is a tv a tv... or are there TEEVEEs?!?

[Let's Ride]

Honestly, the cheaper ones often fair better than the expensive ones, Hisense, Sinotec and JVC. 

 

Most people honestly won't tell any difference between brands.

[Fruity]

I'm part of a few gaming groups on FB and Hisense seems to be quite a popular brand with a few gamers. When our Samsung packs up one day I'll probably get a Hisense.

Edited August 25, 2020 by WeekendWarrior80

[Shebeen]

Check out Dion Wired. They seem to have the best prices at the moment and are willing to price match. 

 

As to the TV, it's so confusing. I am in a similar boat with a similar budget and leaning towards one of last year's ULED Samsung 65" TVs for around R23k from Dion.

what happened to Dion Wired's stock..all just absorbed into massmart - where was the firesale for flippen hell's sake?

 

So Hisense seems to come up at most retail shops and pricing seems very decent compared to Samsung, LG, Sony and Skyworth which all seem to be the sort of higher end brands. I was hoping someone would comment on Hisense as so far it looks like the best option. 

Thanks.

So I have also noted that sometimes the specs online are not the same as what the tv actually has. When I googled my Sony model it said no optical but it most certainly does have. I was just looking at a hisense on hi-fi corps site and it says no optical but I will rather go look for myself. I am sure most tvs nowadays would have optical?

I went to go buy a small kitchen appliance and went past the tv section of the Tafelberg.

My sony bravia is probably 8/9 years old. I'm a cheapskate and normally get hand me downs/2nd hand for this. I sommer decided to ask for the EXECUTIVE show from the salesoke. I should probably have warned him that my budget was R10k TOPS, but more like R7k. Starting off with the brandspanking new latest 2021 model LG 55" was not a good idea, blerrie impressive but would never have thought it was worth R33k!

 

so hisense seeeeems to have the best bang for buck, got back to old internet and this thread was very reassuring that it's a decent buy

https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/personal-experiences-hisense-tvs.930968/page-87#post-25964190

[LazyTrailRider]

yeah spec.. 

so much to look at

screen size

screen resolution

brightness contrast 

inputs/outputs

refresh rate.

smart or dumb.

 

Then add:

• Viewing angle
• Edge vs local dimming
• SDR and HDR peak brightness
• Colour gamut
• Gray uniformity
• Black level
• Reflections
• Image retention
• etc etc etc

If you have attention to detail, there is a *massive* difference between a 55" which costs R8k and one which costs R20k. After getting used to my Samsung Series 8, I could not go back to a 60Hz panel without HDR...

 

If you're shopping, this is massively useful: https://www.rtings.com/tv/tools/compare

Edited August 26, 2020 by LazyTrailRider

[popcorn_skollie]

I have 4 hisense tv's in my house. A 55 inch 4k in my lounge. A 40 inch 4k in my bedroom. And 2 x 32 inch cheapies for each of my kids. I have previously owned samsung and lg tv's as well. 

 

For movies and series you can't complain at all. Anything 1080p and up looks great even on the 55.

Contrast ratio is decent. Colour gamut is not the best but you have options to tweak it. If you're looking for a budget TV that can deliver. Look no further than Hisense. You're going to get more for your money. Once you start looking at high end TV's for gaming or a proper immersive cinema experience. Thats when I'd start looking at other brands.

 

On both Hisense 4k tv's I own. (I don't know about the new ones) I can only watch native 4k at 24hz. Even though its specced to run at 60hz. It doesn't do that at 4k. It runs at 60hz for resolutions of 1080p and lower. Something they probably put in the fine print while misleadingly advertise on the box. This is not really a big deal. The xbox runs fine at 1080p 60hz. And most reasonably sized 4k feature films wont exceed 30fps. Besides. Most of what I watch on netflix etc I watch at 1080p anyways. Its not a deal breaker but people deserve to know none the less. 

 

After sales service. Simply put. The best I've had so far. The 40 in my room had internet problems after around 6 months of use. I told takealot. They sent Hisense to my house. Two guys with screw drivers and did some testing and told me it cannot be repaired. It was replaced with a brand new one at no cost a few days later. No problems since.

 

Look its not bells and whistles like top end tv's. But once its up and running you'll be surprised at the quality you're getting for the money you paid. Hevc (x265) codec support is a huge plus. Every dirty little torrent you download will play perfectly from a flash drive or over lan or wifi. 

