TV query??

[Ken Gargett]

my TV decided to die last night - right in the middle of the cricket which did not make me happy. 

query for those with more technical knowledge than myself, which is pretty much everyone on the planet - screen went completely blank/black and now it just makes a tick tock noise.

i have had it about 8 years i'd guess, give or take a couple. when i am home, i have it on most of the day, normally just as background noise. so i have certainly had a fair whack of use from it. 

in the old days, you'd get out a repairman to look at it. wondering if that is still worthwhile or best just to move on? any thoughts? 

any suggestions on what i should buy (suspect best idea is to check out JB hifi or whoever and see what they have going). 

[Wailbait]

I’ve had 2 Samsung TVs for the last ten years or so.  They seemed to be a reasonable intersection of quality/user friendliness/price.  

[Ken Gargett]

Just now, Wailbait said:

I’ve had 2 Samsung TVs for the last ten years or so.  They seemed to be a reasonable intersection of quality/user friendliness/price.  

thanks. i'm seeing a lot of people seem happy with a brand called Hisense? never heard of them. 

[Wailbait]

Just now, Ken Gargett said:

thanks. i'm seeing a lot of people seem happy with a brand called Hisense? never heard of them. 

That’s not a brand that I’ve seen.  A buddy of mine is an engineer at Sony.  According to him, the differences are relatively small when you are dealing with the big guys (Sony, LG and Samsung).  After that he sort of seemed to imply it was a crapshoot.  Since I’m going to assume you’re like me - reliability is paradigm and bells and whistles second - I’d start by seeing which brands have the best track record.  For whatever reason I’m super fussy about audio gear but I have never really chased the latest and greatest in video.  

[Ken Gargett]

15 minutes ago, Wailbait said:

That’s not a brand that I’ve seen.  A buddy of mine is an engineer at Sony.  According to him, the differences are relatively small when you are dealing with the big guys (Sony, LG and Samsung).  After that he sort of seemed to imply it was a crapshoot.  Since I’m going to assume you’re like me - reliability is paradigm and bells and whistles second - I’d start by seeing which brands have the best track record.  For whatever reason I’m super fussy about audio gear but I have never really chased the latest and greatest in video.  

yep. bells and whistles for a tv are almost irrelevant for me. reliability, decent screen, clear picture, good definition, easy to use. and i am happy. fair value when buying, of course.

apparently hisense is china's largest brand??? 

i usually go to JB Hifi, one of our retailers. they are normally pretty good (had the odd hiccup with stuff but overall, they seem to be pretty good at recommendations. will see what they say. 

[kalibratecuba]

Was your departed tv a Samsung? A number of their models kick in the same fashion.

Many of the no name brands are made alongside the big names. I've had a Vizio that won't break.

When the Vizio breaks, I'm going to get an OLED 4K TV. Those have the best picture.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[Fuzz]

Hisense is a Chinese brand, just like TCL. I have 3 Samsung smart tvs (JU7000, MU7100, NU8000) plus 2 TCL smart tvs (65P6US). I personally preferred the TCL over the Hisense, mainly because of the Android operating system. Price-wise, the TCL was cheaper for the same quality screen (4K UHD). However, those TCL tvs are for my downstairs and outdoor area. In my private study, I have a Samsung 65" NU8000, as I prefer Samsung tvs (and I also own a lot of their other stuff too).

To be honest Ken, unless you watch a lot of 4K shows or Blu-Ray DVDs, you do not need to spend the money on a QLED/OLED tv. I picked up my NU8000 (2018 Samsung Series 8 ) this year, just as the new models (RU series) were released. The NU8000 is exactly the same screen as this year's RU7100 (Series 7), but I paid about $500 less as it was last year's model.

Look at ebay sales, as you can get tvs cheaper than JB Hi Fi, especially if ebay are having their 20% off sales. I like to buy off the Bing Lee ebay webstore. Right now, they have a Samsung 55"RU7100 going for $995, but with discount, you can get it for $895.50 (10% off with code PRIORITY10). Pay to get it delivered, or con somebody with a 4WD or van to pick it up for you (55" screens will not fit in a sedan).

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-Samsung-Series-7-55-RU7100-4K-UHD-TV-UA55RU7100WXXY/163619247334?hash=item26187794e6:g:cNIAAOSw91pcm64x

Or if you want something a bit bigger, and don't mind a little bit more of a finicky operating system, the TCL 65" 65E19US is the same price.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-TCL-65E19US-Series-E-65-E19-UHD-Smart-LED-TV/163711606283?hash=item261df8de0b:g:Qk4AAOSwbCVc7rsa

Or the Samsung 65" RU7100 if you don't mind the price.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-Samsung-Series-7-65-RU7100-4K-UHD-TV-UA65RU7100WXXY/163619247364?hash=item2618779504:g:AA0AAOSwHDdcm64r

All these sales end tomorrow.

[Lotusguy]

An 8+ year old TV set sadly likely can’t be repaired (economically, at least). You’re better off buying a new set, especially since there has been huge progress in features and picture quality during that time. I’m partial to the 2019 generation Samsung QLED TVs, mostly because they are one of my customers

[prodigy]

TV, computers, cell phones, laptops etc are all similar. In two years time they have progressed so far that what you have now is outdated and the cost of repair is more than the cost to replace. TCL is like a Juan Lopez 2, it performs at or above coro for half the price.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

[Ken Gargett]

i think i have ended up with a samsung (or sony - so confused i have no idea). nightmare.

first bloke has me on every upgrade imaginable till we are at about twice what i told him was my highest figure. i'm sure whatever it was could probably fly and do brain surgery.

delivery and installation. sure. so much more expensive than it used to be. despite him telling me how much cheaper it was.

then they have no stock except the display. so i am expected to take that one.

then delivery is not for ten days or some crap. that includes connecting to the video? no, that is extra. so what is installation? turning on the switch?

so all that just gets canned.

i end up with something much more acceptable. i hope. but of course, they have none. i have to go across to the massive shoppingtown (one of the biggest centres in the southern hemisphere) to get it. their loading area is hidden away in the bowels, nowhere near where they say (the stores obviously love each other - "over there, they are all smucks", and then from over there, "across the road, they are all idiots"). ages to find them. won't fit. so i need delivery as just easier than getting a car from the family and pissing about. it includes connection and is less than half the cost (from the same organisation? how does that work?).

and then, no problem delivery within two days. by the time i get home, no, it will be a week. we have a suitable chat.

he is ringing me tomorrow. i suspect there is likely to be some unpleasantness before this is all over. hope not but it seems inevitable. 

[nKostyan]

I have an allergy to Smart TV - it's frequent glitches and brakes. I prefer TV without Smart + external TV box, besides it is cheaper.
Sony has been using Samsung matrices for a long time, so it competes only thanks to the brand and design.

[Ken Gargett]

thanks all. 

[Shelby07]

Had a Panasonic that died in the same way a few years back. 

Looks like there are a lot of recommendations for Samsung. IMO Samsung has one of the best picture quality available. If you buy Samsung, research the model for known flaws before you buy. The last one I had developed a shadow due to separation of some layers in the screen (not sure if that is a technically correct description) and the one I have now has an annoying problem where the screen and sound go dead for a couple of seconds. Happens every few days. In looking for solutions I found that these were known problems unique to the model numbers. 

8 years, you got your money’s worth. Congrats!