Curved TV, anyone got one?

[Nick G]

Guys,

I am in the market for a new TV. Probably 49" - 55" but the choice is baffling. Anyone got a curved TV if so what are the pros and cons? any recommendations?

[NorthBrit]

Guys,

----------------     any recommendations?

 

The rubbish now on TV!!     

 

Buy another locomotive instead.        

[Vistisen]

Curved TV's are like 3D Tv's  not useful.

 

Look at all the new models and they are ALL without 3D and flat. It's only shops trying to get rid of last years stock that have them on special offer. Would you buy a warped model of a train? NO of course not so don't buy at TV that shows Square objects warped up in the corners due to non flat screens. It makes me laugh that 10 years ago everyone had to pay extra to get 'flatscreen' triniton rather than old fashioned convex Cathode ray tubes, that were replaced by flat screens, that where then replaced a couple of years ago by concave curved tv's, They might make a bit more sense with large  widescreen computer monitors where you sit a lot closer and the curved screen means that your eyes are equidistant from the screen at  the edge and the middle. But for a family tv... No use what so ever,

[jjb1970]

The problem with 3D was the content I think. If done well it could be very effective but most of the movies that use the technique aren't the best and they tend to go for cheap whiz bang effects rather than using 3D to really enhance the story telling. I found the same problem with surround sound when it has been tried with music.

[Ron Ron Ron]

As Vistiaen says, 3D TV's have now disappeared from manufacturers ranges.

It was a cumbersome marketing gimmick that didn't take off.

 

 

As for curved TV's.

I'm pretty sure that only Samsung make them now, with the only other two manufacturers who ventured into this area, having stopped selling them about 2 years ago.

 

I believe the idea behind curved TV's was to reduce the problem of viewing from an acute angle for someone sitting to one side of a very large flat screen.

I seem to remember that there was supposed to be a benefit if sitting at a closer distance from the centre of a very large scree (cinemascope effect).

We are talking 65", 85" and larger TV's.

 

In practice it was a combination of a solution looking for a problem that moistly didn't exist and gimmicky marketing hype.

One can only conclude that by producing smaller curved screens, that it was more gimmick than practical solution.

 

I'm sure there are applications where a wide curved screen would come in useful, such as ultra wide computer monitors, but it's hard to imagine anything but disappointment in buying one as a TV for a normal sized family lounge.

 

 

As an aside, at the posh car dealership where we take two of our cars for servicing; the large waiting lounge and coffee bar area has curved walls and the pair of large curved HD TV's that adorn those walls, fit neatly and perfectly.

It's about the only situation I imagine a curved TV would come in useful, if only for aesthetic reasons.

 

 

.

/..

[brianusa]

A bit like the cinema when all sorts of screen gimmicks appeared in the 'fifties. Cinemascope showed up well mainly because of the size of the screen; a 55" screen doesn't have the same effect!

 

Brian.

[PatB]

When I first saw one I assumed Triang must be attempting a comeback ;}.

[gismorail]

I reckon they could be useful if one lived in a windmill or a lighthouse 

[newbryford]

I used to have a TV with a curved screen..

Swapped it for a colour version.

 

 

 

Cheers,

Mick

 

 

[phil-b259]

With consumer electronics being generally very reliable these days manufacturers need a constant supply of 'Gimicks' to encourage folk to buy new versions - as the traditional business model of selling people new stuff when the old one breaks / is unrepairable* simply doesn't generate enough revenue.

 

In the sphere of TVs, we have seen all sorts of stuff come in over the past two decades, very little of which has actually made any difference. The two ones I would single out is the introduction of 'Smart' TVs allowing you to catch up via internet apps and High Deffinition programming.

 

* Of course deliberately making things harder to repair helps the process too - although I believe the rot set in with the introduction of VAT on all purchases instead of the previous sales tax which only applied to new items and complete items (the Triang CKD range only existed because by being a 'kit' it could be sold without sales tax being due)

[Nick G]

Thanks guys, thats a curved screen TV ruled out then...

