Best 50 inch tv for £1k

[Harpo]

Hi everyone,

Its time to replace my panny PZ42 with something more up to date! It's been a great tv and still going strong but will have to take a back seat in the bedroom! I was having a snoot around today and seen a sony kdl50w829 looks great! Great deal with 5 year guarantee and free sound bar! I'm a bit of a panny fan but?? Is this the best I can get for the money? I want good sd and hd quality via freesat and bluray..

I have had some great advise in the past from this forum so I'm banking on the same again

thanks in advance

Steve

 

[Deleted member 2457]

This is worth looking at:

https://www.avforums.com/review/panasonic-ax630-4k-ultra-hd-tx-48ax630-tv-review.10810

 

[bigboss]

http://www.johnlewis.com/samsung-ue55hu6900-4k-ultra-hd-smart-tv-55-with-freeview-hd/p1467580

 

[Harpo]

Thanks for the reply's.

I only have room for a 50 inch as it's the same overall size as my current PZ42 inch. So it's 48/50 inch for me, just have to choose one!

Out of the sony and the panasonic...which is best? SD and HD via freesat and bluray.

i tried to view in John Lewis on the weekend but there was far too many people around the tv's in the store.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Thanks for the reply's.

I only have room for a 50 inch as it's the same overall size as my current PZ42 inch. So it's 48/50 inch for me, just have to choose one!

Out of the sony and the panasonic...which is best? SD and HD via freesat and bluray.

i tried to view in John Lewis on the weekend but there was far too many people around the tv's in the store.

The Sony might be better because on the review it says the Panasonic has some 50hz issues. The Sony is very good I have demoed it, but I haven't demoed the Panasonic.

 

[ukdavej]

I just bought a KDL50W815 from Johns Lewis and it is pretty fine. The Panasonics were a little more expensive and to be honest, I didn't think the picture was as good. Also, I didn't spot a Freesat input on the Panasonic I looked at but it was of comparable price so the more expensive model may have one.

Got. Free sound bar as well, only the basic Sony offering but free all the same .

 

[Son_of_SJ]

Hello Harpo, I'm glad that you've like the replies so far. I have two questions and one observation before narrowing down to specific televisions.

The first question is, do you need or want 4K? You hadn't mentioned it in either your original or second post, but I notice that some of the sets that people have been recommending are 4K machines.

The second question is, do you need or want 3D? You've not mentioned it, but .......

The observation is, if you want Freesat HD, as opposed to Freeview HD, (and you've specified Freesat twice now) to be built into the set. that that will drastically limit your options, perhaps to only one or two within your budget. One simple way around the lack of Freesat in most of the £1K televisions is simply to buy a (second-hand will do just fine) Freesat HD box, like this one for instance on ebay for about £55. Note this is only a receiver, not a recorder also. But buying a cheap (but not nasty!) Freesat HD box and allowing £10 for a 2-metre HDMI cable would still allow £950 for a very fine 50-inch television.

 

[Harpo]

Sorry for the confusion!

I already have a humax freesat hd recorder, although freeview hd would be handy on the tv as sometimes I watch freeview when recording two other channels on freesat

im not really bothered about 3D

and, 4K would be a nice to have for future but honestly I don't think the extra money is justified as there is lack of content at the moment

i initially looked at the sony as it had good reviews and the slim bezel made the tv the same overall size as my existing tv.

Thanks for your replies

Regards Steve

 

[Harpo]

Hi all
So is the mentioned Sony TV the one I should buy? Or anything else I could look at in this price range?
Regards Steve

 

[Son_of_SJ]

Hello Steve,

Before I type lots and lots, are you still looking? Or have you made up your mind and bought something? It's just that you've not been on here for a while .......

 

[Harpo]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.. I thought no one was going to answer!

