"Small' TV advice

[robcat]

Last year I changed our bedroom TV, and agree there is a lack of quality "small" i.e. under 49" TVs. (I didn't want an insanely large TV dominating the bedroom, but since we watch at lot in there, I wanted a decent picture).

I agree 4K isn't noticeable on a 40/43" set at 8 feet, but you'll be hard pushed to get a decent set at that size that isn't. More noticeable is HDR - which gives much better colours and brightness at any distance. (Btw despite what people say, there's loads of 4k, and quite a bit of HDR on Netflix and Amazon).

Problem is is that most sets of that size don't do proper HDR - the blacks in particular looks very washed out and unconvincing.

The "smallest" TV that does proper HDR and 4k is the Samsung 43KS7500 - which typically, is about £750. Any others are "HDR compatible" - which means they attempt to show HDR material, but don't have the hardware to fully support e.g. Dolby Vision or HDR10. We initially had an LG set that was HDR compatible, but not "proper" HDR - stuff like Grand Tour actually looked worse than SDR. Contrast was very poor, even in all resolutions.

If you're not fussed about HDR, Panasonic mentioned above is meant to be good (with the above caveat), or the Sony 43xd80. These apparently are the next best.

In 32", there's even less choice.

[Rod]

I still have a 7 year old top of the range 42" Panasonic plasma and not seen anything that competes with it... even OLED. I've checked out new offerings with John Lewis and am not convinced especially when they don't display standard TV content. The pictures look so enhanced and artificial somehow.
If I was forced into buying a particular make it would be LG.

[spud767]

I recently got a Samsung KU6400 40". Ok it's not groundbreaking technology but it was less than £500 and is a decent picture with a modern look and worth a look IMO.

[moe100]

I recently got a Samsung KU6400 40". Ok it's not groundbreaking technology but it was less than £500 and is a decent picture with a modern look and worth a look IMO.

Another vote for the 6400 from me also.

[MakeColdplayHistory]

Proper pauper here then... our only TV is a 37" Panasonic plasma. We've had it for 10 years but in the last year everything's gone blue three or four times. Turning it off and on again works but I know it will need changing at some point. Accounting for the bezel we could get a 42" TV in there but nothing bigger.

Having said that we're renovating another downstairs room in the next few months and can put something mahoosive in there!

[robcat]

The move to larger screens just highlights the inadequacies of LCD screen technology.

When you look at a larger screen, you see that the lack of effective black and shadow detail is far more obvious, as there are larger dark areas, and the nature of the edge backlighting leads to more backlight bleed and clouding (OLED excepted). These are far less obvious on smaller screen, as are motions errors (which most screens have).

Similarly, SD is never going to look good on a 50" screen, whether it's being upscaled to 1080 or 4K, as there's just not enough detail for that size image.

This is why in a smaller room I just don't want a massive telly. Even 1080p looks crap if you're too close, but SD looks terrible.

We've moved to a situation where it's mainly quantity-rather-than-quality, except at the higher end of the market, where TVs are still very expensive - but frustratingly, you still can't get a top-quality screen at less than 50". (As I said, the nearest is the 43ks7500 - but it's still not a patch on an OLED).

[reecie]

I got the Sony 43XD8088 in Nov. Mainly as a gaming tv as it does UHD and HDR with a decent input lag. Picture quality is really good with. Bit of tweaking. One thing to note is that it is a VA panel, which helps contrast, but leads to poorer viewing angles. So you need to sit more central to maintain this. All other panel sizes in that range are IPS.

[snowman]

Proper pauper here then... our only TV is a 37" Panasonic plasma. We've had it for 10 years but in the last year everything's gone blue three or four times. Turning it off and on again works but I know it will need changing at some point. Accounting for the bezel we could get a 42" TV in there but nothing bigger.

Having said that we're renovating another downstairs room in the next few months and can put something mahoosive in there!

Sounds like we have the same set and the occasional blue monday, but i have no plans to change it as I've yet to see anything with a better picture..

Watching it now and i still reckon it's the best tech purchase i ever made.

M

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