TV buying guide: 8 things to consider when buying a TV for your home – Times of India

You don’t buy a television every day, so it is important that you make your decision carefully. You might think, what is so hard about choosing a TV? Just head to the nearest electronic store, see the TV and get it home. Well, it is not that easy with so many new technologies, making the decision even harder.
The formula for buying a TV is still basic. All you need to do is find the perfect size depending upon your room’s size and get the one with the slimmest bezels; every TV now has almost no bezels until you are out there for a CRT TV. But now comes the real problem when you get baffled by these terms, like HDR, 4K, Dolby Vision, OLED, QLED and whatnot.
Well, don’t worry, as we will be guiding you through the process today, explaining what things are necessary to look for while buying a new TV for your home.
Find a perfect size
Finding a perfect size is the first challenge. Sometimes the TV can be a little bigger than what you were expecting or smaller than what you saw in the store. Because TVs are kept in such a way that they look larger than life, and your room might have different dimensions so there are chances of buying a TV which might or might not be a perfect fit for your room.
There is not much to think about. All you need to do is pick a TV between 55-inches and 65-inches, which is a sweet spot if you have a moderately big room. Usually, a 55-inch TV is perfect for any room size until it is not a mansion.
What is the difference between LCD, LED, QLED and OLED
LCD, LED, QLED and OLED are some of the most common terms you will hear while looking for a TV.
OLED TVs are usually priced on the higher side, and if you are looking for a TV in that price territory, then you should go with OLED as it offers the best viewing experience. Otherwise, you can also get QLED TVs, which too are priced on the higher side, but it is a no-brainer decision as it offers a wider colour range, brightness and a much better experience than LED or LCD TVs.
Then there are LCD and LED TVs in the budget or mid-price segment. So there are two types of LCD panels – IPS and VA (vertical alignment), and compared to IPS LCD, the VA panels offer a much better contrast range, meaning the black will look black but not grey. Also, you should check how the panel is lit and avoid TVs with edge-lit panels. Furthermore, if you are buying an LED TV, then check if it has local dimming zones or not because panels with local dimming zone provide better contrast.
What’s the perfect screen resolution? HD, 4K or 8K?
There are 8K TVs in the market, but there is not enough 8K content to make them a viable option. So there are mainly two options to choose from – HD and 4K (UHD). The HD TVs have a resolution of 1920×1080 while the 4K is equivalent to 3840×2160 pixels, meaning 4K TVs have four-time the pixels as the HD TVs.
The logic is simple; if you are looking for a TV bigger than 50-inches, you should get a 4K TV. Also, even if you are looking for a budget TV, and have decided what kind of panel you want, you should try getting a 4K TV if your budget allows it, as you will be able to experience much higher quality compared to HD TVs. Also, avoid buying HD-ready TVs as they are 720P panels, not 1080P. Also, look for TVs with resolution upscaling technologies. Moreover, look for a TV that offers a 60Hz refresh rate.
How many ports do you need?
You mainly need an HDMI and USB port on your TV. But more than the number of ports, you need them to be easily accessible to check first if you can easily reach these ports. Also, find a TV with HDMI 2.0 or HDMI 2.1 instead of HDMI 1.4 for wider compatibility. Also, HDMI 2.0 and above get you higher resolution and faster frame rates. A pair of USB-A ports can be helpful when you want to plug in an external media device. Also, an ethernet port and optical port can be added bonuses.
HDR, Dolby Vision and more
You might have heard these terms a lot, but what do they mean? For starters, HDR is an acronym for High Dynamic Range, meaning your TV will offer better brightness and contrast. Also, your TV will support a wider colour spectrum, which means a better viewing experience.
HDR and HDR10+ are the industry standards, and most TVs support HDR. Then we have HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma), designed for HDR broadcasts and available on many TVs.
Dolby Vision is also an HDR technology designed by Dolby, but it uses dynamic metadata, meaning it defines how each frame will look on your TV, which is close to how it should look in the real world. So a TV with Dolby Vision would show you the content the way the creative minds behind it intended to, but not many TVs come with Dolby Vision support apart from a few OLED ones
Sound is important
Sound quality is as important as picture quality when it comes to TVs. Without good sound, you cannot experience whatever you are watching completely. So, what you need to do is look for the speaker configuration. If it reads 2.1, then it means that there are two speakers and a bass unit. Trying to find a TV with a subwoofer bass unit gives you better sound quality. And front-firing does provide a wholesome experience.
Dolby Atmos and DTS do not mean that the TV has great speakers. Sometimes instead of these certifications, the sound quality could be very disappointing. So, instead of looking for the Dolby Atmos tag, you should get a TV with a pair of good stereo speakers, and a sub-woofer would be the cherry on the top of the icing.
Every TV is smart but which is the smartest
Almost every TV today claims to be smart but which one is really the smartest. There are basically three platforms – Android TV, TizenOS and WebOS. Well, Android TV is Android for TV, as the name suggests while the TizenOS is found on Samsung TVs whereas WebOS is a Linux-based operating system for LG TVs.
All these three offer every app you would need on your TV but still, Android TV has wider compatibility. Also, look for the TVs with the clean version of Android TVs, and do check the brand’s reputation in providing timely updates.