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Original poster

Would you get a Smart tv next time?

81 replies

EachandEveryone · 07/07/2019 21:34

Theres nothing really wrong with my telly. Except its 32” and my eyes arent what they were🙂 I dont want it in my bedroom so I will probably get it taken away. I have an apple tv with it. So, will this suffice with a new tv or should I just buy a smart tv? Then there will be two items to get rid of. The price seems to be the same but is the quality as good?

OP posts:
Hmmmbop · 07/07/2019 21:40

We love our smart tvs we have an LG one in the lounge and a Sony in the bedroom. Just don't get a Samsung/ android one (I say that as a lover of android phones).

I think they are much better than a non smart one with Apple TV or a firestick.

SouthernComforts · 07/07/2019 21:42

Yep I've had a smart TV for years, just replaced it with another one. Both were Bush (Argos) and never had a problem with them.

BertieBotts · 07/07/2019 21:43

Hard to tell TBH as I haven't bought one recently. But IME they are so clunky and hard to use, the apps never get updated and are never any good to begin with and everything ends up out of date within about six months and then it doesn't work properly, and you end up needing to use some kind of third party way of getting what you want on it.

However this is from when smart TVs were fairly unusual and in fairness I think we had it from a not very well known brand. It might be better now they are much more common.

Original poster
EachandEveryone · 07/07/2019 21:47

So, is 42” big enough? My own tv is 32 and its a Sony which ive loved. Im hoping I can donate it. I have funny ideas about tvs in bedrooms. My living room isnt very big and it will be on a cabinet.

OP posts:
Hmmmbop · 07/07/2019 21:47

BertieBotts ours autoupdates every couple of months. Never had an issue with any of the apps, and if we do we set the TV to update which fixes it. I think they've moved on quite a bit as our first was like you describe.

Hmmmbop · 07/07/2019 21:51

EachandEveryone yes, 42 will be big enough. We have a 43 and a 49inch one but have a large living room. I'd prefer not to have a TV in the bedroom.

Just measure the cabinet to make sure the feet of the TV fit on it. Our LG has a foot that comes from the middle, but our don't has feet at the edge and we needed to get a bigger stand.

RingtheBells · 07/07/2019 21:53

Ours is a 40 inch curved screen and it’s ok size, we have quite a small room though and the tv has to fit next to the chimney breast, I sit about 9 feet away from it. Ours is Samsung, though pp said don’t get one, it’s fine but the only smart stuff I use on it is Netflix and Prime as I use Sky for most other stuff.

Original poster
EachandEveryone · 07/07/2019 21:54

Also the sky will be running through it. Its all too much really for me to tale onboard. Im excited though

OP posts:
RingtheBells · 07/07/2019 21:58

We have a tv in the bedroom, DH goes up there to watch his endless cycling on Eurosport, I don’t think I could cope if it was on downstairs.

adaline · 07/07/2019 22:04

My parents have a smart TV which is several years old and slow - based on that I wouldn't touch them but I suspect things may be better now?

We got our TV for less than £100 from cash converters four years ago and it's fine. It's 42 inch flatscreen and we just have a Firestick and NowTV that we plug into it for Netflix and what have you.

Chloe9 · 07/07/2019 22:09

I've had smart TVs of varying sizes for years. Prefer 42 than 32 as my eye sight isn't fabulous. Bigger than 42 overwhelms a room though.

Chloe9 · 07/07/2019 22:10

Oh and I love my smart tv but have had various internet issues which have made it a slightly less positive experience

Original poster
EachandEveryone · 07/07/2019 22:12

Im interested in a Sony as thats what Ive got now however the new ones seem to come with really fragile “legs”. Mine has a really supportive stand attacehed to it. Im worried about the cats knocking a new one over.

OP posts:
HJWT · 07/07/2019 22:13

@EachandEveryone we have a 43 inch LG smart TV! Not to big in living room on a cabinet... I like the fact the apps come up on the bottom of the screen rather than taking you to a whole new page!

Would highly recommend LG smart TV my mum got one and loves it as well as FIL MIL & BIL 🤣

Original poster
EachandEveryone · 07/07/2019 22:14

I just dont get what they can do that my sky Q box and apple tv isnt already doing?

OP posts:
FrenchyQ · 07/07/2019 22:17

We got a Samsung 65" just before Christmas for our living room. The newer Samsungs are alot better (we had a smart one when they first came out).
We've also got a sony 55" smart tv in the bedroom which is just as good

Fatted · 07/07/2019 22:23

I thought all TVs were smart TVs nowadays?!

Ours is a smart telly. We got it because it was super duper UHD and 4K. We don't use a lot of the apps on it, purely because most of the same things are on Sky now. The last time I remember using an app on it was the BBC iPlayer app last summer when the world cup was on because it had the football on in Ultra HD (and sky didn't).

Hmmmbop · 07/07/2019 22:24

I'm afraid I don't know what your sky q does as we don't have sky.

We have 1 non smart TV with a firestick. I don't like that I have to switch input to get to the menu. I also don't like that it doesn't have built in catch up/ restart/ pause etc.

I also don't like having lots of remotes and lots of boxes.

Threesoups · 07/07/2019 22:26

I prefer using plugins rather than having something built in just as a general tech rule that the less you have built in the less becomes obsolete, and you can always add things on. Also I have a few sites that I regularly stream from that aren't included on any of the smart TVs so I'd need a separate stick for them anyway.

inthebackground · 07/07/2019 22:33

We use Sky/iplayer/Netflix via Sky.
We’ve never used the smart tv elements, they tend to be clunky

Original poster
EachandEveryone · 07/07/2019 22:38

Now im worried i will have to buy a stand to put on top of my stand! They look so fragile.

OP posts:
georgialondon · 07/07/2019 22:44

Smart tv is much better

DeltaAlphaDelta · 07/07/2019 22:48

We have a smart TV but never use the smart features on it. I found iplayer and youtube in particular, very slow and clunky to use. We have now tv, virgin media (basic package) and amazon prime, and they more than cover the smart features we would use on the TV.

Cruddles · 07/07/2019 22:49

I have a smart TV but never use the features, in fact we never touch the remote. We have a Virgin TV subscription which covers most of the apps/programs, or i use Chromecast from my phone

GiantKitten · 07/07/2019 22:56

Our old TV was a 32" Panasonic - loved it dearly, & used an amazon firestick to get sort-of Smart TV, although that was fairly unreliable & needed rebooting a lot.

Last year we bought a 40" Samsung Smart TV, recommended by Which. It''s OK, & the Smart stuff functions well, but the screen is a desperate disappointment; the colour is on the yellow side, & a bit weak, it's unwatchable from the side, & the screen surface reflects every light going.

DD has our 10-year-old Panasonic & I'd quite like it back Grin - I could actually watch it from an almost 180 degree angle, the colours were fantastic, & the surface was sufficiently textured that reflections weren't an issue. Also although screen size is technically 8" less in fact there's very little difference Confused

It's 10 years old & apart from the lack of Smarts it's still a brilliant TV.

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