In need of help please.

[TristarMick]

Hi everyone. Just joined this forum so let me introduce myself. My wife and I are 79 years old, so our hearing is not at its best, we live in Hertfordshire England. We currently have an old Samsung 2K tv which is still working well after many years service, and an even older Samsung DVD home cinema system with wired speakers which now is very fussy about which discs it will play. Time to replace then, and upgrade to a 4K tv. Was initially struck with the LG C5 tv, but following the latest HI FI reviews the Sony Bravia 8 II sounds good. Home cinema's seem to have moved from DVD players to soundbars , so can anyone advise please on the best set up LG or Sony tv, with which soundbar home theatre, not to bassy with clear speech , and a DVD player to connect with it to get home theatre sound from discs. Any help would be gratefully received, I await any replies with eager anticipation.
Thank you for taking the time to read, hope it all makes sense !
Best Wishes,
Mick.

 

[BiggaJ]

Hello Mick,

I have just picked up (last weekend) a Sony Bravia 8 mk2 having had previously a Sony Bravia TV that was bought new in 2017. Both are 65". My brother in law recently picked up the LG C5 also in 65".

I had an active subwoofer connected to the old Sony but the new one won't support it and after talking to Sony, they recommend a soundbar and sub that will connect via Bluetooth. I dont like the aesthetics of a soundbar, I prefer a clean look and this is where the Sony scores over the LG, the sound from the TV (it has actuators that vibrate the TV screen) as did my outgoing model and this does give probably the best sound of any TV inbuilt speakers. You may find (if you dont like too much bass) the Sony will give you the sound you want without going to added expense of soundbars.

In terms of picture quality, very little in it, both TV's are very configurable to give you the picture you want. I have to say the quality has come on a lot since I bought my outgoing Sony. The only reason for the change was my wife felt the old TV was sluggish to react to inputs ... She had struggled to get it to respond as quickly as she like or it has in the past and slowly got worse over recent months.

The other aspect to the Sony which was a plus for me and my wife is that it operates through Google which I'm not sure the LG does. The set up process took minutes. I recall the last one took an age to set up and log into all the various streaming services such as Amazon, Netflix etc.

 

[TristarMick]

Hello Mick,

I have just picked up (last weekend) a Sony Bravia 8 mk2 having had previously a Sony Bravia TV that was bought new in 2017. Both are 65". My brother in law recently picked up the LG C5 also in 65".

I had an active subwoofer connected to the old Sony but the new one won't support it and after talking to Sony, they recommend a soundbar and sub that will connect via Bluetooth. I dont like the aesthetics of a soundbar, I prefer a clean look and this is where the Sony scores over the LG, the sound from the TV (it has actuators that vibrate the TV screen) as did my outgoing model and this does give probably the best sound of any TV inbuilt speakers. You may find (if you dont like too much bass) the Sony will give you the sound you want without going to added expense of soundbars.

In terms of picture quality, very little in it, both TV's are very configurable to give you the picture you want. I have to say the quality has come on a lot since I bought my outgoing Sony. The only reason for the change was my wife felt the old TV was sluggish to react to inputs ... She had struggled to get it to respond as quickly as she like or it has in the past and slowly got worse over recent months.

The other aspect to the Sony which was a plus for me and my wife is that it operates through Google which I'm not sure the LG does. The set up process took minutes. I recall the last one took an age to set up and log into all the various streaming services such as Amazon, Netflix etc.

Many thanks BiggaJ, the Bravia 8 it is then. Just need a compatible DVD player now. Thanks again for your response.
Best wishes,
Mick

 

[BiggaJ]

Many thanks BiggaJ, the Bravia 8 it is then. Just need a compatible DVD player now. Thanks again for your response.
Best wishes,
Mick

Not a problem, I would say give both TV's a demo if you can. The LG has a matt none reflective screen whereas the Sony doesn't ... this may be a plus for you. I was told by two retailers the matt is a coating that can rub off over time when cleaning the screen ... I have no idea whether this is true or not but the LG is a nice product but you need to see for yourself. All I do know is the Sony 8 has the best sound for a TV speaker system which may alleviate your need for additional speakers.

 

[TristarMick]

Not a problem, I would say give both TV's a demo if you can. The LG has a matt none reflective screen whereas the Sony doesn't ... this may be a plus for you. I was told by two retailers the matt is a coating that can rub off over time when cleaning the screen ... I have no idea whether this is true or not but the LG is a nice product but you need to see for yourself. All I do know is the Sony 8 has the best sound for a TV speaker system which may alleviate your need for additional speakers.

Thanks again BiggaJ. Odd that a major company like LG would coat the screen with something that rubs off, but if two retailers told you this then it seems plausible. Shame as I did fancy the LG5 paired with an LG S80TR soundbar for the home cinema effect, not your cup of tea I know. The Sony certainly sounds the better bet, the nearest retailer to me is Curry's, not sure if they can arrange demo's or not or how helpful they will be, but will give them a try and see if they can advise on a home theatre system, and 4K DVD player to go with it.
Regards,
Mick.

 

[BiggaJ]

I went to my local Curry's to have a look and they had lots of TV's on display but nowhere to actually demo them. Richer Sounds will arrange Demo's and also if you have a Sony Centre near you, the other choice being a John Lewis. I ended up looking on line at Sony Directly via their website but it kept glitching when I was trying to check out, so went to a Sony Centre, and asked them to match what Sony were offering on line, which they duly did. 5 Year warranty is a given wherever you buy the TV.

