THE TV
HISENSE R50B7120
On paper, the R50B7120’s numbers don’t add up. Surely a 50-inch
screen with a 4K resolution and hundreds of apps for just £329 can’t
possibly be right? Especially when that TV’s picture and sound are also
both above par for the budget TV market? Turns out, though, that when
a TV combines the app-collecting might of streaming platform Roku
with the manufacturing might of Hisense, miracles really can happen.
£329, hisense.co.uk
THE USB HDD
SEAGATE BACKUP PLUS SLIM 1TB
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proliferation of catch-up TV streaming services, being able to record
shows you can’t watch live still matters. Which is where the 1TB
Seagate Backup Plus Slim comes in. Attach this straightforward, good-
looking and ultra-reliable USB HDD to your TV and you’re good for
storing hundreds of hours of telly. Enough to get you through even
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£59.99, seagate.com
THE SOUNDBAR
SAMSUNG HW-T400 SOUNDBAR
The bad news about Samsung’s T400 soundbar is that it only delivers
stereo. The (very) good news is that it gets levels of volume, dynamism,
detail and impact from its two channels that no remotely affordable
TV can get close to – despite also supporting the ‘tap and connect’
NFC system for playing music from your smart devices and costing less
than a couple of next-gen video games.
£119, box.co.uk
THE BLU-RAY PLAYER
PANASONIC UB150 4K BLU-RAY PLAYER
Panasonic’s impressive dominance of the 4K Blu-ray player market
continues down to its entry level UB150. Inevitably this deck’s
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models that appear elsewhere in this feature, and it loses support
for Dolby Vision. Having said all that, its 4K Blu-ray performance still
knocks the best efforts of streaming services and HD Blu-rays into
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£149, panasonic.co.uk
The affordable AV setup
LOOKING FOR A GREAT VALUE LIVING
ROOM SETUP? LOOK NO FURTHER
OCTOBER 2020 T3 43
The affordable AV setup