New TV

ftv · 02-10-2016, 07:52

I have a 13-year-old Panasonic HD which is fine but doesn't have any of the modern technology like Smart TV, Netflix, Amazon etc. I'm thinking of replacing it - any recommendations please ?

Marti S · 02-10-2016, 09:48

Dont go spending a lot just because it has smart features, some of them become unsupported after several years and stop working.

Also bare in mind that if you get a high spec cheap price TV then it probably wont be as good as a lower spec at the same price.

It is hard to give any other advice because we are all different in what we want.

neo_wales · 02-10-2016, 10:48

Plug an old laptop or base unit into your Panasonic and hey presto, you've got a smart TV.

GDK · 02-10-2016, 10:53

Provided you have a good broadband internet connection to the home, pretty much all modern smart TVs are able to access Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer. If there are other services you're interested in accessing you should check that the specific TV has that service.

You'll need to think about how to connect the TV to your home network. Smart TVs can usually connect to your home network either wirelessly (via wifi) or via a wired connection.

What other smart features do you want? Play video from plug in memory sticks? Share the screen with smart phones and tablets? If so, you'll need to check whether the TV can do that with your specific devices. Are they Apple iOS or Android or "other". Do you want access to video stored on a home computer or NAS?

The list of possible features is large and your choice of TV depends on what you want to be able to do with it.

Beyond that it's then a matter of "ease of use". I recently bought an LG TV which has WebOS 3 software which I found easy to use and set up. I can't comment on the ease of use of the software on other brands of TVs, but they do vary.

njp · 02-10-2016, 10:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by ftv

I have a 13-year-old Panasonic HD which is fine but doesn't have any of the modern technology like Smart TV, Netflix, Amazon etc. I'm thinking of replacing it - any recommendations please ?

Stick something that does what you want into one of the HDMI sockets. Personally I find that a Chromecast (£30) meets all my smart TV requirements. I certainly wouldn't want them built-in to the TV, because they'll just go out of date when the TV maker loses interest in the set a few months after launching it. And will probably be much less usable even while they work.

Orbitalzone · 02-10-2016, 12:03

Yup, a smart TV is not a smart investment..... the smart features are almost certainly going to stop working after a couple of years. Doesn't mean you should buy a non smart TV (that's getting hard to do now) but don't expect the features to work after a few years.

GDK · 02-10-2016, 13:33

It's true that there's a greater chance that some smart features may stop working over time sooner when they're embedded in a TV than when they're embedded in a dedicated box attached via HDMI. I would not exaggerate the importance of that issue though.

If you buy a smart TV anyway, the answer is simply to buy a box that provides the smart features you want when they no longer work on the TV. In the meantime you can enjoy the convenience of having everything on the TV.

If you want to avoid that issue, the problem becomes finding a TV that has all the other "high end" features you may want, such as display type, display size, sound, video processing etc etc, but without the smart features. Depending on the non smart features you want, that may not be easy as manufacturers tend to add smart features anyway as you go up the range. If you find such a TV you'd still have to get a dedicated box with the services you want as well.

Either way, I don't think it's such a big deal as the boxes are not particularly expensive.

Many of those services require a subscription which you'd still pay for regardless of the device you use to access them. That's where the main part of the cost lies over time.

Nigel Goodwin · 02-10-2016, 15:40

I think you also need to bear in mind that it's generally NOT the TV that's stopping working, it's that the content provider has ended the service they use - for example iPlayer and YouTube, both of whom have ended the services they provided for the TV manufacturers to make use of.

GDK · 02-10-2016, 16:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

I think you also need to bear in mind that it's generally NOT the TV that's stopping working, it's that the content provider has ended the service they use - for example iPlayer and YouTube, both of whom have ended the services they provided for the TV manufacturers to make use of.

I agree partially with your point. It depends on both the TV manufacturer and the service provider. If either stop supporting the service on a particular model of TV (or its platform) it will eventually stop working on that TV. This can be because the provider won't continue to support the TV's platform or the TV manufacturer doesn't provide updates to the platform the TV uses to access the services. In most cases I believe it's the TV manufacturers who stops updating the platform on their older TVs. You may get updates for the TV for a couple of years, but beyond that, it's questionable. There's little incentive for TV manufacturers to update their older models indefinitely.

