[DrCar]

My dad is into repairing of these TVs.
He use to recommend TVs based on his personal experience in repairing them since the days black and white TVs entered India.

I will list some salient point which will be helpful for future buyer:
1. None of the modern TVs are durable enough to sustain for long time. If possible, always have a backup CRT TV at home, they are still repairable if things go wrong with your current LED TVs.

2. Recommended brand to buy - LG, Samsung and VU.
LG is tough and can withstand abuse. Buying Samsung is bit like lottery, if it works well then it will last a long time but it can conk off even within a year as well. VU provides consistent user experience for all its buyers.

3. Avoid brands like Xiaomi, Micromax, Videocon, etc.
I will mention the reason below. Sony too should be kept at bay.

4. Most of the TVs (even the recommended ones above) will start having problems after 2 years. Major problem that one can face is motherboard and panel issues.
A motherboard and panel can be easily replaced and repaired if similar dead piece is available in the market.
For decently selling brands like Samsung, LG, etc., the replacement part is easily available in the market. It is like a Volkswagen or Ford models. They sell in enough numbers for parts to be available in the market if things go wrong and if the model isn't currently selling. Other brands are like Chevrolet, they didn't sell well even when they were in the market.

5. TVs within size of 20s and 30s inches sell well in numbers. So, replacement parts are available easily for those size. It is difficult to find parts for TVs with large screen size above 55 inches.

6. It is extremely difficult to repair such LED TVs, as the panels have to be removed using special machines. They can easily get damaged during repairing stage itself.
Cost of repairing cheap TVs from brands like Xiaomi and Micromax is almost 70 to 80% of the buying price.
You should be extremely lucky enough to get parts similar to your large (above 30 inches) screen TVs to get them repaired. Otherwise, we have customers who had to sell their 1.5 lakhs worth TVs for mere 1000 rupees to scrap collectors.

7. Getting your TV repaired from the company itself is worthless. They will just check the panels and motherboards and ask you to replace them. They will make nil efforts in finding a suitable working replacement part.

Tip - Buy a medium size non-Chinese branded TVs if you are planning to use it for long term and want to repair it if things go wrong. Cheap Chinese brands should be avoided altogether. People preferring large screen TVs should opt for known international manufacturer only. If planning to upgrade, better to exchange them when TV is working fine as a non working piece won't fetch any amount.

Save money on buying expensive TVs and use them on spicing up your car. It will be more soul satisfying, I bet.

[kadanaJ]

Not loyal to any brand. My criteria for buying a TV is simply that the display panel must be top-notch (for the price, anyways). Which means Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and whatever other screen technologies are being used nowadays.

Don't care about smart TV software (easily fixed with an Amazon TV stick), or sound quality (fixed with a soundbar). The display panel is the one thing I can't change, so it has to be perfect.

[sri_tesla]

Chinese brands used to make sense 2-3 years ago, especially in the low end. Not any more. Some examples below. I would rather prefer non-smart tv rather smart tv. In most cases, smart TVs will never get proper updates and most of the times new features will be limited to latest models. Also, some of the apps will be missing. Its better to get non-smart tv and amazon fire stick.

TVs are not short term purchases like smartphones. So, its better to buy spend 2 or 3K more and get from brands like Samsung, LG and Panasonic. Lately, these brands are releasing models for similar price or just slightly higher price than cheap internet brands.

32 inch: Samsung for just Rs 12,500. With 10% card discounts, it will be ~11K.
https://www.flipkart.com/samsung-80c...01603861893328

40 inch: Panasonic android smart tv.
https://www.flipkart.com/panasonic-1...01603861899849

[Maverick Avi]

Surprised to see that Sanyo is not there on this list. They are manufactured at Panasonic facility and aftersales and service is also provided by Panasonic itself. I have around 5 of them in my near family and all work great with good color accuracy due to IPS panel.

When my turn came to replace my 10 year old LG 32 inch TV this year I got an astonishing deal on Panasonic 50 inch 4k which was almost equivalent to these chinese brands. So I got home a Panasonic.

If I had to opt for any one the brands listed then would have gone for Sanyo or Iffalcon. VUs used to good but seeing a decline in their product lineup and marketing so not sure about their future plans.

[Stribog]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

Toshiba cannot be named a non TV brand. They have been in business for decades and as far as I know, manufacture components like boards & displays for the bigger brands. I'm a proud owner of a 29" Toshiba LED TV for the past 6+ years, with zero complaints.

One particular factor to be looked at while getting s budget TV is the 'Refresh rate' in Hz. All budget LED TVs have refresh rate in the range of 50-60 Hz, whereas the bigger boys with better displays have 90-100 Hz. The latest iPhone as a 120 Hz display!

By that logic TCL also supplies panels to many other OEM's including Samsung for its TV's. Ditto mobiles, where it supplies to many OEM's including Xiaomi and Oppo / Vivo.

We went 'low budget' TV's 10 years ago and never had cause for regret. Started with a VU 40' iirc in 2010 / 11 types (don't remember exactly), upgraded to TCL 60' or something like that 2 years ago, the guest rooms have a Sharp 55' and a Samsung 32' and honestly I can't even tell the difference.

But I don't even know what a refresh rate means and only know that 4k is better than 1080 P (and it has something to do with pixels) so am not the best guide here

[Rakmo]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

[b] The latest iPhone as a 120 Hz display!

Just a correction, The latest iPhone doesn't come with 120Hz OR even 90Hz.

