There is a huge variety of TVs that are available in the market right now. And these many options can be pretty overwhelming for any buyer. As a buyer, you are often confused about the terms such as Smart TV, HDR, 4K, Dolby Atmos etc.
TV Buying Guide 2022
The world of TV is upgrading every day and you may be facing a tough time choosing from a variety of available options. So here we have a TV buying guide that can help you in making a much-informed decision while purchasing your new TV.
1. Which Display Technology is Better
The most important aspect of buying a TV is the display. And in terms of the screen, there is a lot to discuss as there are different types of displays available in the market right now. Each with its own unique strengths and weakness. Apart from the now-extinct Plasma displays and LCD screens, there is also the new QLED and OLED displays that might confuse buyers.
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Apart from display type, another feature that one should consider is HDR technology. HDR is a new feature of 4K Ultra HD TVs and it stands for high dynamic range. It is a reference to the display’s ability to deliver more colours, contrast levels and increased brightness. Unlike 4K which provides you good quality from close up experience. The high dynamic range makes an immediately noticeable difference in the video quality from any distance. It provides an overall enhanced viewing experience, making bright spots brighter and dark spots darker, providing a lot more nuance in the grey areas.
An HDR-capable TV can produce content with a greater range of brightness and colours compared to standard Non-HDR TV. The HDR technology provides you with brighter highlights, deeper colours and more vibrant picture quality. It can make a huge improvement over your current traditional LCD television.
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2. What kind of screen resolution is best for you?
Every TV buying guide is incomplete without including a discussion about the resolution. Resolution means the number of pixels that make up the picture on a display in terms of horizontal rows and vertical columns. Now if you want a sharper picture and finer details you should get a TV with a higher resolution and more pixels.
For quite some years 1920X1080 which is also known as Full HD resolution and has been the global standard. It is still a commonly used resolution in all TVs across the globe. However, manufacturers have been rapidly shifting towards Ultra HD TV sets. These TV sets provide 4 times the number of pixels compared to current HD screens. This is why they are called 4K TVs and provide a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels.
With the improved resolution of 4K TVs, you get to see objects on the screen with more detail and your text looks even sharper. Overall all the images appear rich in colour and feel more life-like compared to Full HD TV sets. Also along with a sharper picture, it provides you with the benefit of comfortably viewing your screen from a short distance. This makes having larger TVs comfortable in regular-sized rooms.
Ultra HD videos look great on your screen and now there are more TVs offering this resolution than before. Many streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and even YouTube have started offering 4K content. This makes it easier for you to watch your favourite shows and movies in 4K if you have a smart TV that can stream directly from Netflix. Also, there are Ultra HD Blu-Ray discs which are becoming more common but they are still behind the standard 1080p.
While Live TV has not fully embraced the concept of 4K. But there are many channels offering 4K content for some of the on-demand services. Although Ultra HD does provide an improvement over the existing HD content, the results don’t look as sharp as 4K programming.
There are also 8K TVs available in the market but they are not much affordable. Also finding content that can take full advantage of the higher resolution is extremely limited. This offers four times the resolution seen on the 8K set compared to a 4k display. And it is a giant leap forward in picture technology. But in our opinion getting a 4K TV is more than enough to future-proof yourself for the next few years.
HDR: Important for great picture quality
HDR is a new feature that is available for 4K Ultra HD TV sets and it means High Dynamic Range which promises delivery of more colours, contrast levels and increased brightness. The basic standard for high dynamic range content is referred to as HDR 10. Many of the companies are supporting this basic specification so you will see HDR 10 mentioned on many of the compatible TVs. HDR 10 is the least that any of the HDR TV out there supports.
Dolby Vision is a more demanding version of HDR and it includes dynamic metadata that adjust the HDR effect on a frame-by-frame basis to provide much more accurate and impressive picture quality. Samsung has also introduced their own premium HDR format which they have given the name HDR 10+. And it is something similar to Dolby Vision but it is limited to Samsung TV only and is far less common than Dolby Vision.
When it comes to content that supports Dolby Vision there is a lot more content available out there. Many of the Netflix TV shows offer Dolby Vision while Amazon Prime video offers HDR 10+ which is provided by Samsung.
Refresh rate
The number of times a picture is refreshed on the screen per second is known as the refresh rate. It is represented in Hertz or Hz and the standard refresh rate is 60 Hz. But nowadays 120 Hz TVs are also becoming more popular which provides you with a more fluid experience when you are watching those fast-paced action sequences. For now, there is not much content that supports high frame rates but support is soon coming to sports events and films. If you are a gaming enthusiast you may be tempted to purchase a TV that supports a high refresh rate. But keep in mind that many of the gaming consoles usually top out at 60fps so it makes sense to just stick to those.
The Perfect Screen Size
Whether you want to buy a smartTV that can stream your favourite Netflix shows. Or a traditional dumb TV through which you can use your cable connection, the screen size is an important factor to consider. For this, you need to consider the number of people in your house; who will watch the television at one given time and the location where the TV will be placed. Then pick a screen size that will comfortably fit in your space and also entertain all your family members at once.
You should also consider how close you will sit to the TV. Basically, if you are too far and the TV size is small you won’t be able to see any detail of any content playing on it. A good basic rule that works is you should sit at a distance that is three times more than the height of your screen if it is an HD 720p TV. And sit at 1.5 times the distance if the screen is 4K ultra HD.
