Computer Shopper - UK (2019-08)

68 AUGUST 2019|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE 378

HOME CINEMA

SONY

KD-55XF9005

★★★★★

£999•www.johnlewis.com

There’s no

ultra-high-

tech trickery

here: just asoundbar,subwooferand their combined

14 drivers blasting out pristine-quality audio,with Samsung’s usual

high standards forconnectivity.

SPEAKERS (^14) • RMSPOWEROUTPUT372W•DIMENSIONS1,230x83x136mm(soundbar),
203x400x416mm(subwoofer)•NETWORKING802.11nWi-Fi,Bluetooth•WARRANTYOneyear
RTB•DETAILSwww.samsung.com/uk•PARTCODEHW-N850•FULLREVIEWFeb2019
SCREENSIZE55in•NATIVERESOLUTION3,840x2,160•VIDEOINPUTS4xHDMI•
TUNERFreeviewHD•DIMENSIONS771x1,228x258mm•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•
DETAILSwww.sony.co.uk•PARTCODEKD-55XF9005•FULLREVIEWAug2018
Direct-lit backlighting,excellent upscalingand
beautifullysmoothmotionmakethe KD-55XF9005a
worthy alternative to high-end OLED TVs, even though
it only has aVApanel.
SONOSBeam
★★★★★
£399•www.sonos.com
The Beam could join
ahome cinema
setup on sound quality alone,but it’s loaded
with smart features, too. It can adjust sound output to the size
and layout of aroom, forexample,and form amultiroom system
with other Sonos speakers.
SPEAKERS (^5) • RMSPOWEROUTPUTNotstated•DIMENSIONS651x100x69mm•WEIGHT
2.8kg•DOCKCONNECTORNone•NETWORKING802.11acWi-Fi,Ethernet•WARRANTYOne
yearRTB•DETAILSwww.sonos.com•PARTCODEBEAM1UK1•FULLREVIEWApr2019

PHILIPS55PUS6753/12

★★★★★

£449•www.amzn.to/2HwzUka

This Philips set

doesn’t have

the best

implementation of HDR we’ve

seen on aTV, but otherwise,the

55PUS6753/12 is afantastic 4K screen forarelatively low price.

SCREENSIZE55in•NATIVERESOLUTION3,840x2,160•VIDEOINPUTS3xHDMI,5xcomponent•

TUNERFreeviewHD•DIMENSIONS781x1,244x266mm•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•

DETAILSwww.philips.co.uk•PARTCODE55PUS6753/12•FULLREVIEWDec2018

PANASONICDMP-UB900

★★★★★

£319•www.hifonix.co.uk

Together with the

Samsung UBD-K8500, this forms the

vanguard of anew breed of Ultra HD Blu-rayplayers.

Samsung’s model is cheaper,but the DMP-UB900 has superior

features, particularly where audio delivery is concerned.

BLU-RAYPROFILE6.0•3DCAPABLEYes•DIMENSIONS435x199x68mm•

NETWORKINGEthernet,802.11acWi-Fi•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•

DETAILSwww.panasonic.co.uk•PARTCODEDMP-UB900EB•FULLREVIEWAug2016

SAMSUNGHW-N850

★★★★★

£899•www.box.co.uk

excellent upscaling and

53/1 -N850

PHILIPS65OLED803

★★★★★

£2,799•www.currys.co.uk

If you’ve got the budget

foranOLED TV,this is a

great pick. The panel technology’s built-in

strengths, such as perfect blacks and wide viewing angles, are

aided by Philips’ exemplary image processing engine,resulting in

truly wonderful picture quality.

SCREENSIZE65in•NATIVERESOLUTION3,840x2,160•VIDEOINPUTS4xHDMI,1xComponent

• TUNERFreeviewHD•DIMENSIONS824x1,449x280mm•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•
  DETAILSwww.philips.co.uk•PARTCODE65OLED803/12•FULLREVIEWApr2019

S

★★

£39

0333

getget

is

01

A32in Full HD TV costs around £200,

but premium larger 4K models can be

closer to £2,000. TVslook much smaller in

the shop than in your home,someasure the

space available before you buy.

Curved TVsare becoming increasingly

more common, but bear in mind that these

typically take up more floor space than a

traditional flat set.

02

A1,920x1,080-resolution TV can

displaya1080p image.You can still

buy TVswith a720p (1,366x768) resolution,

but they’re no cheaper and the image won’t

be as sharp.3,840x2,560 Ultra HD resolution,

or 4K, TVsare finally available at reasonable

prices, although you’ll still payapremium for

one over a1080p model.

Choosinga... TV

03

Consider the number of inputs

you’ll need to connect the rest of

your equipment. TwoHDMI ports should be

the bare minimum, but many TV sets come

with four HDMI connectors. You’ll need

HDMI 2.0 if you want afuture-proof4KTV,

as this is the only waytoget 60fps video

playback from external sources at such

ahigh resolution.

If you want to plug aPCintoyour TV,

you’ll need to use either HDMI or VGA

inputs. Be aware that some TVsonly let you

use aPConananalogue input, and others

won’t displaythe Windows desktop at the

TV’s highest resolution.

04

The contrast ratio tells you the

difference between the darkest

and the brightest shades that the screen

will be able to display. The higher the

number,the darker the blacks and the

brighter the whites. Buy aTVwith High

Dynamic Range (HDR) support forthe best

picture from supported services.

05

HD content is now becoming fairly

widespread, but if you want Ultra

HD content your options are more limited.

Most Ultra HD TVshaveNetflix built into

their smart TV systems, but only BT is

currently providing live Ultra HD video,

with BT Sport Ultra HD.

Ultra HD Blu-rayplayers give you an

amazing picture,and Amazon’s Fire TV

set-topbox will stream its Prime Video

service and Netflix at Ultra HD resolutions.