Opinions on these Television Brands please :)

UndeclaredFreak on 19/05/2020 - 07:45
Last edited 19/05/2020 - 07:49

lol I really need a TV, my 22” just doesn’t cut it. I’m povo though have a very limited budget. Preferably under $1000 but could possibly stretch to $1500 if a good deal comes up. I’m looking for 55” to 65”
I want too use for TV watching, streaming Netflix etc, as well I’ve had a PlayStation 4pro sitting in a box for 6 months waiting to be used.

To help keeping an eye out for a good deal, could anyone offer me thoughts on these brands:

  • Seiki
  • TCL
  • Kogan
  • Braun
  • FFalcon
  • Hisense
  • Polaroid
  • JVC
  • EKO

From what I gather Samsung, LG and Sony are all good?

Another thing is I’m confused by OLED, QLED, Ultra HD smart TV Vs Android etc.

Thank you for your help! Sorry I’m such a derp. I have done research but I just keep getting more overwhelmed and confused.

Electrical & Electronics TV

Comments

  • wallet72 on 19/05/2020 - 08:02
    +6

    I bought a TCL about two months ago - an Android based smart tv - and I think it's great. For the price it's got a hell of a lot of features, the picture quality is good, and it just works fine.

  • lubos on 19/05/2020 - 08:06
    +17

    If you want the best value for money, then Hisense 65" 65R6. If you wait for a deal, you can get it between $700-$800

    • saltypete on 20/05/2020 - 09:24
      +1

      Support that, we have had the 75 for a couple of years now on a swivel wall bracket. (Gets moved twice each day) and it is a great TV. I have seen these for the mid to high teens a while ago.
      Know nothing of this gaming of which you speak, but we regularly need to throw our son off it even though he has his own 50inch in his room.
      Plus 3 years warranty. Plus liked the pic better when comparing others in the store.

    • tessel on 20/05/2020 - 20:11

      Yes, Hisense. Own two. One is 7 years old and going strong.

  • jimbobaus on 19/05/2020 - 08:21
    +72

    Something that some (not all ) people consider when they buy a TV is what happens if something goes wrong? what is the warranty and after sales experience like?

    I worked many years for a vic based authorised repairer and we dealt with most if not all brands.
    The big names tend to be more effective at resolving issues quickly and with the customer in mind. Sony is by far the best in this regard even helping customers with TV"s long out of warranty by either repairing or offering a heavily discounted (70-80% off) replacement tv. Samsung and LG are acceptable but i would not be willing to go as far as to say they are good when it comes to warranty. They are slow'ish and also look for reasons to exclude repairs from warranty as much as possible. They tend (samsung especially) to repair under duress, only when we would push them would they do it. But the process was imho an acceptable amount of time. Sony turn arounds though were like in and out within a week and they often just replaced tvs rather than repair as it was a better overall customer service exp.

    A lot of the smaller brands or niche brands can take a lengthy amount of time to repair i know this was always the case with Soniq who used to be sold exclusively through JB .

    FFaclon TV you would be dealing with JB direct as it is an in house brand
    Kogan is terrible when it comes to warranty, the entire returns process is convaluyted and they take ages to fix things (i have sadly experienced this first hand as have many friends)
    Hisense recently closed their Aus based repair centres and now contract repairs out to third parties (like the company i used to work for) they can be slow approving repairs and/or replacement parts they also are quite firm when it comes to "warranty length" they are selling at the lower end of the market usually and can get away with the Value VS Time issues when it comes to ACL and warranty. We were an auth repairer for them prior to them taking repairs in house (and now out of house again) and they were terrible to deal with and slow etc, i would get abused on the daily by Hisense owners calling to ask when their TV was going to be fixed.

    Cant speak for the other brands but i can assume from my exp that they would have little to no after sales service. Maybe check reviews or ask the retailer what their processes are for repairs. If they say we "Send it off to Sydney" or "we will give you the name of a local repairer you can take it too" i would avoid if warranty matters.

    Anyways i have ranted long enough, if warranty matters
    Sony
    LG or Samsung
    ……
    ……
    ……
    ……
    ……
    everyone else
    …..
    Hisense
    Kogan

    • cuteseal on 19/05/2020 - 09:27
      +3

      Wow, this should be stickied somewhere! Great info, thanks for sharing!

      I think these days if you wait for a good sale you can get the LGs Samsungs and Sonys for not much more than the budget brands.

      Apart from the repair side of things, the big manufacturers also tend to have user interfaces that are much more polished and better maintained, and the software and firmware are also updated more regularly and for longer. IMHO the "magic wand" remotes from LGs and Samsungs are just pure joy to use.

