SmartHouse Best Of Best Awards 2017: Day Two
Best TV: Samsung Series 9 65 Inch KS9500 4K SUHD TV
2016 was a real breakthrough year for TVs and if you haven’t upgraded to 4K Ultra High Definition you are really missing out.
So, who has the best TV?
A lot of people claim OLED is the best TV technology but I disagree for the simple reason that it is expensive and owning a TV today is all about affordability and having a great display.
What Samsung has done with their SUHD technology is deliver a system that delivers vivid colours, a bright picture and housed it in a sleek smart casing. Wrapped around it is the latest in Smart TV technology that allows one to access a multitude of content along with the latest in HDR processing.
At the end of the day this TV really stacks up and if you hook up one of their Dolby Atmos soundbars there is no better TV for watching big action sport or the latest movie.
Best OLED TV: LG 65-Inch G6T Signature OLED TV
As direct investors in the technology, it’s no surprise that LG have been the torchbearers for OLED TVs – and they’ve leveraged that position to deliver a top-tier product with the 65-inch G6T Signature OLED TV in 2016.
Leveraging the power of Dolby Vision, it optimizes HDR picture quality to refine detail, contrast and colour at a scene-by-scene level. Combined with an infinite contrast ratio, LG’s G6T pushes for images that are closer than ever to reality.
If that wasn’t enough, LG’s G6T also comes with a 2.2 channel 60W sound bar speaker integrated into the stand and a minimalist remote. At every stage, it’s reducing the distance between you and your next premium home theatre experience and even when powered off, its ultra slim profile brings a sense of refined elegance to any room.
Best Value 55-Inch 4K UHD TV: Bauhn 55-Inch 4K Ultra High Definition LED LCD TV
Price-points are always going to matter – but the way in which they matter isn’t the same as it was before we made the leap to Ultra 4K. Edges look sharper, colours look brighter and environments more detailed. Nowadays, the biggest factor in what makes a good TV isn’t size – it’s value.
In short: you want to know that what you’re buying will still look impressive in five years’ time – and even beyond. Bauhn and ALDI have delivered both here. Whether you’re looking to use the 55-inches of high-resolution display for sports, cinema or video games, this Ultra 4K display affords exactly the spectacular image quality you’d expect and desire in 2016.
Best Value 65-Inch 4K UHD TV: Philips 7101
The Philips 7100 Ultra High Definition TV is a Philips classic, with excellent picture quality due in part to their Ambilight technology, and excellent design due to their European heritage which when combined with the Android OS management system makes this a standout TV.
This TV delivers excellent 4K ultra high-definition resolution, and content management is made easy by the integration of one of the best TV management system in the market today.
The commendable and intuitive integration of Android TV sets this TV apart.
Navigation is swift on all levels and it’s easy to switch between different services like Netflix (which has its own dedicated button on the remote) and, more importantly, it’s easy to install new streaming applications through the Google Play store.
This small, but important feature, is just another notch that distinguishes the Philips 7100 as a solid package. Where other TVs just think of Netflix, this TV has thought about its place in a future where maybe the service doesn’t hold the same dominance and prepared accordingly. As such, it’s that much more versatile a device which is why this is TV is among the best there is out there.
Then there is the added bonus that Philips were making TVs long before Samsung and LG.
Best LCD TV Under 65-Inch: Hisense Series 7 55-Inch
Hisense’s new Series 7 55-inch HDTV feels like it’s pushing the boundaries of what high-end LCD displays can offer. It strikes just the right balance between sleek and powerful, featuring first-class local dimming, HDR and a substantially larger colour gamut than other TVs.
The Series 7 package is brought together by Hisense’s own VIDAA Smart TV platform. It’s a fairly slick and user-friendly backend with support for YouTube, Red Bull TV, 4K Netflix and Freeview Plus. Content, apps and streaming services are arranges in a grid of panels, with a slide-out bar used to control your inputs.
Where other companies have been busy experimenting with new breeds of display, Hisense have stuck with what they know – and the commitment to their craft shows in the results. It’s their answer to OLED – and it’s a good one.
Best LCD TV Over 70-Inch: Samsung Series 9 88-Inch KS9800 Curved 4K SUHD TV
Samsung have packed the best technology into their massive 88-inch KS9800 Curved 4K SUHD TV for a superior level of picture quality.
The curved screen of the KS9800 isn’t just about looks either. The design gives a smaller reflection zone for clearer and sharper images in bright rooms, along with a larger field of view with less distortion.
Thanks to Samsung’s Quantum Dot Display and colour technology, up to a billion colour combinations can be displayed. Along with HDR and Supreme UHD Dimming, the KS9800 is able deliver extremely realistic images with bright whites and deep blacks.
If you’re looking for a big screen with top-of-the-line picture quality, Samsung’s KS9800 is definitely the right TV for you.
Best Projector: Benq W11000 4K UHD
For bringing the cinema experience into the home, BenQ have created the ultimate solution: the W11000 4K UHD projector. Producing over 8 million pixels at a certified 4K UHD resolution, the W11000 will make you think twice about heading to the movies.
The projector features plenty of technical features to produce perfect pictures, including a THX HD Display Certification and Rec.709 colour accuracy. Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology that drives most digital cinema projectors ensures the W11000 is long lasting without any loss to picture quality.
Zoom functionality and lens shift also allow for flexible placement in any room. For a blockbuster experience in the comfort of your own home, the winner is… BenQ’s W11000 4K UHD projector.
Best Content System: Fetch TV
There are boxes and boxes and when it comes to streaming, the management of content or easy recording of shows there is no better product than the Mini and Mighty boxes from Fetch TV.
The difference is that the Mighty has a one terabyte drive and different processors than the Mini. Both boxes deliver exceptional performance, however the real standout feature is the Fetch TV software which can be accessed remotely from a smartphone or tablet.
This was developed and coded in Australia. It’s fast, responsive and above all highly intuitive. Whether you are managing your favourite TV programs, downloading movies or simply flicking on Netflix or Stan it’s extremely easy when using a Fetch TV Box, that was recently upgraded to deliver multiroom streaming.
When it comes to getting a return on your monthly entertainment dollars Fetch TV seriously delivers.
Best Over-The-Ear Headphones: Bowers & Wilkins P9 Signature
Bowers & Wilkins celebrates its 50th anniversary with the P9 Signature headphones, which are by far the best sounding and most luxurious headphones the company has ever made.
Some companies compromise sound quality for design or vice versa, but Bowers & Wilkins have combined decades worth of research and innovation with some of the highest quality materials available like Italian Saffiano leather to create headphones that perform as amazingly as they look.
These are the sort of headphones you need to hear (and see) to believe. In the P9 Signature headphones, Bowers & Wilkins have created a product worthy of its 50-year history.
Best Noise Cancelling Headphones: Sennheiser PXC 550
When you are jumping on and off planes as much as I do there is one piece of kit that is critical: noise cancelling headphones.
Sennheiser married noise cancelling and Bluetooth for the first time in its award-winning Momentum 2.0 Wireless headphones. With the PXC550 they have taken noise cancelling to a new level while improving the sound output and functionality.
In fact there are several things to like about the PX550’s, for one I like the headband which is banana-shaped with two cups on either end that fit snuggly over the ears. If you fall asleep with these headphones on you are not going to wake up with sore ears. Superior in several ways to the Bose QuietComfort headphones, the PXC 550’s are just 227g in weight.
Sound-wise these headphones can be easily activated by a switch above the Bluetooth pairing button which is on the right side of the headphones along with a touch sensitive pad. All you have to do to change tracks or volume is stroke the headphones. Very neat!
