Can somebody talk to me about smart tv's - please?

[gingersplodgecat]

We currently have an ancient (yet good quality and still working) tube telly. DH has resisted the lure of a new one for some time, but now our adult DD has said she is buying me a smart tv for my birthday.

So I've been having a cursory look (starting with Argos) to find out what is availble, but ye Gods. The acronyms. How am I supposed to know what they all mean and whether I want them or not??!!

Where in the wide world do I start? Help!

What's the budget and how big is the TV going to be? The main things to bear in mind are:

1. You will need to have a separate sound bar (a TV speaker) because modern TVs are so thin that their own speakers are generally inadequate
2. You will need to make sure you have the right cables for this - they're usually HDMI cables and you can even get them in Tesco these days
3. There's a lot of talk about picture quality with terms like 4k, 5k being bandied about. Basically the higher the k, the better quality the picture, but modern smart TVs generally have such great picture quality you'd have to be a raging telly/tech snob to worry about it much
4. To get the best out of it you really need a good Internet connection, otherwise you won't be able to access a lot of the fabulous TV out there
5. Do some research with the sort of things you like watching in the back of your mind. Do you need Sky? Will you want Netflix? Amazon Prime comes with a lot of free shipping, but the TV offerings are variable. Do a bit of reading and think about your personal preferences.

My current smart TV is coming up 8 years old and still brilliant. Wouldn't be without it.

Following as I need to get a tv too and last one I had was a tube type and I also have NO idea how to choose and I'm afraid of making a poor choice - hope that's ok op we can work it out together hopefully?

I don’t have a sound bar with mine and it’s fine. Philips Ambilight bought earlier this year. I had a look through the reviews on AO.com to narrow stuff down and ended up getting it from them as they were the cheapest and did delivery/recycling.

What do you want to do on it, OP? Pretty much all TVs are ‘smart’ now so I think really it comes down to budget/sound and picture quality/size and check it has the apps you want (iplayer, Amazon, Netflix, Disney etc).

Go to somewhere like John Lewis to test them out in person and the techy people will happily talk to you. And you can have a play with the interface, feel the remotes and see if you like the picture and sound quality. Really it’s about how it feels to you.

I've got a Samsung, and I like the interface much better than my parents' Sony. I do have a sound bar, but it was fine without it - I was given mine so I thought I may as well use it!

Mine is a 47" 4K screen, and the picture is great. There are apps for all the main channels as well as BritBox, Virgin, YouTube, UKTV Play, Prime Video, Apple TV, and a whole lot more I don't use. It's easy to scroll between them - you do have to login the first time you use each app, but it's pretty straightforward.

Thanks @pointythings we will really only be using it for tv programmes on Freeview and borrowing our daughter's netflix, connected by wifi. No gaming and we won't be having Sky. DH boycotts them and is adamant about that. Size-wise probably around 40" or thereabouts, nothing larger, as it will go on the stand in a corner where the current tv is. We will need to be able to connect it to the DVD player as we have loads of recorded stuff. Dance school shows, that sort of thing. Budget-wise, a few hundred I suppose, although since it will be a gift, I don't actually know!

The thing I've most noticed when watching other people's tv's is what the picture quality is like for grass, fur, hair, skintone and stuff like that. To me it all looks fuzzy and 'filled in' by CGI so I want to try and avoid that look. I just want the picture to be as natural as possible.

You'll need to check the ports on your DVD player - if it's relatively new it will have a HDMI port and be easy to connect, but if it's older it may not and then you will need a SCART to HDMI converter cable - I had to do this with my last DVD player which was very ancient. My current one is easy peasy.

I've got an LG that I got about 3 yrs ago - the sound bar I wanted was out of stock so I waited to see if I could pick it up elsewhere - no need for it at all, perfectly good sound. I'm in my bedroom ATM and can hear my housemate watching wimbledon in the living room!

If you watch anything like netflix then they have built in apps. You can get freesat, attach a SKY box etc.

If you are not techie then just ask around for a friendly TV engineer to set it all up for you, shouldn't be expensive - but they are generally easy to do.

mine is great. Love being able to watch Amazon prime video and Netflix on it. I can also "send" youtube videos to it over wifi. I've been watching National Theatre at home via their app but "sent" to the TV.

I have a Samsung. The sound is fine - I don't have a sound bar.

It plays programmes in whatever they're recorded in. So if they're in hdi or ultra hdi, it does that. Otherwise they look as crappy as they ever did (am currently watching Prime Suspect).

You don't need an hdmi socket if you're using wifi to access tv. You'll need one for your DVD player. My tv has 2 ports which is fine - if we attach a console, you can just switch the cables and the tv recognises the new thing plugged in.

Thanks all, yes the DVD player is ancient so we would need a scart convertor lead, but I have access to two 20-somethings, and a sound engineer, so they should be able to sort out connections between them.

I'm just having trouble deciding what on earth it is that I need. Maybe I will have to go to John Lewis after all.

Ds has just bought a new Samsung 4k smart television, the sound is good without a soundbar, it has surround sound & if he is playing an Xbox game on it he can hear the bullets rattling behind him.

Look at somewhere like Richer Sounds, you get 6 years warranty free & they are very knowledgeable & can advise which TV will suit you best.

I would make sure to check which apps for catch up are accesible. We inherited a smart TV when moving house and although we mostly love it, it is frustrating we can't access All4 and ITVhub through it.

If you have a Richer Sounds go chat to them, their staff are very knowledgeable and usually no hard sell. We've just replaced a fairly old Sony which had basic smart features so some apps etc with a Samsung. Mainly for a bigger TV as I couldn't read the subtitles. It is good, we don't have a sound bar. It is linked to Netflix, amazon, Disney and a million things I don't know. You don't have to have amazon prime or apple TV etc, you can link your account and then pay to rent films or buy them in digital format which is useful.

It does make me feel like I'm turning into my father because I can hardly work the bloody thing out with all its apps and such it takes me ages to just find actual TV. But the dc navigate it in the blink of an eye.

All good to know, thanks.

There are so many options. I would recommend going into John Lewis & asking for some advice & demos. They are really helpful & are trained by the manufacturers to understand the functions. They're not ion commission either. And before anyone asks, I don't work there or have shares! 😂
Just a satisfied customer.

I bought a 32' Samsung smart TV just after Christmas( very small flat) and really pleased with it
My DS has the equivalent 42' Samsung and is equally pleased.
I'm not great setting up technical things, but I got most of the way there myself.
No soundbar needed

You won’t need to buy any connectors for your old dvd player if you just buy a smart tv with a dvd player built in. Mine has a slot in the side, you just stick the dvds in there and they play.

I HATE HATE HATE modern day everything to do with tv. I hate having to secure it, having it higher up, I hate that you need a hundred tv remotes and without a remote you’re fecked, I hate the ridiculous amount of streaming services, I hate that you’re reliant a lot of the time on the internet or a satellite and weather can cause it to break or if you turn off the power it’s ridiculous to get back on. I’m 42 and miss the way tv was in the 90s and 00s. Hope you find a great tv!!!!

Ditto to going to John Lewis. Best advice for such things.

I have a Panasonic

It's been excellent

I've had a smart TV for years. No need for a sound bar