It is not easy to decide while you are purchasing a long-term asset. You might face several contradicting suggestions, several misleading opinions, and eventually, end up complaining after making a purchase. To avoid this, the best thing you can do is gathering information by yourself. This article highlights some factors that you need to consider while buying a television.
Whether you are planning to buy your first TV or it’s your tenth time, you always come across several confusions. We have some tips to help you with this confusion and choose a TV set you will love watching for years.
So how to select a perfect TV model? What factors must be considered before making a purchase? Well, buying a Television involves many choices and some might even be new to you. TVs now have new features such as HDR, Ultra High-Definition or 4k and even 8K, etc, and many more new terms.
Here are a few Tv buying guides that you might apply.
Screen Size
One of the fundamental aspects you are should consider while buying a new TV is its screen size. Generally, the size screens are measured diagonally and it ranges from smaller than 20 inches to larger than 80 inches.
However, the preference for the screen size depends on where you are going to install your TV, your family size, and how spacious your room is.
Let’s say if you are buying for a kitchen or small bedrooms, then normally you prefer 24 to 32 inches. Likewise, if it’s your primary TV then we recommend selecting the size of 50 to 65-inch screens. But again, it depends on the space you have in your room.
Screen size also relies on how near you sit to your TV. If you can see the individual pixel of the screen then you are too close to your TV. Thus, you should maintain a certain distance.
Well there is no hard and fast rule for it, but a good rule of thumb is you should stay at a distance of three times your TV screen height for HD TV and 1.5 the screen height for 4K Ultra HD
To sum up, the objective is to create a comfortable and beautiful viewing experience. Also choose your screen size such that it is appropriate for the distance you will sit from your TV screen, Normally, start from 50 inches unless you have a small room. And when it comes to Tv screen size, the most common recommendation is “Bigger the Better”.
Smart TV
Most of the TV today come with built-in Wi-Fi Internet connectivity. Smart TVs, also known as Internet TVs can be a bridge to a world of online content that you can access directly from the TV. Nowadays, the built-in application is available in your TV set,
If you are planning to purchase a TV make sure that it is Smart. The latest version of a smart TV can even search for the content across streaming service and play the videos through the satellite connection.
In addition to this, smart TV does not require any streaming device such as Chromecast and another device for viewing the videos.
To save money, people consider buying a Television without a smart feature. But, in reality, any TV that lacks smart features is not worth buying in the present age. So do consider buying with a smart feature.
HDR: Allows Your TV To Have The Most Realistic Pictures
High Dynamic Range (HDR) is the TV industry’s biggest buzzword. All the particular specification you look for in a picture or video depends on the HDR. Therefore, it’s the ability to deliver more colors, more contrast levels, and increased brightness in your TV.
When you are buying a Television, you look for its dynamism and multipurpose use. You might look for such a TV that has a realistic color combination and in which you can play games as well.
Thus, when HDR is at work, you will see details that might not be obvious such as you will see glints of lights, the sun’s reflection, the sparkle in a waterdrop, and many more.
HDR does all that by increasing the contrast between the colors, basically black and white. The report says that a Standard HDTVs can display about 17 million colors.
Typically, HDR TVs produce more vibrant and varied color than other TV sets because it is paired with “wide color gamut” or WCG capability.
As mentioned, HDTVs can display 17 million colors, WCG can display up to a billion. However, only buying a great TV doesn’t allow you to experience fantastic contrast and color every time. You have to be playing a movie or show that can take advantage of WCG and HDR.
The basic standard for your HDR content is called HDR10 set by UHD Alliance, an industry trade group. But the Dolby Vision is a more demanding and advanced version of HDR.
Every HDR-enabled set on the market you look for is currently HDR10 compatible, but Dolby Vision is only found on those TV sets that have met both Dolby’s technical standard and has paid the licensing fee.
Similarly, a more advanced version of HDR10 i.e. HDR10+ has also equally good quality like Dolby Vision.
All in all, when you look for better picture quality do not choose simply HDR-compatible set but look for Dolby Vision compatible set.
So, this is also the best TV buying guides which you should look after.
Faster Refresh Rate
Another important part on TV buying guides section is the refresh rate.