On the other hand, add on boxes tend to get support for much longer because that's all they do. If they cut support for the older boxes as quickly as tends to happen with TVs they'd be accused of ripping off consumers.

By the way, I can access iPlayer and YouTube on my (admittedly new) LG TV (WebOS 3). Also ITV hub, All 4 and others. YouTube and iPlayer certainly haven't stopped providing their service to all TV platforms.

njp · 02-10-2016, 17:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by GDK

By the way, I can access iPlayer and YouTube on my (admittedly new) LG TV (WebOS 3). They certainly haven't stopped providing their service to all TV platforms.

It's misleading to say that they stopped providing the service. What they did was to introduce a new API for the service, and stop supporting the old one. I suspect that any TV could, in principle, be updated to support it, but of course there is no incentive once they have your money.

GDK · 02-10-2016, 17:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by njp

It's misleading to say that they stopped providing the service. What they did was to introduce a new API for the service, and stop supporting the old one. I suspect that any TV could, in principle, be updated to support it, but of course there is no incentive once they have your money.

I agree. In some cases hardware limitations can prevent an older TV from being updated. TV makers and service providers should work more closely together to ensure access from older TVs continues for longer than it does at present.

As you say, there's no incentive for the TV manufacturers to do this. Hence the continuing need for dedicated boxes.

Nigel Goodwin · 02-10-2016, 17:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by njp

It's misleading to say that they stopped providing the service.

Nothing misleading about it at all - they introduce a service, encourage manufacturers to make equipment that allows access to that service - and then a few years later discontinue that service.

The only reasons that external boxes are able to be upgraded are that it's a standard Android based system, so you've got code been written for all the endless phones and tablets.

It would 'probably' be possible to update some of the TV's, but who pays the huge bill for doing so? - and it obviously depends on the hardware been capable of it, as where Android systems have decent amounts of memory, TV's are usually pretty limited.

It would be nice to think that Android based TV's are likely to get better support, but as they requires apps specially written for them, I suspect that may not be so.

GDK · 02-10-2016, 17:23

Yes I agree there are hardware limitations that in some cases prevent updates.

Otherwise, in principle, any TV's software should be updated by the manufacturer until that physical limitation is reached. Because it's software the costs are not that huge and should be bourn by the manufacturer along with, as they do already, the other ongoing support costs.

koantemplation · 02-10-2016, 17:32

Is there such a thing as just a screen? E.g. without any 'Smart' features?

Although it would be nice to have Picture In/On Picture.

Or would I just want a very large monitor?

ianradioian · 02-10-2016, 18:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by koantemplation

Is there such a thing as just a screen? E.g. without any 'Smart' features?

Although it would be nice to have Picture In/On Picture.

Or would I just want a very large monitor?

A couple of years ago I bought a 50" Panasonic tv that is just a tv set. I presume there's still some normal tv's on sale still.
Incidentally, my partner's tv is a Philips smart tv that was bought 4 or 5 years ago when they first came out and all the features like youtube, google search bar etc are still working normally, though its not as fast as a modern phone, tablet etc

Nigel Goodwin · 03-10-2016, 08:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by koantemplation

Is there such a thing as just a screen? E.g. without any 'Smart' features?

Although it would be nice to have Picture In/On Picture.

Or would I just want a very large monitor?

Every single attempt at such designs has failed - just buy a TV and ignore the features you don't want.

But DON'T buy a TV based on imaginary 'smart' features.

Marti S · 03-10-2016, 09:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

Every single attempt at such designs has failed - just buy a TV and ignore the features you don't want.

But DON'T buy a TV based on imaginary 'smart' features.

My Sony has picture and picture and works very well, the only downside one of the pics has to be analogue or freeview, so I use the analogue out on my satellite receivers.

I must be one of the few that finds this desirable, more useful than fluid viewing for me and a better use of the SkyQ tuners

GDK · 03-10-2016, 09:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

Every single attempt at such designs has failed - just buy a TV and ignore the features you don't want.

But DON'T buy a TV based on imaginary 'smart' features.