 

Any recommendations for a decent flat screen 49 - 55 inch, any experiences out there?

[jjb1970]

My advice is to just go and have a look at them. There is a wide range from cheap super market stuff to high end models costing several thousand pounds. As with many things, putting style and fashion to one side whether or not it is worth spending more depends on whether you can discern a difference in image quality. There are electronics magazines out there trying to pretend there are huge differences out there when in fact for most people most products within quite a wide price band and for a given screen size will look pretty much the same. If you're buying a large screen I'd recommend buying a separate sound system, these days sound bars with woofers are very good and for many people it is not worth the hassle of a full surround sound system but again it is a question of deciding what you are happy with. I have a Sony 4K model in the living room which I'm very happy with (I can't remember the model, sorry), it wasn't cheap but neither was it unreasonably expensive.

[Ozexpatriate]

Thanks guys, thats a curved screen TV ruled out then...

Good choice - they are a gimmick.

 

Any recommendations for a decent flat screen 49 - 55 inch, any experiences out there?

I can't help you with all the brands you will see in the UK.

 

So far I am happy with the Samsung and LG TVs that I have. They are less than two years old.

[JJGraphics]

Good choice - they are a gimmick.

 

I can't help you with all the brands you will see in the UK.

 

So far I am happy with the Samsung and LG TVs that I have. They are less than two years old.

 

 

Draw your own conclusion . . .

 

A short while ago I was chatting with an acquaintance, a TV engineer, who works in a medium-sized company. She does both field and bench work and the subject of the reliability of the various makes came up. She mentioned that they see relatively few problems with Panasonic, Sony and LG TVs, the majority of their repair work being on Samsung, Toshiba, Sharp and other "no-make" TVs.

 

John

[njee20]

Is that proportional to the sold volumes of Samsung, Toshiba and Sharp...?

 

Everything breaks, Samsung certainly seem to be very common these days (not for failure, just general popularity) and I can't fault the one I bought 2 years ago.

It replaced a 10 year old Sony LCD which was relegated to garage use, but is still going strong.

 

IMO you'll struggle for any meaningful reliability data, sample sizes are huge, there are always failures in there somewhere.

[Guius]

I converted my flat screen T.V. into the curved variety when I put my boot through it after accidentally catching 'Britain's Got Out of Celebrity East End Street'  last week.

 

Guy

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

...Any recommendations for a decent flat screen 49 - 55 inch, any experiences out there?

 Timing is everything. You really want to wait for a combination of late summer (people broke from holidays) and (UK specific) large scale sporting event just ended (remaining stock of large screens which didn't sell) for the best price offer. And taking your time looking and listening to what is available may pay off if making the purchase from the likes of John Lewis. The staff have some discretion if there is a need to shift stock, and are fully aware of the internet as a threat.

[polybear]

Apparently one of the big problems regarding sending tellies for repair is they need suitable boxes to transport them in.  Customers rarely have the original boxes - cos' they won't fit thru' the loft hatch....

[jjb1970]

Something worth looking out for is a free extended warranty. I wouldn't pay for one of these but some retailers bundle them with their packages. I got a free 5 year warranty from Sony on the one I have. Yes, I know consumer protection law means that you have rights beyond the traditional warranty period anyway but if you can get an extended one without paying more then you may as well have it.

[Purley Oaks]

Yep, definitely try John Lewis with their free 5-Year Guarantee; you may not buy one from there but the staff usually know what they're talking about. I'd go for a 4K Ultra HD Smart tv - fancied a 65" Panasonic but was advised by my wonderful wife and partner that the 58" would be just as good and not fill the whole room.

 

On balance she was probably right. But very pleased we got this Panasonic 58" 4K Ultra HD which has a superb pic, especially the HD channels (d'oh!), and I like the way it connects effortlessly to t'internet - still buffers very occasionally, though, but usually only on YouTube vids.

 

Mal

Edited May 14, 2018 by Purley Oaks

[Guest]

The latest thing I've read about are Samsung's new 'Picture Frame' TVs.

