Today, there is a TV in every home, and sometimes more than one. However, technology is developing rapidly and new models are constantly appearing on the market. All leading manufacturers update their product lines every year. In the store, near each device, a large number of abbreviations and numbers are indicated, which are very difficult for an ordinary customer to understand. In order not to be disappointed in a new purchase, you need to choose the right TV.
Content
- Screen size
- Display resolution
-
Types of matrices
- Liquid crystal
- Organic LEDs
- Other parameters
- Additional functionality
Screen size
It is with the size of the device that the choice of a new TV begins. Many people believe that it is worth buying a TV with the largest possible diagonal, for which the allocated funds are enough. However, this is not quite the correct approach. Several years ago, it was believed that the optimal distance from the viewer to the screen is 3-4 diagonals of the device, and recently they are already talking about 23 diagonals. It should be understood that this recommendation is conditional.
The best solution would be to evaluate the TV before buying from the distance at which the person will be while watching. If the screen size is small, you won't be able to see all the details. However, a TV with a very large diagonal will also be uncomfortable to watch, since the entire scene will not come into view. In the kitchen, TVs with a screen size of up to 40 inches are most often installed. If the TV will be installed in the living room, then it is worth focusing on a size of 49 inches.
Display resolution
This parameter reflects the number of pixels placed on the panel in the vertical and horizontal direction. Since the image is formed precisely from pixels, the more, the better. Today in retail chains you can find TVs with several screen resolutions:
- High Definition (HD) - 1366x768.
- Full HD (FHD) - 1920x1080.
- Ultra HD (UHD or 4K) - 3840x2160.
HDTVs will soon become history. However, you can still find such devices on sale with a diagonal of no more than 24 inches. Most people choose between Full HD and 4K. This topic is being actively discussed, and representatives of each camp have their own arguments. FHD proponents say that there is still little content in 4K resolution, and it makes no sense to overpay for marketing ideas from manufacturers.
In addition, on diagonals up to 49 inches, the difference between the two resolutions will be noticeable only from a distance of one meter, but TV is not watched that close. Fans of modern UHD TVs claim that the amount of content is constantly increasing. In addition, the device is purchased for at least 5 years, and there is no point in paying attention to outdated technologies.
Thus, it is rather difficult to say unequivocally which TV is better to buy now. However, if you plan to purchase a TV for the living room with a large diagonal (from 55 inches), then you should definitely pay attention to 4K. When you buy a second TV receiver, you can stop at Full HD. In addition, what kind of content you plan to watch is also important: for terrestrial television, 1980x1080 pixels are quite enough, and for films, UHD will be the best choice.
Types of matrices
To choose a TV that is inexpensive, but good, you must definitely understand the modern technologies for the production of panels. Plasma machines were popular a few years ago. However, they have been discontinued today. The manufacturers themselves explain this fact by the impossibility of manufacturing devices with a small screen, high power consumption and insufficient brightness to implement HDR technology.
Liquid crystal
It was this technology that replaced the old TVs with picture tubes. Today LCD TVs and monitors are the most popular. This type of matrix is based on a thin layer of liquid crystals. Under the influence of the electric field, they turn and completely or partially block the light source.
Liquid crystals are capable of transmitting radiation only of a certain color - red, green and blue. As a result, an image is formed. There are 3 types of LCD panels available today:
- TN. Differs in low contrast and small viewing angles.
- IPS. It has large viewing angles and good color rendering. The main disadvantage of this technology is low contrast.
- VA. It differs from IPS in high contrast, but has smaller viewing angles.
Today LCD TVs use VA and IPS matrices. The first type allows you to get deeper blacks in a dark room, but the viewer must be located directly in front of the screen. When the viewing angle is changed, the colors are inverted, and the picture quality deteriorates sharply. Due to the low contrast, IPS TVs are best viewed in a bright room. If you turn off ambient lighting, black becomes gray.
When you select a TV by parameters, also the type of LCD backlight should be considered:
- Edge LED.
- Direct LED.
