Advice on buying new TV please - what features Not to get.

I am on my second Samsung smart tv and find it easy to navigate and had no problems with either of them.

If you’re able to visit a store you can discuss your needs, budget etc.
We would buy something like that from our local Stellisons/ Euronics store. They deliver and install. The assistants in John Lewis and Curry’s are usually very helpful too.

We have a Samsung and the sound isn't great, we had to buy a sound bar which improves it somewhat, although I now have hearing aids.
I would go into a shop and ask advice there are so many different features now. A friend recently bought a tv twice the cost of ours and the picture quality is fabulous compared to ours. It seems you get what you pay for.

I have a Samsung thirty two inch smart tv, I have found it brilliant. I don’t understand why a much larger screen is needed.

Ours is Samsung and easy to navigate. Yes think about a soundbar as our hearing gets more reduced as we get older. Hubby and I both have at least one hearing aid and I’m thinking of the soundbar route now.

I am assuming that what you have at the moment is not a smart TV in the sense that it has internet connectivity, that you are watching and recording programmes via a Sky box.

If that is the case, the first thing you have to understand is that smart TVs do not have recording capability. Everything you watch will either be live TV or streamed recordings via the internet. For the latter you need apps. These are either free to air, BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, U etc or you pay a monthly subscription, Now, Netflix, Disney, Apple etc

If you want to record from free to air channels you will need a recording device such as a Humax or Manhattan box which you connect to your TV aerial and connect the box to the TV.

Whether you will need a sound bar will depend on the quality of the sound from the TVs own receivers. Because smart TVs are thin there is little room for decent speakers so they can sound tinny but the technology is improving so try out the set before thinking you have to buy a sound bar.

I doubt any smart TV is going to last 16 years. The average lifespan is expected to be 7-10 as the LEDs (light-emitting diodes) in the screen will eventually fail. Also, after a while, just as happens now, manufacturers stop issuing software updates just as they do with computers.

I would decide on an overall budget and go from there because unless someone is a real tech-head there isn’t that much difference between one set and another. I’m still getting good use from the 32” HD Samsung I bought six years ago for £250.

Which magazine best deals.

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Don’t forget Black Friday is approaching so there will be further good offers to come.

We have a Samsung,too. We had a Sony before that.and that was fine but only lasted 10 years and then ‘died’. We also have a TCL , smaller one in the family room. They are both good. At our beach house we have a very, very ancient tv from Aldi which never goes wrong, cost almost nothing and has a good picture. The Samsung is the newest one and is good so far, 65 inch . Easy enough when we got used to it, different from the Sony though.

Don’t buy an LG would be my main advice! I have one and it’s devilishly difficult to use. I’ve now bought a Firestick to simplify using it. If it wasn’t for the fact it’s pretty new, I’d replace it. I hear good things about Samsungs but have no personal experience of them.

We were in a similar quandary a couple of years ago and looked at the Which reports. They recommended Richer Sounds as a retailer, we'd used them before over the years but forgotten all about them. Their prices are reasonable, they don't try to push products on you that are more complicated than you need, and they're happy to take as long as necessary to sort out exactly what you need - and what you don't!

SueDonim

Don’t buy an LG would be my main advice! I have one and it’s devilishly difficult to use. I’ve now bought a Firestick to simplify using it. If it wasn’t for the fact it’s pretty new, I’d replace it. I hear good things about Samsungs but have no personal experience of them.

We do have an LG as we particularly wanted a smaller TV and got exactly what we needed from Richer Sounds. We had previously used a Firestick on an older TV but find the new smart TV is easy to use - though it might take a little getting used to.

What I found difficult at first is having to use an iPhone to log on to the tv for certain channels. Only the once ,admittedly, but it was nice in the old days when you could just switch them on and off, no problems

If you have a Richer Sounds store near you go and see them, their staff are highly trained.

They gave us great advice and recommended an installer who collected from them then installed for us.

I wear 2 hearing aids and bordering on severe deaf. I asked for advice in Currys who were very helpful regarding trying to help pick the best TV regards sound quality. Interestingly, the staff gave some ,'inside' info by saying none of their TV sounds are at real life volume due to the stores having some sort of booster to make them sound louder due to the large store size and are not available to the public. So bear that in mind if you test the tvs sound quality in a large shop. I have a Samsung which I can hear fine without a sound bar.

we got a new Samsung smart tv last year , no problems with it .

I have not had a tv for years was thinking of one for winter as i might be less lonely. my support worker is a whizz on it so i am hoping she will help me out. i watch on laptop mainly old series rather than new nothing appeals to me. sometimes films but again old ones i have saved but i do like true crime and documentaries so i think it will be ideal. i may find other things i like

Samsung.. Here as well.
I'm on my second Samsung, nothing wrong with the 1st one, (it's in a bedroom) , just got one slightly bigger one.

If you have a John Lewis nearby, pop in there and ask, they are very obliging with good information, you are not commited to buy if you want to think about it.

I was in the same situation last year and had no idea how to choose a tv that was right for me and was easy to use. A visit to John Lewis (Leeds) sorted everything out. Explanations of the functions easy to follow and excellent advice. I had it installed and set up by their delivery chaps and not a single issue since.

We also found John Lewis staff very helpful and bucking the trend bought a Sony which was set up by the delivery team. A real positive has been excellent service from the Sony customer care team, more than helpful when struggling with something which is of course simple when explained.

For us the important things was being walked through options in a store. No pressure. We went away to think and research the models appealing to us then ordered on line. All very smooth.

I have a Samsung in my bedroom, fabulous. It has subtitles. I agree with Suedonim I also have an LG and because it is so difficult, I end up watching the same programmes. Luckily I can talk to it to change channels otherwise I don't know what I would do. Mine would also be in the bin, but it isn't old, so I am persevering. My LV has subtitles which I couldn't survive without.

We bought a LG about a month ago. Picture quality and sound is good. It is a smart tv, and took a couple of days to get used to it, but alls fine, I’m not sure why people are finding it so difficult?

Whitewave on mine, it’s because it’s very difficult to locate different sources, if watching anything but LG channels. I have Prime, Paramount and Netflix but they’re all hidden within other menus and as I don’t watch much tv, I can’t recall which channel is on which menu. Even my techie kids hate it!

I have one TV,42 inch Sony, About five years old now, never had any problems with it at all… Very easy to navigate the different menus…

Deaf or hard of hearing can buy attachment for TV which allows hearing aids wearer to listen to TV through aids. They are great!

I liked my samsung and eventually gave it to dd, it is still working well after 16 years. I bought a sony and that has the annoying fault of turning itself on so I need to switch off at the wall at night

I have a bose soundbar and the tv is 43 inches, stands on a unit. The tv is at my eye level as I did not want anything bolted to the wall or up high

Have a look at youtube, there is a British tv repair man on there who has good honest opinions