      • jimbobaus on 19/05/2020 - 10:11
        +15

        I explained in my post
        Their warranty experience is not great.

        • Whisper Quiet on 20/05/2020 - 07:47
          +1

          I've had Hisense out twice to repair one of my TV's (last year's model) both times were approved straight away over the phone and technician called either that day or the next to organise a time. So for me warranty was fantastic for Hisense plus it's 3 years compared to others 1 year. But the bigger issue was that their products are very average quality compared to bigger brands high end comparisons and they don't last. Two major separate issues within 9 months is appalling!

        • andocom on 20/05/2020 - 08:26
          +1

          Using the warranty experience of Sony/Samsung/LG (1 year) over Hisense/TCL without mentioning the later have 3 year warranties is a bit misleading no?

          Sure you can go the ACCC route to force them after that period but having an explicit 3 years is still probably better no?

          Personally I would have thought the general ranking of brands would be:

          Samsung/Sony/LG/Panasonic - Top Tier
          Hisense/TCL - Tier 2 Bang for buck, global challenger brands.
          Kogan/FFalcon/Braun/EKO/JVC etc - Rebadged whatever, cheap, limited support & QC, you're rolling the dice, it is what it is.

          • jimbobaus on 20/05/2020 - 08:30
            +4

            @andocom: Sony might be 1 year on paper but have seen them repair tv's that are almost 10 years old at no cost to the customer

            Hisense 1 day past the warranty they will not budge and are happy to fight in court as i said they know they will win the Price VS Time argument

            This is my point, Hisense warranty is terrible, they will take ages to repair and / or approve parts etc
            they will not budge if its a day out of warranty
            they no longer (as of Jan this year) have Aus based in house repairers so you are dealing with third parties who i can assure you hate dealing with them so you are not a priority

            Hisense offers great value for money, but if anything goes wrong you will have headaches
            Like i said i was abused on the daily by Hisense TV owners asking where the TV was and the delay was 100% on Hisesne side not ours

            • jimbobaus on 05/07/2020 - 16:42

              @jimbobaus: Edit: Sony now offers 3 years and have since mid 2018 on their higher end TVS

    • ltcelvin on 19/05/2020 - 11:07
      +5

      This is really good to know, having own a Sony myself.

      I bought a Sony X85G(I believe this is the mid-range model) about 2 years ago and have been pretty satisfied with it.

      Pros:
      - Good for gaming, responsive, pair it with ps4 pro really pushes the HDR
      - Natural looking rendition, i always find the pictures on Samsung TV a bit too saturated.
      - Good Blacks/HDR
      - Android TV, access to the Store so you can download apps, esp useful if you want to use a VPN client like Nord or download apps which your native OS doesn't come out of the box.
      - Built-in Chromecast, trust me, this is very handy.

      Cons:
      - Android TV OS can hang occasionally, may require hard restart.
      - TV speakers are a bit weak (same can be said about most TV anyway since they're all so minimalistic/slim nowadays) but easily fixed with external speakers/sound bar, I use an old logitech 2.1 speakers that is meant for computers and it works great.

      Tips:
      - https://www.rtings.com/tv serves as a good reference in terms of ratings
      - Compare your options in-store, request to put on a movie/tv, something you're likely to watch day-to-day for better comparisons and not some made-up hi-fidelity video renders.
      - Also mind the refresh rate if that matters to you or if your eyes can discern them, some TVs are especially obvious when put side to side.

    • netjock on 19/05/2020 - 12:51

      Got a Kogan 43" which developed a problem, it is a pain to have to send all the photos and correspond via email then having to be at home for courier pick up.

      I do agree that buying from a brick and mortar store is better as you can take it back in (depends on whether it takes more time than my above sentence and how long you might be able to live without a TV).

      Also check if your credit card has extended insurance which might be helpful in event of a problem although not 100% safety net.

      • anonymite999 on 21/05/2020 - 06:30
        +1

        It’s a pain to take a photo and have a courier pick it up. Poor boo how will you ever survive such a convenience

        • netjock on 21/05/2020 - 11:16

          Consider I live 1 block from JB Hi Fi it would have been quicker to run it down considering 43" is possible for one person to lift and walk.

          The problem was also at the edge there is a black round dot about half a centermeter in diameter which look like something developed in the glass. Therefore you need to find the multiple pure background colours to show it is persistent, you can't get a random frame paused from a TV show.

          So before you start "poor boo" I think you need to seriously think about the context.

