Smart TVs

[toastedmarshmallow]

Our TV is about 12 years old and totally on its last legs. We'd like to replace it with a smart TV but don't know much about them.

Currently we have a DVD, CD player and amp connected to the TV. Would we still be able to do that?, My DB said we'd probably need different kinds of cables. Would it be more economical to hook up the amp and cd as a separate system with speakers and just connect DVD to new TV?

Should we replace the DVD player with a bluray? (don't really know the difference tbh)

Do you need a sound bar?

Does anyone have any recommendations as to which TV we should get. The DC would like 3D if poss, I was thinking between 40-47" budget up to £600-700.

I feel so ancient and out of touch with modern TVs, I'd like a bit of knowledge before I go to somewhere like currys so I don't feel ripped off!

Put simply, a smart TV just allows you to connect to the internet.

You may need to get new cables but not always. The DVD player etc will connect to it ok. Do you need a sound bar? not if you don't want one. As for Blue-ray, it just gives you a better picture, but they will need a blue-ray player. 3D is interesting but a bit over rated. Cant recommend one but I have found my Samsung to be good. If you have a Currys nearby go and have a look at the connections etc.

We have a DVD player/amp and a Blu-Ray connected to our Smart TV and it was very simple indeed to set up, no new cables needed in our case although it could be a matter of getting a couple of HDMI and optical audio cables which are cheap on Amazon/EBay (never pay Curry's prices) and then just swap them for your Scart leads or coloured audio cables (although the old ones might still fit, but newer digital cables will give you a better picture). Our TV has about eight million sockets in the back so can fit just about any type of connection you have! You shouldn't need new equipment.

Blu-Ray is a great picture to be fair but even DVDs tend to look fine on a new telly so if you're not an HD snob (I am, a bit) you don't need a new player.

I do love being able to get iPlayer, YouTube,Netflix etc straight to the TV on a smart TV, it's so convenient.

Thanks for the replies that's made things a bit clearer, will be popping into curry this weekend to look at connections etc. on the TVs we like.

I'm really looking forward to having a decent picture and being able to get Netflix and love film.

We have always favoured Panasonic, which has has good reviews over the years, but I too haven't really kept up to date with latest stuff, so wouldn't advise anything specific. 'Full HD' gives the best quality, provided you have a good aerial and strong signal. I don't think 3D is really going to become mainstream, and there isn't much content I don't think. "4K" is the next leap in quality, but that costs THOUSANDS!

40-47" is pretty large, so you need to sit well away from the screen, or it might make you dizzy! Blu-Ray discs cost more than DVDs; does your DVD have a hard disc for recording? That's one of the most useful things I think.

If you have a reasonable amp and speakers, you can hook that in with TV, DVD etc as well, even if you don't go for full 'surround sound'.

Many people seem to ruin a SUPER TV picture, by not knowing how to adjust for accurate colour, contrast and brightness, but turn everything up to 'very gaudy', rather than realistic, particularly for flesh tones.

Latest sets have LED back lighting, or edge lighting, or both. These give increased contrast, useful for dark scenes; on our old 32" LCD set night time details can't be seen at all. Study the relative costs against contrast specs, and also how the set handles fast motion scenes; there are various systems for that as well.

Before splashing out on any "smart" TV, I'd suggest spending as much time as possible trying out things in the shop(s), because some have a browser but may not handle YouTube, for example (OK, not that vital).

Or you may find it has iPlayer, but none of the others ... my Humax box does not have 4oD or Demand 5, but I tried out the NowTV service for a few months, and while it does have 4oD, Demand 5, and iPlayer, it doesn't have ITV player! (Also doesn't have Netflix or LoveFilm, but that's because it was 9.99 and aimed at NowTV customers, so they got Roku to disable the competitors, I guess.)

It's easier (but not so neat as an all-in-one) to add other boxes, and perhaps there are some UK-specific "super smart TVs" still on the drawing board but not in the shops yet.

Yes - check your brand. If you want a smart TV for netflix and iplayer, make sure you buy one which supports netflix and iplayer.

If you want to buy 3D films then you'll need a blu ray player because 3D is too big to fit onto normal DVDs. But you can watch 3D channels and presumably you can buy 3D films in digital format too.

I came across this *> web article