Given the speed with which broadcast and internet streaming services change these days I think there is a case for revisiting the concept of "video separates". The video equivalent of hifi separates. i.e With the receiver and audio sections as separate physical devices from the display. It would make the system modular and you would not need to consider changing the display to receive new broadcast standards (as when DTV went HD - I had a TV with an HD display, but the built in digital receiver was not able to receive HD DTV. The TV was made before that launched. Caught between standards) or new services are launched. Just replace the receiver box with one capable of receiving the new services. Equivalent to replacing the tuner, and not having to replace the amp in a hifi setup.

I remember Philips had a range of video separates back in the 1980s. I guess they weren't that popular. Certainly "video separates" as a concept didn't catch on then. Anyone remember the name of that Philips range?

drillbit · 03-10-2016, 10:04

most blu ray players come with smart features

noise747 · 03-10-2016, 10:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by ftv

I have a 13-year-old Panasonic HD which is fine but doesn't have any of the modern technology like Smart TV, Netflix, Amazon etc. I'm thinking of replacing it - any recommendations please ?

I have a 7 year old or more Philips Plasma, no smart functions at all, but no way am I going to get rid of it because it still a great Tv set,.

So unless you really want say 4K, you should stick with the TV and get something like a firestick, I have a Sky now box and a Blue-ray with smart features connected to my Tv and I can watch Iplayer, ITV hub, Channeel 5 and 4, plus netflix using the Blue-ray player if i want to.
I also got myself a Chrome cast, but you do need a smart phone or tablet to use that, but it is great.

the problem with smart features on a Tv is that they normally go out of date before the end of the life of the TV.

noise747 · 03-10-2016, 10:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by njp

Stick something that does what you want into one of the HDMI sockets. Personally I find that a Chromecast (£30) meets all my smart TV requirements. I certainly wouldn't want them built-in to the TV, because they'll just go out of date when the TV maker loses interest in the set a few months after launching it. And will probably be much less usable even while they work.

chromecast are great, but you need a extra deviced for it to work, something like a smart phone or tablet. something like the Roku or firestick is a better all in one.

I love my chrome cast, I think it is great, but just a bit fiddly.

Nigel Goodwin · 03-10-2016, 13:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by GDK

I remember Philips had a range of video separates back in the 1980s. I guess they weren't that popular. Certainly "video separates" as a concept didn't catch on then. Anyone remember the name of that Philips range?

As I said, all such attempts have flopped badly - the most 'successful' was probably Sony Profeel - but that also was a huge flop (just not as huge as most others

)

chrisjr · 03-10-2016, 13:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by koantemplation

Is there such a thing as just a screen? E.g. without any 'Smart' features?

Although it would be nice to have Picture In/On Picture.

Or would I just want a very large monitor?

You can get screens that are just display panels. We have a number of Samsung panels at work. They are primarily designed for use as signage/advertising displays in shops and offices or as an alternative to a projector in a meeting room for example.

Mind you they are a hell of a lot more expensive than the equivalent sized Smart TV - you could probably buy at least 2 1080p 55in Smart TVs for each 1080p 55in display panel we've got! You could even buy a 55in 4k TV cheaper!

ftv · 03-10-2016, 15:17

Many thanks to everybody, that's given me plenty to think about, will be off to Curry's tomorrow.

chrisjr · 03-10-2016, 15:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by ftv

Many thanks to everybody, that's given me plenty to think about, will be off to Curry's tomorrow.

I wouldn't!

If you do go there make sure you are not spotted by any sales assistant who will only try to flog you some £100 quid HDMI leads to go with your new telly or something equally useless and unnecessary.

If I find I do have to get something from Currys I use their website "click & collect" feature. That way I select what I want online and only have to pay for it in store. Minimises the time in there and any interaction with Currys staff.

02-10-2016, 07:52	#1
ftv Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 31,434	New TV I have a 13-year-old Panasonic HD which is fine but doesn't have any of the modern technology like Smart TV, Netflix, Amazon etc. I'm thinking of replacing it - any recommendations please ?

