It’s time to ditch Sky. We’re going to get a (newer) Smart TV – use Freeview and perhaps sign up for NOW Tv’s entertainment pass for access to Sky Atlantic and a few others. Not crucial but would like the option.

At the moment, the only aerial we have coming into the house is from the Sky Dish. There is an old aerial on the roof – will we need to run a cable from this for Freeview or will Freeview run from broadband??

Can you record onto newer Smart TVs or does that need a separate PVR type thing?

Budget around £300 – I’ve found a few on ao.com and johnlewis.com around that money. Whose UI is the best? LG? Samsung? Sony (always seem to be £50-100 more expensive for equivalent models)? Philips?

Watching with interest as the wife keeps nagging me to get rid of my old high quality crt.

Saw a couple of decent ones on hot UK deals friday around £300, 4k,hdr,smart… One was an LG.

Looks pretty decent
https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/lg-49uk6400plf-49-inch-4k-ultra-hd-hdr-smart-led-tv-freeview-play-369-delivered-richer-sounds-6-year-warranty-3221015

Watching with interest as the wife keeps nagging me to get rid of my old high quality crt.

I was nagged and nagged to replace a large, high-end CRT that had absolutely nothing wrong with it. I eventually gave in for a quiet life, and immediately wished that I’d done so years ago.

There is an old aerial on the roof

Just be aware, depending on what’s up there this might need replacing. Digital TV has requirements which may differ from what you needed back in analogue days.

At the moment, the only aerial we have coming into the house is from the Sky Dish. There is an old aerial on the roof – will we need to run a cable from this for Freeview or will Freeview run from broadband??

Have you thought about sticking with the satellite? Get a Freesat TV rather than Freeview? Most of the channels are the same, saves getting a new cable put in, and possibly new aerial if it’s that old. Our Samsung 6400 series has both Freeview and Freesat connectors.

Freeview is over-the-air digital TV via your aerial. They augment it with catchup and clever TV Guide, which then needs a broadband connection too (Freeview Plus?).

Can you record onto newer Smart TVs or does that need a separate PVR type thing?

Most SMART TVs will let you connect a hard drive to one of the USB ports, and you can then pause live TV and record. One limitation though, only has one tuner, so you can’t record ITV and watch BBC for example. But do you need this if you have catchup?

Whose UI is the best? LG gets good reviews, my Samsung is easy enough. Just hit a home button, all the apps appear across the bottom, then pick iPlayer, Now TV, YouTube whatever. Simple. Remote has usual play/pause/record etc. buttons for recording.

Freeview = TV aerial.

NOW TV = broadband. (Also, Netflix, Amazon Prime and a supporting cast of thousands.)

Given that you’ve already got a dish, consider FreeSat? Might be more expensive for the kit but offset by the need for aerial installation.

As mentioned Freesat is the way to go to make it simple. As for recording, I’ve never missed it as it’s on demand almost immediately.

TV wise LG or Samsung is the  2 better choices.

As for EPG / PVR duties, personally I’d want a separate box. Aside from the fact that if the TV or the PVR goes pop you’re then having to replace everything, TV smarts tend to be not all that smart and slow to update, especially if you’re looking at cheaper models. Your primary concern with the TV is then the panel quality, anything else is gravy.

If I were buying tomorrow I’d probably get either a Toshiba or Panasonic screen and maybe a Humax PVR or similar (it’s been a long time since I looked into this, technology may have moved on).

(it’s been a long time since I looked into this, technology may have moved on).

IMO it has – the TV interfaces are now much slicker than PVR ones. However a decent PVR would solve the single tuner issue. But I’ve now ditched the PVR completely anyway, just use a USB stick connected to the TV so I can pause it if the phone rings 🙂

I won’t buy another Sony TV, purely because the two I have are so infuriatingly slow to turn on/react to inputs/bring up menus/load apps etc. It’s like they’re fitted with the computing power of a 1980s calculator. I don’t know if this is common across other ‘smart’ TVs though (?)

Keep an eye on eBay in the next day or two for the 15% pay day discount code. I bought a 40 inch Sharp TV from Tesco’s eBay store for less than 180 pounds just after Christmas. You should be able to get 4K for your budget.

I’m sure I read you can’t get Channel 4 channels in HD on Freesat. Something about a fallout over charges. Worth checking out if thinking going down that route.

PVR’s. The choice is a lot more limited than it was. We have a Panasonic we were happy with but it started to play up after a few years. Bought a Humax – the clicking and whirring noises were too loud so had to send it back. Looking on the forums it seems some people have noisy ones, others run silent. [We are managing with the old Panasonic for now. Runs silently].

My opinion – I’m not going to bother with a smart telly again. Our few year old Sony won’t now reliabily work the iPlayer (app is too demanding for the processor/memory) and never did get an itv or channel 4catch up app despite rumours it would.

