Decent 4k TV Recommendations?

deadman_uk

deadman_uk

deadman_uk

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I decided to up my budget, please see my new post that is at the bottom of page 1 of this thread

Hi, I am looking for a decent 4k TV around the 50 inch mark (give or take). It must have the following:


- Reasonable viewing angles
- Good picture at 4k and reasonable picture at 1080p
- Good sound (or the option of adding a soundbar)
- Good picture quality
- Freeview or Freesat HD (would be a bonus)
- At least 2 year warranty (either manufacturer or retailer)


My budget is around the £700 mark (plus an extra £100 or so for a soundbar if I need one) Any recommendations?


Looking at the Samsung UE55KU6400 and smaller UE49KS7000 at the moment but not sure if it meets all my requirements. If I buy from Richersounds, I have a 6 year warranty apparently on the first TV and 5 years with Currys PC World on the 2nd. I am a long time customer of Overclockers UK as well. I have read excellent comments on HiSense TVs (the 49, 50 and 55 inch) but the viewing angles are apparently rather poor. Thanks!
 
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deadman_uk said:
Hi, I am looking for a decent 4k TV around the 50 inch mark (give or take). It must have the following:

- Reasonable viewing angles
- Good sound (or the option of adding a soundbar)
- Good picture quality
- Freeview HD (would be a bonus)

Any recommendations? I have been a long time customer of overclockers.co.uk but am also looking on Amazon and scan for possible places of purchase. My budget is around the £500 mark. I have read excellent comments on HiSense TVs (the 49, 50 and 55 inch) but the viewing angles are apparently rather poor.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

In that price bracket hisense may be the best game in town, I have a H49M3000 I rate it highly for the money. Ive read similar about viewing angle weakness but oursetup makes that a non issue, my advice would be to view one, not sure where though?
 
jonessa said:
Would you rate hisense more favourably than a Sony or Samsung?
Click to expand...

Hard to say, I don't have a side by side.
I paid £350 for a 49" TV, none of those brands had anything to offer around that price point.

What I got was a larger 4K, freeview freesat HD TV, that supports HDR and a bunch of features no one else was offering at that price.
 
stewski said:
Hard to say, I don't have a side by side.
I paid £350 for a 49" TV, none of those brands had anything to offer around that price point.

What I got was a larger 4K, freeview freesat HD TV, that supports HDR and a bunch of features no one else was offering at that price.
Click to expand...

Thanks Stewski.

I cant justify spending £600 on a T.V, mainly because I hardly use it. Our old 32 inch Samsung, although still working, obviously lacks the picture quality of modern screens - i'l also like to go large!

Cheers
 
I just picked up a Panasonic DX700B 58" For around £850 - I think the 50" is around £700.

Quite pleased with the colour and picture quality. Sound is alright(ish) for standard 20w inbuilt speakers. Will be adding a speaker setup once I finally make my mind up which one to get.

Firefox OS is also rather nice, extremely quick. Netflix and Amazon Prime via the Apps auto detect 4K.

The two downsides I've noticed are:
The Apps Market place doesn't have an amazing selection - missing NowTV for example. It also feels rather laggy when playing the Xbox ONE, I've read there is a gaming mode preset but I can't for the life of me find it, so just changed some of the calibration settings manually and it seems to have resolved it.
 
when it comes to viewing angles you won't beat an OLED (way outside budget) or IPS which I think LG are the main users of, not aware of many other manufacturers using IPS panels.

However if he wants decent 4K PQ @ 50" then he needs to up his budget however he is then requesting it have freesat/freeview which is why I'm wondering why the need for 4k?

He also wants good sound again cheap tv's never have good sound. LG uses Harmon Kardon and their top end TV's are amazing for sound quality as well as loudness. I know because mine blew me away. I sometimes don't even bother using my 5.1 system they are that good.


He's asking for far too much for £500. It would be hard to get everything he wants with double that budget.
 
If you are in a similar price bracket to me, I think it likely the HiSense range are about as good as it gets, reading a few reviews. At that sort of size 49+ the other brands tend to be 1080p.

Below are some of the issues.

Potentially weak viewing angles - Although in all honesty, looking edge on I can't see a major problem.

The built in DVR record function appears to only recognise 32Gb file systems, probably functionally useless.

Lack of 4K and or HDR content (not exclusive to HiSense).
The Amazon App/Netflix (though I cant test as Im on bottom tier sub) don't appear to offer 4K or HDR. Youtube does 4k.
The app/smart system is lesser than other brands IMHO - though functional. (No nowTV but includes a Plex client)
there are 2 HDMI 2 - HDCP 2.2 capable ports
the panel is 8 bit HDR but emulates 10bit
The stand is 2 cheap plastic feet that are in fixed positions on the body.
It's a little deeper than some new LCD TV, in our setup that is a non issue.
Speakers are what I'm used to on LCD TV's i.e. Rubbish.

