Are you planning to buy a new TV? It’s not easy due to the sheer number of TV models available for sale. It can quickly get overwhelming as most manufacturers pack in a variety of features. On top of that, buyers have to consider a lot of things such as various resolutions, display types, HDR types, and a lot more. If you are struggling to choose the right TV, make use of our TV buying guide to make the right choice.
We have reviewed a wide range of TV models and have put together this guide covering all the important specifications. Some of these specifications may not matter to you but you might find others important.
Here are a few important specifications you should consider when planning to buy a new TV.
Display Types
Display types have come a long way. Most TVs these days have either an LED or an OLED display. One of the big advantages of OLED is the capability to show deeper black levels as individual pixels can be switched off when those pixels form part of an image with black color.
Many companies have been researching ways to make LED TVs even better. These days, you can buy micro LED TVs as well as mini LED TVs that can achieve similar black levels by turning off a part of the display. Also, LED TVs have the capability to make the screen brighter as compared to OLED displays.
If you’re thinking of choosing between these two display types, here is your answer. If you have a tight budget, you will most likely end up buying an LED TV. you should choose one with the most dimming zones within your budget. If your budget is good, you have the choice of buying either an OLED TV or a QLED display.
The QLED technology makes use of quantum dots that is capable of displaying a brighter image with vivid colors. On the other hand, OLED displays offer better viewing angles. Currently, OLED TVs are perceived to offer a better image quality but things will change eventually. If you want to know more then click here.
Resolution
The next parameter you need to consider is the resolution of the TV. While there are a large number of options but currently, the TV resolution you should buy is 4K. The prices have now fallen to levels making these TVs within reach of all budgets. On the other hand, there are also 8K TVs but those are mightily expensive.
4K TVs are sold under a variety of other names including UHD, and Ultra HD.
Have you ever wondered what all these resolution numbers mean? 4K resolution simply means the number of columns of pixels in the screen. Simply put, there are 4000 columns of pixels in a 4K TV and the number of rows is around 2000. As far as the exact resolution is concerned, it is 2160 x 3840.
8K display technology is likely to become common in the coming years. However, buying an 8K TV isn’t really worth it due to the lack of content. You should wait until streaming services such as Netflix have a lot of 8K content and videogame producers also begin to make the content available in 8K.
While there are several other resolutions available in the market but we recommend avoiding them. You must have heard of Full HD resolution which refers to 1080p resolution. However, this resolution would be considered low-end today. HD resolution is even lower than FHD.
Size of Display
As far as the size is concerned, it’s all about personal preference. Bigger is always better has been true for TVs but you need to take into account the space where TV is going to be installed. You should know that this size refers to the length of the diagonal. Some manufacturers also describe other dimensions such as horizontal dimensions. If there is a space constraint for your new TV, consider these other dimensions when looking at the sizes.
43 inches is considered a smaller TV these days and the size only goes up from there. Today, you can buy TVs as big as 85 inches or more. 55 and 65 inches have become more common and it won’t be wrong to say that it is a big enough size for most living rooms. Personally, I prefer a 55-inch TV except when I am reviewing bigger TVs.
HDR
It is the acronym for high dynamic range. It simply means the gamut of technologies used by the manufacturers for displaying a more vivid and brighter image on the screen.
There are various types of HDR that include Dolby Vision, HDR 10+, and HDR 10. Ideally, you should buy a new TV with support for all these formats. It will allow you to enjoy a decent image quality regardless of the content you are watching. In terms of technology, Dolby Vision is considered the best among these different formats. However, it doesn’t have a whole lot of support due to Dolby Labs charging a licensing fee. Even if you’re able to get support for only HDR 10, you shouldn’t have any problem enjoying decent quality content on your TV.
Contrast Ratio
Most TV manufacturers heavily advertise contrast ratios for their TVs in their marketing. The numbers are impressive but those can also be a bit misleading. In fact, these numbers mean so little that we have not considered including them in our TV buying guide.
In terms of definition, this ratio simply means the range of brightness that can be displayed by a TV. However, the calculation for this ratio is done differently by different manufacturers. At the end of the day, you shouldn’t give too much weight to the contrast ratio when you go out there to buy a new TV.
Smart Features
Like all other appliances, TVs have also become smart. You won’t be using these features if you like to use an external streaming device such as an Apple TV. However, this feature becomes important if you’re going to use the internet technology in the TV for streaming.
The most important factor that matters is the operating system inside the TV. Android TV and Roku are two of the most common ones but there are also a whole lot of others. Some of the common examples include Smart Cast by Vizio, Web OS by LG, and Tizen by Samsung. All these devices make it easy for you to install the streaming services as well as other apps on your TV though all the apps might not be available on all the platforms. This is why you need to make sure that the software on your TV supports the apps you use for streaming and for other purposes.
Most TVs also offer support for newer technologies. Some of these models are integrated with Google Assistant and Alexa. Some models also offer support for Apple’s AirPlay or Google Cast. There are also models that can be integrated with Apple’s HomeKit.
Refresh Rate
Refresh rate is another important metric that should be considered when buying a TV. Two of the most common refresh rates on offer are 60 Hz and 120 Hz. Refresh rate simply means that the screen is refreshed that many times per second. Buying a higher refresh rate TV is worth it if you watch a lot of sports or play video games as the experience is much smoother for supported content. If you do not watch a lot of sports or play games, you should be fine with a 60 Hz refresh rate as most movies and TV shows are displayed only at 60 Hz.
