What do you know about how much things have changed if you last bought a new TV in the last ten years? Remember when HD TV came out, and 1080p flatscreens were all the rage? These days, 1080p isn’t really needed on more giant screens because most TVs 40 inches or bigger now offer 4K and 8K resolution.
Today’s TVs have more pixels and different lighting and screen types. The best TVs are QLEDs and OLEDs. Then you have to think about things like what kind of HDMI ports you need, intelligent features, size, and price. Buying a new TV can turn into an endless cycle of study and second-guessing. But have no fear; we’ve got you covered with an easy-to-understand TV buying guide.
Size and setup
The first thing you should do when shopping for a new TV is measure how much space you have in your leisure room. Remember that TV screens are measured horizontally, so if a TV is called 65 inches, that’s its diagonal size, not its height or width. These sizes can be found on the sales page for a TV and in many reviews. There’s no limit to how big of a TV you can have in your living room. A 50-inch or bigger screen will work well in most places.
You can find great tools online that help you figure out the best size-to-viewing-distance ratios so you can find the one that works best for you and your place.
If you want to use a TV stand, you should add the stand’s dimensions to your measurements to make sure they fit correctly. Also, keep in mind that more and more TVs are being put on legs on the outside instead of bases in the middle, which takes up even more room.
People who want to mount this on the wall will be glad to know that weight isn’t a problem. We have a wall-mount buying guide that can help you pick the right one. There are mounts for every size and weight. We can also help you with the natural process of mounting your TV if you need it.
Resolution
The picture clarity is what the “4K” in 4K TVs is all about. The true number of horizontal lines on a 4K TV is 3,840, however the word “4K” is easier to remember and more concise than alternatives like “2160p,” “4K Ultra HD,” or even “UHD.” It refers to a standard for the number of pixels that make up the image you see on the screen.
At four times the pixel resolution of 1080p HD, the difference is clear, especially when these TVs show 4K material that was made just for them. The pictures are more transparent and brighter, and you can sit closer to more giant TVs without the pictures getting worse.
Of course, some companies still make 1080p or 720p TVs, but they are usually the worst quality and smallest screens that the company makes. If you wanted to save money a few years ago, one of these models would have made sense. But now, a 50-inch 4K TV can be bought for $300 or less, so only people with very little money should think about TVs with lower resolution. As 4K prices keep going down, we’re starting to see more and more 6K and 8K screens. The cycle is slowly starting to turn around again.
Broadcast material has indeed been way behind 4K, but that will start to change quickly now that ATSC 3.0, the newest broadcast standard, has been put in place and is compatible with a wide range of TV brands and set-top boxes.
What about 8K?
Resolution upgrades for TVs happen all the time, like the seasons. We’re still working our way up to full 4K support, but 8K is already here—at least in stores. Samsung, LG, Sony, TCL, and Hisense all make 8K TVs, though there aren’t many brands.
There are eight times as many pixels in an 8K TV as there are in a 1080p HD TV, or four times as many as in a 4K TV. A 65-inch 8K TV can now be bought for as little as $999, down from a very high price when they first came out. But should you get one?
Right now, we say “no,” unless you have a lot of money and really want to own cutting-edge tech. It’s still hard to find native 8K material. YouTube and Vimeo both have 8K videos that will look great on an 8K TV, but they’re still more of a test run than a solid source of 8K entertainment. 8K sources in other places are usually only available for extraordinary events or sales. Streamers like Netflix have shot 8K material, but they are only putting it out in 4K.
HDR
It stands for “high dynamic range.” When HDR is done right, the picture quality is much better than just increasing the resolution. With more colours and excellent contrast, HDR makes images look more vivid and real. A TV’s colour gamut is the total number of colours it can show. Once you see HDR (high dynamic range) at its best, you won’t want to go back to SDR (standard dynamic range).
Before you buy a new TV, you should definitely read our in-depth guide on HDR TV. However, the most important thing you should know is that not all HDR TVs are the same, even though almost all 4K TVs on the market today are also HDR TVs. There are significant changes in quality, and some HDR TVs don’t have what they need to make the most of this new video format.
Last but not least, remember that you need HDR video to get the most out of your HDR TV. At the moment, that means using a streaming service (all of the big ones have added HDR support to some 4K movies and TV shows) or a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player with 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs that were made in an HDR format.
Smart TVs
Many modern smart TVs come with video streaming applications already loaded, like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and dozens more. These TVs can connect to the internet wirelessly or via an Ethernet cable. Smart TVs are ubiquitous now, just like 4K and HDR.
Software used by different companies makes smart TVs very different from one another. Samsung’s platform is called Tizen OS, LG’s is called WebOS, and Vizio’s is called SmartCast. Here are some popular streaming services that you can use. The Vizio system even has Chromecast’s casting feature, which lets you send material from your phone or tablet to the TV.
Smart TV features are helpful, and the fact that streaming apps and other services are built right into the TV saves room and HDMI ports. However, set-top boxes like the Nvidia Shield or streaming sticks like the Roku Streaming Stick 4K or Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max may stream to any TV.
Refresh rate
The number of frames per second that a TV can show is called its refresh rate, and it is measured in hertz (Hz). Refresh rates are talked about in two different ways by manufacturers: natively and effectively.
Its digital picture processing is what the functional refresh rate of a TV means. TVs that say they have a refresh rate above 120Hz will use this term. Even though that sounds cool, you should consider something other than the effective refresh rate as a reliable sign. In fact, anything above 120Hz is probably best ignored. There is no such thing as an original 240Hz TV. TVs only come in 60Hz and 120Hz at the moment.