    • nomoneynoproblems on 20/05/2020 - 23:27

      Wow I need to get myself a Sony.

    • Jay 1103 on 21/05/2020 - 08:50
      +1

      @jimbobaus I agree with your comment. I had a Samsung 4k TV and the panel stopped working after 4.5 years of use. Then Samsung decided not to replace/cover the partial amount of replacement. The frustrating thing is that I've been advised by the Samsung authorized service center is that the panel production is discontinued and there is no stock. This force me to buy a brand new TV. So I am going to stick with TCL or Hisense.

    • Seni0r El Cheapo on 21/05/2020 - 13:24

      I second to this. A friend of mine bought a Sony OLED TV. It developed a bad pixel after 3month usage. He made a warranty claim and was asked to send in a photo of the screen with a bad spot. They gave him an appointment, came to his home, replaced the whole panel.

  • dogboy on 19/05/2020 - 08:48
    -1

    The only brand in your list I would rate is Hisense. Rest are garbage.

  • vinni9284 on 19/05/2020 - 08:51
    +3

    Get a known brand like LG, Sony, Samsung and buy also a mid-range TV and not an entry level with these brands.
    There are usually 3 tiers of model numbers for all the above so go for the middle model#.

    • UndeclaredFreak on 19/05/2020 - 12:34

      Mid range in know brands would be pretty pricey though wouldn’t it? Whenever I see those brands in the size I’m after my heart sinks a little.

      • vinni9284 on 19/05/2020 - 12:40
        +1

        Yes. It would be more expensive than the usual Kogan, TCL & Hisense however you have to factor:
        - The picture quality - i.e brightness and motion flow
        - The CPU of the TV is usually quad core hence the OS/SMART features are snappy
        - The support of integration with external devices & ongoing firmware/software updates that improve the overall TV experience.
        - The overall refresh rate. Some disclose it and some don't. Some sure faux refresh rate crap (e.g Motion fill rate 200hz) but usually 60hz is entry (acceptable) but some mid-tier is 120hz (good for footy/sports etc)

        I have a mid-level LG and I couldn't be more happier. I purchased it in 2016 and still going strong
        Then I have another low end Philips, the Picture quality is OK but takes a minute to boot up, the remote is terrible and the SMART features are useless, very slow.
        Do you have patience for a very slow grinding TV to use its features?

        • netjock on 19/05/2020 - 12:52
          +3

          Don't buy a smart tv if you can. Better off with a dumb tv and a fire stick. Smart TV sometimes doesn't get software updates.

          • vinni9284 on 19/05/2020 - 12:56
            +4

            @netjock: The problem with most dumb TV's they are of crap PQ.
            Unless you use a fire stick on a high end existing monitor, or a older high end TV.
            Then you have to factor another $70 for this device where you can spend that additional cost to a better quality TV

            • netjock on 19/05/2020 - 13:06
              -1

              @vinni9284:

              Then you have to factor another $70 for this device where you can spend that additional cost to a better quality TV

              That is if you don't already have one, it is portable device. How much would $70 improve picture quality is personal opinion.

              The problem with most dumb TV's they are of crap PQ.

              Just your opinion

              • vinni9284 on 19/05/2020 - 13:10

                @netjock:

                That is if you don't already have one, it is portable device. How much would $70 improve picture quality is personal opinion.

                That $70 will go towards a better TV rather than enhancing (that is only adding a SMART feature) a poor quality dumb TV. You can't polish a turd ..

                Just your opinion

                I have:

                JVC entry dumb TV = Crap PQ No OS
                Philips SMART TV = Crap PQ & OS
                LG OLED TV = Best PQ & OS
                LG LED/LCD TV = Great PQ & OS . crap DSE

                • netjock on 19/05/2020 - 13:17

                  @vinni9284: From your list of TVs. I think your Philips would be $70 more than JVC and no change in PQ.

                  The price difference between Philips to either your LGs would be more than $70.

                  If you stick the price of each TV you bought it for then maybe it would make some sense.

                  • vinni9284 on 19/05/2020 - 13:23

                    @netjock: I understand where you are coming from however I mean adding the $70 to the holistic/overall price for a better TV. So for e.g it costs $499 more for a better TV, you're technically spending $429 more factoring the $70 on the stick.
                    I can spend $70 on the fire stick to the JVC and i'll still hate to watch it. It is used for a PC monitor and then the tip when it fails.
                    I am speaking in relation to purchasing a new TV and not an existing dumb TV as dumb TV have very poor PQ
                    Cheers

                    • netjock on 19/05/2020 - 14:08

                      @vinni9284: So you suggest:

                      1. Find a dumb TV with good picture quality and $70 less than a SMART TV. IF you can't then:
                      2. Find a smart TV with good picture quality.
                      • vinni9284 on 19/05/2020 - 18:22

                        @netjock: I would recommend.

