005 is 2018. The latter isn't really available any more...so if the news is correct it also will come with airplay.

Apart from that, if you did want to go with Samsung instead there's no harm really doing so. The Q70R is still a good TV with HDR and generally matches the Sony XG9005 for picture quality.

Sony 49XG9005 has better motion but its downside is poorer smart TV and only 2 of its 4 HDMI ports support UHD above 30fps. May or may not be important depending on what you connect to the TV.

The Samsung 49Q70R on the other hand has worse motion, especially so at 49" as unlike other sizes it does not use a 120hz panel. It does however have better smart TV.

My personal choice would be the Sony, the fact its priced similarly, comes with better motion and also Dolby Vision support sways it for me.

But that isn't necessarily because I don't think the Samsung is a good alternative, it would just annoy me that I would be buying a TV at 49" that lacks features that the same TV does at 55". Namely its 120hz panel, the better motion that comes with that and also the fact having no 120hz panels means you miss out on all the Samsung gaming centred features that would otherwise point a gamer more towards the Samsung being the TV for them compared to the Samsung at larger sizes.
 
Hi @Dodgexander. Much thanks for your help.

I've decided to go for the Samsung Q70R 55 inch which I can get through works promo for £750 and a soundbar HW-R550 for free. Main thing that swayed me against the Sony was the sluggish OS which I tried out in store which I can't bear, just don't feel good paying this amount of money for that OS. Alternative I could have gone for 49' Q70R for £680 (with the free soundbar) but I felt the 55inch was worth the extra £70.
 
This thread has been an interesting read, along with @Dodgexander's guide linked earlier in the post. I've been trying to work out what to go for at the 49" size. Our TV is in the corner of the room and 49" is the biggest that I want to go as 55" would just be too big and dominate the room. We have a corner sofa opposite which means that most of the viewing is fairly central, but we do have a smaller sofa in the window area which means the viewing angle is quite wide. Would be nice to have a reasonable picture in there.

Currently, I've got a Sony KDL-40EX523 which is doing the job fine, but am thinking of upgrading the picture quality with 4K and HDR. Most of my content though is likely to be HD (Freesat/Freeview) or Blu-ray. Although we do have Netflix which can do 4K content, most source will be HD, no gaming. So for that reason, I want to ensure the TV has good quality upscaling/processing.

I've seen the KD-49XG8096 in Currys locally and the viewing angle of that compared to some of the 49" Samsungs was way better. I was considering going for the KD-49XG8396 but then saw in the guide it isn't the greatest at the viewing angles and realised this had a different panel (VA) in comparison to the cheaper Sony (IPS). Really I need to go and see the KD-49XG8396 to see the difference, but wondered how much of a difference? Is it likely to be similar to the Samsungs I saw? Of which I've no idea of the model number.

I'm not wanting to stick with Sony as I have one now. Just would like a TV that doesn't cost the earth but give a fairly decent upscaled picture for the cost. Oh, and it needs to fit on our TV unit. The XG9005 and Q70 legs are towards the outside of the unit so it won't fit on our corner TV unit, so had to rule them out.
 
This thread has been an interesting read, along with @Dodgexander's guide linked earlier in the post. I've been trying to work out what to go for at the 49" size. Our TV is in the corner of the room and 49" is the biggest that I want to go as 55" would just be too big and dominate the room. We have a corner sofa opposite which means that most of the viewing is fairly central, but we do have a smaller sofa in the window area which means the viewing angle is quite wide. Would be nice to have a reasonable picture in there.

Currently, I've got a Sony KDL-40EX523 which is doing the job fine, but am thinking of upgrading the picture quality with 4K and HDR. Most of my content though is likely to be HD (Freesat/Freeview) or Blu-ray. Although we do have Netflix which can do 4K content, most source will be HD, no gaming. So for that reason, I want to ensure the TV has good quality upscaling/processing.

I've seen the KD-49XG8096 in Currys locally and the viewing angle of that compared to some of the 49" Samsungs was way better. I was considering going for the KD-49XG8396 but then saw in the guide it isn't the greatest at the viewing angles and realised this had a different panel (VA) in comparison to the cheaper Sony (IPS). Really I need to go and see the KD-49XG8396 to see the difference, but wondered how much of a difference? Is it likely to be similar to the Samsungs I saw? Of which I've no idea of the model number.

I'm not wanting to stick with Sony as I have one now. Just would like a TV that doesn't cost the earth but give a fairly decent upscaled picture for the cost. Oh, and it needs to fit on our TV unit. The XG9005 and Q70 legs are towards the outside of the unit so it won't fit on our corner TV unit, so had to rule them out.
If you need wide viewing angles you simply can't look at TVs using VA type panels.

At 49" I'd suggest the LG SM8500 or if you want the ultimate TV with wide viewing angles the SM9000.

If you can find a last-years Panasonic 49FX750 it should be a very good deal too.

Sony TVs either have poor viewing angles together with good upscalers, or poorer upscalers with good viewing angles at 49". The XG80 or XG81 series (same TVs) will have better upscaling than lower end LGs but I'm not sure their upscaling will be as good as higher end LCDs using their better image upscaler.