Variable refresh rate
VRR (variable refresh rate) is a function that isn’t very old on TVs. LG’s 2019 and 2020 OLED TVs were the first to get it added so they would work better with mobile and PC games that change frame rates from one part of the game to another. Most TVs are stuck on a single refresh rate (60 or 120Hz), which means they can’t handle changes in frame rates without tearing, which is a glitch that you can see when frame rates and refresh rates don’t match up properly.
Finally, if you want to play games on your TV, check to see if it supports VRR. Also, if you want to use your TV with a PC that has a specialized Nvidia or AMD GPU, you should look for TVs that can sync. G-Sync (NVIDIA) and FreeSync (AMD) let displays run at the optimal frame rate, preventing tearing and other issues. Advanced G-Sync and FreeSync can improve photos like HDR.
Inputs and HDMI 2.1
TVs can have a lot of different inputs and outputs, and the back or side panels of most TVs will have a rainbow of different ports. Of course, unless you have a lot of old gear, the only port you really need to worry about is HDMI. In most cases, HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) is used to connect streaming devices, Blu-ray players, game systems, and even PCs to a TV.
And even though HDMI 2.0b supports some of the features we talked about above, like VRR, HDMI 2.1 will continue to grow as the standard for TVs, A/V players, and game systems.
Compare LCD, LED, OLED, QLED, mini-LED, microLED, and more!
Many thanks for your letter. It can be hard to understand these terms, so let’s cut them down.
First, it’s essential to know that there are only two main types of TV screens. Transmissive screens get their light from a backlight. After that, the light source goes through a grid of dots and colour filters. Displays that let light pass through them include LCD, LED, QLED, and mini-LED. On the other hand, pixels in emitting screens make their light. At the moment, the only types of emissive screens are OLED and microLED.
OLED
An emissive display, such as an OLED (organic light-emitting diode), is best because a pixel is completely black when it’s not making any light. Not only do OLED screens have the darkest, most accurate blacks, which look great when watching space scenes, but they also don’t let any light through. If light from a bright part of the screen gets into a part that should be dark or black, this is called light bleed.
LG Display is the only company that sells OLED screens, even though a lot of shops sell OLED TVs. Samsung is the only company that needs to follow this rule. Right now, Samsung Display, which is a sister company to Samsung, is making its OLED screens powered by quantum dots that it hopes to sell to other TV brands.
MicroLED
MicroLED is the other type of emissive display that should be known for two significant reasons. First, it has a modular design that lets you put together a TV that is up to 17 feet tall and has a quality of up to 16 megapixels. As for the brightness, it’s the best you can get. A lot of people still can’t afford microLEDs, but that’s beginning to change. The newest ones from companies like Samsung come in sizes that can be customized all the way up to 178 inches.
LCD
The simple LCD (liquid crystal display) is the name of the grid of pixels that all transmissive screens are made of. This is true for all types of TVs: LCD, LED, mini-LED, and QLED. The pictures you see are all made of LCD panels.
LED TV
Cold cathode fluorescent lights (CCFLs) were used as the backlights of the first LCD TVs. When LEDs became available as a better option, the industry moved to LEDs. The “LED TV” was created. Almost all LCD TVs these days are actually LED TVs. LED backlights use less energy than CCFLs, and based on how many are used, they can give you a lot more control over the brightness and contrast.
Mini-LED
Because LEDs are already much better than CCFLs, making them even smaller is a huge step forward. They are so small that 25,000 of them can fit in a 75-inch TV. That makes it more like what OLED’s emissive pixels can do when it comes to brightness and colour control.
On the market right now are a number of mini-LED TVs for those who are interested. If you look at LG’s “QNED” (Quantum Dot + NanoCell + Mini-LED) TVs, you can see that the company has adopted this technology. Samsung’s Neo QLED 4K TVs, which are powered by mini-LEDs, are also in the game.
QLED TV
Anyone with an LED or mini-LED TV that has quantum dots put on top of the LCD matrix but before the backlight is called a QLED TV. Nanoparticles called quantum dots have the strange ability to give off light when it hits them.
When added to an LED display, they make it brighter and can help make colours look more realistic by cancelling out the blue light that most LEDs give off. The result stands out more when the backlight is bright. Because of this, QLED TVs work great in rooms with a lot of light. While they might not be able to get as dark as OLED, they make up for it by being much lighter.
Samsung’s Neo QLED QN90A model is an excellent example of a modern QLED TV. It comes in a lot of different sizes and costs a very fair amount of money.
QD-OLED
We’ve talked about QLED, OLED, and everything in between. Now it’s time to talk about QD-OLED, which is a new technology. QD-OLED is a cross between OLED and QLED, which makes sense. It uses OLED technology for its light source but uses quantum dots instead of an OLED TV’s colour filter. This makes for the best of both worlds, as it produces a display that is bright, beautiful, colourful, and has deep blacks. For more, read our in-depth explanation.
Do you need a soundbar?
The speakers in an HDTV are called speakers. A soundbar is a speaker that is meant to sit in front of the TV and provide better, more robust sound than the TV’s speakers. Some soundbars are really impressive. They have drivers and tweeters that work together to make the sound experience as good as a complete surround system. Plus, they’re smart enough to work with voice requests, listen to music, and more. You can find out more by reading our guide to the best new models.
Should you get a speaker to go with your 4K TV? Check out two different things. First, look at how much the soundbar costs and how much you can spend on a new TV total. Soundbars can get pricey quickly, and you may only want to spend a little money on one at first, but you can always add one later if you want to. Next, think about how you watch TV.
Conclusion
We hope that some of the newer terms and trends in TVs have become less mysterious. You should look at our list of the best TVs you can buy now that you know everything you need to know. Not only that but also read our most recent TV reviews to learn all about the newest and best 4K TVs on the market.