                        Find a smart TV with good picture quality.

                        However it depends on your budget.
                        Many ppl buy budget TV's and then spend more on another as they realise that the PQ is crap
                        So get something worth buying in the first place.
                        Cheers

  • seraphim2017 on 19/05/2020 - 09:49
    +4

    Personal Choice

    On our Second TCL, first worked for 6 years no issue then we sold it in less than 2 hours when we bought a 55P8M as an upgrade. Note all V similar, TCL comes with quad core for android, which does make it smoother than ffalcons (dual core) etc.

    I'd say in order of "tier"

    Top = LG Samsung Sony

    Mid - Hisense TCL

    Lower - Everything you've mentioned except above.

  • SuperMick on 19/05/2020 - 10:58
    +6

    I would always go for Sony, in my opinion they would be top of the top tier. Why I say this is that we had our last Sony for 19 years. We never had a problem with the TV in all of that time. We gave it away in the end as we wanted a smart TV, and the one that we bought was a Sony.

    • colossus on 21/05/2020 - 08:13

      I agree!

      My last 2 TVs have been Sony. It's a great brand.

      Also, their remotes and UI are good. You can have the best screen in the world but if the usability is poor, it will lessen the experience. A lot of people don't realise how important this is.

      I've helped others with TV setups and a many cheap brand TVs are onerous to configure and navigate.

      A personal experience note re Sony: I left my old Sony 50" with my ex-wife. My new TV is bigger and better but that old one was sensational: fast, crisp picture, reliable, very low power usage, great TV all round. She or the kids have never called me for tech support with it.

  • Ghost47 on 19/05/2020 - 11:08
    +2

    I did a Google recently and it seems on reddit people rank Sony TVs the highest.

    I would say all the brands in your unordered list are pretty average, can't help with picking one of those brands.

  • wombat81 on 19/05/2020 - 11:49
    +4

    OLED is the newest technology out of your list and, by all reports, the the best TV experience, but you pay (a lot) extra for that. It's essentially like a big smartphone screen. I'm not an expert but I believe each pixel is lit individually which provides really nice contrast.

    All the other technologies are variants of the standard LCD technology which are back lit by LEDs. QLED is Samsung's LCD technology brand.

    Ultra HD just relates to the resolution and (generally) means the TV can display 4k pictures (3840 x 2160 pixels). This is different to FHD (full-High Def) which is 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels).

    In terms of smart TV functionality. Most manufacturers have their own propriety operating system on their TVs which includes "smart" functionality like connecting to wifi, streaming from apps like Netflix and sometimes the ability to cast from another device to the TV. Android TV is produced by Google and includes similar functionality.

    In terms of brands I see Sony and Panasonic as the top tier, but Panny are no longer selling in Australia. Then Samsung and LG, but some of the LG models are pretty questionable (the UM69 comes to mind). Then TCL and Hisense after that. Then the rest are really no name brands.

    I'm in the market for a 75" UHD at the moment. I've narrowed it down to Sony and Samsung. The Samsung series 8 is about $300 cheaper because I can buy it through Samsung Education or TGG Commercial, so I'll probably go that way. But if the prices were the same I'd be getting the Sony.

    Hope that helps.

  • wombat81 on 19/05/2020 - 12:47
    +1

    To give you a simple answer, people seem pretty happy with their TCL tvs. You should be able to get one at the size you want within your budget.

  • seraphim2017 on 19/05/2020 - 13:21
    +4

    Lets say you bought the TCL today at 55" ($548 for the M or $695 for the S, difference seems to be dolby atmos and a better refresh rate). Or even their 55 X7 QLED at $995.

    In 3 years, you could sell the cheap tv for a couple hundred, better tech would be cheaper again, so you can then get whatever the latest today which will be then be more affordable tech (who know, Maybe a 55 OLED will be sub $1200 by then?).

    The sony will certainly be a nicer 'brand' to own, but with the rise of smart tv's, we all know how painful using a 3 year old phone is, what about a 6 year old phone. now imagine your tv being that annoying!

    I'm obviously showing my confirmation bias (although I acknowledge that and am modifying for the bias) but in reality, you've got a great big budget to land anywhere within the 55 market except OLED and the mid part of the 65 tier as well if you go TCL/Hisense. Go into store and look at them side by side, as they generally run the same demo so you can compare what looks good to your eye.