Sadly your choice at larger sizes would be a lot easier. The 55" Sony XG85 comes with a better image processor and wide viewing angles but isn't available sub 55"...even then though I'm not sure its worth the extra compared to LGs. Sony's mid-to-low range TVs are very expensive.
 
If you need wide viewing angles you simply can't look at TVs using VA type panels.

At 49" I'd suggest the LG SM8500 or if you want the ultimate TV with wide viewing angles the SM9000.

Since writing the last post I re-read the buyer's guide and was starting to look at the LG's. The SM8600 or SM9000 are of interest, partially due to the central stand.

Sony TVs either have poor viewing angles together with good upscalers, or poorer upscalers with good viewing angles at 49". The XG80 or XG81 series (same TVs) will have better upscaling than lower end LGs but I'm not sure their upscaling will be as good as higher-end LCDs using their better image upscaler.

Sadly your choice at larger sizes would be a lot easier. The 55" Sony XG85 comes with a better image processor and wide viewing angles but isn't available sub 55"...even then though I'm not sure its worth the extra compared to LGs. Sony's mid-to-low range TVs are very expensive.

Having done the further research I'd sort of come to that conclusion, doesn't seem like they have the right combination of panels and processing at the smaller size. Unfortunately, some of us don't want/need the very large TV's and suffer a bit with the available combinations. :(

Thanks for your advice.
 
Finished reading more of the advice in the buying guide last night and there is one simple question that I thought I had answered, but the advice contradicts my thoughts a little.

Is it worth upgrading or not? When they release FHD for me there was no point, anyone, with HD upgrading as the difference was near on impossible to notice. Going from FHD to UHD with a decent processor should bring benefits, but I realise that unless you are watching native UHD content then the difference isn't going to be anywhere near the same.

If all bar my Netflix content is going to be HD, is it worth it? Yes, I get a 49" screen size over a 40" but I'm not desperately needing that. Or do I just stick with my current TV until either I start sourcing more UHD content (not likely for a while) or it dies and needs replacing?
 
Finished reading more of the advice in the buying guide last night and there is one simple question that I thought I had answered, but the advice contradicts my thoughts a little.

Is it worth upgrading or not? When they release FHD for me there was no point, anyone, with HD upgrading as the difference was near on impossible to notice. Going from FHD to UHD with a decent processor should bring benefits, but I realise that unless you are watching native UHD content then the difference isn't going to be anywhere near the same.

If all bar my Netflix content is going to be HD, is it worth it? Yes, I get a 49" screen size over a 40" but I'm not desperately needing that. Or do I just stick with my current TV until either I start sourcing more UHD content (not likely for a while) or it dies and needs replacing?
It depends on so many factors. How far away will you be viewing the TV?
Will you still be watching a lot of standard definition content like normal TV or catch up TV?
What about HD, broadcast HD TV? Streaming HD?

Compared to what you watch on the TV the image upscaler really doesn't make that much of a difference. Its nice to have a TV with a good one if you watch poorer quality content but it doesn't get away from the fact more upscaling as to be done on UHD models and a larger TV is always going to make poorer quality material look worse.
 
I just measured the distance between the TV and the main sofa and it is approx 3m (didn't realise it was quite that far!) so a fair distance away.

We tend to watch either broadcast HD (Freesat) or streaming from either Netflix (mainly) or Now TV if we have any of the passes for stuff like GoT in the past. Netflix is currently HD but would be increased to get UHD if we did go down that route. Some broadcast is in SD but only if we can't get that in HD, but that is really just C4.

I've measured this evening to see how large a 55" would be in the room, and that would be too big. So 49" is the biggest we would be able to go. Right now I'm thinking of saving the money and seeing what happens in the future. I'd love a 49" OLED, maybe they might do them one day.
 
That's a long way to view a 49"/50" TV so I wouldn't worry so much about viewing 720p/1080p still that far away. It should still look good.

SD will be kind of meh, but yeah, not much you can do about that, its really bad quality nowadays.

To be honest, 3m away and I'm not sure you will even notice the difference between a 7/10 rated upscaler and a 9/10.

They are releasing 48" OLEDs, supposedly next year although its not clear how much they will cost and I feel release pricing is likely to be closer to 1500 or even 2000 than a 1000 on release.

Since you have to compromise so much in terms of blacks, contrast and HDR on smaller LCD TVs when you need wide viewing angles its something definitely worth waiting for, but expect to wait at least until next years black friday for the 2020 OLEDs to be more reasonable in price.

Of course nothing is set in stone, but the "news" stories seem to suggest this is the release date.

What perhaps would be a wise move for you is to change now to a TV like the LG 7 series and then swoop in for an OLED when they are released and cost is reasonable. The 7 series will give you an introduction to UHD so you have a means to enjoy it for the time being. But to be honest there's really not that much you are missing out from, and viewing as far as you do you'll see very minimal gains in picture quality from UHD sources anyway so if you are happy with your current TV it may be worth just waiting.
 

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