Posted 14 November 2023
TV buying help 50-60"
Hi All,
I am looking to buy a budget TV since likes if Sony, Samsung LG are too expensive for me.
I see lower prices with likes of Sharp, TCL, JVC, Panasonic etc and sometimes hisense.
I know the Japanese brands are no longer the same and are generic TVs.
I don't need fancy smart TV functions.
I use fire stick and Bluetooth for sound.
Is there a difference in these or shall I just buy the cheapest I can find in my preferred size 55".
Thanks for looking
I am looking to buy a budget TV since likes if Sony, Samsung LG are too expensive for me.
I see lower prices with likes of Sharp, TCL, JVC, Panasonic etc and sometimes hisense.
I know the Japanese brands are no longer the same and are generic TVs.
I don't need fancy smart TV functions.
I use fire stick and Bluetooth for sound.
Is there a difference in these or shall I just buy the cheapest I can find in my preferred size 55".
Thanks for looking
Community Updates
8 Comments
sorted byBrightness. How much light they put out (important in a living room that gets lots of sunlight)
Movement. How much motion blur you get. Especially important if you game or watch football.
Colour vividness. Most TVs advertise HDR support but lots will take a HDR signal but not be able to output it, resulting in faded colours and muddy blacks (sometimes these sets actually display non-HDR better). Good HDR makes the colours extremely vivid without looking unrealistic.
For a budget TV, you generally sacrifice at least one of the above.
Some TVs you'll find reviews for, especially ones like Hisense and TCL. Just be aware that the makers like to add lots of letters to the "real" product name to make them hard to compare and pricematch. A TV listed as A55ABTUK may not have reviews under that title but you may find them searching "BudgetBrand A55AB"
I would personally be looking at TVs made by either TCL, or the ones manufactured by Vestel (Panasonic, Toshiba, Bush, Hitachi, Some JVC etc.) and giving the Hisense, Sharp etc. a miss.
Consider getting a £15 online membership to Costco if you don't already have a card as well and buy from there. You get 90 days to change your mind for any reason, and a 5 year warranty on all their TVs which they make totally painless to claim on. They have the likes of the 50" TCL C63 QLED for £329 Delivered which would give you a pretty good experience provided you keep using your fire stick rather than the built in software. And the 5 Year warranty in case things go wrong.
If you'd rather still buy from normal retaillers then the 55" Bush QLED TV for the same price of £329 would be the best option off the top of my head. I have the 50" one in my conservatory and my friend has the 65" version in his living room. We are both very happy with this model.
Thanks for the suggestions the Costco TCL sounds good and the warranty alone is worth the membership. I think I will go for that one. Thanks again for the detailed help 🏼
Also heard good things about TCL!