Should I buy this TV?

[slope]

Been without televisuals for a decade+ and have not caught up on watching stuff on 'puters and the like. So would appreciate some advice on how to proceed, please  (bearing in mind hgh ignorance/faltering brain levels)

Previously had a 32" lumpen CRT Toshiba tele hooked up via a Sky digi-box. The tele packed up one day and when new young neighbours moved in downstairs I gifted them the seemingly redundant Sky digi-box. There is still a satellite dish on the building with coax wiring into our two separate apartments. There's no regular TV aerial type reception here @ Snowdon Towers, cos of the large mountains/deep valley.

I have a 2017 iMac 27" and a newish 10.7" iPad. Both can produce sounds via external Topping MX3 amp and JBL Control One speakers. I also have unlimited FTTP (fibre to the premises) broadband.

1. Do modern teles just work normally (live broadcast etc) via broadband, or do I need some kind of 'box' to plug into the coax cable that comes from the 'dish' outside on the wall?

2. What tele??? (up to £500? - is that a realistic price?) Or can I just use the iMac, which is already taking up real estate in the living room - with some compatible 'remote control' zapper thingie?

3. Any other considerations to be addressed? (obviously will need a License again)

[pcolbeck]

Live free to air broadcast is via Freeview. Thats via a normal TV arial (but one made specially for digital is better). There is also FreeSat now which is the same as FreeView basically but via satellite, you need a dish and a FreeSat receiver box (think SkyBox but a one time payment). You might be able to re use your Sky dish I dont know.

A modern TV will also have inbuilt IP TV via the Internet which will give you access to BBC, ITV etc via inbuilt apps for each channel. You dont need an external box for this just plug in an Ethernet cable or WiFi(dependant on TV). The apps on TVs dont get updated after a few years so lots of people use an external box for this instead such as an Amazon Fire TV which will also let you access Amazon and Netflix.

£500 will get you a nice 40 inch TV from Sony or Samsung. I like Sony as I find their colours more natural rather than Samsungs more vivid ones but both are good.

[edit]

It appears that some TVs now have FreeSat receivers built in so you can just plug it in the the lead from your dish. Loads on Amazon for <£400.

[MikeFromLFE]

I'm not going to try to snip the relevant bit out of the above post which is spot on but Freesat:
Freesat uses exactly the same satellites as Sky, so a correctly aligned Sky dish will work with a Freesat box.
The only thing that could be an issue (but not in your case I'd guess) is that the more modern Sky-Q connection at the dish end is incompatible with Freesat. An old style LNB at the dish is perfectly fine.
The place to look for an affordable Freesat box is on the Humax website - look for the clearance boxes (they've always been new for our family)
The biggest issue is that Humax were, in recent times, the sole maker of Freesat boxes, and they've thrown their toys out because the Freesat consortium has recently chosen a new maker, whose name escapes me.
Modern Freesat boxes will also 'receive' online catch up services.

[rogerzilla]

Do not buy a Panasonic "smart" TV, and probably some other brands.  A modern TV can last 10-20 years, but Panasonic stop supporting the apps on their TVs only a couple of years after purchase.  This means none of the catchup apps (most of which also do live streaming), no YouTube, no Netflix.

A solution is to buy a NOW TV box (these cost peanuts) but that won't give you Amazon Prime TV, because Murdoch hates Bezos.  So it's a mess.

[Feanor]

Well, yes.  What everyone has already said.

Any TV will be able to receive regular Digital Terrestrial TV ( Freeview )from an aerial on the roof, like ever it was. ( All analog TV in the UK is now shut down. )
Some TVs will have Sat recievers too, and will be able to get the Freesat signal which comes from the same sats as Sky, so in most cases can be directly connected to a Sky dish. (The Sky-Q installations are different.)
Smart TVs have a network connection and can stream from various Internet sources, but become less smart with time, because the manufacturers stop updating the streaming software and they stop working.

I ignore the Smart options on the TV and have an Amazon Firestick thing plugged in which does the Smart stuff which Mrs. F requires.