They look like a picture frame and show nice pictures when they're 'off'

 

Clearly they've been talking to my wife who complains TVs are like the monolith from 2001

Edited May 14, 2018 by 30801

[Ron Ron Ron]

Thanks guys, thats a curved screen TV ruled out then...

 

Any recommendations for a decent flat screen 49 - 55 inch, any experiences out there?

 

 

What do you want to pay?

 

If avoiding the unknown brand names,

.....or known brands that have now become  "also rans" quality wise,

.....or who's name is now applied to cheap Chinese products;

.....that leaves the big 4.

 

Sony, Samsung, LG and Panasonic.

Panasonic have in recent years fallen behind the pace, particularly since they ditched Plasma technology and have had to buy-in their screen technology from the Korean's.

Also, Panasonic have twice in the last few years, contemplated pulling out of the domestic TV business altogether.

 

Each produce wide ranges of TV's to cover different price segments, but as with anything else in life, you get what you pay for.

You pay more for better quality screens, better picture processing, 4k capability, smart capability (not much use AFAIC) and some extra features.

 

The cheapest ranges from even these big 4 companies, tend to consist of last years, or the year before thats, technology.

Production of those cheaper ranges is often subcontracted out to Chinese and SE Asian manufacturers. 

Sometimes the difference is manufacturing and component quality is quite noticeable.

 

All these companies have high end, state of the art products, but they are usually much more expensive, costing thousands of £££'s .

OLED TV's are the current top end.

Samsung's QLED isn't the same as OLED, but a hybrid LED technology.

All the top end TV's are very impressive with the latest 4k source material (e.g. from 4k discs or broadcasts) if set up properly, but for most TV viewing a decent mid-price model should serve just as well.

 

Something to watch out for (no pun intended), is that even the largest TV departments or stores, do not usually carry a full range from each manufacturer. Only having examples from different price points.

The biggest Currys stores seem to be offering a wider range these days though.

The likes of Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Argos etc; generally only sell the cheaper models, even from the big 4 companies.

 

It's worth noting that TV's on display are usually running in "showroom" picture modes.

These modes are labelled Vivid, Dynamic or something similar.

In those modes, the picture quality is artificially boosted to give very high contrast and excessive colour rendition.

The aim is both to overcome the bright lighting in the showroom and also to "impress" the potential purchaser.

If you can, grab the remote handset and select the normal modes, to get a better impression.

 

 

.

Edited May 14, 2018 by Ron Ron Ron

[Nick G]

 

It's worth noting that TV's on display are usually running in "showroom" picture modes.

These modes are labelled Vivid, Dynamic or something similar.

 

 

.

 

 

 

Ah, I did wonder as I checked out my local Curry's and the picture quality varied immensely with the more expensive sets seemingly having poorer pictures than cheaper models.

[10000]

Ah, I did wonder as I checked out my local Curry's and the picture quality varied immensely with the more expensive sets seemingly having poorer pictures than cheaper models.

 

Yep you really need delve into the setup of the TV. As said avoid screen setting like vivid, dynamic, showroom etc. Obviously depends on the make of TV.

 

Also getting the setting correct for things like gamma make a difference.

 

Last new TV I bought approaching 2 years ago took me about 2 months to get tweaked to best settings and included a few search's on the web looking for info on the best way to set it up.

 

 

edit: many sets have a sharpness setting , don't turn it up it usually needs turning down from default value.

Edited May 14, 2018 by 10000

[melmerby]

 

 

. It makes me laugh that 10 years ago everyone had to pay extra to get 'flatscreen' triniton rather than old fashioned convex Cathode ray tubes,

10 years ago?*

More like 20+. My first LCD TV is nearly 10 years old and my first LCD computer monitor was bought in 2001.

Also the Trinitron wasn't flat anyway, it was curved E-W but much less so N-S as the best conventional tubes.

After 1996 anyone could make the tubes as Sony's patent had run out and there was generally no price difference

 

* the last "Trinitron" was in a catalogue in 2006 by which time it had been well beaten by first, Plasma, then LCD displays.

 

Keith