I am thinking of buying a new TV for occasional use, in my hifi room, for movies/music.
Also thinking of a new BRP, I’ll likely to go for the Panasonic 820.
For years we’ve bought Samsung TVs, which have been good, but they do seem quite a bit more expensive that the others on Richer Sounds website (any problem buying from them?), is that because their tech is better?
What other brands should I consider?
Size is, say, 55” - 58”.
Any special features (ports, etc.) that I should be sure to include?
Cost, I was assuming it would be around £650 - £750, (around £1k for TV/BRP comb). but if there is a standout option, that figure is flexible.
I believe that Panasonic tvs are no longer manufactured by them but sourced from a Chinese company. This doesn’t of course imply they are any worse for that but just ensure you are not paying for the Panasonic badge. Hisense might be worth a look.
I recently moved from Sony to LG and after fiddling it is a fine picture. The sound perhaps another matter but it plays into an av receiver.
I had a Panasonic TV once. There were two problems with it. The back-light was not good, leaving darker area’s in the corners of the screen. Second issue was the proprietary smart-TV software (not Android based). Not sure if these things are still an issue. I currently have a Philips TV, which is great.
The Panasonic 820 is a very good choice, excellent video quality and superb digital audio output, the analogue output is not very good.
I pair my 820 with an LG C2 OLED and the picture quality is first class. I take the HDMI Digital Audio output straight into my Lumin P1 Mini Streamer/Dac and the audio, including full Hi-Res is fantastic. The Lumin feeds into a SN3+HCDR and Dynaudio Audience 72SE speakers.
Ultimate investment in the TV will depend on how much you are going to use it and predominantly what your going to watch on it; discs from the BR player, streaming from Netflix etc, regular broadcast TV.
Your primary use cases and frequency of use should guide you into how good a quality and thus price your prepared to pay.
When I renewed my bedroom cinema earlier this year I thought not to change the 65inch OLED Sony which was about 6 years old but I did. I bought a new LG OLED which was then professionally calibrated.
The improvement was not subtle. The colour tone and clarity of newer tvs has certainly moved on in a few years. I couldn’t speak for the sound.
You might be surprised. I certainly was. I will own up to being a nightly movie watcher.
I live alone and converted a bedroom into a cinema.
I have other rooms for other uses. Music. Reading.
Benefits (there are a few) of living on your own.
My Pioneer Kuro has developed the “blue light eight-times-flash” syndrome - again.
This occurred about 15 years ago and was fixed. No doubt I will find a respected repairer and get it fixed again. The model i have has a 52" screen with a separate box for all the input-output wizardry ! The sound is provided by matching Kuro speakers attached to the sides of the screen, and if I want to enhance the sound further, I feed it via the Naim system to the Watt/Puppies
Meanwhile, I have to face the possibility it won’t get fixed and a new TV is required. So …
What’s out there at the moment that will convince me to ditch the Pioneer Kuro ? A screen size of 52" - 55" would seem to be about right for our TV room and I appreciate the Kuro/plasma technology has long been superseded.
Have a look at avforums.com . I don’t think you could get a more comprehensive and independent review of what TVs are currently available with any good and bad points discussed endlessly.
There is a whole range of new tech, and more coming.
I looked at the cost/features/quality balance and went for a Samsung OLED 55”.
The dealer had a discount and on top of that Samsung are doing a 20th anniversary 10% cashback, which meant I managed to get a Samsung (a brand I like) for the same money as the 2 Chinese makes the dealer was pushing (quite hard).
I understated one needs to get a panel rather than a ‘screen with LEDs lit from behind’…
It is very good, super thin, and with quite good sound, though other than ‘normal TV’ I will run it through my Naim kit.
I am by no means an expert, but I did some research, looked at the picture quality, listened to the dealer, believed half of it and I am happy with the result.
If you can look at identical pictures on a shop floor do. It’s surprising how very different the contrast and black ability is on screens. A low range Sony Bravia won’t look anything like a mid range Sony Bravia even at the same size and 4K. This is just as true for other brands.
One thing that’s a shame is that televisions were hitting rock bottom prices when Covid hit and I was beginning to think the days of a TV as a big purchase were over. Sadly, a decent television is vastly more expensive now than back then.
Of course this is just as my 12 year old Bravia is starting to give up the ghost.