It’s the number of times per second that a TV refreshes its image. Generally, it’s written in hertz or Hz. The standard refresh rate for TV is 60 times per second. But, for fast-moving scenes, 60 Hz would not be sufficient. It might lead you to visualize blurry images or videos.
Now why refresh rate is so important to guide for buying a Television? If your TV has a higher refresh rate or faster refresh rate, then the fast-moving object and scenes can be seen clearly.
To create a more solid picture, the manufacturer maximizes the refresh rate to 120Hz and even 240Hz in some cases.
On contrary to better video quality, TV face some problem to handle the faster refresh rate. Now, to handle it, one method is inserting a black image between the original pictures. This tricks your eyes into seeing less blurry and more solid pictures.
Similarly, the next method is inserting a new image that shows a state of movement between two adjacent pictures. This lets you see more realistic looking motion.
Some new models support High-Frame Rate (HFR). This indicates that such TV has a higher refresh rate and added support for those content that is above the 60hz frame rate. This HFR is especially good for viewing live broadcast and live sports. Thus, it’s a feature that you should look after.
Besides that, if you are a gamer, the refresh rate will be a keen interest for you. Most gaming consoles can perform very well at 60 frames per second. So, if you are using heavy games, then 120 frames per second would be the best one.
Finally, when you look for refresh rate, it would be best if it is of 120 Hz refresh rate or more.
Screen Resolution: HD, 4K, and 8K?
Resolution refers to the number of pixels that make the picture on the TV. The higher the resolution better will be the quality of your TV pictures. Especially when you decide to buy a big screen size TV, you would prefer high resolution.
A regular High-Definition (HD) has a resolution of 1920×1080 which means it has 1920 pixels horizontally and 1080 pixels vertically. Therefore, it contains approximately 2 million pixels in all.
Similarly, an Ultra-High-Definition (UHD) TVs or 4k TVs has 3840×2160 screen resolution. This means when you buy for 4K TV, it will have greater picture quality, as well as better picture detail since 8 million pixels, are more densely packed.
Likewise, in recent years, we are starting to see 8K TVs which have resolutions of 7680×4320 i.e. with more than 33 million pixels.
Despite greater resolutions, we do not recommend to purchase 8K right now since there is no 8K content available easily yet. So, for now, purchasing 4K TV is more effective. Also because Ultra HD or 4K is being a standard TV and its also a better choice as a future investment.
So in TV buying guides section, looking at screen resolution is also the important part.
HDMI Connection
Connecting external devices to your TV has become less burden due to the presence of HDMI. Before making a purchase make sure you count the number of devices you want to connect, and your TV has at least that many of HDMI connectors. Two to four extra port is a must.
Through HDMI connectors, you can add a soundbar, Chromecast, game console, etc. Nowadays HDMI 2.1 format has started to arrive in the market which is specially focus on 8K content.
When you look for an HDMI port, make sure that your TV has 4 HDMI port and do opt for a newer HDMI 2.1 format if possible.
Also Read: Best Thermal Paste For PlayStation 4 Pro
TV Types: LCD, LED LCD, OLED
In the Tv buying guides category you also need to considered for the types of TV.
There are two types of TV available in the market i.e. LCD and OLED. When you consider the pricing of both, you need to pay a heavy amount for the OLED set.
LCD and LED Sets
The TV market today is highly dominated by LED-LCD set. These HD and UHD sets use light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate the LCD screen. This TV set has a quality to light up a specific portion of the screen and simultaneously dim other parts for better presenting light and dark areas in the scene.
This LED LCD is meant for those who want better TV performance with an affordable and average budget. If you are planning to buy good TV at an affordable price, purchase LED TV.
As mentioned above they can light up a few portions and dim other parts for a better scene. This feature is known as active dimming or local dimming.
Another LCD technology, called quantum dots is becoming more popular. This technology has quantum dots which is another layer of different nanocrystal dots that light up when the LED backlight hits them.
Most of the LCD uses LEDs on the screen’s edge since LED supports local dimming. The major advantage of this is good quality at affordable prices along with Ultra HD 4K models available.
