OMO - Television advice required

[Scoobs]

Help me choose a new TV and soundbar.

Got around £750 to spend in total.

I want a SMART TV but no idea what I am looking for...??? What features / functions should I look out for? What should it absolutely have? Can I have full internet access or is it just stuff I can access via home page menus? Confused!

Soundbar needs to connect wirelessly.

Help me out.

Thanks all.

[Littlepeahead]

There's some basic info here on the Which website. I'm a subscriber so once you know a bit more what you are looking for feel free to PM me and I can send you over their list of best buys etc.
http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/televisions/article/buying/what-is-smart-tv-

[davepreston]

LG do a great range at a good prices
with upgradeable memory etc , full internet (keyboard and mouse are sold separately) but you can use your remote (PITA), comes with free and payfor apps , inc- bbc iplayer, itn, redbull tv
have a look at the richer sounds web page they always seem to be selling the 40+ LG's a very good prices


it wont replace your PC but its handy enough


option 2 which ive done (even with my smart tv)


get a good 40+ inc tv and buy a cheap pc, contect it up via a hdmi get a wireless keyboard with trackpad ( I use a logic one) and bobs your uncle


we don't have sky / virgin or any other pay for carp now we just stream everything we watch thru that set up, if you need a list of sites to use just shout , we don't bother downloading just stream it and we have never found an issue finding any of our programs or watching all live sport / brand new movies etc etc


DP

[davepreston]

as for wireless sound bar , give electro a shout that's his geekdom area :)

[dizzyblonde]

Sony BraviaW42(plus numbers I can't remember), plus whatever the Sony soundbar that goes with it is. Should come to around your spending limit.

[pookie]

it might be a bit controversial but 4k tv's are dropping in price at the moment. Although content maybe thin on the ground you can be sure it will be the next standard. I'm assuming you dont intend to change your tv in the next 2 years

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-dvd-blu-ray/televisions/large-screen-tvs-32-and-over/samsung-ue40hu6900-smart-4k-ultra-hd-40-led-tv-10004761-pdt.html

you can always add the smart features via an external box with chromecast ( iplayer netflix) or now tv . Personally I use a media centre :)

That said I go with the old adage of get the best you can afford at the time after all tech will always drop in price.

Oh and happy belated birthday!

[ethariel]

Whatever you do buy it online or over the phone, makes it a 'distance selling regulations ' buy so if you have any dead or permanantly lit pixels (will drive you nuts) you can just tell em you changed your mind and send it back....

[NTECUK]

Sony Bravia KDL42W7 LED

[dizzyblonde]

Sony Bravia KDL42W7 LED

Actually... I think that's ours!

[NTECUK]

Nice. Bought mum one last weekend.
The sound bar was not much cop so she's got my old yamaha.

[Littlepeahead]

We did the usual of finding the one we liked online and getting John Lewis to price match it as they had a longer guarantee. We collected in store but I think they often do free or very cheap delivery too.

I've got a Samsung 42" something or other which we bought last year, didn't bother with a sound bar as I can run it through the speakers of our stereo but as I never watch movies at home this wasn't something I really thought about as the sound from the TV is OK anyway - I mostly watch cricket on it so hearing Ian Botham wittering on in surround sound wasn't really a priority. I have Sky+ and all that but I do use the on demand features the TV offers and Mr LPH likes the You Tube feature. Apparentoly there's some sort of fitness feature with Samsung TVs where you can run exercise classes to follow in your living room - I''ve seen the button on the screen but can't say I've ever felt the need to haul my fat ar$e off the sofa and actually press it.

[NTECUK]

As Samsung go. My led ones still going strong. Pre smart it's getting on now but its still doing the job.
It's speakers are ok (as is mums Sony).
But stick on the Bray home cinema and it's a different league.

[shiftin_gear98]

Recently got a Sony Bravia.


http://www.johnlewis.com/sony-bravia-kdl50w8-led-hd-1080p-3d-smart-tv-50-with-freeview-hd-2x-3d-glasses/p1169391?kpid=233119021&s_kenid=0662f5ec-fb21-bda9-caac-0000704be5dd&s_kwcid=128x39612&tmad=c&tmcampid=73


Love it, looks epic. Plus gotta love a 5 year guarantee. Purchased over internet £5 delivery.

