What Tv?

[Scarlett]

I was recently given a big TV- 32 " Samsung. Its owner was upgrading. Whilst I was grateful, the picture is truly is awful. I have fiddled with all the settings and the picture still seems to be too bright- glaring, inverted in places, not sharp, too orange, too yellow- just dismal. I would rather watch something on my iPhone cos the picture is at least sharp and clear. So, I need to get a TV which has a good picture. Please could you recommend one? Also I hear there are TVs which are internet linked, but I don't understand this at all! Ideally I would still like to be able to plug in my VHS player and DVD recorder as I still do transfers from time to time. Many thanks!

[Buenchico]

Your question is akin to asking us to recommend a good car, which drives well, without telling us your budget, whether you want an estate or a saloon, automatic or manual transmission, petrol or diesel, etc. i.e. it's a bit short on detail!

I'll try to give you a few pointers anyway:

1. Display type: At one time there was a choice to be made between LED and LCD screens. These days nearly all TV sets on sale are LED models so that's almost certainly what you should be looking for. (If you've got a BIG budget, stretching to thousands of pounds, there are also OLED sets which give the very best picture but at one hell of a price!)

2. Screen shape: Most TV sets have a flat screen but some have curved screens. Fans of curved screens claim that they provide a 'more natural' viewing experience and that they offer a wider viewing angle but many people (myself included) see little advantage in paying the extra money which they tend to cost.

3. Screen size: If, like me, you live alone and usually sit reasonably close to your TV (mine's on my desk alongside me here) then you only need a fairly small screen. My TV has just a 19" screen but it's perefectly good enough for me. (Indeed, I have to push my chair back a bit to get the best viewing position). However the smallest size that's considered to be within a 'normal' range these days seems to be 28", with many people choosing sets with 49" or 55" screens. A larger screen generally means greater expense but big TVs are nowhere near as expensive as they used to be.

4. HD ('high defintion') capability: The cheapest sets are often only 'HD ready'. That means that you won't see regular Freeview programmes in HD but you can plug in HD external devices (such as a Blu-Ray player) and view their ouput in HD. 'Full HD' sets will let you watch Freeview HD channels. (Confusingly, some sets are labelled as both 'HD ready' and 'Freeview HD', which is equivalent to 'Full HD'). Beyond that there's also 'Ultra HD' (also known as '4K') but many people, including me, can't see much point in buying them as there's not a great deal of content available for them yet.

5. 'Smart' capability: As you mentioned in your post, many TV sets are now 'smart'. i.e. they can connect to the internet. What they actually do with internet content depends upon which 'apps' are included with the set. (Different manufacturers include different apps). They usually include 'catchup' services, such as BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, 4 on Demand, etc, so that you can watch them on your TV instead of on your computer. They can also include things like Youtube as well as services which you need to subscribe to (if you choose to use them), such as Netflix. You need to be aware though that some of the apps on smart TVs only continue working as long as the manufacturer continues to support them; some manufacturers have dropped support for some apps only a couple of years after selling the sets that they're on. For that reason, many people prefer not to bother with built-in smart apps and instead buy non-smart TVs and then make them 'smart' with an external device (such as a Now TV box or an Amazon Fire TV stick).

6. Inputs for external devices: All modern TVs have HDMI ports, enabling you to plug in things like Blu-Ray players, etc. However if you want to be able to connect an older non-HDMI external source (such as a VHS player) you'll need either a Scart socket or RCA ('phono') sockets on the back of the set.

7. Recording capability: Many sets permit you to record programs simply by plugging in a USB memory stick to provide the storage space needed.

As you seem to regard a 32" set as 'big' (whereas it's actually 'small' compared to the average screen size these days), I'll assume that you're not looking for anything larger. In which case, this might well meet your needs:
http://www.richersounds.com/product/tv---all/hisense/lhd32d50tuk/hise-lhd32d50tuk
(It's got very good reviews).

[Sqad]

That response by Buenchico is worthy of Best Answer unlike Crossword answers which seem to dominate.
I don't understand one word of it Buenchico.....but well done.

[1ozzy]

Stick to dispensing Ibuprofen Sqad ;-)

[Sqad]

Ozzy......;-)

[Scarlett]

Buenchico, thanks so much for all that- very interesting! Basically in my room, the TV is at the other end to my bed so is quite far away, hence needing a bigger screen. I also rarely watch TV but do like to watch films, so a bigger screen is better for that. My budget is not much- perhaps up to £300?

[Buenchico]

Thanks for your reply, Scarlett.

This should meet your needs perfectly:
https://www.tesco.com/direct/sharp-40-inch-lc-40cff4041k-fhd-led-tv-with-freeview-hd/116-7461.prd?skuId=116-7461
(If you wanted to add on 'smart' capability, so that you could watch catchup services or things like Youtube content, you could buy a Now TV box to go with it for £14.99: http://www.nowtv.com/box )

[Scarlett]

Brill- I'll have a look. Thank you again!