Will a Hisense TV be on my nature strip in a year?

[Mat-with-one-t]

Hi all.  Be gentle.  

If it were up to me, I'd not have any TV in the house at all, but I'm outnumbered 4 to 1 by the family.  We've done a recent Reno, and I have wired 3 places (main bedroom, 2 lounges) with wall ethernet and power, with in-wall conduit so we can easily hang TVs and keep things neat.

Now, this may be rather foreign to many of you youngsters, but the only current tv we have is.....

 

CRT

 

To explain, this is a heavy, thick tv with a tube and glass and good sound.  It is also a tv that lasts more than, wait for it, ONE YEAR!  I know.  Amazing.

 

Seriously though, it's an old Loewe Xelos that we've had since about 1997, and it works just fine.  True - I've had to undertake some pretty damned innovative (ie. ridiculous) cabling to plug in our stereo/DVD/PS4/etc, given the tv has scart ports, but we're managing.  

 

But I'll need to to submit to household political pressure and it's soon time to consider one of the new fangled TVs that don't even have a tube!  

 

Ive done a little reading, and as always would tend towards known brands - Sony, Panasonic, LG, etc.  however I am concerned that even tvs with such brand names seems to be on junk piles everywhere!!  I hate waste, and I would rather avoid the throwaway mentality.

 

having said that, I also accept that tech is flying, and by the time I choose a TV, the kids will probably have a holodeck in their bedrooms.

 

SO, what would people recommend for a good quality TV, with lots of inputs and resolution appropriate for the foreseeable future, for a family that watches maybe one movie a fortnight, plays PS4, etc?  I now this is not an easy question to answer.  

 

Size wise, viewing would be from about 3-4 metres away.  I may add surround sound to one tv at some stage.  Our house is very bright and naturally lit during the day.  Lots of Windows.  

 

My Missus read that Hisense were now making value TVs, but my understanding was that they were landfill fodder.

 

Either way, I'd really appreciate some places to start for those of you in the know!

 

Mat

[Guest thathifiguy]

3 minutes ago, Mat-with-one-t said:

Hi all.  Be gentle.  

If it were up to me, I'd not have any TV in the house at all, but I'm outnumbered 4 to 1 by the family.  We've done a recent Reno, and I have wired 3 places (main bedroom, 2 lounges) with wall ethernet and power, with in-wall conduit so we can easily hang TVs and keep things neat.

Now, this may be rather foreign to many of you youngsters, but the only current tv we have is.....

 

CRT

 

To explain, this is a heavy, thick tv with a tube and glass and good sound.  It is also a tv that lasts more than, wait for it, ONE YEAR!  I know.  Amazing.

 

Seriously though, it's an old Loewe Xelos that we've had since about 1997, and it works just fine.  True - I've had to undertake some pretty damned innovative (ie. ridiculous) cabling to plug in our stereo/DVD/PS4/etc, given the tv has scart ports, but we're managing.  

 

But I'll need to to submit to household political pressure and it's soon time to consider one of the new fangled TVs that don't even have a tube!  

 

Ive done a little reading, and as always would tend towards known brands - Sony, Panasonic, LG, etc.  however I am concerned that even tvs with such brand names seems to be on junk piles everywhere!!  I hate waste, and I would rather avoid the throwaway mentality.

 

having said that, I also accept that tech is flying, and by the time I choose a TV, the kids will probably have a holodeck in their bedrooms.

 

SO, what would people recommend for a good quality TV, with lots of inputs and resolution appropriate for the foreseeable future, for a family that watches maybe one movie a fortnight, plays PS4, etc?  I now this is not an easy question to answer.  

 

Size wise, viewing would be from about 3-4 metres away.  I may add surround sound to one tv at some stage.  Our house is very bright and naturally lit during the day.  Lots of Windows.  

 

My Missus read that Hisense were now making value TVs, but my understanding was that they were landfill fodder.

 

Either way, I'd really appreciate some places to start for those of you in the know!

 

Mat

 

I can't speak for the latest ones, but back when I was working for JB/HN, they were rubbish.

 

I distinctly recall telling one couple exactly that and they bought it anyway, thinking I was just doing the whole salesman thing.

 

They called the next morning asking if they could exchange it.

[PleasantSounds]

I'm far from being an expert, but here's a few thoughts that may help you.

 

Hisense is the low-end budget brand, with all the consequences: poor build quality, mediocre design and features and nothing really interesting technology wise. My son recently bought an LG and he's very fond of their mouse-like remote which makes it so much quicker and easier to wade through the various menus. Have a look at it - your family would love it.

In terms of size the 60-65" is where the value for money seems to be these days and it's perfectly fine for your viewing distance. HD is most likely all the resolution that makes sense with this size and viewing distance, besides there's still precious little content in 4k - consider that before paying premium for it.

