Small TV Advice

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alasta

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#307130 22-Sep-2023 15:15

Hi. My 11 year old 42" LG TV is starting to play up so I figure it's time for a replacement. The TV will be installed in a small apartment and won't get much use, so I want to spend less than $1200. I have narrowed it down to these options:

Which of these is best value for money? Does the quality of the QNED justify the price premium?

I am not a tech person so don't care about 'smart' features. I will just be plugging in my Apple TV and Bose soundbar.

Any advice appreciated.

Handsomedan

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#3130559 22-Sep-2023 16:18

We've had a Panasonic in the house for a decade or so - it's a real workhorse and is now in one of the kids' bedrooms.

Our lounge TV is the older version of this: https://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/p/sony-43-inch-kd43x75k-4k-uhd-google-television/R2831600.html which I know was not on your list, but I've been suitably impressed with Sony and Panasonic to not look beyond those two brands going forward.

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alasta

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#3130565 22-Sep-2023 16:27

Thanks. I'm biased towards LG as my current one has been really good, but willing to consider the Panasonic if it's as good as the LG alternatives given its lower price point.

My main reservation with the Panasonic is that there is a whole lot of computer stuff in the specifications that I don't understand. It's not clear to me whether I can turn off all of that and just use it as a dumb HDMI display.

vexxxboy

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#3130572 22-Sep-2023 16:54

That LG ur81 is not a great price , Smith City's normal price is $949 so look around

Common sense is not as common as you think.

Handle9

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#3130573 22-Sep-2023 16:58

Any tv can be used as a panel only. There’s no need to use any of the “smart” features if you don’t want to.

alasta

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#3135543 27-Sep-2023 16:07

For the benefit of anyone reading this in the future, I ended up going with the LG QNED75. In the shop I couldn't see any significant difference compared with the UR81 but I am conscious that retail stores are not a natural viewing environment so I decided to spend the extra $200 to take a punt on the salesperson's promise that it's a slightly better panel.

The Panasonic would have been fine, but just didn't feel quite as well packaged as the LG options. For me a TV purchase is a ten year commitment so the lower price wasn't enough of a drawcard.

mattwnz

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#3135548 27-Sep-2023 16:25

TBH I don't think you can really go wrong with a TV in that size and price band from a reasonable brand. Personally I usually always go for Sony due to the design and reliability as never had a sony LCD fail. The Consumer mag is quite useful with comparing models for anyone else looking at buying.