 

What I don't like. Dealing with the in house smart functionality is a pain. They might be snappier and more reliable on newer models but I hate dealing with mine. Don't get me wrong they work. But they're slow. Very slow. Netflix navigation is 'acceptable' That's me being generous with my description too. Don't get me wrong. It works. And once you're watching what you want the navigation doesn't matter. But that's it. If you're patient and don't know what to watch you're ok. But if you have a nas or external drive with a massive library you need to excessive some patience to get to what it is you want to watch. Because a tv with 2gigs of ram and a little compute unit is going to struggle with your terabyte drive. Wanna watch Zoolander 2? Tough ****. Either watch Gilmore Girls or go make some popcorn while titles H - Z is loading. This is where you realize why its so much cheaper.

[Spurs]

+1 for hisense here, and if you aren't a fan of the native smart features, a simple chromecast addition to any setup makes support for various different app's much simpler.

[Robbie Stewart]

I have 4 hisense tv's in my house. A 55 inch 4k in my lounge. A 40 inch 4k in my bedroom. And 2 x 32 inch cheapies for each of my kids. I have previously owned samsung and lg tv's as well. 

 

For movies and series you can't complain at all. Anything 1080p and up looks great even on the 55.

Contrast ratio is decent. Colour gamut is not the best but you have options to tweak it. If you're looking for a budget TV that can deliver. Look no further than Hisense. You're going to get more for your money. Once you start looking at high end TV's for gaming or a proper immersive cinema experience. Thats when I'd start looking at other brands.

 

On both Hisense 4k tv's I own. (I don't know about the new ones) I can only watch native 4k at 24hz. Even though its specced to run at 60hz. It doesn't do that at 4k. It runs at 60hz for resolutions of 1080p and lower. Something they probably put in the fine print while misleadingly advertise on the box. This is not really a big deal. The xbox runs fine at 1080p 60hz. And most reasonably sized 4k feature films wont exceed 30fps. Besides. Most of what I watch on netflix etc I watch at 1080p anyways. Its not a deal breaker but people deserve to know none the less. 

 

After sales service. Simply put. The best I've had so far. The 40 in my room had internet problems after around 6 months of use. I told takealot. They sent Hisense to my house. Two guys with screw drivers and did some testing and told me it cannot be repaired. It was replaced with a brand new one at no cost a few days later. No problems since.

 

Look its not bells and whistles like top end tv's. But once its up and running you'll be surprised at the quality you're getting for the money you paid. Hevc (x265) codec support is a huge plus. Every dirty little torrent you download will play perfectly from a flash drive or over lan or wifi. 

 

What I don't like. Dealing with the in house smart functionality is a pain. They might be snappier and more reliable on newer models but I hate dealing with mine. Don't get me wrong they work. But they're slow. Very slow. Netflix navigation is 'acceptable' That's me being generous with my description too. Don't get me wrong. It works. And once you're watching what you want the navigation doesn't matter. But that's it. If you're patient and don't know what to watch you're ok. But if you have a nas or external drive with a massive library you need to excessive some patience to get to what it is you want to watch. Because a tv with 2gigs of ram and a little compute unit is going to struggle with your terabyte drive. Wanna watch Zoolander 2? Tough ****. Either watch Gilmore Girls or go make some popcorn while titles H - Z is loading. This is where you realize why its so much cheaper.

 

Good review. I have a 40" Samsung in the bedroom for the missus to watch her soapies and HGTV on, and then I trawl YT on the 55" Hisense in the living room. I don't game anymore, and only use the smart tv function to browse streams available on the box, so for me it works very well.

 

I am finding that the remote is a bit "soft" in that the navigation button is already showing signs of overuse after also about 6 months. I'm sure that it can easily be replaced if needed.

 

Overall, I am not regretting my Hisense tv. I had to get an ematic 4k android streaming box for the Samsung since its smart function is a bit dated, but now it too works a blast. I can stream full HD1080 and 4K over wifi without any issues. That little gem goes for around R1200 on Takealot.

[Fruity]

Good review. I have a 40" Samsung in the bedroom for the missus to watch her soapies and HGTV on, and then I trawl YT on the 55" Hisense in the living room. I don't game anymore, and only use the smart tv function to browse streams available on the box, so for me it works very well.

 

I am finding that the remote is a bit "soft" in that the navigation button is already showing signs of overuse after also about 6 months. I'm sure that it can easily be replaced if needed.

 

Overall, I am not regretting my Hisense tv. I had to get an ematic 4k android streaming box for the Samsung since its smart function is a bit dated, but now it too works a blast. I can stream full HD1080 and 4K over wifi without any issues. That little gem goes for around R1200 on Takealot.

You okes and your 55" TV's, one day when I'm big [emoji2957]

 

We have a 43" Samsung in the lounge, a 32" Samsung in our games room, and an 18.5" Telefunken in our bedroom - which we'll move into our daughters room when she's a bit older. I think the initial plan will be to move the 32" to our bedroom anyway as I mainly game on our lounge TV these days.

