BackComprehensive buying guide to choosing the perfect TV for movies, games, and everything in between
This comprehensive TV buying guide unlocks the secrets of choosing the perfect TV for your entertainment oasis. We'll navigate screen size, resolution, and features like refresh rate for smooth action. Explore display options from budget-friendly LED to stunning OLED.
PremiumIf you're considering a new TV for your home but unsure if it's the best option, you've come to the right place. This guide will navigate you through key points to keep in mind when buying a new TV. It ensures you find the perfect size, optimizing your enjoyment for movies, sports, gaming, or any content you love. Whether you're looking for the latest features or the best value, this guide will help you make an informed decision for a TV that suits your needs and enhances your viewing experience.
What size and resolution should you choose for a TV?To choose the best TV size and resolution, you need to consider the room size and viewing distance. Measure the distance between the TV and the sitting area, it should be 1.5 to 2.5 times the screen size of the TV. Apart from the size, the resolution is another important factor to pick the right TV for the best viewing experience. It directly affects the sharpness of the image, two of the most popular screen resolutions are; 1080p and 4K.
The 1080p resolution is perfect for smaller screens up to 43 inches and 4K resolution is perfect for 50 inch and above. For gaming consoles, it is recommended to go for the 4K resolution for best picture quality in all modern titles. Another emerging screen resolution is 8K which is the superior resolution but it is expensive, and the content is also limited. You won’t find 8K content on any streaming service except for YouTube.
What are the different types of TV displays?
Another major aspect of the TV that impacts experience is the type of display. Primarily, there are three types of display available right now; LED, OLED and QLED. The LED TVs are the most popular and affordable options among them. It is the perfect option if you are looking for an affordable option, you will get a 43 inch 4K LED TV for under ₹30,000.
VW 80 cm (32 inches) Frameless Series HD Ready Android Smart LED TV
The QLED TV display is also based on the same old LCD technology that LED TV uses. It produces richer and vibrant colours compared to LED display. These TV’s comes at about the same price range as the LED TV.
Acer 80 cm (32 inches) V Series HD Ready Smart QLED Google TV
An OLED TV on the other hand uses individual LEDs to illuminate and produce the picture. This increase the overall brightness and image quality but this technology is expensive and a very few brand makes OLED TVs.
3. MI 138.8 cm (55 inches) 4K Ultra HD Smart Android OLED TV O55M7-Z2IN (Black)
We recommend you to go with LED or QLED TV if you have budget constraint but if you can afford an expensive TV, go for an OLED version. It will give you a better picture quality and when matched with a good quality sound system, you get a theatre like experience at home.
How important is refresh rate on a TV?
When it comes to watching content on TV, refresh rate is just a novelty and adds nothing to the picture quality. The MEMC feature that TVs uses even deteriorates the picture quality by adding a motion blur effect to the content. The real potential comes out when you start gaming on these TVs.
Also Read: Best TVs for stunning visuals and sounds: Top 8 picks for unmatched entertainment
Modern consoles can play games at higher frame rates that require high refresh rate display. Few TV models comes with a dedicated gaming mode with variable refresh rate feature to enhance the gaming experience. We recommend you to buy a TV with high refresh rate but enable this feature only when you are gaming.
Why should you consider HDR and Dolby Vision?
High Dynamic Range or HDR defines how many brightness-levels a display supports. This is essential to recreate the right amount of contrast that the creator intended to show to the viewers. The black looks darker and when It requires, it can go way brighter than a non-HDR display
Samsung 43 inches D Series Crystal 4K Vivid Pro Ultra HD Smart LED TV
Dolby Vision is a technology built by Dolby labs to fine tune the contrast and brightness of the display. Today, there are tons of content that uses the HDR and Dolby Vision available on popular streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video.
We recommend you go for a TV that supports both HDR and Dolby Vision when choosing your TV. This tech is independent of display type, so even if you opt for an LED TV, you can get both HDR and Dolby Vision technology without spending more.
Also Read: Best 55-inch TV: Experience immersive entertainment at home with these top 10 picks
How to pick a TV with best sound quality?
Sound quality is another significant factor that can improve your viewing experience. The speakers that you usually get with the TVs are not powerful enough to create satisfying sound. This creates a need to buy a separate sound system to connect to the TV and enjoy your favourite content with a surround sound experience.
So it is recommended that you go for a TV with Dolby Atmos or Dolby Digital support. Also look for an eARC port on the TV which effortlessly lets you route the sound from all the connected devices (consoles, Blu-ray player) to the speaker system.
What connectivity options should a TV have?
Always look for multiple connectivity options in a TV, this includes both wired and wireless connectivity features. For wireless connectivity, you need Wi-Fi for internet connectivity and Bluetooth to connect wireless devices like headphones with your TV. Most TVs also uses the Bluetooth connectivity for the remote control.
The HDMI ports lets you connect multiple devices to your TV at the same time, which removes the need to disconnect a device to connect another one. USB ports lets you connect external storage devices to enjoy offline content to your TV. These were the most important ports that you must consider when buying a TV.
Which OS and smart feature to look for in a TV?
Android TV OS is the widely used TV OS but it requires powerful hardware for smooth operation. It is an open source and versatile OS with a huge app library and you’ll find it on most smart TVs available right now. Brands like LG and Samsung uses their own proprietary OS on their TVs to keep their products stand out from the Android TV crowd. Also, to integrate their IoT ecosystem so you can control the smart devices using the TV itself.
Hisense 65 inches 4K Ultra HD Smart QLED Google TV
If you are still not clear with which OS to go for, pick Android TV without a second thought. Unless you are buying a TV from LG or Samsung, you will find the Android TV OS in almost every smart TV on the market. But only pick for an Android TV with at least 2 GB RAM for a smoother user experience.
Conclusion
It is important to consider room size, resolution, display type, refresh rate, HDR support, sound quality, connectivity, and OS when choosing a TV. By evaluating these factors, you will be able to find a TV that meets your needs and budget, enhancing your overall viewing experience.
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