Can you believe I've never owned a...?

[RED-DOG]

Does anyone else remember when tellys had just the two channels and you had to get out of your chair, walk across the room and turn a big knob to switch between them?

Two channels?  We used to dream of two channels.

At least you didn't need a big knob.

[EvilPie]

Presumably you'll need to buy a home cinema or sound bar set-up along side. Whats the difference in all those hundreds of options for those?

If you want to record stuff then does the TV have that in built or do you need a DVD player with recording capabilities?

This is where the problems start and it begins to get expensive. You'll get a good TV and half decent sound bar and think that it couldn't possibly sound better. Then you'll spend a couple of hundred on an amp and some half decent speakers and think it can't get any better. Then you'll spend a few grand and think it can't get better......

You'll end up with thousands of pounds worth of AV kit when all you really wanted was a TV.

Sound bars are going to sound better than the TVs own speakers. A dedicated amp + 5 or 7 speaker surround sound and a bass speaker will smash all but the very best sound bars to pieces but they obviously take up a lot more space and have wires everywhere.

Start with a TV and then buy what hifi for a few months to get an idea of what sort of set up you want. You'll save yourself from buying things that you realise after a few months aren't what you really want. There are so many choices it's impossible to go through them on here but you can't go wrong with a £400 40" TV for now and develop your kit from there.

For recording you might be best just getting Sky or Virgin (Sky >>>>>>> Virgin from what I understand). It'll handle all your sport requirements as well as giving you loads of catch up stuff, movies etc. depending on how much you want to spend each month on your subscription.

[doubleup]

Does anyone else remember when tellys had just the two channels and you had to get out of your chair, walk across the room and turn a big knob to switch between them?

Two channels?  We used to dream of two channels.

At least you didn't need a big knob.

Big knob?  We used to...

errr maybe not

[Tal]

Does anyone else remember when tellys had just the two channels and you had to get out of your chair, walk across the room and turn a big knob to switch between them?

Two channels?  We used to dream of two channels.

At least you didn't need a big knob.

You were lucky. We had to walk three miles to our Great-Aunt Nellie's house, who, before we could watch her television, would beat us with a wet kipper. It was only recently that we realised the television was actually a picture of an owl drawn on a cardboard box.

[toddswain]

I just bought a house and wanted to treat myself to a new TV, walked into currys like the TV fish I was and walked out with a 55" curved OLED telly... Isn't the 4k model as hardly any 4k content out and I wouldn't pay for them anyway for now. I couldn't recommend it enough, it's unreal for football and movies. Everyone that comes around comments on the picture

Go have a look in store and compare some

[Poacky3s]

I've technically never owned a TV either. I have just never bothered watching it, or if there was something I really wanted to see, I would just get it online after it had been on.

[Tractor]

Ive had this Samsung 65" with a Sonos sound bar for about two years now, would recommend both.

Although any branded TV such as Sony, Panasonic etc would be just as good.

If you are into streaming music around your house then Sonos is great, works perfectly.

I purchased the TV from John Lewis, they price match and give a free 5 year guarantee.

[cambridgealex]

Thanks all

[tonytats]

Deffo agree with the John Lewis bit
Just go n have a look and pick something you like the look of
There's not much need for recording now with i player but a basic sky package offers the chance to record and series link programmes

[Royal Flush]

Do not buy 4k, there is no benefit unless you sit extremely close to the screen:

Click to see full-size image.

If you want a good TV for sports (that's what i was after as well) then make sure you get something with a high refresh rate (i have a sony with 800hz) as it deals with the fast panning shots much better.

[muckthenuts]

You can only watch a curved tv when sat directly in front, they don't work at angles at all. Make sure your living room layout allows for this and maybe think about any company you might expect too. 

Refresh rates are a bit of a myth. Anything between 200-1000 hertz will give you the same thing. A rate higher than that may show you a difference but i wouldn't worry about this too much. 

Would also strongly recommend buying from John Lewis for their 5 year guarantee.

[Graham C]

Would also strongly recommend buying from John Lewis for their 5 year guarantee.

And their price match if you see it cheaper from somewhere else (Excluding on-line only retailers)

[cambridgealex]

Just ordered a Samsung 48" curved smart tv- £539 with 5 year warranty. Getting a stand, DVD player, sound bar and sky and bt sports bundle will still have some change from a bag so happy with that. Thanks for advice all.

[cambridgealex]

So next step...Sky and BT. Gone for Skybox basic + Sky sports for £45/month. Now looking at BT sport, looks like £19.99/month as a stand alone add-on - seems like a lot.

Or could get with BT broadband (38mb) for £7.50 + £17.50/month but shutdown our existing broadband (100mb £35) and save a tenner a month, get BT sport but have worse internet (love our internet atm).

Anyone know about any deals?

[cambridgealex]

So next step...Sky and BT. Gone for Skybox basic + Sky sports for £45/month. Now looking at BT sport, looks like £19.99/month as a stand alone add-on - seems like a lot.

Or could get with BT broadband (38mb) for £7.50 + £17.50/month but shutdown our existing broadband (100mb £35) and save a tenner a month, get BT sport but have worse internet (love our internet atm).

Anyone know about any deals?

actually even worse its 17mb max in my building and limited data of 40gb or something at that price.