ALDI Bauhn ATV58UHDW-0421 (58", Apr 2021)

Great for first jump into Smart TVs from old LED HD TV – Ease of setup, just fine. Got from local ALDI for $569, 24 April 2021, setup instantly at home no problems, 5 months in and I'm still very happy with this TV, & still exploring its capacities. Although, (not due to UHD specs of this TV), I note that normal free to air picture quality is quite different to my old Palsonic 5 year old LED HD TV, apparently due to Australian TV transmission not being in UHD, just HD instead. The old & smaller HD TV naturally has has better HD-signal-sent free-to-air viewing sharpness. This is apparently common to all UHD devices, I understand. Picture quality improves markedly in on-screen detail on this TV, when I watch my 'normal' Free-To-Air' TV telecasts through my old LG 'BluRay3D/DVD/PVR', or other assorted Set-Top boxes, particularly the ones the handle HD. News telecasts look good on any channel regardless. But dramas and films from 'Normal' free-to air TV tele/broadcasts sometimes look like the indoor-set scenes look really fake, like they're a theatrical stage play with painted-on sets. I understand this is due to Australian TV not being broadcast yet in UHD, not specifically any problem with this TV. I can "make" the image look sharper and better through my Digital PVR. It demonstrates that with the really-right input, this TV can produce really great looking image.

But for other UHD inputs (BluRay particularly), the picture quality is just fine. As I understand it, it's common to LED TVs; long as you're viewing from a position of more directly front-on, rather than from sitting or lying being angled slightly to the side, from where the image then quickly fades to a more whited-out duller, less sharp image. I believe this is due to it being an LED TV (??). Sit squarely front on, and level, is my advice (I have mine elevated higher than my head is positioned so I just put up with this dulled effect most times, and realise it's not my TV's fault - I also probably perilously prop the back struts of the stand up on some CDs, three high, to angle the screen downwards so I can get a sharper image to me from my low-lying, un-elevated position. This is because of the height of my TV on its cabinet and the position I recline). Ideally, probably better to have the TV on a lower stand altogether, more level to my own eyeline than me looking up at the telly. Suffice to say, it has never toppled. It's quite sturdy on its screwed in legs. I might suggest best to attach to your wall and angle the thing downwards more from an adjustable wall-mounted, attach-er thingy.

All connections work really well with this TV; could've done with one more HDMI input as I like to connect all my devices (& I have lots, so often use HDMI input/output switchers) by cords still, rather than internet everything (but then, I always want just that bit more of everything ;) I would suggest better quality HDMI cords. I've tested both older types and one new one, and the newer higher capacity one works distinctly better with this TV. Worth investing in a good HDMI cable I suspect but old ones work pretty well too.

The one thing that bothers me repeatedly within the software design of the TV (or perhaps within its matching Magic Remote's software (??)), is it 'non-deactivate-able' popup every single time I go to use my remote's pointer (regardless of whatever device is used through the TV); when activating the top-left pointer button to use the pointer-on-screen (the blue dot that allows you to press/hit/activate things on-screen of the TV), then, first thing every time is a popup: "You can control your Set-Top Box with Magic Remote. would you like to continue?" This drives me nuts. Every time I then want to continue using the pointer, I have to switch my finger down to the middle scroll-wheel main middle button to select the pink box option of "No", just to then proceed with my pointer and be on my merry way using the pointer device. This is really tedious and very irritating. The one major drawback from this whole TV purchase. There seems no way to deactivate this feature. I persistently don't want to setup my set-top box with the Magic Remote (whichever device this seems to be referring to, as it refers to do so to anything, if I actually continue with the pink box 'Yes', for any number of my assorted, cable-connected devices). So this is the one drawback that really frustrates. It would be great if a future software update could somehow include a way to deactivate this annoying popup altogether [and, btw, in my exploring turning this thing on, it seems to allow the remote control to be used as a kind of universal-but-limited remote control for my PVR, which I really don't want to bother doing, due to the limitations of using the Magic Remote as a universal remote, limiting the full range of capacities of my PVR that its real matching remote can do, for which the Magic Remote just cannot do nor make work (like the TV guide through the PVR for program-selection, for selecting recording future free-to-air tv broadcast shows). And for my DVD-Player, it is aok but, again, it's still easier to simply use the original remote for that].

To my delight, as a novel aside, I was able to make my old 1986 Atari 2600 games console work through this digital TV. That was a cute bonus but did take quite some methodical configuring in working out how to do this (which would be common to any attempt on any digital TV anyways, as I understand it). It's great still having an olde-worlde RF input, which I normally use anyway for my antenna connection.