02-10-2016, 09:48	#2
Marti S Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Leicester Posts: 2,965	Dont go spending a lot just because it has smart features, some of them become unsupported after several years and stop working. Also bare in mind that if you get a high spec cheap price TV then it probably wont be as good as a lower spec at the same price. It is hard to give any other advice because we are all different in what we want.

02-10-2016, 10:48	#3
neo_wales Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: South Wales/Gran Canaria Posts: 8,298	Plug an old laptop or base unit into your Panasonic and hey presto, you've got a smart TV.

02-10-2016, 10:53	#4
GDK Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Wigan Posts: 4,892	Provided you have a good broadband internet connection to the home, pretty much all modern smart TVs are able to access Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer. If there are other services you're interested in accessing you should check that the specific TV has that service. You'll need to think about how to connect the TV to your home network. Smart TVs can usually connect to your home network either wirelessly (via wifi) or via a wired connection. What other smart features do you want? Play video from plug in memory sticks? Share the screen with smart phones and tablets? If so, you'll need to check whether the TV can do that with your specific devices. Are they Apple iOS or Android or "other". Do you want access to video stored on a home computer or NAS? The list of possible features is large and your choice of TV depends on what you want to be able to do with it. Beyond that it's then a matter of "ease of use". I recently bought an LG TV which has WebOS 3 software which I found easy to use and set up. I can't comment on the ease of use of the software on other brands of TVs, but they do vary.

02-10-2016, 10:57	#5
njp Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 21,646	Quote: Originally Posted by ftv I have a 13-year-old Panasonic HD which is fine but doesn't have any of the modern technology like Smart TV, Netflix, Amazon etc. I'm thinking of replacing it - any recommendations please ? Stick something that does what you want into one of the HDMI sockets. Personally I find that a Chromecast (£30) meets all my smart TV requirements. I certainly wouldn't want them built-in to the TV, because they'll just go out of date when the TV maker loses interest in the set a few months after launching it. And will probably be much less usable even while they work.

02-10-2016, 12:03	#6
Orbitalzone Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Sussex Posts: 12,173	Yup, a smart TV is not a smart investment..... the smart features are almost certainly going to stop working after a couple of years. Doesn't mean you should buy a non smart TV (that's getting hard to do now) but don't expect the features to work after a few years.

02-10-2016, 13:33	#7
GDK Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Wigan Posts: 4,892	It's true that there's a greater chance that some smart features may stop working over time sooner when they're embedded in a TV than when they're embedded in a dedicated box attached via HDMI. I would not exaggerate the importance of that issue though. If you buy a smart TV anyway, the answer is simply to buy a box that provides the smart features you want when they no longer work on the TV. In the meantime you can enjoy the convenience of having everything on the TV. If you want to avoid that issue, the problem becomes finding a TV that has all the other "high end" features you may want, such as display type, display size, sound, video processing etc etc, but without the smart features. Depending on the non smart features you want, that may not be easy as manufacturers tend to add smart features anyway as you go up the range. If you find such a TV you'd still have to get a dedicated box with the services you want as well. Either way, I don't think it's such a big deal as the boxes are not particularly expensive. Many of those services require a subscription which you'd still pay for regardless of the device you use to access them. That's where the main part of the cost lies over time.

02-10-2016, 15:40	#8
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	I think you also need to bear in mind that it's generally NOT the TV that's stopping working, it's that the content provider has ended the service they use - for example iPlayer and YouTube, both of whom have ended the services they provided for the TV manufacturers to make use of.

02-10-2016, 16:51	#9
GDK Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Wigan Posts: 4,892	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin I think you also need to bear in mind that it's generally NOT the TV that's stopping working, it's that the content provider has ended the service they use - for example iPlayer and YouTube, both of whom have ended the services they provided for the TV manufacturers to make use of. I agree partially with your point. It depends on both the TV manufacturer and the service provider. If either stop supporting the service on a particular model of TV (or its platform) it will eventually stop working on that TV. This can be because the provider won't continue to support the TV's platform or the TV manufacturer doesn't provide updates to the platform the TV uses to access the services. In most cases I believe it's the TV manufacturers who stops updating the platform on their older TVs. You may get updates for the TV for a couple of years, but beyond that, it's questionable. There's little incentive for TV manufacturers to update their older models indefinitely. On the other hand, add on boxes tend to get support for much longer because that's all they do. If they cut support for the older boxes as quickly as tends to happen with TVs they'd be accused of ripping off consumers. By the way, I can access iPlayer and YouTube on my (admittedly new) LG TV (WebOS 3). Also ITV hub, All 4 and others. YouTube and iPlayer certainly haven't stopped providing their service to all TV platforms.