No I have not bought a tv yet... I have been reading reviews and I am now more confused lol.. I thought something would of jumped out and be a clear winner for me but it seems not, even if I up my budget a little

any advice you have would be much appreciated

Regards Steve

 

[buzz_lightclick]

I would say a used but mint KRP-500A but then I am a little biased. *acute*

 

[Son_of_SJ]

Yes, a very good condition Pioneer Kuro 500A or LX5090 would be good! On a whim to see how much of a joker buzz_lightclick is, I just checked on eBay, and to my considerable surprise, here http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/pioneer-kuro are all sorts of goodies to be had, including the 42-inch HD ready 428XD identical to the one in my bedroom. However, if you do get a Kuro two things. One, make sure that it's a Full HD model, not just HD ready. Second, you'll need to buy a Freeview HD set-top box for the Freeview HD channels, because Pioneer televisions were made before Freeview High Definition became widespread. One like this little Mnahattan number from Currys, only £50.

 

[Son_of_SJ]

Assuming that you might want a more modern television Steve, then I'm going to suggest two models. One is the Samsung UE48H6400, from John Lewis, Richer Sounds etc. It has good reviews everywhere, from What Hi-Fi, from HDTV test for the 40-inch version, and from Trusted Reviews.One thing that I keep mentioning that the reviews gloss over, is that the stand swivels, which is actually quite useful. Everybody had been loving the H6400 series, and I thought that the 65-inch version of it in London six weeks ago looked pretty good, though it's only 1080p, not 4K. John Lewis will have one of the 6400 series on display, and you'll see that it more than holds its own against considerably more expensive sets. And, now at £549, it's £150 cheaper than when it got such good reviews.

The other television that I'll recommend is one of the last plasmas, the LG 50PB690V, £639 from Currys, right here. I know that I'm the only one on these forums that recommends LG plasmas, but that't okay, I must warn you that its black level won't be anything like as good as on a Panasonic plasma, but I find that in practice the black level of my LG plasma in the kitchen is not noticeably worse than that of my acclaimed Samsung plasma in the parlour. And, the LG even has, saints preserve us, a VGA input to connect to a (Windows XP yes, and maybe Windows 7) computer. If you can still see this LG plasma on display at Currys (make sure that it's this model, not either of the two step-down models) it won't look very inspiring next to the "LED" televisions that will certainly be surrounding it, but provided that your room at home is not too bright, the LG will be fine, mine is vibrant even with an amount of daylight coming in. For bright rooms however, the Samsung might be a better bet.

Both of these sets do 3D, and are very well within your £1,000 budget. Hence, I would urge you to get your set, whichever you decide on, (and there are capable alternatives to the two that I've given, expecially from Sony) get it calibrated. This will cost between £200 to £250, and I think that it is very worthwhile. I had all four of my televisions calibrated in summer 2013 (with a bulk discount), and I'm still loving the results, and it saddens me slightly that so many people are living with televisions that are not performing nearly as well as they could. Google the names of Stephen Withers, Vincent Teoh and Canary Jules (he's a Norwich City fan!) for calibration services.

And you'll still have change from your grand. *dance4*

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Whatever happened to those LED Pioneer TVs that Currys were going to sell?

 

[bigboss]

Whatever happened to those LED Pioneer TVs that Currys were going to sell?

They only mentioned "at some point in the future" without giving any timescale.

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/pioneer-led-201311113435.htm

 

[buzz_lightclick]

Yes, a very good condition Pioneer Kuro 500A or LX5090 would be good! On a whim to see how much of a joker buzz_lightclick is, I just checked on eBay, and to my considerable surprise, here http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/pioneer-kuro are all sorts of goodies to be had, including the 42-inch HD ready 428XD identical to the one in my bedroom. However, if you do get a Kuro two things. One, make sure that it's a Full HD model, not just HD ready. Second, you'll need to buy a Freeview HD set-top box for the Freeview HD channels, because Pioneer televisions were made before Freeview High Definition became widespread. One like this little Mnahattan number from Currys, only £50.

Yep there's been a few 500As on there recently, I've been watching a 600A for a while but not interested at £2,500. There was also a Pioneer 500M which sold for just £649 2 days ago! Also worth checking AV Forums where 9G Pioneers crop up quite often.