They're actually the largest manufacturer of TV's in the EU, together with their home appliances brands their revenues last year were over USD 3.5 billion. Not a small player.
Sure they keep to certain price points and they cannot compete with the big boys for picture quality given exactly that reason, but I don't believe they're crap. Their OLED line will be released within the next few months, and they've recently started their in-house R&D function which means they'll start developing their own imaging engines (e.g. as in Sony's Bravia etc). To-date they've been bulk sourcing imaging boards and power supplies from the Chinese marketplace, and they're aware the failure rate of these is higher than the in-house branded boards the big brands use, not to mention the picture quality being inferior. However, again, they get to keep to a certain set of price points allowing many of us without a £500+ budget to buy a 40-48 inch TV.

If anything, Vestel and UMC-Slovakia have shown the big boys where to go with their inflated pricing - just look at the pricing trajectory that Sony, Samsung and LG have been forced to follow over the past two years.

I've 2 of these cheap sets at home, a 32 inch Vestel re-badged Pana in a bedroom and another 32-inch UMC re-badged Sharp in our conservatory. We use the Sharp almost daily for a few hours, still going strong after a year. I paid only £129 for it in the recent Argos sale, even has Freeview HD which works perfectly.

Many moons back I remember paying £300 for a 14 inch CRT TV, had to pay for it on a hire purchase scheme (or my credit card, can't remember!) for 12 months. The screen was too small to watch from more than 6 feet away in order to make out detail, yet at shorter distances your eyes would hurt if you watched it for more than an hour or so due to the scan lines.

Can't believe how far we have come in terms of both innovation and pricing, by no small means due to players like Lucky, GoldStar, Orient, Samsung etc breaking into Western markets with their cheap and cheerful electronics - these were the Vestels of yesteryear.

And how do you know that? Any proof or is this cheap talk?

mmmh... bought it, just to see the fuss. It makes a loud whining noise when in any eco mode. Anyone else had that? TBF the pictures decent, not as bad as people make out

Just as an update. It's arrived! It's a piece of carp and is due for pick up on Monday. Feels horribly made the picture is worse than my 5yo LG and the remote looks like something my son made in DT. It's garbage!

Finally someone on this thread speaking sense...glad to see it...people need to know when they are buying cheaper manufactured goods.....Im not saying its not a good TV for the money...its just not something up to Panasonic's normal higher quality standards, and as the stores selling this stuff would never let you know, its up to thread like this to make potential buyers aware...if this had a Beko or Polaroid badge on it people would more than likely jut urn a blind eye and not even consider it....but they assume the Panasonic badge means quality which in this case is NOT the case.

Yes it may do 4K Netflix but all round inferior product...and as I have said many times before...

You get what you pay for

Spend peanuts on a Panasonic tv and you'll get a lesser well made Vestel product .
Common knowledge i thought but apparently not.:stuck_out_tongue:

You do sound like one.

The OS whilst not the same does support 4k Netflix .. fact.

This TV was £300 for a 48" 4k, smart, freeview HD, 3xHDMi 2.0 etc for someone to state it is not as good as one costing 3x as much is a very silly point. Especially considering the actual justification used for this was not based on any actual "fact"

NO, because I can read I saw that someone said it did in fact support 4K Netflix....the OS is not the same as current higher spec Panasonic models...again anyone thinking they are getting the same quality product are stupid....you get what you pay for...not changing what I said at all, if that was the case I would have been sad enough to amend the original post which I have not because I am not a child...

As pointed out this does steam 4k Netflix - as stated by the actual facts of the spec and by customer reviews. Odd that you would try and claim you now meant something completely different :wink:

You're the one resorting to calling people stupid (and then editing it out, before calling me an idiot). Take note: sometimes it makes you look better if you concede a point, rather than resorting to insults...

I bow down to you and your knowledge...idiot (and that is a fact)

Then you should have specified that part of the statement was true, and part was false, rather than declaring the entire statement as fact. I feel no need to comment on your stupidity...

i meant the basic part....and that is fact

if you can't accept that you must be very blinkered

either way enjoy your Vestel (NOT PANASONIC) TV

Except that wasn't based on fact - as the post you replied to stated, this TV does have 4K Netflix - thus making, by definition, the statement that it doesn't have it *not* a fact.

Yes the statement will be based on fact....Vestel currently make CHEAP TV sets...and to do that they will use cheaper components and spend less on R&D and therefore have a lower quality OS...anyone trying to pretend thats not the case is kidding themselves....

Really that a statement based on actual fact?
From what I can see it does steam 4k Netflix, Has freeview HD, 3xHDMI 2.0 etc so seems decent vestel or not.

oos

I never quite get the Vestel thing. ok it says Panasonic and strictly speaking isn't one of theirs, but doesn't everyone do that now? Vessel make Tvs, that's what they do. surely they can't be that bad at it.

Everyone's commenting how important it is that it's not Vestel but not commenting on how you know when looking at panasonic TVs if it's a good or bad one??

So have we come to conclusion this is a good tv or not...... Can't find many reviews on it

Real Panasonic vs Vestel made Panasonic???

Of course it is important!

If I want a 42" Vestel (or UMC) built TV (Supermarket brands effectively) then I expect to pay under £200 for it. That's seems to be the par figure give or take a few quid.

But sticking a Panasonic badge on the above TV doesn't make it a Panasonic...its still a Vestel!!

Vestel & UMC are great at bargain priced TVs using cheaper components etc.

But Panasonic don't charge us £200!!!!

Yeah. It's not that it's bad. It's just that it's not real Panasonic/JVC or whatever other badge they stick on it. Both from the hardware and software point of view. I guess they're good value for money, but it's not really a hot deal.

Actually no. See Samsung and Sony - they don't make the list of re-badging. Even for their 40" models.

Anyone know if this model has a proper Android setup, so I could install KODI etc ?

Not as good as the "Patrick" model, but still a decent find

Google the model number and vestel, you'll find out faster than me responding, yes it's a Vestel rebadge.

Brilliant price!

And how do you know that? Any proof or is this cheap talk?

How do you know a real Panasonic to a Vestel then?

Bear in mind it's unlikely to be true Panasonic. A lot if these cheaper models are The Turkish built Vestel TVs.

You get what you pay for. That is all

Any reviews out there?

Also possible issue with the smart, heard that certain apps won't update along with flash player so can't use YouTube.

manufacturer refurbished

V

Wow hot!

Great price for 4k and 3D!

Boxed?