  • Pro-crastinator on 19/05/2020 - 23:54
    +2

    In the past 2 years we’ve had 6 brand new TV’s. The first was a brand new Sony OLED 65inch. This was replaced under warranty due to vertical banding. The second Sony OLED was excellent, however we had to sell this before we moved house.

    After moving we bought an 85inch Sony 8500 series, the first had a light patch in the middle third. The second (same series) had a bent frame on arrival so we didn’t even need to turn it on. And the third which was a newer generation Sony 85inch has light patches across the screen.

    We were over Sony by this point, 1 good TV from 5 was not great. We bought a Samsung QLED 80 Series in 75inch and the first one we got was good but I prefer the new series Sony menu to the Samsung menus.

    I’d also add that I wouldn’t buy an OLED again, I found the picture too dim for my own personal preference, and I worried about screen burn in more than I’d like.

    Family have bought Hisense and have had good experience but you can tell the picture quality difference between the Hisense and all the other TVs we had. But the price was a lot different too.

    Also, our experience of buying through JB HiFi was excellent, they helped us every step of our TV issues without question. Not saying other stores won’t be good but our experience would have me reluctant to buy elsewhere.

    • neonlight on 21/05/2020 - 07:39
      +2

      Meanwhile my Sony 46 LCD still working from 2009.

      • Pro-crastinator on 22/05/2020 - 14:40

        Funny you say this, I still have a 46 inch Samsung LED TV from about 2008 that works perfectly too… not a smart TV, but never had a problem.

        • neonlight on 22/05/2020 - 15:33

          Same not a smart TV neither

    • Hunter14 on 21/05/2020 - 11:41
      +1

      You must the be unluckiest person for having 4 Sony TVs fail you and for those reasons.

      Seems you are continually searching the perfect TV :)

      • Pro-crastinator on 22/05/2020 - 14:43

        Yeah, we felt pretty unlucky. We kept the 75 inch Samsung Q80 TV because there’s no problems with the screen on that one. It does have a weird oily looking patch in the plastic on the back, but it’s the back so not concerned! Seems we’ve had better luck with Samsung’s than Sony, despite the common attitude amongst the buying public being that Sony is better than Samsung. Incidentally my brother has a Sony TV that didn’t last that long and our Sony soundbar constantly decided to randomly disconnect from the subwoofer. Maybe Sony is just anti-our family :)

        • Hunter14 on 22/05/2020 - 16:49

          I bought a Sony 75 inch X9000F last year and have been very happy with it so far. I also considered Samsung but found a great deal for the Sony. The one gripe I have with Sony is how far they are in the past with their remotes. Aside from the lack of modern design, I feel like I always have to press a button twice because it didn't register the first time.

          Every time I walk past a Samsung TV, it seems much more colourful and vibrant than other TVs. Could be because Samsungs are naturally brighter? I know QLED are known for their brightness but I noticed this even before QLEDs were out.

          I think I'll get a Samsung QLED for the next TV.

  • yolohobo on 20/05/2020 - 01:12
    +2

    Instead of getting a cheap new TV, what about getting a decent quality second hand TV?

    With OLEDs coming down in price, there will be more and more 50"~60" LCD TVs popping up on the second hand market for half or less of what you'd pay for a new one.

    And odds are a 5 or so year old decent quality TV will probably outlast a cheap new one.

    Also enter this competition: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/537037

    • UndeclaredFreak on 20/05/2020 - 04:43

      I am a big believer in buying second hand, because there is so much waste. Almost everything I have in my unit is secondhand. However I have been burned buying second hand and then not long later items stop working (and I’m pretty sure seller know they’re on the fritz). So I just don’t trust buying a tv without having some sort of return/warranty backup.

      • andocom on 20/05/2020 - 08:36

        Not to mention buying a second hand OLED, good luck with that. The prices are still pretty damn high, like over 50% of new. I'd be wanting at least some form of warranty before pulling that trigger, even without the issue of burn in.

  • Speckled Jim on 20/05/2020 - 09:02
    +2

    Very happy with our 50" Ffalcon from a deal here last October. The UI is clunky in its responses, but you can disable smart features. It powers up quickly if you enable Instant Power on.
    Can't really comment on gaming but my old xbox looked and played okay. No component-in so I route via AVR.

  • Karfaffel on 20/05/2020 - 18:09
    +3

    My experience with Sony has been very different to some of the posts above.

