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

I have 50" Samsung Smart Tv and it's easy to navigate. Nobidea about a soundbar,sorry

Sound clarity is important; especially with newer US programmes. Try watching NCIS Miami to see what I mean.

Soundbars make this better, but if it is just him then you need one with multiple USB ports to add a wire free speaker right next to him.

A smart tv will have the facility to plug in an external hard drive, giving recording capabilities.

Graphite

^I don't like our Samsungs because they only turn off with a remote or at the wall.^

Are you sure. Have you run you hand along the underneath of the screen? Mine has an on off button there, right hand side. Other models may vary.

Absolutely. We have two of them, although older models, and I've been unable to find the off button.

Those having trouble with their TVs 'dropping' apps - you can plug in a Fire stick (available on Amazon from around £30) and numerous apps are on that. All you need to check is that your TV has a usb socket to plug it into.

They are very good, and if the TV is otherwise working well, a much cheaper alternative to buying a new one.

MayBee70

I need a new tv for the living room but the router is upstairs in a bedroom. Will that be a problem if I buy one that’s connected to the internet?

What do you use to communicate here assuming you are not doing it from the bedroom? A laptop or tablet? Are you streaming TV programmes on it from your living room? If the answer is yes and you are not having any problems then a smart TV should be fine so long as you have reasonable broadband speed and aren’t trying to run too many devices simultaneously.

Think of broadband speed aka bandwidth as a road where everyone has to share the space. A moderate amount of traffic will run smoothly. Too many vehicles and things can start to slow down.

If your router is upstairs, you can use a wired ethernet cable. We did this before we changed broadband providers and it worked well.

when you could switch on the TV, type in the channel number on the remote and be ready to watch your programme in under 30 seconds

I don’t understand. Because I watch mostly free-to-air channels and only rarely subscribe to paid apps, when I switch on my TV, it defaults to the last channel I watched. I know the numbers of the channels I watch regularly and can switch to those in seconds by entering the channel number - or tab through the channel guide which takes a little longer but still only seconds. Streaming may take a little longer but that’s because of buffering (downloading enough of the programme at the start) and depends on bandwidth.

We bought a Hisense freely tv last autumn. It is an Internet television meaning that all programming is streamed. You can hook it up to your aerial as back up in the event of a broadband outage. It has a built in subwoofer and we haven't needed a soundbar. DH and I like it. We bought it from Curry's who delivered it and set it up for us, they also took our old Samsung away for a small extra fee.

I need a new tv for the living room but the router is upstairs in a bedroom. Will that be a problem if I buy one that’s connected to the internet?

The last TV we bought (an LG!) was obsolete after only 7 years. We refused to buy another and bought a Chromecast to plug in instead. It has lasted for many years and if it ever becomes obsolete it will be much cheaper to replace. But I yearn for pre-digital days when you could switch on the TV, type in the channel number on the remote and be ready to watch your programme in under 30 seconds....

We have an LG Smart tv , can’t remember the model and find it easy to use .
I’d recommend going to a store like Richer sounds or John Lewis both have staff who know their stuff and are very helpful . Richer Sounds ask questions like the size of your room and distance from sofa to tv to determine the best size of TV . They also ask questions about what you watch , sports , movies etc . They will also set up your TV and any boxes such as virgin .

I got rid of TV ... makes for nicer sitting room. I prefer to watch stuff on good laptop where I manage without glasses or hearing aid.

Hopefully find an independent shop. We did and the chap explained all the various options with no hard sell. We went back twice before making a decision. They supplied and fitted it to the wall, set it up, explained how to use and moved our old TV into another room also setting it up etc. Took all the packaging away. Probably cost around £100 more than a multi national but we'll worth it to save the hassle of setting up etc. We have Sky, Prime and Netflix.

Where is your wi-fi router in relation to the bedroom? Is it possible that the signal isn’t reaching because there is an obstacle in the way? Thick walls, metal object and even mirrors can impede the signal. You may just need a wi-fi range extender or talk to your service provider who should be able to give you some technical advice.

Following ith interest, because we have an ancient Panasonic TV with built-in Freesat, but the Freesat seems to have stopped working. Fortunately we have a Virgin Media box which meets our needs. We do have a smart TV in the bedroom with Freeview, but that is refusing to connect to the wifi even though I am definitely putting the right password in, so we can't use any of the apps. Presumably it is a downside with smart TVs if one's wifi is unreliable (fortunately ours is not, the TV is just not connecting).

Jeanieallergy21

The number of apps available on smart TVs diminishes after you've had the TV for several years because the companies who supply the apps stop supporting that model of TV

With respect, that’s the same as any product. It’s the digital equivalent of a mechanic or engineer telling the driver of an older car/owner of an old washing machine that they can’t get the parts any more.

It’s also why new models are released to the market on a very frequent basis.

What’s known as dynamic or planned obsolescence is very much part of the capitalist system and has been operating for around 100 years.

We bought a 55’ Hisense TV from Curry’s just after Christmas and we’ve been very happy with it. Might be worth you waiting a couple of months for Black Friday deals?

The number of apps available on smart TVs diminishes after you've had the TV for several years because the companies who supply the apps stop supporting that model of TV

We have recently bought a Samsung TV ,40QLED rebranded as HYE by the retailer. It is not a super size but large enough for our room. We get freesat with a human box. I think we could get Netflix YouTube, Prime Video & Disney. The TV only cost £149 I found this price surprising having looked on line at other suppliers prices and looked at Which? reports.

We have an LG that's at least ten years old, and it's going strong. I don't find it difficult to use at all.

We have a Roku TV upstairs, which is very user-friendly. The apps are pre-loaded, and if you don't subscribe you just ignore them. There is an app store too, so if you want some of the less popular ones you just download from there. I use National Theatre at Home, for instance, and found it in the app store. I think you can get the same sort of thing with Amazon/Prime built in, too. It's the same as using a stick, but without needing one.

Whatever you get make absolutely sure that it comes with a 5 year guarantee.

I don't like our Samsungs because they only turn off with a remote or at the wall.

Are you sure. Have you run you hand along the underneath of the screen? Mine has an on off button there, right hand side. Other models may vary.

I suspect the two feet rather than one central support is a safety feature to reduce the risk of the TV from being tipped from the side if it overhangs the table it sits on. To be frank, whichever you prefer, care is needed as flat TVs are relatively lightweight and easy to tip anyway. There are central stand models available.

Has the number of channel apps available has vastly diminished over the years? I don’t think so.

What I would advise for someone switching from a Sky box system to an smart TV is not to go overboard in subscribing to apps. I made the switch almost six years ago. At first, I though as I was saving over £30 a month on the Sky sub, I would subscribe to apps to a similar value. I soon realised that most of them duplicate content.

There are some exclusive programmes and series but a lot of the same. So now I don’t subscribe to any of the main ones on a regular basis. Instead, I keep an eye on reviews of new content and make a note of what I’d like to watch, When I think I have enough for a month’s viewing on one app, I subscribe for a month. I find little that I like on Netflix but that’s a matter of personal choice.

I don't like our Samsungs because they only turn off with a remote or at the wall. My fireman hubby always buys something with a proper on/off button as he has seen the devastation caused by a tv on standby. I love our Smart TV but I do know that sometimes upgrades can cause them to be unsupported by the manufacturer which can be problematic but I suspect any new tv will have a reasonable smart support time.