02-10-2016, 17:01	#10
njp Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 21,646	Quote: Originally Posted by GDK By the way, I can access iPlayer and YouTube on my (admittedly new) LG TV (WebOS 3). They certainly haven't stopped providing their service to all TV platforms. It's misleading to say that they stopped providing the service. What they did was to introduce a new API for the service, and stop supporting the old one. I suspect that any TV could, in principle, be updated to support it, but of course there is no incentive once they have your money.

02-10-2016, 17:11	#11
GDK Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Wigan Posts: 4,892	Quote: Originally Posted by njp It's misleading to say that they stopped providing the service. What they did was to introduce a new API for the service, and stop supporting the old one. I suspect that any TV could, in principle, be updated to support it, but of course there is no incentive once they have your money. I agree. In some cases hardware limitations can prevent an older TV from being updated. TV makers and service providers should work more closely together to ensure access from older TVs continues for longer than it does at present. As you say, there's no incentive for the TV manufacturers to do this. Hence the continuing need for dedicated boxes.

02-10-2016, 17:15	#12
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by njp It's misleading to say that they stopped providing the service. Nothing misleading about it at all - they introduce a service, encourage manufacturers to make equipment that allows access to that service - and then a few years later discontinue that service. The only reasons that external boxes are able to be upgraded are that it's a standard Android based system, so you've got code been written for all the endless phones and tablets. It would 'probably' be possible to update some of the TV's, but who pays the huge bill for doing so? - and it obviously depends on the hardware been capable of it, as where Android systems have decent amounts of memory, TV's are usually pretty limited. It would be nice to think that Android based TV's are likely to get better support, but as they requires apps specially written for them, I suspect that may not be so.

02-10-2016, 17:23	#13
GDK Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Wigan Posts: 4,892	Yes I agree there are hardware limitations that in some cases prevent updates. Otherwise, in principle, any TV's software should be updated by the manufacturer until that physical limitation is reached. Because it's software the costs are not that huge and should be bourn by the manufacturer along with, as they do already, the other ongoing support costs.

02-10-2016, 17:32	#14
koantemplation Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Wolf359 Posts: 96,797	Is there such a thing as just a screen? E.g. without any 'Smart' features? Although it would be nice to have Picture In/On Picture. Or would I just want a very large monitor?

02-10-2016, 18:05	#15
ianradioian Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 24,347	Quote: Originally Posted by koantemplation Is there such a thing as just a screen? E.g. without any 'Smart' features? Although it would be nice to have Picture In/On Picture. Or would I just want a very large monitor? A couple of years ago I bought a 50" Panasonic tv that is just a tv set. I presume there's still some normal tv's on sale still. Incidentally, my partner's tv is a Philips smart tv that was bought 4 or 5 years ago when they first came out and all the features like youtube, google search bar etc are still working normally, though its not as fast as a modern phone, tablet etc

03-10-2016, 08:52	#16
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by koantemplation Is there such a thing as just a screen? E.g. without any 'Smart' features? Although it would be nice to have Picture In/On Picture. Or would I just want a very large monitor? Every single attempt at such designs has failed - just buy a TV and ignore the features you don't want. But DON'T buy a TV based on imaginary 'smart' features.