    Sony used to be known as a quality brand you could trust and they were also known as amongst the best for TVs. This reputation has changed in the last 10 years.

    In particular their warranty service was lauded by someone. I had exactly the opposite experience which made me never buy another Sony product. They actually refused to honour warranty within the first year in stark contrast to the claims above. It was clearly a design flaw and they simply would not acknowledge it as such. I think they offered 20% off a new TV as a gesture. I thought that was a joke. If you don't even support your product during the first year why would I want to purchase another, even at 20% off retail.

    It may be personal preference, but my experience with Sony's android OS was also terrible. I would never recommend a TV with android OS if you're actually going to use the TV in that way.

    LG uses web os and it's a much better experience. The remote with the air mouse function also works really well. And then of course OLED is the best picture quality at this time if your room is not always super bright.

    I'd recommend you have a look at some reviews online before you purchase, but as a general rule the lowest budget products usually have some corners cut somewhere.

  • pogichinoy on 20/05/2020 - 19:17
    +2

    Out of all those bradnds: Hisense.

  • R-Man on 20/05/2020 - 19:31
    +1

    search ozb for deals on these TVs to see what people think

    For example no one above has said anything good about EKO, however, let me show you what ozb said when the deal was posted https://www.ozbargain.com.au/comment/8163780/redir

  • Windows98 on 20/05/2020 - 19:32
    -1

    Theres plenty of YouTube videos explaining terminology and comparing different models and panels. Much better than reading people's wall of texts and personal opinions on the TV's

  • Kangal on 20/05/2020 - 20:27
    +1

    From my experience (best to worst):

    (good flagship brands)
    LG
    Sony
    Samsung
    Panasonic

    (good quality brands)
    TCL
    Hisense
    Phillips
    Hitachi
    Toshiba
    Changhong

    (good value brands)
    Bauhn
    Soniq
    Teac
    JVC
    Polaroid
    FFalcon
    Viano
    Blaupunkt

    (good luck to ya brands)
    Platinum
    Bosston
    Devanti
    Linden
    Loewe
    Pendo
    DgTec
    Seiki
    Akai
    Teco
    ChiQ
    EKO
    GVA
    NCE
    RVM
    Dick Snith Kogan <—don't even get me started!!

    • askbargain on 20/05/2020 - 23:18
      +1

      You spend a lot of money on TV's.

    • dct on 21/05/2020 - 06:32
      +1

      Changhong and Chiq are the same brand
      Loewe is a premium german brand (though the Loewe I owned was ordinary admittedly)
      Philips / Hitachi / Toshiba are old well-known brands used on chinese OEM TVs - quality is no better than good luck to you brands
      Eko and Blaupunkt are the same in Australia.
      My Soniq 75" TV is just complete crap.

      My version of your list:

      (Companies who make TVs with a reputation for quality / decent support)
      LG
      Sony
      Samsung
      Panasonic (no longer sold in Australia)
      Loewe

      (Second tier TV manufacturers)
      Hisense

      (Third tier TV manufacturer)
      TCL
      Changhong / ChiQ

      (Well known brands on anonymous OEM chinese TVs)

      Blaupunkt
      Phillips
      Hitachi
      Toshiba
      Akai
      JVC
      Teac
      Polaroid

      (Made up brands on anonymous OEM chinese TVs)

      Bauhn
      Soniq
      FFalcon
      Viano (an OK brand in the USA evidently)
      Platinum
      Bosston
      Devanti
      Linden
      Pendo
      DgTec
      Seiki
      Teco
      EKO
      GVA
      NCE
      RVM
      Dick Snith Kogan <—don't even get me started!!

      • Kangal on 21/05/2020 - 07:39

        Changhong is usually reserved for Mainland, whereas ChiQ is for the international market.
        However, there is definitely a quality difference between the two. It's like comparing a OnePlus to a Vivo… same company, different market. Changhong is trying to compete against the likes of Samsung/Hisense, whilst ChiQ is competing against the lesser known brands like FFalcon. With that said, the biggest surprise to me has been TCL. They haven't been as promotional and self-promoting as the Hisense brand, but man are the TV units made to a high quality in and out. I'd rate them highly, moreso than Hisense, who recently (+2017) has gotten better overall. It's a shame we miss out on some good options from Vizio (USA) and Xiaomi (China), but lucky the market isn't that flooded with a lot of bad brands like you find in Europe these days.

        Loewe has gone a long way… down. Their customer service in Australia is non-existent, prices expensive, and picture quality is now not only behind the Koreans, the Japanese, but also the quality Chinese units too. They deserve their spot towards the bottom.