Lots of inputs makes sense if everything is connected directly to the TV, but often it's more practical to connect through a receiver - then you really need only one input. But what's equally important is consideration for sound output from the TV, as most of their internal speakers are worse than your phone. Make sure you get that covered.

 

 

[PositivelyMusicallyGeared]

Keep the CRT, and get 3 additional smaller, cheaper TV sets, and then you will have dictatorship enjoyed in every room.

[joz]

Why put it out in a year if it busts?

 

You get a three year Wazza!

 

We bought a 58" UHD for the kids area for about $800 and it's fine.

 

[Mat-with-one-t]

So it looks like 3 yr wazza (heh) is about as long as it gets?

[Mat-with-one-t]

1 hour ago, PleasantSounds said:

I'm far from being an expert, but here's a few thoughts that may help you.

 

Hisense is the low-end budget brand, with all the consequences: poor build quality, mediocre design and features and nothing really interesting technology wise. My son recently bought an LG and he's very fond of their mouse-like remote which makes it so much quicker and easier to wade through the various menus. Have a look at it - your family would love it.

In terms of size the 60-65" is where the value for money seems to be these days and it's perfectly fine for your viewing distance. HD is most likely all the resolution that makes sense with this size and viewing distance, besides there's still precious little content in 4k - consider that before paying premium for it.

Lots of inputs makes sense if everything is connected directly to the TV, but often it's more practical to connect through a receiver - then you really need only one input. But what's equally important is consideration for sound output from the TV, as most of their internal speakers are worse than your phone. Make sure you get that covered.

 

 

Thanks mate - useful!  I'll be using hifi gear (of course!) for sound, so that's cool.  Will look at some better brands and not too fussed about 4K (given we didn't even get to 1k, 2k or 3k.....)

[joz]

19 minutes ago, Mat-with-one-t said:

So it looks like 3 yr wazza (heh) is about as long as it gets?

 

From the factory I think so.

But of course there are better TVs  that only give you one year.

[betty boop]

for the kids rumpus or something i can understand but coming off a loewe Xelos CRT..why wouldn't you go for something like one of the OLEDs or something ? 

 

3-4m away one of the 55-65" jobie would be just fine an sony pana LG all make them, though the sony one is still due to land.

 

worried about warranty get them to throw in a 5 year extended...gives some peace of mind because guaranteed panels today are not built like your loewe and one day after factory warranty will go poop  yes they are land fill fodder these days TVs....

[LogicprObe]

 

I got one about 40" for upstairs for guests or kids.

It's fine.................and the sound is way better than my Kogan 65"!

(only had it 2 months so far)

 

edit - the one I got doesn't have a VESA mount........but I wanted it on a stand up there anyway.

Edited July 29, 2017 by LogicprObe

[Guest jakeyb77]

Had the Hisense 58 inch. It was fine. For people saying they are low end you need to read up on the brand. Anyway I had an issue with motion blur. The firmware didn't fix it but they sent a tech for free and then offered to replace it. The only issue is I paid $1300 for mine and the replacement had gone down to $900 on special. So I was better off with store credit. I took the opportunity to buy a Samsung QLed but nearly bought the N6 65 inch Hisense. The warranty and service department for Hisense are great so don't be put off. 

 

*** I will add that with the new Samsung which is a $3000+ tv I am not greatly happy with the picture compared to the Hisense. If you watch Foxtel or Normal TV then you aren't going to get the best out of any of them anyway. You get blur in all the new TVs. The reason I chose the Samsung was the 200Hz refresh rate reduces some of this. Netflix looks great in 4K but is less than half my viewing 

Edited August 14, 2017 by jakeyb77

[~Spyne~]

Last two gens of Hisense have been very good - numerous quality reviews from both 'pro' reviewers and consumers.

The M7 from 2015/16 and the N-series that are in stores now are definitely worth a look. Very good warranty and support from what I have read, too.

60-65" is definitely where the good buys are at these days - Samsung, Sony, LG, Panasonic all have great sets to offer, depending on your budget

 

rtings.com is a good site to read a heap of info, reviews, tests for what tv suits your needs.

 

Of course, no point recommending an OLED if your budget is only $1500-$2000....so, what's your budget?

Also, will you be watching FTA/cable TV on this set, streaming services, or will it mostly be for gaming and maybe a movie or two in a dark room?

 

[TerryO]

I purchased the then latest 2016  model 4k 75" Hisense in March this year, checked it out against most of the other more fancied brands and was more than happy with the picture in comparison, in fact it has a better picture than most of the more well regarded names and for less than 2.5k I considered it a absolute bargain, the same model 65" Hisense version was nearly a grand cheaper but I have always worked on the bigger is better principle. 

 

Yes the LG OLED was much better, than anything else there, but at more than double the price for a smaller TV it was not a consideration. At that kind of price, especially for the 65", so what if you have to replace it in three years time. Chances are in that time the technology will be a big leap ahead of where we are now even for the now current king of Tv's the LG OLED.

