55 Inch TV - Buying Advice

tringo0808

tringo0808

tringo0808

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Leeds
Hi, currently own the Sony Bravia XR OLED 55A80J - purchased November 2021 after much research at the time...Looks like that I'll be getting my money back after an insurance claim in the next couple of weeks...

So, on with researching it's replacement - initially i thought to just buy the bravia again but a later model (2023), budget is around £1300 based on what i will get back from the insurance claim. Started looking at Samsung qled as an alternative but there are quite a few lesser known brands that get fantastic reviews (HiSense) and even LG that come in at half of my £1300 budget...

Just not sure i can bring myself to take the risk on a brand i don't know much about - trawling the web and on here but if anyone could offer advice on which TV's i should keep an eye out on would be much appreciated...55 inch tv needed, it'll be wall mounted, mainly just watching TV via SKY Q and using the built in tv apps for netflix, prime, apple tv and disney...

Any advice would be well recieved - it's a minefield out there as i've not been on the lookout for a TV since backend of 2021 and could do with some pointer!

Thanks in advance.
 
200sols said:
Samsung s90c or LG G3 if in budget.
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Thanks for the reply - was just pricing up that exact model on the samsung website...currently £1048, i can trade in my 24 inch old tv sat in the conservatory for £300 and there is a 10% discount code...price comes out at £758. Replace the traded in TV with a new sub 32 inch tv and i am £400 in pocket given the expected insurance claim...
 
I'm going to bang the drum again for Panasonic. The current model is the MZ range iirc. Being replaced soon so offers should be out there. 55MZ980 or 55MZ1000 should be doable.

Great panel, colour, dolby vision and hdr10+

Got the previous LZ1000 and it's great. Not the most elaborate OS, but it's got the important things and isn't loaded down with adverts.

[edit time]

Forgot, was in our local John Lewis a couple of months back and saw their last in stock, brand new boxed 65" LZ2000 for £950... Was extremely tempted.
 
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Flibster said:
I'm going to bang the drum again for Panasonic. The current model is the MZ range iirc. Being replaced soon so offers should be out there. 55MZ980 or 55MZ1000 should be doable.

Great panel, colour, dolby vision and hdr10+

Got the previous LZ1000 and it's great. Not the most elaborate OS, but it's got the important things and isn't loaded down with adverts.

[edit time]

Forgot, was in our local John Lewis a couple of months back and saw their last in stock, brand new boxed 65" LZ2000 for £950... Was extremely tempted.
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Benefit of the Panasonic over the equivalent LG?

I thought Panasonic used LG panels?
 
sparton_SPA said:
Benefit of the Panasonic over the equivalent LG?

I thought Panasonic used LG panels?
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There's more to it than just the panels, including other included hardware, software etc.

Last I checked, higher end Panasonic models came pre-calibrated too, which can make a hefty difference.
 
Gray2233 said:
There's more to it than just the panels, including other included hardware, software etc.

Last I checked, higher end Panasonic models came pre-calibrated too, which can make a hefty difference.
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Interesting - might consider them

I have an LG C2 - is there something I need to do in terms of calibration?
 
hornetstinger said:
Is that the top end models ? The ones with top end panels and heatsinks?
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I'm not 100% as its been awhile since I checked, it was almost certainly the case for their flagship OLEDS a year or two back.

Shouldn't be difficult to look up though, I helped a friend build a HT system back in 2022 based around the (at the time) heavily discounted Panasonic TX65jz1000b which I'm fairly certain was pre-calibrated.

I'm not sure if whatever method they used stands up to better/paid for options, but it placed the TV ahead of out of the box options from LG and Sony at the time.
 
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I can highly recommend the Samsung s90c. I do have a Sony Bravia too but it's an older model than yours, still a great TV in my opinion. The LG G3 was a bit too pricey for me
 
Hi sense are ok for their price point, but nothing spectacular.

I bought an lg oled b7 a few years back, we want to put a TV in the bedroom and had a ganders around the TV shops and I was initially thinking to upgrade the lg and put that in the bedroom, but having seen the prices and the picture qualities, I don't see much of an upgrade so might aswell save the money and get something lesser.

Hisense were my biggest disappointment, I think the reviews are hyped up from what I see (pretty similar with Kia cars tbh).

I don't like Samsung, just can't get on board with anything they make, to me their menu systems are just ruddy awful, but maybe I'm just not used to them.

Each time I kept coming back to lg, Sony and Panasonic.... I know they all use different internals and are all calibrated different, but they all use the same panel and all were better than the others, I found it hard to choose between them.

Ended up not getting a TV for the bedroom lol
 
sparton_SPA said:
Interesting - might consider them

I have an LG C2 - is there something I need to do in terms of calibration?
Click to expand...

Any panel out of the box can look awful or good sans calibration, it's why the better review sites will always show a before and after (RTings as an example). Depending on how much it costs, it could be worth having that done to your C2 but every individual panel is a little different, some come out of the factory better than others.

It boils down to how much you're willing to spend and your expectations, for some just fiddling with settings for half an hour is enough to make them happy. Paying for professional calibration isn't cheap, it can add a lot to your expenditure and might not even be necessary.

Out of the box, however? I've seen a handful of flagship models first hand and for movies specifically Panasonic has (anecdotally on my end) always looked the best, and last I checked (2022ish) with various AV forums that was commonly the case.
 
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