        Phillips, Hitachi, Toshiba are difficult to gauge. Some of their units are still made by them. The majority are sourced from China. However, I think they have a vetting process and their own QC department. So even if it costs the same as some Chinese brands, you're more likely to get a non-broken, working, and usually acceptable quality product for their prices. Blaupunkt used to be in this category, but I'm pretty sure they've closed the European factories, so they're brand name is used by a Chinese company to sell internationally not too differently from the above three (think of 2020 Chinese HMD-Nokia versus 2010 Finnish Oyj-Nokia).

        Same deal with JVC, Teac, Akai, Polaroid… just rebranded Chinese TVs but usually they're the decent ones. I say that because there's a lot of crap out there in those lesser known brands, and these days with Online Purchases, no customer service, and Fair Trading being a toothless tiger… it's just not worth the time, hassle, and risk.

        • freddofrog42 on 21/05/2020 - 13:05

          Personal recommendation for Changhong/Chiq. I bought a 65" Changhong from BingLee for $799 in their boxing day sale at end 2019. I was frankly surprised how good the picture quality was and it played fine with CEC and ARC etc to a mid-range Yamaha receiver. 3 year warranty.

          Skip forward to July 2019 and a tiny picture blemish developed (in hindsight we reckon it was an insect). A single phone call, an email of a couple of pictures and a whole new 65" Chiq TV was delivered. The guy they sent was prepared to install it as well but I'd already pulled it off the wall in advance.

          The Chiq TV is what I would call semi-Smart as it has a few built in apps. They work fine but as we have multiple other options e.g. HTPC, XBox etc they never got used other than to prove they worked.

          A VERY easy process.

    • love2buy on 21/05/2020 - 08:52

      My TV is last in rank. So far so good.

  • Dreamcast on 20/05/2020 - 23:22
    +1

    I have Sony and Samsung 55" TV's. I got the Samsung for just under 1k. Such a great TV. Apps like netflix launch quicker and it's just that much faster than the Sony, as the bloatware is not there.

    Looking at jbhifi, the current equivalent of the Samsung I have, is the TU800. Currently $1195. Wait till the sales, as it will drop under 1k. It'll be more than enough. Can't go wrong at that price.

  • BestofOZB on 21/05/2020 - 06:46

    We have had 2 Sony TVs for 13 years, and 2 for 6 years, all still going without one single problem. If you want it to last you a very long time, I would stick to the big brands and tey to find a bargain.

  • Brick Tamland on 21/05/2020 - 08:09

    There is some good information in this thread.

    My personal experience. For value for money TCL and Ffalcon are reasonable sets. Recently got the Ffalcon for a family member and its a decent TV but can look a little washed out viewing from angles.

    I am running an LG OLED. The screen became faulty outside of warranty and LG replaced the panel without argument. So good back up is important.

    If you want to go cheap maybe Ffalcon because it has the JB backed warranty.

  • kaleidoscope on 21/05/2020 - 08:35

    I have been using sony 55” 4k tv for about 3-4 years. Got it for about $1200 and it certainly has not disappointed. Like someone else has mentioned aftersales support is a big factor for me when buying things so Sony is always the first choice for me personally.

    For netflix i’d advice on using your ps4 pro or an apple tv 4k. Tv’s inbuilt system may work out of the box, but they get damn slow with later updates.

    for you other questions, oled / qled are display technologies. For your budget oled and qled are out of question and only option is lcd with led backlit.
    As much as I’d like to see a dumb tv with good panel, it’s not an option these days (because i’d like to see a tv that wont slow down with os updates). So smart tv or android tv it is. This is basically the operating system that runs on it. With smart or android tvs you get fancy features as control from phones, cast to tv, screen sharing, digital assistants such as alexa / google.

    this is my sony tv model and it gets refreshed each year kd55x6500. It also has feature to record tv programs which may be handy.

    next purchase; think on getting a decent sound system (sony / bose / lg). Will make night and day difference for games and movies.

    Good luck.

  • beany155 on 21/05/2020 - 09:54
    -1

    I bought a 60 in Braun tv from Aldi for 500 and couldnt be more happy. They have many deals going for tvs. It is a smart tv and german engineering.

    • SupeNintendoChalmers on 21/05/2020 - 10:34
      +6

      lol, German engineering. Firstly its Bauhn, not Braun. Secondly, there is 0 German engineering in this, it's purely a cheap China TV. The only thing remotely German about it is the Aldi sticker.