 

For about $150 we could have doubled the warranty period but again I reckon in three or four years time I will want the latest and greatest so I didn't bother.

 

If anyone tells you the latest Hisense is doggydoo then they have not recently compared them to the other more fancied brands.

 

cheers Terry

Edited August 14, 2017 by TerryO

[BAM]

4 hours ago, TerryO said:

 

 

If anyone tells you the latest Hisense is doggydoo then they have not recently compared them to the other brands.

 

cheers Terry

Yes I agree. I have a Hisenense 75in for a year. No problems, great picture and 3 year warranty , although I extended warranty. Samsung, Sony and Panasonic only 1 year, obviously they are not confident with the durability of their products.

A couple of years ago I would have never bought a Hisense, they where terrible but now they are as good as the rest. I saw a Hisense 75inch at JBs the other day for approx $8000 so they are now competing with the big boys

[TerryO]

Not sure I would be in a hurry to buy one at 8k, but if this years model is a quantum leap in picture quality up on last years model then I guess around 8k is about right. But I guess that just makes me feel even better about buying the 2016 model for the price we did.

 

cheers Terry

Edited August 14, 2017 by TerryO

[Mat-with-one-t]

Thanks everyone.  Looks like more recent Hisense are pretty good. Remember, we still have a CRT as our only family TV! Anything may look better!  We main,ybwatch eve news, the odd show, and maybe one movie a fortnight.  Plus a bit of footy!

[hifiman]

Hisense "previously" made only lower quality cheap TVs. That's now history and they make excellent TV sets with all the latest tech today, I believe their upper range is now using Quantum Dot technology, the ULED series. In fact they're building a new OLED factory which will allow them to start selling OLED TVS in a couple of years. They are the new Samsung's and Sony's of China, another good value slightly cheaper brand is TCL. Have a look at their sets and you will be surprised at what you get. 

 

 

[Jventer]

I also had a Loewe CRT until a lightning strike took it out.
I am a Panasonic fan. Have you checked out the Aldi TV's?
Some tips
Make sure you understand specs and compare apples with apples.
There is fit for purpose legislation, not sure how long a tv should last under that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mat-with-one-t]

23 minutes ago, Jventer said:

I also had a Loewe CRT until a lightning strike took it out.
I am a Panasonic fan. Have you checked out the Aldi TV's?
Some tips
Make sure you understand specs and compare apples with apples.
There is fit for purpose legislation, not sure how long a tv should last under that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Interesting you mention that, as it's always been my understanding that paying for extended warranties is a con, as we are covered by Aust Consumer Law.  That said, I utterly expect my old CRT to keep going another few decades, but my expectations of a modern telly would be much different.  I've no idea what "fit for purpose" would say.  Maybe 5 yrs? Dunno.

I have used Consumer Affairs in the past and they were really helpful.  I reckon that making mention of said organisations makes retailers jump a bit!

[Tweaky]

The 'Newest' model Hisense's from all reports, seem a lot better than previous models, but are still let down by their 'Smart TV' app's from reading recent reviews.

If using a PVR or PS4 etc as your streaming content insertion point, then the Hisense TV's short comings in this dept would be of little concern.

 

I did consider buying one at the end of last year, but the Moire patterns it was reproducing on a scene of open sky whilst in demo at a JB store, put me off....it was pretty darn bad.

Probably last years model I was viewing at the time, but something still to be mindful of if considering buying one of these TV's........... have them show a scene with a very subtle gradient of colour, like a shot of the sky, if you see moire effect [rings of gradient colour] give it a miss IMHO.

[Wimbo]

5 hours ago, Mat-with-one-t said:

That said, I utterly expect my old CRT to keep going another few decades, but my expectations of a modern telly would be much different. 

It might go for another 5 years but its degrading as we speak. Your've just got used to it.  Get rid of it mate and get something new and better.

[TerryO]

Our Hisense has no issues with graded colours like described by Tweaky. If it has a weak spot it is the blacks with no other lighting in the room at night. If your watching something with the lights on then the blacks are fine. 

One thing that is obvious when Playing 4K HD DVD's the blacks are very good, through when watching a movie through the NBN it was very grey until we went with the 100meg download pack and then the blacks improved quite a lot, but they are still not black black.

But who knows without comparing it that might be the same for a number of other brand 4K ULED TV's as well.

 

cheers Terry

 

 

Edited August 15, 2017 by TerryO

[Addicted to music]

Here are Soniq that's lasted 3yrs plus that's been calibrated and are on 24/7 unless there's a power down.  Still going and they don't seem to die!

[Addicted to music]

I tell you what,

 

you can come and pick my 9yr old Samsung series 6 52" I picked up in 2008 for $500 and I'll go and purchase the new Hisense UHD.  

[digitalhome]

Pay me $500 and ill take it.