[Scoobs]

Thanks for all the responses on the TV's. I'm liking to look of the Sony ones and they seem to get some pretty good reviews. Samsungs look good VFM too.

Anyone got any / more input on soundbars.

What features do I need? Connectivity? Ports? etc?

Looking at a Yamaha YAS 101. Anyone got any experience?

[Bibio]

why do you need a wireless sound bar?

[NTECUK]

why do you need a wireless sound bar?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xgx4k83zzc

Nigel Tufnel (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001302/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...
Marty DiBergi (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001661/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?
Nigel Tufnel (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001302/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): Exactly.
Marty DiBergi (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001661/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?
Nigel Tufnel (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001302/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?
Marty DiBergi (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001661/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): I don't know.
Nigel Tufnel (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001302/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?
Marty DiBergi (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001661/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): Put it up to eleven.
Nigel Tufnel (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001302/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
Marty DiBergi (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001661/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?
Nigel Tufnel (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001302/?ref_=tt_trv_qu): [pause] These go to eleven.

[Scoobs]

why do you need a wireless sound bar?

Didn't want cables, but I guess it's going to be so close to the TV it doesn't matter....???

See! This is why I am asking (apparently silly) questions. :)

[PyroUK]

Do you really need smart?

What tv service do you use? What laptop or pc set up have you got?

I only say this as I replaced my tv last year, both LG, got a 42in one. Managed to get it during a bank holiday sale, they had the same tv's (in terms of the model range) but one was smart the other not. Only £50 in it and I would have gotten a few extra inches on the smart. But, the screen was a better quality in the normal tv, higher contrast etc.

Don't know if that is still an issue as most tv's nowadays are smart but it is something to consider if, like me, you have a laptop or pc you can plug in to it via hdmi instead.

Also even as a normal tv it has USB input so I can put tv or films on a stick and plug it straight in as well.

Can't help on the sound bar front, never needed one so not looked in to it.

[Bibio]

lets start off with ''wireless'' devices for home entertainment, unless it runs off battery's then there is no such thing as you need to plug the device into the mains anyway. so unless you have lots of power sockets in the room your going to be using you might as well just run 'passive' cabling.

soundbars are designed to give you pseudo surround sound so to make sure that the dialogue on movies and TV programs are coming from the screen so the soundbar needs to be placed under and as close to the TV screen as possible.

TV with HDMI conectivity, to get the best from your soundbar you will need to connect it via an output from your TV so make sure you buy a TV with HDMI out.

TV. i'm not going to comment on this as it's a purely personal thing but what i will say is that I have a preferance for Samsung TV's.

dont bother with 3D as its just a fad and unless you have a blu-ray player you wont be able to make full use of it.

you will find it hard to buy a TV these days that is not 'SMART' so go to your local shop/store and have a look for yourself what features come with what brand.

hope this has helped.

[dizzyblonde]

Do you really need smart?

What tv service do you use? What laptop or pc set up have you got?



Don't know if that is still an issue as most tv's nowadays are smart but it is something to consider if, like me, you have a laptop or pc you can plug in to it via hdmi instead.


.

Why would you want to plug it in to your TV when you can do everything the SMART way and wireless?
All our devices work wifi or Bluetooth to the TV, be it Sony Phone or Nook Tablet etc I'd far rather sit on the sofa and work it all from there than stick a cable into the telly and stand like a nerd for a while :smt017

[PyroUK]

Why would you want to plug it in to your TV when you can do everything the SMART way and wireless?

All our devices work wifi or Bluetooth to the TV, be it Sony Phone or Nook Tablet etc I'd far rather sit on the sofa and work it all from there than stick a cable into the telly and stand like a nerd for a while :smt017


My tv is set up in my bedroom, I have a keyboard and mouse to control it from the comfort of my bed :) that's on my pc tower at least.

The odd time I have something on my macbook to do through the tv I have a wireless keyboard for that so again, comfort of bed :)

Besides, you can't do everything through a smart tv but I can through a pc!

In addition I have the capability to have my media portable so if I go to a friends house or something I can take it, can't take your smart tv with you on a bike! Hehe

[NTECUK]

Likes been said your find it difficult to get a decent tv without a smart interface.
The sony is a fairly good sound out the box.