Whilst I use various external sound devices for all inputs no matter what I'm using (be it my CD/DVD player, BluRay, Casting/Streaming from Laptop or phone, or PVR), I did find the built-in quality of the TV soundsystem, that comes natural to this TV, really good compared to what I was used to from the crap in-built TV sound of the older 2010s decade HD TVs, like my 4 yr old one, or worse, my Mum's decade old one. But still never as good as old analog big old TVs' sound-systems. The sound here is , however, really good just for use in a normal suburban loungeroom if you don't want to use any other form of external speakers. This impressed me greatly, and sometimes to save electricity (theoretically) I just go to use the TVs own speakers instead of powering up another separate speaker appliance. Its sound for usual TV is great and quite adjustable for getting better speaking voice sounds centered and so on.

I suspect the 'tie-in deals' made for this device (Netflix/Amazon Prime) explains why it's difficult to stream Disney+ or channels 7 or 10 easily, along with some other general web-assorted streaming pay-services, or some basic 'free' streaming services. As a built-in app, Disney+ is not available (no great loss after 6 months of having paid for this essentially a juvenile child's tv channel!). It can be accessed in a much more complicated procedure using the TV's web browser. Its a pity there's no easier way to access this common streaming platform but I suspect this may have to do more with this being an Android device, therefore linked to Google.

Bearing in mind a TV is never actually a full computer, the limitations on surfing the web through the TVs innate internet-connection capability, using its basic web browser, is difficult unless you attach a keyboard as entering letters and numbers one by one with the pointer of the remote, is tedious to say the least. I attach a keyboard and mouse through the one USB connection hole to a USB splitter that can then take the two peripheral deices.

I just end up mostly watch my other non-affiliated, or 'un-functionable' streaming services simply by using my laptop connected to TV via HDMI cable to the TV. This works mostly fine, a little degradation of signal but nothing drastic. It's not as convenient as the innate, built-in systems on this TV (having its own Netflix & Amazon-Prime buttons). But this works fine.

Other usual range of streaming services, like SBS On Demand, ABCiview work fine too, once those apps are installed into the system of streaming options via its Content Store. Lacking from the apps that are accessible from the content store, are the apps for channel 10 Play or 7 Plus (theoretically they require me to use the Smart TV's web browser instead to receive these streaming services directly through the TV alone, hence often using my laptop connected to the TV instead for those, since the web browser doesn't actually work for them).

Switching between inputs is easy and conveniently well-designed, I believe. The LG TV app for my phone, making the TV part of IoT-capable (Internet of Things) is cute and works fine too, but I choose to just use the actual TV's remote, the Magic Remote, almost always rather than turn my phone into the more limited remote control unit.

Networked Local LAN connections to my laptop's or mobile phone's network-accessed options work really great (Music, or Video). Streaming/Casting is no problem.

I haven't yet explored its recording TV shows' capacity (or specs on this), recording to an external USB device because I can't be bothered climbing round the back to get access to the USB input port, to make this all work (and anyway, am using the only USB hole/port for my separate keyboard and mouse). But having investigated otherwise how to do all this from the remote's selection capacities, seems well-designed and easy enough to do.

Visual-setting alteration capacities are good. Same with the sound. Programmable/'Custom-isable' features, such as shifting about where I put the on-screen displays (like what channel and program are playing) are great and easy to use. Popup on screen asides explaining bits about each setting feature and what it does are great and are simply communicated. Voice-activated feature worked fine, but was novel for just a day, and then I turned it off. The AI (Artificial Intelligence) feature for making content or app suggestions is ok, despite what's actually able to be offered in the Content Store of apps being extremely limited. However, personally I'm fairly basic in use of my TV, so things that have popped up of novelty, like the fireplace screen app, or the screen of fishtanks app, or some other streaming services options (such as Classic Movies - really old black & whites), both in regards to the pay-for/subscribe or the odd occasional free app, well, whilst they're novel for a day's entertainment, ultimately were switched off to limit my linked Android system account (Google) from garnering too much specific knowledge of me from my TV usage especially via voice recognition. Every now and then, you can delete the usage data if that helps and it's easy to access under the AI section. But it's not bad if you don't care too much about having this feature set on. Programme Manager works fine too, especially for deleting those god-awful, redundant tv shopping and racing channels, wiped from my tv-channel-scroll list and/or the in-built TV guide. The AV-Sync adjustment feature in the Sound settings is great. I can match up and fix any lag in my sound output through an external sound device/speakers from the lips talking on-screen. This is superb.

I am overall really happy with this TV and was thrilled at its low $569 cost. I've found a place to get a spare remote as I anticipate this TV, like all modern built things, will probably go bung sometime after the 1 year warranty. The cost of the TV was cheap. The spare remote, at round $77, is not cheap. But I'm assuming it's probably worth the investment.

Really happy with this TV. Hope it lasts a few good years.

Great TV, great value! – The Braun TV is a great purchase for any household. This tv is great value for money, it is a sleek design with easy set up and easy to use! Very satisfied with this purchase !