      • CalmLemons on 21/05/2020 - 11:17

        That's how Aldi fool their shoppers.

        • freddofrog42 on 21/05/2020 - 12:53

          It's just Aldi, it's all of them. At least they don't just use "brands" that sold out years ago hoping that people remember them e.g. Akai, JVC etc.

  • SupeNintendoChalmers on 21/05/2020 - 10:32

    None of those brands

    Find an end of line Samsung or Sony TV for cheap and you'll be happy

  • striker5950 on 21/05/2020 - 11:15

    "Another thing is I’m confused by OLED, QLED, Ultra HD smart TV Vs Android etc."
    OLED and QLED are 2 different screen types, ultra hd smart tv refers to the 4k resolution of the tv, if they put smart in may or may not run android, so its worth reading the description. its shitty marketing on their part.

    oled gives best picture (but has burn in issues where the pixels die from over use or from gaming where parts of the image stay on the screen for prolonged periods, like a health bar in video games.)

    qled: is the same as led but has a technology called quantom dot that gives much darker blacks. its a step up from normal led's. if i a tv does not state its qled, than its led.

    both led and qled comes in 2 types, cheap ones are edge lit, more expensive ones are backlit or direct lit. obviously back/direct lit is way better in giving blacks and preventing blurs.

    than you got different operating systems, most tvs use android, with their own skin on top, hisense for instance uses its own OS thats different, so do some cheap tvs that cannot afford android certification or the hardware to run it properly.

    for 1500 6 months ago you could have gotten a cheap qled 65", right now there isnt many deals, there was the q60t samsung 55 for 1150 last week but that is edge lit qled so not that good.

  • CalmLemons on 21/05/2020 - 11:16

    Hisense hands down.

    TCL if you must.

  • Hunter14 on 21/05/2020 - 11:36
    +1

    Sony, Panasonic, LG, and Samsung are your traditional big 4. Any TVs from these brands will generally be good quality.

    Hisense is a sleeping giant has come leaps and bounds the last few years and probably offers the best cost/quality ratio.

    Out of the big 4, I find Samsung probably is the best value for money. I don't know why but whenever I see a Samsung TV, the colours and brightness just pops out. They are always trying to stay ahead of the game by introducing modern single cable systems, ultra thin bezels, and slim frames that can be mounted flush onto the wall like a picture frame.

    OLED - I won't go into the technical aspect as it's better explained if you google it but the main feature is that it provides beautiful blacks when watching 4K content particularly space movies like Interstellar. Suited to a dark room with limited lighting.

    QLED - main feature is it can get very bright so suited to a bright room with windows. Don't let the similar name fool you, they are different technology.

    Good luck :)

    ps. If you really want to get into the technical aspects of individual TVs, go visit Vincent on YouTube.

    • freddofrog42 on 21/05/2020 - 12:56

      Panasonic are pulling out of the Aus market. Not a massive issue as you will still get support.

      Samsung - just make sure you avoid their One Connect technology, reliability issues….. Their basic TVs are fine though.

    • MrGareth on 21/05/2020 - 13:21
      -1

      Older samsung models were known for using bad quality capacitors in the power circuitry… so the screens died not long out of warranty. Not too hard to fix if you knew what you were doing, but shows that perhaps they aren't as good quality as people think!

      • cbol55 on 21/05/2020 - 18:19

        10 years and counting…going so well that the sell to get a new one isnt easy.. but despite little evidence to support that this problem occurs in great numbers..it obviously has happened to some people.I had a Sony Bravia crap itself just out of warranty.. what do we learn..even the best brands can have problems. But my next TV is probably a Samsung. Love the Sony image processing and if I was buying an OLED would probably get one..despite their OS not being so good. only not getting OLED because of room scenarios vs dark HT room

  • misskezz on 22/05/2020 - 15:34

    We recently bought the FFalcon and cannot fault it, its a great unit for the price especially

  • foxinsox8 on 23/05/2020 - 09:46

    Hisense picture quality is spectacular for the price so long as you don't get their entry level series. Three year warranty (even if slower to action) is better than a one year warranty no matter how others want to pitch it. Having had Hisense panels for ten years I have never experienced a fault. The first ones I bought had a quite slow start up but more recent systems are almost immediate. Price to quality to warranty Hisense is the best optionfor OP

  • foxinsox8 on 23/05/2020 - 09:50

    For those suggesting that Hisense picture quality is not up to 1st tier standard read this assessment by Nick Ross in Goodgearguide. Admittedly 4 years old but if anything Hisense are better now and their OS improved too: https://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/604431/review-hisen…

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