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Buying A New Tv - Any Advice?


NVT

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  • Formerly EGOBFXR6
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Hey guys,

I figure that there must be a few tech-heads on the site, right?

I'm lookng for a new TV and I have to say that the market is more, 'vast' than it used to be. Haven't bought a TV for a number of years and now there are so many choices, brands, models, TV types etc

I've read tons of review sites and been on the hunt for a while now but I'm sure there's a perfect fit out there for me.

I'm looking for a, 'branded' TV - Samsung, Sony etc would be preferable.

Around the 50" mark

LED LCD

Smart TV would be a bonus

I'd like it to be 100hz or equivalent with image processing for gaming/sports etc

I've seen a 48" Sony, smart LED LCD HD TV for $749 which I think is a good price but the 50hz concerns me as I want to game and I do like my sports :spoton: Am I being overly worried about it?

http://www.dicksmith.com.au/tvs/sony-48-122cm-full-high-definition-smart-led-tv-kdl48w600b-dsau-ge4003

Can anyone point out any TV's that meet my requirements for sub $800? Even a little more at a stretch?

Any advice would be mcuh appreciated!

Cheers,

Dan

Edited by NVT
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  • Formerly EGOBFXR6
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I've seen a few more that are getting closer so there's got to be a 48-50" that's a match.

$699

LG

40" 4K Ultra

100hz, SMART

$699

Panasonic

42" Full HD 3D

100hz, SMART

Surely for an extra couple of hundred I'd be getting pretty close to what I'm chasing?

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  • Manual mode ________________________ All day, erryday
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Bought a new TV recently ish, was talking to the bloke and trying to decide between the image quality of the Samsung and the LG.

He mentioned the Sony has the lowest HDMI input lag and after a quick phone Google resulting in threads about people having to turn off image processing effects on the other TVs to reduce input lag, I went for the Sony. Gaming is my priority! I now use it as my computer LCD, the 22" sits unused.

I'm sensitive to input lag on a mouse, drives me nuts. This is almost unnoticeable.

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  • Filthy weeb
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Don't buy into the so-called 'Smart' TV adverts. They're slow to boot up, load apps, laggy, and any TV bragging remote inputs by some sensor is even worse.

Seriously, get something dedicated to streaming ala Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, etc and save money and frustration.

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  • Formerly EGOBFXR6
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Thanks for the replies fella's,

So you reckon Sony is the way to go Steve?

Stubbie, maybe I'll see if I can get a 50", 100hz Tv that's not smart...?

Cheers guys!

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  • Filthy weeb
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The better quality TV's usually end up with smart features loaded into them anyway, which means companies also pay the manufacturer (or vice versa) to have their stuff pre-loaded too, much like unwanted anti-virus demos and specific programs loaded onto a new PC. Because of this, Smart TV's generally cost a bit more, but they're coming down in price. You stated an awareness of price (as most people would, anyway), so I'm just explaining my reasoning pertaining to this requirement.

Go for the TV that literally looks the best, which means actually previewing it in a store. Determine what media is being demo'd on it at the time (some stores run low-res channels, so make sure you get a look at how they handle that and HD content. Compare the brightness, darkness, and quality of the image, and how easy it is to navigate. The 'Smart' part of Smart TV's are almost always only accessible by the menu or a dedicated button on the remote, so it's not there immediately when you turn it on, so that means that even if you do end up with TV with such capabilities, you're under no obligation to use it.

But yeah, if the TV you like the most just so happens to have Smart features, then so be it. I can only recommend that you not make it a deciding factor in which TV you ultimately decide upon.

Edited by stubbietubbie
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  • All stock bar the k&n panel filter
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I'm with Steve. Until recently I've been a huge fan of Samsung tv's...but my latest purchase was a Sony.

Have a look here, to see if there's anything that meets your requirement:

https://www.videopro.com.au/cf-335--the-big-screen-sale.aspx

I got my price from them then took it to a few stores for quotes then to jb hifi to beat the price. Advantage with the store I linked you to above is that they actually have physical shops in QLD...so they're not just an online retailer (meaning your local shops SHOULD price match and/or beat them).

Also ask yourself when you plan on purchasing another new tv in the future...is it 2 years? 5 years? 10 years? That will dictate what tv you're best off getting and what features. For me, I wanted my tv to last as long as it can...so I spent the extra on getting a 4K tv in the size I'd already decided on (65"), as it cost me an extra $1,000 now for the 4K...but saves me forking out another $2,000 in a couple years once 4K is more widespread.

I spent a fair bit of time researching the different models and the Sony's, in the 4K models anyway, have the better panel and picture quality at the moment. Not to mention they're better value for money I found.

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  • Manual mode ________________________ All day, erryday
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The 4k demos I saw running were very impressive, mosaic tile cathedral for example. You can imagine that shows off the res well. Couldn't afford that range though. The one I bought has smart features but it's so slow to navigate USB drives etc when there are lots of files. Menus in general take a relatively long time to load, a couple of seconds in most of them. Unacceptable! I would have assumed that showing a bloody pre programmed menu would be instant with today's computing power, but as it stands I just keep away from them as much as possible. Control media choice through PC instead...since the TV is just a big monitor for me now I dont' have to battle the remote nearly as much.

So my second tip is use the menu system in store before buying.

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  • All stock bar the k&n panel filter
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That's interesting Steve, mine seems to not really lag too much with respects to menu loading and inputs...maybe the difference in processor between regular and 4K models?

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