On the plus side:
Ratchet and Clank via a PS4 pro is 4kHDR simply looks stunning
Up scaling is excellent across the board, from a 720i Tivo (virgin media) to any and all resolution files I have, they all look considerably improved. (major selling point for me)

The Freesat and Freeview receivers though untested are a bonus

it has a bunch of USB ports for powering firestick/chromecasts etc

There is an old school headphone jack (which I run to my Harmon and Kardon stereo PC speakers) the function of the headphone jack is programmable so you can choose to mute or not the TV speakers on pluging in.

Similarly we went from 32 to larger, the missus and nipper didn't think it mattered at the time. Since getting it and especially for gaming, they'd probably both go 55-65, basically as big a TV as we can fit in the room :)

Good Luck.
 
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this is the problem when people say decent when they don't have a clue what decent is. then viewing angles are important when they have no clue what effect viewing from an angle has.

decent - well what are you used to? if your used to crap then hisense will be decent. if your used to plasma then hisense will be crap.

i bought a hisense then gave it away because the colours were crap. i'm used to high end premium panels though.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
this is the problem when people say decent when they don't have a clue what decent is. then viewing angles are important when they have no clue what effect viewing from an angle has.

decent - well what are you used to? if your used to crap then hisense will be decent. if your used to plasma then hisense will be crap.

i bought a hisense then gave it away because the colours were crap. i'm used to high end premium panels though.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that.

I'm comparing (and so are those on the avforums) picture quality and features in the same class of products.

Yes LGs OLED panels look pretty good under specific circumstances/sources, as do plasma panels of the past, are they in the same price bracket, do they have weaknesses under specific conditions?

The points you are making are like telling someone after a family car they should be looking at a ferrari, yes technically the ferrari has clever engineering, no it isn't relevant to the discussion at hand.
 
Also on the HiSense it comes with dynamic contrast and brightness switched on.
That settings/feature was functionally useless, an update might improve them.
Mine came with HDR enabled for the 2 HDMI2 HDCP 2.2 ports, earlier firmware did not.

P.S. there are an additional 2 HDMI 1.4 ports and I believe one supports Audio Return Channel for sound bars, as I say I use the 3.5 headphone jack for audio.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
http://www.johnlewis.com/lg-49uh770...man-kardon-sound-bright-metal-design/p2627717

fits OP's budget.

Is IPS (so widest viewing angles available on LCD).

Has Harmon Kardon sound (no need for soundbar). I have the UH750V and trust me it's 10 times better than the hisense I bought before at basically everything.
Click to expand...

Although over twice the cost of the HiSense I have, that LG may well fit the bill for the OP.

A similar LG model name is reviewed here:
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/televisions/lg-49uf770v-1311315/review

The review suggests the up scaling engine is weak. (obviously this could be different on the UH770?)
They also note that despite better (Harmon and Kardon) speakers than many TVs, listening to music on them is not ideal. Since flat panels were invented I've yet to come across an inbuilt sound system I'd live with.

One thing that put me off of LGs lower cost 4K offerings was their use of (fake 4K) RGBW panels and the many negative reviews surrounding their quality at that time. It's not clear to me if they have dropped that practice?

http://4k.com/news/lthree-of-lgs-4k...eal-for-consumers-uh6400-uh6100-uf6800-16649/

In terms of how much you are willing to invest, obviously that is a personal choice.

My personal take is/was, there are few routes to 4K and or HDR content and though standards are starting to settle, the number of technical issues around UHD/HDR TVs and suitable content are considerable.

Yes improved picture quality is possible dependent on the TV tech and Source used, however one set of gains in one tech often comes with losses in another area.
E.g. Awesome Picture Quality/Contrast ratio's of OLED came with input lag (not sure if LG resolved via firmware)

At this point a £350 impulse buy seemed a sensible toe dipping exercise and for the increased real estate, it was what I had expected to pay for a far less capable panel.

Your mileage may vary, In any case I'd take a trip to John Lewis to check out if the supposed weaknesses of the cheaper models are actually deal breaking.
 
By the way, the OP upped his budget from £500-£700 and added a further £100 for a sound bar. That change could indeed open up a host of other options.
 
stewski said:
Although over twice the cost of the HiSense I have, that LG may well fit the bill for the OP.

A similar LG model name is reviewed here:
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/televisions/lg-49uf770v-1311315/review

The review suggests the up scaling engine is weak. (obviously this could be different on the UH770?)
They also note that despite better (Harmon and Kardon) speakers than many TVs, listening to music on them is not ideal. Since flat panels were invented I've yet to come across an inbuilt sound system I'd live with.

One thing that put me off of LGs lower cost 4K offerings was their use of (fake 4K) RGBW panels and the many negative reviews surrounding their quality at that time. It's not clear to me if they have dropped that practice?

http://4k.com/news/lthree-of-lgs-4k...eal-for-consumers-uh6400-uh6100-uf6800-16649/

In terms of how much you are willing to invest, obviously that is a personal choice.

My personal take is/was, there are few routes to 4K and or HDR content and though standards are starting to settle, the number of technical issues around UHD/HDR TVs and suitable content are considerable.

Yes improved picture quality is possible dependent on the TV tech and Source used, however one set of gains in one tech often comes with losses in another area.
E.g. Awesome Picture Quality/Contrast ratio's of OLED came with input lag (not sure if LG resolved via firmware)

At this point a £350 impulse buy seemed a sensible toe dipping exercise and for the increased real estate, it was what I had expected to pay for a far less capable panel.