[Long Wheel Base]

Good review. I have a 40" Samsung in the bedroom for the missus to watch her soapies and HGTV on, and then I trawl YT on the 55" Hisense in the living room. I don't game anymore, and only use the smart tv function to browse streams available on the box, so for me it works very well.

 

I am finding that the remote is a bit "soft" in that the navigation button is already showing signs of overuse after also about 6 months. I'm sure that it can easily be replaced if needed.

 

Overall, I am not regretting my Hisense tv. I had to get an ematic 4k android streaming box for the Samsung since its smart function is a bit dated, but now it too works a blast. I can stream full HD1080 and 4K over wifi without any issues. That little gem goes for around R1200 on Takealot.

Channel 177 has cost me a lot of money but has also improved my house a lot. I won't lie, it's not just my wife that enjoys HGTV, I am also a big fan.

[Robbie Stewart]

Channel 177 has cost me a lot of money but has also improved my house a lot. I won't lie, it's not just my wife that enjoys HGTV, I am also a big fan.

 

watching HGTV is like listening to Neil Diamond. No one wants to admit they do, but secretly, they do.

[Longbarn Killer]

I haven't read through this thread, so not sure if this has been mentioned. Stay away from JVC. I bought a Smart TV from them. 1 month out of warranty it's ability to connect to wifi stopped. According to Google a common problem.

 

After 3 months of looking for solutions, got it to work again (with zero help from the importers Nuworld and the place I got it from).

 

Now the Youtube app has become obsolete and the TV will not allow you to re-install (or install any other app for that matter, despite the fact it comes with Google Play Store). Again a common problem. I'm just waiting for Netflix to do the same.

 

Technical department at Nuworld don't answer their phone or reply to emails. Customer Service department are no different. Sent mails to numerous managers, with no responses.

 

So, JVC is rubbish and their customer service is rubbish.

[Long Wheel Base]

I haven't read through this thread, so not sure if this has been mentioned. Stay away from JVC. I bought a Smart TV from them. 1 month out of warranty it's ability to connect to wifi stopped. According to Google a common problem.

 

After 3 months of looking for solutions, got it to work again (with zero help from the importers Nuworld and the place I got it from).

 

Now the Youtube app has become obsolete and the TV will not allow you to re-install (or install any other app for that matter, despite the fact it comes with Google Play Store). Again a common problem. I'm just waiting for Netflix to do the same.

 

Technical department at Nuworld don't answer their phone or reply to emails. Customer Service department are no different. Sent mails to numerous managers, with no responses.

 

So, JVC is rubbish and their customer service is rubbish.

Thanks for the info.

Any idea if Nuworld bring in any other brands?

[Rocket-Boy]

I would generally try and avoid smart tv's the built in functionality sucks and its always very slow.

An external media player is always a better solution.

[Shebeen]

Looking at maybe upgrading TV. Got a bravia circa 2012 HD 40inch. Don't watch much but you get awesome upgrades over this these days it seems.

 

Looking at hisense or lg 55", is it worth waiting for black Friday or other deals to come along? The Samsung blue tag 40% off sale seems to be rather limited

[Long Wheel Base]

So after a few weeks of "creatively moving funds around" and looking at prices, specs etc I have narrowed it down to these 2 from Makro.

 

https://www.makro.co.za/electronics-computers/televisions/led/-46-117cm-/hisense-147-cm-58-smart-uhd-tv-/p/000000000000396665_EA

 

https://www.makro.co.za/electronics-computers/televisions/led/-46-117cm-/sinotec-165-cm-65-uhd-netflix-led-tv-/p/000000000000397383_EA

 

So now, do I go slightly smaller for what seems to be a better tv or do I go for the big one? I am going to makro after work to look at them both and make a decision, but I will be watching the end of the stage today on a new tv.

 

On a side note, I didn't really want a smart tv but it seems in this price range, they all smart unless you go for some really unknown brand.

[Tuxstir]

So after a few weeks of "creatively moving funds around" and looking at prices, specs etc I have narrowed it down to these 2 from Makro.

 

https://www.makro.co.za/electronics-computers/televisions/led/-46-117cm-/hisense-147-cm-58-smart-uhd-tv-/p/000000000000396665_EA

 

https://www.makro.co.za/electronics-computers/televisions/led/-46-117cm-/sinotec-165-cm-65-uhd-netflix-led-tv-/p/000000000000397383_EA

 

So now, do I go slightly smaller for what seems to be a better tv or do I go for the big one? I am going to makro after work to look at them both and make a decision, but I will be watching the end of the stage today on a new tv.

 

On a side note, I didn't really want a smart tv but it seems in this price range, they all smart unless you go for some really unknown brand.

 

 

The Hisense has a better contrast Ratio 4000:1 vs 1200:1 even though its smaller you'll have a better pic with better blackness, 

best is to actually see and make your choice then.