reliable 50 inch smart tv

Maddog1994

Honorable
Aug 30, 2013
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10,510
Hello everyone im looking to upgrade my old dynex tv to a 50 inch smart tv around the 500$-600$ range and wanted to know what are my best options
 
first off, i doubt you're going to find any smart-tv models from the upper end brands (samsung, sony, lg) in a 50"for $500-600. at least new. that budget is tough to find even a non-smart tv from a majorbrand in of that size. possible with sales but still hard.

its a fairly low end brand (but better than dynex) but vizio's are typically fairly cheap for the options you get. it is a disposable tv though so if it breaks, there really arent replacement parts around to fix it like the top end brands carry. once the warranty is up if it breaks you're pretty much SOL. however, it does have alot of value if you dont have much of a budget yet want a large screen with options.

one thing to note: having smarttv functions is convenient yes but over time may lose support (as is currently happening on certain models) where the features stop working due to being out of date. some manufacturers provide updates but this is typically only for a certain period of time. the internet browsing feature is also typically quite limited.

a box like a roku (or similar type device) which has the functions you want will t ypically get far better longevity of support and is replaceable in case something new comes out with features you want more without getting too costly. they also typically support more apps and give you more choices.

just a few things to think about at least.
 

Maddog1994

Honorable
Aug 30, 2013
3
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10,510


Well if smart tvs are out of the question are there any reliable ones in the non smart department? Also I will be using to for gaming on my ps4
 
if you will be primarily using it for gaming or computer use then you also wont be using any 120/240/480hz (whatever they are up to now). if you did get a panel with such features you would need to disable it anyways (they are still only 60hz input... the rest is faked and if enabled makes games lag). the trouble is that i dont think you will be able to get any of the 60hz only panels anymore (which were cheap!) from major brands as they are phasing them out.

we personally have a samsung 50" un50eh5000 and have for well over a year. checking on prices, it appears to be $600 at minimum price such as http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/used/841011/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw_9OoBRChj9vMo5CHrdUBEiQAJ6YRPd_1xc9yKWhMVvygrQcKy3a0m-aKbaJejJu663pCp0caAtt78P8HAQ and a few other online sources (though its the same price at kmart, not sure if its in their retail store too). we have not played games or hooked consoles up to it but have hooked laptops up to it for video. it does have 240hz motionflow (which we disabled since video has the soap-opera-effect look to it which is what all 120/240/480hz upscaling makes video look like) but disabled video looks great, clear sharp picture and we are happy with it.

hooked up to my actual console i'm still using an older sony bravia from the era where you could buy just plain 60hz models (about 5 years old).

i listed one model i was familiar with which may work but you may want to scour the other solutions from samsung, lg and sony though the one we picked was one of the cheaper ones at the time we bought.

again, if you wanted to sacrifice the ability to fix it or have it fixed once warranty was up you could always cheap out and go vizio. they are quite popular and you'd probably get your features under budget. i myself would not go this route but thats my choice.