Your mileage may vary, In any case I'd take a trip to John Lewis to check out if the supposed weaknesses of the cheaper models are actually deal breaking.
Click to expand...

the model your quoting isn't similar to the tv i have linked. it's a year older for a start.

http://uk.rtings.com/tv/reviews/lg/uh7700

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/55uh770v-201610064369.htm

Conclusion
LG has improved a number of things on the UH770V compared with previous LED LCD offerings from the company. The TV’s native black level was the deepest yet we’ve measured from an IPS LCD panel, though still not a patch on most VA LCDs, let alone self-emissive displays like plasma and OLED televisions. The 55UH770 could be also calibrated to highly accurate levels; backlight management was better than previous iterations (at least in SDR); and input lag had been cut down to allow for more responsive gaming.
But at the end of the day, the LG 55UH770V’s Achilles’ Heel was always going to be the limited contrast performance of IPS screen technology, especially as the industry marches relentlessly towards HDR. The display’s shallower black level meant that its backlight engine had to work much harder to produce convincing blacks and HDR brightness at the same time, resulting in seriously distracting vertical blooming and luminance fluctuations. Throw in frame-skipping problem during 4K Blu-ray playback, and we think there are better alternatives on the market albeit at slightly higher prices, such as the Panasonic DX750, or better yet, the Samsung KS7000 (review pending). Of course, if budget isn’t an issue, by all means go for one of LG’s outstanding OLEDs.



again OP wants wide viewing angles. therefore this is the best tv for that if you cannot afford OLED
 
Psycho Sonny said:
the model your quoting isn't similar to the tv i have linked. it's a year older for a start.

http://uk.rtings.com/tv/reviews/lg/uh7700

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/55uh770v-201610064369.htm

Conclusion
LG has improved a number of things on the UH770V compared with previous LED LCD offerings from the company. The TV’s native black level was the deepest yet we’ve measured from an IPS LCD panel, though still not a patch on most VA LCDs, let alone self-emissive displays like plasma and OLED televisions. The 55UH770 could be also calibrated to highly accurate levels; backlight management was better than previous iterations (at least in SDR); and input lag had been cut down to allow for more responsive gaming.
But at the end of the day, the LG 55UH770V’s Achilles’ Heel was always going to be the limited contrast performance of IPS screen technology, especially as the industry marches relentlessly towards HDR. The display’s shallower black level meant that its backlight engine had to work much harder to produce convincing blacks and HDR brightness at the same time, resulting in seriously distracting vertical blooming and luminance fluctuations. Throw in frame-skipping problem during 4K Blu-ray playback, and we think there are better alternatives on the market albeit at slightly higher prices, such as the Panasonic DX750, or better yet, the Samsung KS7000 (review pending). Of course, if budget isn’t an issue, by all means go for one of LG’s outstanding OLEDs.



again OP wants wide viewing angles. therefore this is the best tv for that if you cannot afford OLED
Click to expand...

Well wanting wide viewing angles = needs LGs UH770 IPS panel is a simplistic take on the requirement.

I personally wouldn't rush to an IPS panel unless I had no choice but to regularly view from an angle that was entirely unacceptable on any other tech.

Apologies for quoting the wrong LG panel, they (as do others) play games with their model names and regional variations.

From av forums I believe they sometimes also add a V on the end for europe.
https://www.avforums.com/threads/panel-spec-for-lg-49uh770v.2028389/
i.e. UH770v is the European variant


If that is the case and the panel is indeed a UH770v, although it's not a great AV site and is for a 55inch, this summary would make me certainly want to at least see that LG before parting with cash.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/lg-55uh770v-review-performance-and-conclusions-page-2

VERDICT

While the 55UH770V’s attractive price and eye-catching good-looks might be seductive, its picture quality is at best average, and at worst alarmingly poor.
Click to expand...
 
i would trust avforums and rtings over them any day of the week.

avforums have said there are better tv's out there for the money however they are all VA panels which don't offer wide viewing angles.

so it is the best wide viewing angle tv bar OLED's.

rtings is the top american review site and they give it quite a decent score. it has local dimming so blacks aren't that bad. avforums does tend to favour black levels heavily in their reviews. IPS is never going to have VA or OLED black levels.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
i would trust avforums and rtings over them any day of the week.

avforums have said there are better tv's out there for the money however they are all VA panels which don't offer wide viewing angles.

so it is the best wide viewing angle tv bar OLED's.

rtings is the top american review site and they give it quite a decent score. it has local dimming so blacks aren't that bad. avforums does tend to favour black levels heavily in their reviews. IPS is never going to have VA or OLED black levels.
Click to expand...

Indeed but I wouldn't discount that review either, I spent sometime reading AV forums when looking for the best sub £500 49" TV, the HiSense was pretty well regarded in that bracket.

What I'd suggest the OP considers is if IPS (and the LG suggested) are a requirement due to the viewing/room layout. Very wide viewing angles are not ideal on any tech, I would certainly advocate an eyeball (and ear) test before committing/omitting alternate routes.
 
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