Now TV box does all the smarts required and only costs a few quid to replace if it becomes obsolete.

I agree that some smart tv’s aren’t that smart, but I think they’re getting better. My LG has apps for Iplayer, amazon and Netflix  (plus others) that I use fairly regularly and seem to work fine, and are updated.

Also, our old analogue era aerial works fine, I’m sure it depends on the signal strength in your area.

Is it possible to buy a ‘dumb’ new TV?
I’m looking to replace mine with something slightly bigger with smaller bezels but it’s hooked up to a PC, as a second monitor, so I don’t need any ‘smart’ features.

Use is films, streaming and pc gaming.

I’m sure I read you can’t get Channel 4 channels in HD on Freesat.

Correct it’s a minor annoyance.

There is very little need for recording functionality these days with all the play on demand services between iPlayer, ITV hub, the other terrestrial channel apps, Netflix and all the rest. We have recording functionality via our BT TV but hardly ever use it and when I do I often find it on a SMART app and watch it off there instead.

I wouldn’t bother too much comparing smart functionality between TV’s. Everything has SMART functionality like Blu Ray players, mirroring from had held devices so you’ll not be struggling to access any of the smart apps.

Just go for whatever TV fits in your budget and has the better picture to your eye.

If you’re likely to watch stuff that is only SD, like the C4 stuff that you can’t get in HD, is it worth limiting the screen technology or resolution to compensate or does the upscaling of SD source work on say, 65″ 4k OLED tvs.

catch-up vs pvr recording…..

if its any consideration for you, we always prefer recording as you can skip the ads.

Upscaling always works on everything, otherwise you’d have a 14″ display in the middle of your 65″ telly.

Good upscaling, on the other hand…

There is very little need for recording functionality these days with all the play on demand services

Point on note here, on my Sky box at least, on-demand viewing (as opposed to broadcast recording) strips out all the adverts.

I suspect it also negates the need for a TV licence, so long as you stay away from iPlayer…

This is a cracking deal from Currys- £360 if buy it via their eBay store today.
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5574857717&toolid=10001&campid=5338507146&customid=&mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fitm%2FPHILIPS-50PUS6703-12-50-Smart-4K-Ultra-HD-HDR-LED-TV-Dark-Silver-%2F113325615867%3Fhash%3Ditem1a62bbaafb

Has all of the catch up and streaming services apart from now TV. Now TV box is only 10-15 quid though.

Upscaling always works on everything, otherwise you’d have a 14″ display in the middle of your 65″ telly.

Good upscaling, on the other hand…

Okay, point taken. Is the upscaling always good enough or is it something to be careful of and is it ever a reason to scale down the screen?

Upscaling is just software taking clever guesses at how to fill in the extra pixels.
Standard definition is 480 X 640=307,200 pixels
A 4k screen is 3840 X 2160 = 8,294,400.
This means for an upscaled SD picture on a 4k screen nearly all of the pixels are generated by software.
Even if it’s good it’s not going to be great. And the bigger the screen the more noticeable it will be.
HD (1920 X 1080) still looks good though in most cases.

We never record anything now, despite a PVR being under the telly. Samsung and LG’s UI are fine. Really use the Smart functions a lot, and don’t forget Redbull TV for the DH.

We have Netflix and Prime.

Thanks all for the posts – most helpful!

Back from going to look at some at John Lewis. Cleared some stuff up but added some extra confusion. The number of tuners seems kinda important – found some with two satellite inputs which means I can connect the existing sky cables and with the addition of a portable HDD, I can then record a programme while watching another. While not a lifesaver, it will help get over the loss of the Sky+ facility and negate the need for a separate PVR. I’d have been quite happy with a dumb tv and separate box but I reckon they don’t exist.

Anyway, I like the Samsung UI the most and the “smart” remote looks nice. Budget has risen considerably – I **** knew it would. 😀

You could even ditch tv license for annual prime and Netflix.

Picked up a smart LG 4K blah blah with magic remote at Xmas from Richer Sounds. Super happy with it. Very slick UI and plenty customisable. Apps all working really well and the picture is bang on, especially in 4K.

Oddly, it looked really dull when I demo’d it in the store. The sales guy said he had the Sony equivalent which was stupid money but admitted the LG was nearly as good. Couldn’t justify the Sony outlay and took home the LG. Set it up and selected Vivid picture mode = incredible picture.

Unsurprisingly audio is poor. But that’s the norm. Thankfully we have a Bose soundbar that does the trick.

6yr warranty from RS too. Sorted.

Just got a new Samsung 50in 7020 from AO, 10pc off with an ebay code the other day.

It’s bloody brilliant and way better than out 5yr old Panasonic that we were using dongles to stream to.

Can’t believe how much you get for £350ish these days.

UI seems good so far.

Biggest Samsung that is I budget and fits the room (don’t go massive in small rooms) a 50 inch is halfway between tv and projector.

