Tír Na HiFi

Hi Guy's
I'm in the market for a new 4K TV and currently looking hard at a 43" Sony KD43XG8196BU.

It seems to tick all the boxes, so, I thought before I buy I'd post here for some knowledgeable advice.

As an alternative the Samsung QE43Q60RAT looks good but has quite a narrow viewing angle, a visual brother to the Quad electrostatics so-to-speak.

Anyone know anything about these or indeed an alternative to either, just keep in mind 43" is my screen size limit.

Cheers Derek

The sony one here has performed very well over the last few years, but you really do need something for sound. The side speakers are pretty small and wimpy. I opted for non-smart ones and used an android box (far more versatile) instead.

Nothing much to add from me I'm afraid!

Cheers Fran, I was thinking along the lines of a sound bar, maybe a little Sonos.

I have to say I've become a lot less fussy about TVs over the years... that said the two we have in constant use here are both LG models, one smart and one dumb (I use an android box on the dumb one but then I'm not big into Netflix). They're not expensive, well specced and easy to use. For sound you can add decent PC speakers plugged into the headphone socket.

One thing with Sony TVs. They tend to have quite vivid colours, garish almost. Some people find them tiring on the eyes. I know "back in the day" they often had to go back to the supplier to be toned down. It may not be the case anymore.

Cheers Ivor, I’ll have another look at the LG range.

I am not very knowledgeable about 4K TVs but I do wonder what is the point when there is nothing broadcast in 4K anyway. I suppose it might be good if you are into Blueray. I absolutely love my 42'' Panasonic Plasma. Anybody that sits down in front of it are amazed at the picture quality.

Just an aside, I was in visiting a family member over the last week and the LG TV in the room is broken, the nurse said practically all the LG TVs in the hospital are broken now.

Thanks Cyndale, not a recommendation from the nurses then. I’m thinking it’s better to have than need when 4K hits. But then again with the speed of change, the powers that be might just skip to whatever’s next

There may not be much 4k broadcast, but virtually everything Netflix makes is in 4k, as is a lot of material on Amazon Prime, Rakuten, etc. If you're intending to hang on to a TV for any length of time I'd definitely recommend 4k now, but more especially for HDR. That makes a bigger difference than pixel count, especially at the 43" size.

I'm very happy with the 55" LG OLED I dithered about buying for years, but that doesn't really help you as I was specifically looking for OLED. I'll say this though, you hear horror stories about every TV manufacturer, and it seems clear that you can be lucky or unlucky with any of them.

My existing TV (or should I write her TV?) is a Philips 42 inch LCD, about 11 years old now. It burns 220 watts and acts as a space heater to warm up the room.

A modern LED will now burn much less, approx 90 watts or so.

However older TV's generally tend to have a much bigger facia surround, so a modern 55" is only 1.5" wider than my old 42". So make sure you download the specifications of the new TV.

For exactly the same size, I would imagine a 49" would fit exactly the same as your old 43" in the same space.

Depending on who you ask, you will get different answers about the same manufacturer. Some comments I have heard from people I know...

1) Don't buy a ex demo one from the shop. Screen burn, damaged or chipped glass mountings were experienced on two TV's.
2) Do try and get the 5 year warranty.

A friend paid for a expensive LG OLED, and after 14 months a corner of the screen pixelated. He went back to the shop and was fobbed off.

He did some research... and discovered he could lodge a claim with some consumer protection agency / small claim court. So before he did this, he went back to the shop again.... told them he was going to lodge a claim.... to which they offered him to pick a new TV of roughly the same specification / price range etc.

He then went for a Sony model, only because it had a 5 year warranty. His advice... go for at least 5 year warranty.

WRT Qled vrs OLED etc, better off doing research online etc.

Cheers guys

Part of me going for the bigger 43" is that my old Samsung 32" has a wide border, so the overall increase in size isn't that much more.
The Sony I'm looking hard at, comes with a 5 year warranty.
I do watch Netflix so I'll be looking forward to HDR viewing.

This is great stuff guys, helping to make the decision more solid, many thanks.