 

[TristarMick]

I went to my local Curry's to have a look and they had lots of TV's on display but nowhere to actually demo them. Richer Sounds will arrange Demo's and also if you have a Sony Centre near you, the other choice being a John Lewis. I ended up looking on line at Sony Directly via their website but it kept glitching when I was trying to check out, so went to a Sony Centre, and asked them to match what Sony were offering on line, which they duly did. 5 Year warranty is a given wherever you buy the TV.

Thanks again BiggaJ, there is a Richer Sounds near me so will probably be the best bet for demo's and informed advice .
Regards,
Mick

 

[Roger_A]

Thanks again BiggaJ, there is a Richer Sounds near me so will probably be the best bet for demo's and informed advice .
Regards,
Mick

I think you'll find that a much better experience especially if you need advice or any after sales care.

 

[TristarMick]

I think you'll find that a much better experience especially if you need advice or any after sales care.

Thanks Roger, yes I've never used shopped at Richer Sounds, but feel they will be better to understand what I need . I'm not a great fan of Curry's anyway.

 

[Roger_A]

Thanks Roger, yes I've never used shopped at Richer Sounds, but feel they will be better to understand what I need . I'm not a great fan of Curry's anyway.

You're welcome. I'm rather lucky because as well as RS we have HBH Woolacott's who are excellent but only have shops and deliveries in Cornwall and Devon.

With regard to what you are looking for and noting your comments about inbuilt sound quality I think your possible choice of the Sony Bravia 8 II is a good one but I'll relate our findings when we replaced our older LG set a few months ago.

Like you we wanted the best picture and built in sound quality as my wife was finding it difficult with dialogue and I have hearing aids due to moderate hearing loss. At first we chose the LG G4 set but found we didn't get on with it due to distortion on sound. Fortunately HBHW accepted it back and we went to choose a replacement. We were very impressed with the Sony sets with their screen actuators including the then Bravia 8 and their then top model which my wife wanted to buy but we hit a snag as that had feet at the extreme ends of the set which were not movable so it would not fit on our corner cabinet and I note the latest Bravia 8 II is pictured with feet at the extreme ends so this might be worth checking if it matters to you. In our case we then compared the then Bravia 8 {which did have movable feet} with the Panasonic Z95A which had a central foot and had attention paid to sound quality with effectively a sound bar built in as well as a brighter screen. In the end we bought the Panasonic and were very happy with it.

Since then the Panasonic has been replaced by the Z95B which, according to Panasonic, has improved sound as well as the latest OLED screen. If you ask RS for a comparison of these two, Panasonic and Sony, I'd be very surprised if you didn't find one to your liking or even, like us, find it a difficult final choice as they are both excellent sets and well built.

One final thing, the Panasonic has a Freely tuner rather than the usual Freeview or Freesat and this works off the internet although you can use a normal aerial as well which will give some channels not yet provided by Freely if you need them. In our case we mainly use Sky Q so it doesn't make much difference and Freely works fine although it is obviously still developing and expanding its range and features.

Sorry for the long explanation but hope this is helpful.

Roger

 

[TristarMick]

You're welcome. I'm rather lucky because as well as RS we have HBH Woolacott's who are excellent but only have shops and deliveries in Cornwall and Devon.

With regard to what you are looking for and noting your comments about inbuilt sound quality I think your possible choice of the Sony Bravia 8 II is a good one but I'll relate our findings when we replaced our older LG set a few months ago.

Like you we wanted the best picture and built in sound quality as my wife was finding it difficult with dialogue and I have hearing aids due to moderate hearing loss. At first we chose the LG G4 set but found we didn't get on with it due to distortion on sound. Fortunately HBHW accepted it back and we went to choose a replacement. We were very impressed with the Sony sets with their screen actuators including the then Bravia 8 and their then top model which my wife wanted to buy but we hit a snag as that had feet at the extreme ends of the set which were not movable so it would not fit on our corner cabinet and I note the latest Bravia 8 II is pictured with feet at the extreme ends so this might be worth checking if it matters to you. In our case we then compared the then Bravia 8 {which did have movable feet} with the Panasonic Z95A which had a central foot and had attention paid to sound quality with effectively a sound bar built in as well as a brighter screen. In the end we bought the Panasonic and were very happy with it.

Since then the Panasonic has been replaced by the Z95B which, according to Panasonic, has improved sound as well as the latest OLED screen. If you ask RS for a comparison of these two, Panasonic and Sony, I'd be very surprised if you didn't find one to your liking or even, like us, find it a difficult final choice as they are both excellent sets and well built.

One final thing, the Panasonic has a Freely tuner rather than the usual Freeview or Freesat and this works off the internet although you can use a normal aerial as well which will give some channels not yet provided by Freely if you need them. In our case we mainly use Sky Q so it doesn't make much difference and Freely works fine although it is obviously still developing and expanding its range and features.

Sorry for the long explanation but hope this is helpful.

Roger

Thank you Roger, not only are you lucky enough to have a HBH Woolacott's in your area you must live in my favourite part of the country
🙂. Seems like I will drop comparing the LG C5 and take up your suggestion of the Sony versus Panasonic. The feet at the end wouldn't be a problem for us, though a large foot in the centre might look more attractive who knows. We currently view through a Freeview box ( Manhattan), can you record programs with Freely do you know ? Though I'm keen to get the new set up ASAP, I'm trying to be patient and wait for "black Friday", as there might be some good deals around. Any idea how much notice Richer Sounds needs to arrange a demonstration ?
Thanks for all your imput.
Best wishes,
Mick