Would you get a Smart tv next time?

[EachandEveryone]

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?

Friend who works in tech advised us to get a good dumb TV and a plug-in. He says you pay a premium for the smart element and it dates really quickly.

@EachandEveryone
Let me know if you do find any decent 40-43” reviews.
I’m on the hunt too!

All those in John Lewis ive put into Which? And I dont think any of them got more than 60%
This one seems to come out on top www.argos.co.uk/product/8193366?rec=PDP%5B8102405%5D:bottomSlider:P1:OHAT:alternative:8193366:pUwVCENJjR1sWTUCdbCU

That Argos LG one looks alright and is a good price, it also has a central stand which ours has and it is a lot easier to fit on top of a cabinet than one with legs at each end which if the cabinet wasn't quite big enough could be a bit precarious.

Just don't get a Samsung/ android one

We’ve just got a curved samsung and i think it’s great. Same reason as you o/p, my eyesight is going and the 32” was just too small.

As for the “smart” bit, we also have a youview box and an apple tv. The samsung means we can work the lot off one remote. Yes there is some duplication, but netflix, amazon etc are all there - the menu’s are instinctive, and i can flick between the youview for recorded, the apple for phone mirroring, regular tv and apps very easily.

I feel completely inadequate reading this thread. I have no idea what a smart tv is, have had a Samsung 24 inch Freeview for fifteen years and it's still going strong and I watch iplayer, Netflix and Amazon Prime on my laptop.

I can't imagine wanting a tv larger than 24 inch, maybe growing up with a 9 inch as a child set my standards low

As I understand it from the thread, you can get iplayer, Prime and Netflix on a smart tv - I assume you still have to pay for the latter two and I don't really need on tv as happy with them on laptop.

Does a smart tv do anything else that I shouldn't be able to live without? Are they a lot more expensive than an ordinary freeview tv and lastly, must it involve sky because I refuse to pay money to scummy Rupert Murdoch.

Sorry to ask so many questions, all info gratefully received.

I had to buy a new t recently and the vast majority were smart TVs. I think you’d be hard pushed to find a non smart one. I went with an LG one and am very happy with it. My other TVs have a mix of now tv boxed and amazon firesticjs but the smart tv is less faff. Love it.

I have a 2yo Samsung smart TV and don't understand the answers you are getting....

I rarely use the chrome cast attached as the built in apps are fine and I like just having one remote to deal with.

My Dad, Aunt, sister and brother all have the same TV in various sizes in their homes and use the smart functions with no issues. In fact, none of them have any other way of getting media to the TV.

All4 didn't work for a while but it does now...

I have a portable HDD plugged into mine so I can pause live /record live TV. No one else has bothered with this.

So I'd consider having to use another box to access internet TV a retrograde step. I watch Netflix/Amazon/iPlayer/all4/now mostly. And sometimes buy films from curzon.

I just scrolled through the Which? Best Buys.
There are 39, nearly all 55" & above - just 2 or 3 are 'only' 49".
Most cost 4 figures - some of them are £3000+.
It's mad.

I have an EE box. Anyone know what difference that makes to anything re a Smart TV?

My Samsung smart tv is the absolute dogs bollocks. It’s so good.

Picture is tip top for the price.
The UI is amazing.
The remote is incredibly well designed (similar to an Apple TV remote in style).
Only having one thing to turn on and one remote is actually life changing, you don’t realise how annoying it was until you no longer have to do it.

The only thing I find not to be amazing is the sound. It is loud but somehow a bit indistinct. I used to be able to have my old TV on quieter but still make out dialogue. Plan to get a sound bar to remedy.

Anyway, I got a 65” for just over £1k and really couldn’t be more happy with it.

It’s the Samsung UE65NU8000 and this model range is very well reviewed re picture and price.

Oh and set up was a piece of piss. Literally plug and okay and all the apps like Netflix and iPlayer etc were already loaded up out the box.

We have a samsung one. Had it for 2 years and no issues with the apps etc. Ditched sky in favour of now tv, Netflix and amazon prime. No boxes cluttering up the place. Pretty much everything is available on catch up, so don't need the series recording function of sky. Took a little bit of getting used to not having sky, but totally fine now. We have a 2nd non-smart tv with Apple TV and other boxes but no one watches it as too complicated and the picture isn't as good! And the fragile looking legs are fine!

My 80 year old mother also loves the new smart TV and the ease at which she can navigate to iPlayer or TV guide!

We have a smart tv but we rarely use it for smart tv, mainly as wifi signal in lounge was pants and just watch sky or a dvd on it. Have new wifi now so could try again.

We have had a 44" Samsung for about 5 years. Everything works. UHD, 4K etc. It gets Now TV, Prime and Netflix directly from the internet and terrestrial TV from Sky. It can also being used as a repeater for our phones and laptops.

I’m also a bit baffled by the responses. We have a smart tv and use the smart features all the time with no issues as it automatically updates regularly. It even lets me start live tv programs from the beginning by linking in with the appropriate app. We don’t have sky or virgin which I’m guessing the people who don’t use the features do. The only feature I’m missing is being able to record programmes but it’s rare not to find what I want on catch up.

The only add on we have is a now tv stick which I got with my broadband deal, we only use it to get the odd sky sports pass and for the odd tv show that is sky exclusive.

I bought two smart TVs a year ago after only having a very basic TV for two and a half years (was TV less before that).

I think they are fab, we still don't watch that much TV but I love having the option. Mine are both Panasonic, I bought a NOW TV stick for them and subscribe to get Sky cinema and Sky something else, the one with the box sets on it (haven't watched anything on that yet!).

I think its great to have the choice. I had an Apple TV before too but this is so much easier.

Mine auto update, seem to do it most weeks, I wouldn't be aware of it apart from I have to say OK to accept the update when I switch it on.

Maiden - I love that green button thing to go back to the start of a programme, despite having netflix, prime and sky the three things I watch every week are on iplayer - that repair shop programme is my absolute favourite.

maidenover can you not download the nowtv app on to the smart TV? That's what we did.

I love ours, but like you we don't have sky or virgin.

My smart tv has a now tv app although it seems from pp that not all of them do so double check the apps avail before buying.

When I wanted NowTV (to buy Sky Cinema) I was told that they originally had an exclusive deal with LG.

The NowTV app isn't available for my Panasonic TVs so I had to buy the stick which just plugs into one of the HDMI slots at the back and is invisible.

I think its great, I don't particularly want a Sky package but for £11.99 a month it is only the cost of a film on Prime. Plus I can cancel it without notice etc if I choose to.

@boxlikeamarchhare there is no exclusivity deal with LG.

I have the smart tv app on my samsung

help.nowtv.com/article/get-now-tv-on-my-device

@Hmmmbop you possibly can but I also use it on an old tv that isn’t a smart TV and when I wanted to watch game of thrones on a larger screen I just plugged it into the smart tv without giving much thought. I’ll have a look for the app though as then I could move it back to the other tv.

BlueSkies the deal was originally LG. I know that because I asked on a Panasonic forum and someone from Panasonic answered.

I was wrong upthread, I have got Roku sticks because the NOW TV stick I bought didn't work which was when I learned that there wasn't (this is three months ago) a NOW TV app for Panasonic TVs.

I returned the NOW stick to Amazon and bought Roku sticks from Argos.

I thought it was the other way round!