OLED TVs
When you compare OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) with an LED LCD set, it has better quality. On the other hand, it is quite expensive than LED-LCD sets. Unlike LED, OLED uses a layer of organic LEDs to achieve a better contrast level.
The major benefit of OLED sets is that it has the best TV picture and retains the image quality even when viewed from the side. However, the price is high and it is also noted that some LCD sets have more peak brightness than OLED.
Thus, if you can invest more, I would recommend you pick the OLED set, but if not LED-LCD set is also very good in terms of quality and price.
Remote Control
When we speak of the TV set, TV remote automatically comes in our mind. However, if you are not planning to use a TV remote that comes with your TV, you must either use the TV’s included clicker or voice assistant.
Even if your TV is smart, we would recommend using a remote control or buy a TV that has access to the remote control.
Audio: Get a Soundbar
Another important feature you must look for while buying a television is audio. Even the best model TV and expensive HDTVs lack good sound. The reason behind this is the design that restricts to keep large speakers in it. So, look for a TV set with a good inbuilt audio system.
But in the absence of a good inbuilt audio system, you have three options: Use headphones for better sound, buy a sound system, and use a soundbar. Well, watching TV with earphones makes you antisocial, and purchasing an extra sound system makes your TV set look weird. Thus, get a soundbar.
Voice Control: Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
In the recent technological advancement in the TV industry, voice commands control the television. TV with the ability to search and access to Wi-Fi is nothing new in the current age, but what’s new is integration between the TVs and the two big players in voice today, Google and Amazon.
Though this feature is optional, having a voice control can make you use your TV and its function smoothly. Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are two prominent voice control from which you can control lights, order various kinds of stuff, and link with other smart home devices as well.
Check the Viewing Angles
One of the major drawbacks of LCD TVs is its limited viewing angles. This means the picture looks fair enough only narrow spot closer to your TV. To overcome this drawback, we recommend checking for the viewing angles by watching TV from off the side, from above and below the main part of the screen
OLED TVs have huge viewing angles which means, the image looks clear and high quality from all the angles. But in the case of LCD, the image can dim, loose contrast and color accuracy when you move away from the center.
However, those LCDs that use IPS(in-plane-switching) technology offer wider-than-average viewing angles for LCD sets. Recently, there are some TVs from Samsung and Sony that have this feature without the use of IPS.
Thus, looking for the viewing angles properly also plays a great role in the Tv buying guides section.
Warranties and Guaranties: Save Your Money
This is one of the prominent features you should consider on TV buying guides section. Even if you find a TV set with the optimum price and all the features you desire, never purchase in absence of warranty and guarantee.
When you are in the market to buy a Television set, almost all the TV suppliers provide you the warranty. Apart from the regular warranty, seek for those credit card companies or those firm that provides you the loan that offers additional automatic coverage on purchase. Thus, for this, contact your provider.
Brand: Which One To Choose?
Well, the consideration of brand generally comes at first when the idea of buying Television strikes in your mind. There are various brands available such as Samsung, LG, Sony, Vizio, TCL, Hisense, and many more.
Despite choosing the brand, you should be aware that all the brands are more or less similar and equally reliable. Some may perform more consistently over another but they can change on a fairly regular basis.
Pay the Right Price: Negotiation
Price is the basic feature that you look for before making any decision. Despite knowing the actual price of the product, you have several areas for doing a reasonable bargain. Look for the quality but don’t let yourself fall in the price trap.
In recent days, TV has become an affordable product. You can get 4K resolution, HDR support smart TV of 50-55 inch within $500 and the 65-inch model can be purchased within $1000.
Hence, look for the bargain before purchasing any top-rated TV.
Conclusion
The resolution, screen size, smart feature, OLED vs LED vs LCD, and HDR is some of the basic features you must not skip while buying a Television. Apart from this, also look for small aspects such as TV stand, the amount of electricity it consumes, HDMI ports, etc.
we recommend to purchase 4K resolution TV, for now, and skip for 8K TV set. Also, look for HDR-compatible TV that gives a better-quality image. furthermore, OLED TV is much better than LCD sets despite being expensive. so do prefer OLED if your budget matches the price.
So was our tv buying guides helpful? Let us know in the comment section.