No matter how detailed a TV buying guide is you cannot make the right choice sitting at home. If you have time and if it is possible then you should visit the store and look at the TVs. If possible you should also bring your family so that you can get the idea of which TV will be right for you. Even though the 4K content is less accessible compared to the 1080p resolution. OTT services such as Netflix have now started offering more high-quality 4K content. Therefore you may want to invest in high-resolution technology if you have less space and plan to sit near the screen. Plus 4K is the future of content and it’s better to future-proof yourself.
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3. Pick The Right Operating System
Just like smartphones the TVs are also becoming smarter as they now support internet connectivity. The TVs have their own OS and have access to endless app services. Smart TVs are capable enough to fetch content from the internet directly without the need for any external third-party device such as a streaming dongle.
Smart TVs offer built-in apps that allow you to stream content on your TV through the internet. A lot of TVs are now powered by Android TV OS and it is a full-fledged TV powered by Android. These Smart TVs have support for the Google Play store and most of the popular apps. These apps include Spotify, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, etc. You can even download games from the play store and enjoy them with your family. And even cast content directly using a smartphone with the built-in Chromecast feature.
Apart from Android TV, you even have some televisions from brands such as Samsung that do not run on Android TV and are powered by their own Smart TV OS. These TVs have some built-in apps such as Youtube, Netflix, Prime Video etc. And these even have a built-in internet browser that allows the users to browse through different websites.
Another aspect to look out for is the Smart Remote that comes with the remote. I personally prefer small, compact remotes that are functional with minimal buttons. Also having extra buttons to directly access Netflix and Youtube is a bonus.
4. Check all connectivity options
When you are purchasing a new TV make sure to pay attention to the number of HDMI ports in a particular model. The ports can provide you with use cases like connecting a Set-top Box, soundbar, gaming console, or a Chromecast dongle.
Also if you decide to purchase a 4K Ultra HD TV make sure that the ports on the TV also support HDMI 2.0 which will be necessary for future ultra HD sources. There is also a newer HDMI 2.1 format that provides excellent results while delivering content in 8K resolution. While there might be less content in that resolution and it is always good to future-proof yourself.
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5. Don’t skip gaming
Most gaming consoles these days have incredible specs and are tuned to deliver excellent performance. Therefore a good gaming TV won’t just provide great picture and sound but also improve responsiveness.
When you are looking for a TV specifically to pair with your Xbox or PlayStation console you should also pay attention to HDMI ports. And specifically lookout for HDMI 2.1 compatibility as well. It is relatively new but offers the next-gen console gaming that you may want in future. It also includes additional features such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) which switches to game mode as soon as the console is turned on.
Also, Variable Refresh Rate technology provides you with synchronized jitter-free gaming. VRR eliminated the screen tearing issue by syncing the refresh rate of the display to that of the console’s output.
6. Sound quality is Important
Sound is the most important aspect to enjoy your immersive viewing experience. For good quality audio from your TV, you have to remember that the higher the wattage there is, the louder the sound output will be.
Sound is something which you can’t get from just a TV buying guide, you have to experience it yourself. It is important that if you have a spacious house; you should choose a TV that produces enough sound to travel a greater distance. The best way to decide if the TV is perfect for your house or not is by playing a couple of loud action scenes. And then paying attention to the customers to judge whether the sound is thin and distorted at higher volumes. Also, test how is the bass in those action scenes, and check the voice in movie dialogues. Make sure to check if the sound is realistic, and see what amount of detail is present in the sound.
In addition when choosing a TV also pay attention to the cabinet rattle, directional distortion, and overall sound under pressure. If you want the best sound experience from your TV you should consider investing in a good sound system by choosing a decent soundbar. These s found system add-ons can help you enhance the audio experience. But it’s always best to have powerful built-in speakers within your TV.
Now as you have understood the importance of connecting a soundbar for a surround sound system to your TV. It is also important to know what kind of ports your TV includes. HDMI ARC stands for Audio Return Channel. It is a clever protocol that sits with the HDMI standard and helps you enhance the sound quality of your TV and soundbar setup. With the support of ARC, you can directly connect your TV to a soundbar with just a single cable. But the eARC you need support for newer HDMI 2.1. The advantage is that it allows you to boost both the bandwidth and speed. It allows your soundbar to receive higher-quality sound from your TV.
You should also keep in mind that eARC and ARC are not backwards compatible. This means that if your new TV supports eARC and your soundbar supports just ARC. And due to the limited ability to transfer data of the ARC you may lose out on all the eARC benefits. At the moment eARC is still very new and not many devices have support. But with the increasing demand for better sound quality, we may soon see eARC as popular as HDMI ARC.
7. Don’t fall for extended warranties
Many of the big electronics stores generate their revenue from extended warranties. The main reason for that is they are badly needed, especially for a flat LCD panel. Most of the components included in today’s TVs are remarkably resilient and long-lasting. So instead just stick with the basic warranty that manufacturers provide when you buy a new TV. Mostly every manufacturer offers a one-year warranty on new electronic devices and that may be sufficient for all buyers. And if needed you can anyways extend the warranty from the manufacturer. And might be slightly expensive but you will get certified technicians and trusted service.