It was rumored to be included in iPhone 12 and they even tested it, but it was not feasible for them this year.

All iPhone 12s come with standard 60Hz Panel.
Only Ipad Pro offers higher refresh rates for now.

[unknowntrainer]

I had bought a TCL LCD 65" 4k HDR smart TV last year for around 45k from Amazon including discounts and cashback. I still feel that this was a steal when considering the price/size.

While I am very satisfied with the TV for my usage, I agree that the display, sound and build quality isn't as good as LG, Sony or Samsung. But then again, it costs less than half of what these companies charge.

I have also added a 5.1 home theater system which when paired up with a TV this size makes media consumption and gaming feel like a truly immersive experience.

[turbowhistle]

I was one of the early adopters of VU when it launched and wasn’t even available on Flipkart initially. I remember in 2012 or 2013 we wanted a LCD TV and the difference between Samsung and VU was just 4k but VU was full HD and Samsung was HD ready. The dealer pushed for VU and the tv is still doing it’s duty in my Bedroom. Later in 2016, we picked up 55” Full HD VU again and it’s our main TV now along with external speakers from day 1.

I rarely get influenced by brands ( apart from Apple) so VU was bound to impress me and I have pushed atleast 10 of my friends to get multiple VU TVs. Haven’t heard of a problem yet.

[Rajiv0909]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

I doubt it. It was kind of a one time deal but on Amazon it's at 44k now
https://www.amazon.in/Philips-inches.../dp/B08619L9J8

Throw in the card discounts and exchange offer then it could come under 40k i guess

I ordered this TV for 36k during the recent sale. I am expecting the TV to be delivered/ installed on the 6th. Would be good if you could share detailed feedback

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by Rajiv0909

I ordered this TV for 36k during the recent sale. I am expecting the TV to be delivered/ installed on the 6th. Would be good if you could share detailed feedback

Update the firmware first. Makes a big difference.

The inbuilt apps are pretty snappy to use but going through their browser to access the internet is painfully slow. I just end up using cast from mobile most of the time.

HDR is good and pic quality is fine for me. I have a fidelio soundbar so was not really bothered about checking the sound quality.

For 36k, it's a darn sweet TV to have Enjoy.

[frewper]

In today world it doesnt make sense to buy a smart TV at all. Because my smart TV after 4 years is useless and doesnt work.

I got a Samsung Smart 5 years ago and spent close to a lakh. And the reason I dont buy the cheaper ones was only thinking that its a long term gadget and the "smartness" aka software updates will keep up to it.

But the problem is that software doesnt keep up and upgrades will stop at some point or the other. Which means when new things come into the market at a later stage. things will not work.

Example: My "Smart" TV has netflix and Prime app available. By no hotstar. (Dayumn). 5 years ago i dint even notice. Regional channels were served by TATA sky. Eventually like every one I stopped TATA Sky and thought i will just watch them on hotstar which was not available on the TV software. And also if I want the Discovery App or Sony App I cant have it. I tried updating the TV software, but now they dont support my TV series. Which means my Samsung Smart Series has turned into a Dumb TV. And the "Smart" was the reason I bought the TV in the first place. Eventually I bought the Fire Stick for things to work.

The cheaper TV todys such as MI and VU are perfect. Because just plug in an Amazon Firestick or the MI Stick and you have Smart TV. And it works perfectly.
Agreed the quality is slightly better in Sony or Samsung. But the difference is never a problem untill you keep them next to each other and want to find a difference. Individually they are as good as any TV

[Maverick Avi]

Originally Posted by frewper

The cheaper TV todys such as MI and VU are perfect. Because just plug in an Amazon Firestick or the MI Stick and you have Smart TV. And it works perfectly.

What stops you from plugging in Amazon Firestick or MI Stick into your Samsung TV? All you need is HDMI port which I am sure would be there in your Samsung.

[Rajiv0909]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Update the firmware first. Makes a big difference.

HDR is good and pic quality is fine for me.

For 36k, it's a darn sweet TV to have Enjoy.

Will do first thing. Thanks for the feedback

I just hope this TV has better / comparable picture quality to my 5 year old LG 4k TV. I use Apple TV for apps and an 18 year old Bose 321 for sound so smart features or sound quality is not as important.

This deal was available for the first few hours on day1 of the sale. Couldn’t resist buying it even though I didn’t have any complaints / issues with my current LG tv or a need for 2nd TV

[deathwalkr]

Ah the case of i don't need it but damn what a deal!

Not sure how it will compare to your LG 4K TV (does it have HDR also?) but at the back of your mind, you just have to have the 36k figure!

[frewper]

Originally Posted by Maverick Avi

What stops you from plugging in Amazon Firestick or MI Stick into your Samsung TV? All you need is HDMI port which I am sure would be there in your Samsung.

Thats what I did. I mentioend that already. But image when buying the TV i went with Samsung thinking that they will definitely give me software updates atleast.

[quote=deathwalkr;4918597]Ah the case of i don't need it but damn what a deal!

Not sure how it will compare to your LG 4K TV (does it have HDR also?) but at the back of your mind, you just have to have the 36k figure! [/QUOTE

I have a 4k as well. The number of times I have watched 4k is less than 5 times in 5 years. 1080p is very good enough and is default on my TV and to watch 4K i have to get much better internet connection, a better netflix subscription and then not everthing is available in 4K. To top it all off we now have 8K.