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Ako Si Jamie
18th April 2018, 00:08
The situation as it stands.

Eight-year-old 40" Hitachi TV.
Internet & TV package roughly £60 p/m with Virgin.

Nothing wrong with the TV apart from it freezes now and again meaning I have to switch channels to resume watching the same program.

It's not a SMART TV though which is what I want. Why? For a couple of reasons. I want to watch stuff from the internet on a bigger screen and save money by ditching the Virgin package and replacing it with internet only for around £20 p/m, plus TVPlayer which is totally separate and costs either £5.99 a month with no contract or £60 for the year.

OK, TVPlayer does contain Freeview channels which are readily available on modern TV's anyway but 37 other channels too. They include Discovery and Investigation Discovery which I already have and watch regularly, and also the Nat Geo channels and Crime Investigation which I don't currently have.

https://tvplayer.com/

The Virgin package contains over 100 channels I think including Freeview but I only watch about half a dozen which doesn't warrant me forking out £60 per month. No wonder Branson can afford his own islands. On top of that, the programs are being forever repeated. At least paying £6 a month with TVPlayer it's much more palatable and there isn't a contract.

I'll keep the old TV for the bedroom and purchase a video sender from Malaysia for around 25 bucks that has a range of 200 metres (just to be safe). Better and cheaper than Maplins. With the video sender I'll be able to watch and switch these channels in bed.

As for a new TV I'm looking to pay around £300. Saw a Toshiba 55" 1080 HD SMART telly today reduced by 25% to £329. Good job I checked the reviews as it has a common fault. It turns itself off all the time.:icon_lol: One buyer had four replacements before calling it a day. Time to jog on I reckon. I'm happy with another 40" TV though.

Ako Si Jamie
18th April 2018, 14:27
43" LG model 43LJ594V tops my shortlist now. Has excellent reviews and everything I want. Just under £300 but I may be able to get it slightly cheaper at £280.

https://pricespy.co.uk/audio-video/tvs/lg-43lj594v--p4310254

Slip
18th April 2018, 16:14
I have a 43" LG smart TV in the bedroom, may even be that model, can't remember.

However one thing I didnt realise is you can't download apps from play store as only some smart tv's are compatible with Android apps. So if you want a good selection of apps make sure you buy one that is compatible with play store, I don't think any LG ones are.

Ako Si Jamie
18th April 2018, 17:33
I have a 43" LG smart TV in the bedroom, may even be that model, can't remember.

However one thing I didnt realise is you can't download apps from play store as only some smart tv's are compatible with Android apps. So if you want a good selection of apps make sure you buy one that is compatible with play store, I don't think any LG ones are.

Most of the brands I've seen are Android based. Not really bothered about apps so much so long as the TV has YouTube. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

grahamw48
18th April 2018, 20:08
I just view Youtube on my big TV using my Xbox, which has internet connection to my broadband.

Perfect picture. No buffering.

The Xbox is also wi-fi/bluetooth enabled, so I can either use that to communicate stuff to the TV from my android tablet/phone... or use a wired HDMI connection if preferred, either though the Xbox, or direct into the (Samsung non-smart) 42" TV.

I have opted out (officially) of having a TV licence, since there is enough on YouTube alone, to last me several lifetimes.