03-10-2016, 09:03	#17
Marti S Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Leicester Posts: 2,965	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin Every single attempt at such designs has failed - just buy a TV and ignore the features you don't want. But DON'T buy a TV based on imaginary 'smart' features. My Sony has picture and picture and works very well, the only downside one of the pics has to be analogue or freeview, so I use the analogue out on my satellite receivers. I must be one of the few that finds this desirable, more useful than fluid viewing for me and a better use of the SkyQ tuners

03-10-2016, 09:34	#18
GDK Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Wigan Posts: 4,892	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin Every single attempt at such designs has failed - just buy a TV and ignore the features you don't want. But DON'T buy a TV based on imaginary 'smart' features. Given the speed with which broadcast and internet streaming services change these days I think there is a case for revisiting the concept of "video separates". The video equivalent of hifi separates. i.e With the receiver and audio sections as separate physical devices from the display. It would make the system modular and you would not need to consider changing the display to receive new broadcast standards (as when DTV went HD - I had a TV with an HD display, but the built in digital receiver was not able to receive HD DTV. The TV was made before that launched. Caught between standards) or new services are launched. Just replace the receiver box with one capable of receiving the new services. Equivalent to replacing the tuner, and not having to replace the amp in a hifi setup. I remember Philips had a range of video separates back in the 1980s. I guess they weren't that popular. Certainly "video separates" as a concept didn't catch on then. Anyone remember the name of that Philips range?

03-10-2016, 10:04	#19
drillbit Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 689	most blu ray players come with smart features

03-10-2016, 10:23	#20
noise747 Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Herefordshire Posts: 22,810	Quote: Originally Posted by ftv I have a 13-year-old Panasonic HD which is fine but doesn't have any of the modern technology like Smart TV, Netflix, Amazon etc. I'm thinking of replacing it - any recommendations please ? I have a 7 year old or more Philips Plasma, no smart functions at all, but no way am I going to get rid of it because it still a great Tv set,. So unless you really want say 4K, you should stick with the TV and get something like a firestick, I have a Sky now box and a Blue-ray with smart features connected to my Tv and I can watch Iplayer, ITV hub, Channeel 5 and 4, plus netflix using the Blue-ray player if i want to. I also got myself a Chrome cast, but you do need a smart phone or tablet to use that, but it is great. the problem with smart features on a Tv is that they normally go out of date before the end of the life of the TV.

03-10-2016, 10:25	#21
noise747 Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Herefordshire Posts: 22,810	Quote: Originally Posted by njp Stick something that does what you want into one of the HDMI sockets. Personally I find that a Chromecast (£30) meets all my smart TV requirements. I certainly wouldn't want them built-in to the TV, because they'll just go out of date when the TV maker loses interest in the set a few months after launching it. And will probably be much less usable even while they work. chromecast are great, but you need a extra deviced for it to work, something like a smart phone or tablet. something like the Roku or firestick is a better all in one. I love my chrome cast, I think it is great, but just a bit fiddly.

DS Forums

New TV

03-10-2016, 13:07	#22
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by GDK I remember Philips had a range of video separates back in the 1980s. I guess they weren't that popular. Certainly "video separates" as a concept didn't catch on then. Anyone remember the name of that Philips range? As I said, all such attempts have flopped badly - the most 'successful' was probably Sony Profeel - but that also was a huge flop (just not as huge as most others )

03-10-2016, 13:40	#23
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	Quote: Originally Posted by koantemplation Is there such a thing as just a screen? E.g. without any 'Smart' features? Although it would be nice to have Picture In/On Picture. Or would I just want a very large monitor? You can get screens that are just display panels. We have a number of Samsung panels at work. They are primarily designed for use as signage/advertising displays in shops and offices or as an alternative to a projector in a meeting room for example. Mind you they are a hell of a lot more expensive than the equivalent sized Smart TV - you could probably buy at least 2 1080p 55in Smart TVs for each 1080p 55in display panel we've got! You could even buy a 55in 4k TV cheaper!

03-10-2016, 15:17	#24
ftv Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 31,434	Many thanks to everybody, that's given me plenty to think about, will be off to Curry's tomorrow.

03-10-2016, 15:28	#25
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	Quote: Originally Posted by ftv Many thanks to everybody, that's given me plenty to think about, will be off to Curry's tomorrow. I wouldn't! If you do go there make sure you are not spotted by any sales assistant who will only try to flog you some £100 quid HDMI leads to go with your new telly or something equally useless and unnecessary. If I find I do have to get something from Currys I use their website "click & collect" feature. That way I select what I want online and only have to pay for it in store. Minimises the time in there and any interaction with Currys staff.