What 4k TVs do you have ? - Its HERE, review included

[g8ina]

I'm sort of on the verge of updating my old 32" LG HD TV, and I think it might be time to up the game to 4k, given that prices now start from just over 300 quid.

Do you guys own a 4k TV ? What make and model, and what are your thoughts on it ? Would you recommend it for a new buyer ? Thinking of 500 quid max, so not a huge choice, but there we go ...

EDIT - Chose the Hisense 40" 4k in the end, thanks for comments, Richer Sounds are now richer by £299

Review will follow shortly.

[peterb]

There was a 55" LG going for £650 in Currys not long ago.

There isn't much 4K content around at the moment, but given that a 4K to has to have the required resolution and internal bandwidth to deal with it, you may find that existing HD content picture quality is better. There is some 4K content on YouTube.

The current relatively inexpensive 4K tv offering may serve to encourage wider production of 4K content though.

But if you are looking to replace a failing or aged TV, it makes sense (to my mind) to go 4K.

[cptwhite_uk]

If you prefer natural colour tones to over-saturated high contrast, go for a SONY. Having had their laptops and TV screens compared to others, their image quality is better than Sansumg / LG from my experience. I'd also recommend getting one with Android TV (in-house interfaces are pretty bad for all sets, along the LG offering is tolerable).

I'm currently looking to upgrade as well.

I know a lot of people scoff at Smart TVs, but when you just want to fire up Netflix I think it's very useful.

[MrJim]

I've read that there's not much point going for a 4K tv below 42", as at normal viewing distances, you're not likely to see much improvement in picture quality over HD content; going for another 32" tv might not make sense.

I did find this review of a tv which is within your price range:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/hisens...k321uwt-review

[g8ina]

Thanks for the info so far, yeah, I am thinking in the 42-43 inch range

[cptwhite_uk]

http://www.richersounds.com/product/...ana-tx40cx400b

This one seems good for the price. 6 year guarantee and Panasonic.

[MrJim]

http://www.richersounds.com/product/...ana-tx40cx400b

This one seems good for the price. 6 year guarantee and Panasonic.

That's a great price, but having read some comments from purchasers, it's unfortunately not compatible with the Netflix 4K service, which might be a pain considering Netflix is one of the few sources of 4K content....

[outwar6010]

http://www.richersounds.com/product/...ams-ue48ju6000 this one is 48" and 549 has hdmi2.0 quad core netflix 4k etc

[Bluecube]

I'd also recommend getting one with Android TV (in-house interfaces are pretty bad for all sets, along the LG offering is tolerable.

I've heard nothing good about Sony's Android offering at all. It's meant to be slow and extremely buggy to the point where you have to hard reset your TV to get it working again! Ridiculous. I don't know if it's Android itself or Sony's implementation but current advice is avoid. It's a crying shame as the Sony Android TVs have (on paper at least) everything that I would want from a 4K TV.

[peterb]

I have an LG32 inch 3D TV (there is obsolete technology!) and Im pretty happy with both colour rendition and set quality. I have seen the 55" I referred to earlier in a non-store location and again picture colour rendition seems OK - but it can be adjusted for personal preference. The OS is webOD - don't know if that is the former HP webOS or not, but it seems OK!

[jimborae]

G8ina there's no point buying a new tv now if you can help it, cant remember the exact reasons why but head over to AVForums and they'll set you straight.

Basically something to do with HDR (standard not set yet maybe), OLED is just coming to market and prices are bound to drop over the next 12 to 24 months and the technology is so much better than LCD/LED and even plasma, and finally there's something to do with HDMI 2.whatever and also codec support for 4K broadcast standards.

Long & short tv is in a transitional phase and you're much better hanging fire till its all sorted out. Alternatively buy as cheap as you can now and expect to have to upgrade again in a couple of years.

[Millennium]

I'm also holding out for OLED for my 4k.

Well that's the plan

[Smudger]

My folks have just upgraded from a 32" Panasonic CRT behemoth to the Sony 49" 4K. Picture quality is really good, but as mentioned earlier, there is the issue with Android crashing and needing a reboot of the TV

Edit: It's this one: http://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/te.../x8300c-series but I think they do it in a 43"...

And you can get it for £599 for the 49", which bodes well for the 43"

[Saracen]

Is it my imagination or is buying a TV getting to be more and more of a minefield? Maybe I'm enough of a fossil to kind-of yearn for the good ol' days where you found a set with a 'nice' image quality, from a company with a decent rep for quality and longevity, at a price you could afford, and job's a good 'un.

These days, you need PhD in Standards Compliance and at least a Masters in Daft Acronyms to stand a prayer of being able to interpret the marketing bullpoop the company, and/or salesman are trying to blind you with.

Personally, g8ina, I think you have a choice of strategy, given that budget is not allowing choice at the cutting edge.

Option 1) Staid and steady. Ignore fancy new tech, and buy good, solid, high-rep, well-tested current tech. At your size and budget, that should give you plenty of very good options.

Option 2) Take a punt. Buy into the fanciest new tech, 4k or otherwise, that you can find at your budget. But be aware, something else will give. If you're lucky, it might just be that you have to go for an unknown OEM but the set itself proves, over time, to be a gem. Or, you might have bought into marketing hype, and the set itself is a dodo.

Option 3) The considered purchase. Ignore what you fancy, and buy what you need. Which requires sitting back, having a think, listing what you really need, and avoiding getting seduced by glitz and glamour.

How much do you really need, for instance, 4k, and how much is it that the thought appeals to you?

Then, get yerself to a few shops and do some viewing. And don't forget the lesson to be learned from camera and printer resolution figures ..... more pixels might make better image quality possible, but it does not in and of itself guarantee a better picture.

Unlike those good ol' days, it really is a bit of a minefield. Hence, the decision on strategy. A lot depends on how much of a risk taker you are, and whether you can afford to go buy a better set in a year's time if you come unstuck.

But my natural cynicism says if you have a sow's ear budget, be VERY cautious of someone trying to sell you what they claim is a silk purse. To horrible mix metaphors, walk round the "horse" and check not only that each corner has a leg, but that none of them are lame.

[scaryjim]

I'm sort of on the verge of updating my old 32" LG HD TV ...

Any plans for the old one once you upgrade....?

Aasking for no particular reason, you understand

[cptwhite_uk]

This is the next model up from the one I posted above....£550 gets you:

http://www.richersounds.com/product/...ana-tx40cx680b

4k UHD picture
LED backlighting with local dimming
200 Hz image processing
Freeview HD tuner
Firefox OS user interface (which seems to get good reviews and see here aswell
Freeview Play (might not be available yet, but seems to be a free on-demand streaming service?)
Quad-core processor
Screen mirroring from smartphones and tablets
Voice controls
Integrated media player
3 HDMI ports
3 USB ports
Connects through Wi-Fi and Ethernet

It has strong reviews:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=PA...0CX680B+review

Consensus seems to be it's a great 4K budget option, and comes with a nice smart TV interface thanks to Firefox OS and Freeview Play functionality when that becomes available.