[fuaran]

A solution is to buy a NOW TV box (these cost peanuts) but that won't give you Amazon Prime TV, because Murdoch hates Bezos.  So it's a mess.

Or get a Roku box. The Now TV box is made by Roku anyway. Roku maybe a bit more expensive, but gives you a wider selection of services, including Amazon stuff.

(anyway Sky and Now TV isn't owned by Murdoch any more)

[MikeFromLFE]

We like our Roku box.
They can be picked up with Now TV trial subscriptions. Unlike a lot of 'trials' Now TV is easy to cancel and restart.

[slope]

Thank you folks Advice and information much appreciated.

Checked with ground floor neighbours with whom I share a ~12 year old Sky dish (so assume LNB), and it's still working fine 

I like the idea of buying a TV with the Freesat receiver built in = neat + only 1 remote control?

Can't imagine ever wanting anything Amazon Prime/Netflix stuff.

Currently only thinking old fashioned BBC2/C4 and streaming catch up like iPlayer and More4 + when we get it back, Le Tour etc highlights on ITV Hub.

[slope]

Further to above - does the "panel" think this TV would be suitable/reasonable OK for someone who hasn't watched TV since 32" CRT Toshiba days?

https://www.johnlewis.com/lg-43um7400plb-2019-led-hdr-4k-ultra-hd-smart-tv-43-with-freeview-play-freesat-hd-ultra-hd-certified-dark-iron-grey/p4125246

As mentioned, there's a working ~12+ year old Sky dish outside* with a regular old fashioned looking coax cable coming into my flat which used to connect to a Sky Digibox until the old CRT Toshiba packed up and I stopped watching tele.

Am I correct in thinking that the coax will plug into the LG TV and its internal Freesat HD gubbins and will mean I can access live broadcast BBC, ITV and C4? And can also either ethernet or wi-fi to me broadband router for catch up TV and streaming?

* Dish was installed by Sky when I took out a years' subscription ~12+ years ago - which was never renewed and I got to keep the dish and digibox (latter since donated to and used by downstairs neighbours - also wired to same dish)

[pcolbeck]

Looks fine to me. You can obsess over which is the best for the price but to be honest the big three are all pretty good.

Am I correct in thinking that the coax will plug into the LG TV and its internal Freesat HD gubbins and will mean I can access live broadcast BBC, ITV and C4? And can also either ethernet or wi-fi to me broadband router for catch up TV and streaming?

Yes that's correct.

Only thing to note is that the only way to get sound to anything other than its inbuilt speakers is via optical. So if you want to use an external amp and speaker the amp will need an optical port or your will have to buy an optical to analogue DAC box.

[Mrs Pingu]

will have to buy an optical to analogue DAC box.

Which can be got off Amazon for peanuts. I think ours was about 20 squids.

[andrewc]

I know nothing about TV's but if you are looking to order one try Richer Sounds.  Excellent rep for service & they treat their staff decently.


https://www.richersounds.com

[Woofage]

Do not buy a Panasonic "smart" TV, and probably some other brands.  A modern TV can last 10-20 years, but Panasonic stop supporting the apps on their TVs only a couple of years after purchase.  This means none of the catchup apps (most of which also do live streaming), no YouTube, no Netflix.

A solution is to buy a NOW TV box (these cost peanuts) but that won't give you Amazon Prime TV, because Murdoch hates Bezos.  So it's a mess.

Or a Chromecast. Supported by all the major apps (BBC, ITV, C4, Netflix, YouTube). Not sure about Amazon.

[Mrs Pingu]

If you get the Amazon app on a mobile device you can cast that to your tv using Chromecast, which is what we do.

[rogerzilla]

Btw, technically you won't share an LNB with your neighbours because an LNB is tuned to a single frequency and polarisation at any given time.  Most new $ky dishes have quad LNBs for watching four different channels simultaneously.  You may well share a feedhorn though.

[Woofage]

If you get the Amazon app on a mobile device you can cast that to your tv using Chromecast, which is what we do.

Ah, useful to know. Thanks