They’ll all be smart so can pause and record and watch catchup.

Quality for price is now ridiculously good. But I still miss my pioneer kuro plasma.

You might want to budget for decent sound. Sonos do a nice sound bar

Does the DLNA work on Sony yet?

Our Bravia was rubbish, worked okay for audio (mp3 etc) but wouldn’t stream video from the NAS without first sending it through the XBox.

Just bought a Panasonic, slightly over OP budget but seems a very nice screen if you can stretch to it…49FX650b

Couldn’t justify the Sony outlay and took home the LG. Set it up and selected Vivid picture mode = incredible picture.

Vivid is usually garish and horrible, it’s what the stores use to attract customers attention. You need to find a proper setup for it, AVForums usually have a list of tv’s with an in-depth setup, usually takes a while to get it right, but the results are well worth it. I did it with my Bravia which is now twelve years old, and the picture is still stunning. There are things that aren’t obvious but can really improve the picture if switched off.

https://www.avforums.com/PicturePerfect/

To add some opinion/experience on brands, although they always seem to get recommended I returned two 49inch Samsungs because of horrible and uneven light bleed around the edges of the screen. It made them unwatchable even when changing backlight and picture settings. They weren’t even out of the box for 5 minutes and they weren’t cheap models. In the end switched for an LG with the magic remote. If the LG had apps for Eurosport and HBO (like the Samsung) then it would be perfect, but the picture quality and interface is fantastic. Sometimes it takes a while to connect to internet when turned on but that’s the only complaint. A friend had the same experience with a 55 Samsung, switched for a Sony and he’s happy too.

One thing I like about our Samsung is they seem pretty good with updates and adding new fancy stuff. It got the updates to take part in the BBC iPlayer HDR trials they’ve been doing during the World Cup, Wimbledon, Blue Planet etc. Apple TV app is coming. No experience of LG, Sony and the rest.

Okay, point taken. Is the upscaling always good enough or is it something to be careful of and is it ever a reason to scale down the screen?

Upscaling is not always good enough by a long way – and it can be pretty desperate.

It does seem to have improved in recent years, but you would be better off being conservative on the screen size if you are going to rely on poorer quality sources or you will see upscaling artifacts.

One of the main differentiators between TVs of different prices is the quality of the upscaling and motion processing. All LEDs and OLEDs have some issues with motion processing.

Sony are the best at motion processing but their cheaper sets can be lacking in processing power making the smart TV functions a bit tiresome.

Samsungs seem to be a bit better nowadays but I have always found their upscaling/motion processing and color handling a bit distastfull.

There are some good Panasonic sets around, like the one recommended above, and often you can get good deals as Samsung is default choice for the lemming buyer…

Whichever set you get see if you can google a post or youtube video where someone has calibrated it and published the settings – color accuracy is very important to a good picture.

And don’t stress about 4k especially if you are only sticking with broadcast TV – although sometimes the capabilities of the upscaling processing in the 4k set can be better.

I always go for either Samsung or LG, current TV is LG and I prefer it’s UI to the previous Samsung I had + like the Netflix and Amazon Prime dedicated buttons on the remote, that said the Samsung was 5 years older than the LG that replaced it and I expect the Samsung UI has come on a long way since so it’s not a fair comparison.

As for:

If you’re likely to watch stuff that is only SD, like the C4 stuff that you can’t get in HD, is it worth limiting the screen technology or resolution to compensate or does the upscaling of SD source work on say, 65″ 4k OLED tvs.

SD looks appalling on my 65″ 4k OLED TV, not sure if it’s the upscaling being crap or just the size of the screen accentuating the lower resolution, I’d certainly be disappointed if SD was my main input source. Thankfully it’s more like 5% SD, 80% HD and 15% UHD and the SD will only ever decline (especially if regional news goes to HD…). But yeah you’d be mad to buy a large-screen OLED if you were mostly watching SD content.

There’s been a lot of comments about the recent GoT episode, which was, apparently, almost impossible to see clearly. It’s mostly due to streaming compression artifacts, but poor tv setup can add to the problem.
Here’s an article about it, with some hints at the end about setting up a telly to get better results than out of the box…

Why did last night’s ‘Game of Thrones’ look so bad? Here comes the science!

Turn off anything with a special name in the “picture” or “video” menu, like “TrueMotion,” “Dynamic motion,” “Cinema mode,” any stuff like that.

Definitely do this. Was watching the DH yesterday eve, and their wheels were just a jittery mess. Auto Motion Plus had been turned back on.

The top-end Sony processors are the best at attempting to remove the banding and transition issues that you see with streamed content – trouble is those sets are > £2k and they are OLED. Saw a demo on a youtube music video which was almost miraculous, and that was on a version that was at least a generation old.

The top-end Samsungs give you a non-OLED option but they crush detail out of blacks a bit in an effort to get to OLED levels of black, so I am guessing might have made a mess of that GOT episode.