TVs with the first type of backlight are cheaper. The LEDs are located along the edges of the screen on one or both sides. Thanks to the reflector system, the illumination is spread over the entire display. The main disadvantage of the technology is the glare that appears due to the non-uniform backlight of the screen. This degrades the picture quality significantly, especially when viewed in a dark room.
When using Direct LED backlighting, the LEDs are located behind the LCD panel, because the entire display area is illuminated evenly. In addition, the backlight LEDs are controlled by the operating system of the TV and, if necessary, are turned off, which allows for high-quality local dimming (Local Dimming).
Also worth mentioning is the QLED technology developed by Samsung. Although the Korean manufacturer is positioning it as new, in practice this is not the case. In the production of QLEDs, another layer of quantum dots is added to a conventional LCD panel between the backlight and the liquid crystals. Similar technologies are used by LG (Nano Cell) and Sony (Triluminos).
LCD panels offer the following benefits:
- high brightness;
- long period of operation;
- low power consumption;
- relatively low cost.
The disadvantages of the technology include color distortion when viewed from an angle, as well as the lack of true black.
Organic LEDs
The most modern TV is OLED. So far, only LG engineers have managed to establish the production of panels based on organic light-emitting diodes. it thin-film polymers consisting of two layers:
- Emission.
- Conductive.
At the edges of OLEDs, there is a cathode and anode for supplying the supply voltage. OLED TVs do not require additional backlighting as OLEDs emit light on their own. This allows you to create thin displays and also achieve perfect blacks. In addition, OLED TVs have maximum viewing angles and full color gamut.
If earlier opponents of the technology talked about the high cost of such devices, today their price is quite comparable with the top models on LCD matrices. However, this is a new technology and LG engineers continue to improve it.
The main disadvantage of OLED TVs today is image retention. For example, if you watch one channel for a long time, then a faint imprint of its logo may appear on the screen.
To combat this effect, a self-cleaning system is used. To activate it, it is enough to put the device into standby mode and not disconnect it from the network. The promising nature of the technology is evidenced by the fact that now the production of TVs with OLED panels has begun by SONY, Panasonic and Philips. However, they have to buy dies from a South Korean concern, which leads to an increase in the cost of the final product. If the TV is purchased mainly for watching movies and TV shows, then you should pay attention to OLED TV.
Other parameters
To choose a good TV, you need to pay attention to a few more technical characteristics. The first is the refresh rate of the screen. In inexpensive models, this figure is 60 Hz. Top TVs refresh the picture at 120Hz. The efficiency of the smoothness improvement system depends on this indicator.
The fact is that while watching dynamic scenes, the image can twitch and shake. Each manufacturer has its own system to remedy this disadvantage. For example, LG calls it True Motion, while SONY calls it Motion Flow. 60Hz TVs have only one smoothness setting, 120Hz TVs have two. It is in the second case that the maximum smoothness of the image is achieved.
It is difficult to install a high-quality sound system in the thin case of modern TVs. In most cases, the user is offered medium quality sound. It is definitely enough for watching terrestrial TV. In expensive models, a better sound system is built in, but some users still prefer to purchase external acoustics.
It is also worth noting a few more important parameters, without which it will not work to choose the right TV for the home:
- Contrast. Shows how much brighter white areas of the display are than black areas. Expressed in a ratio, for example, 1500: 1. The higher this indicator, the better the image will be.
- Brightness. Reflects the parameter of luminous intensity per square meter, the unit of measurement is cd / m2.
- Response time. Shows the time it takes for a pixel to transition from one state to another. Most important for TVs to which you plan to connect game consoles.
Additional functionality
In many modern TV models, you can find a large number of additional features. The most popular of these features is Smart TV. With its help, the TV can be connected to the Internet using Wi-Fi or a patch cord with an RJ-45 connector. However, when choosing a TV, you should focus on the picture quality. If necessary, you can always purchase an inexpensive Android set-top box that allows you to expand the capabilities of your TV.
UltraHD TVs use HDR or high dynamic range technology. It allows you to display more shades in areas that are too lit or too shaded. It requires a powerful CPU and a high brightness display. Several types of this technology are currently in use - HDR 10, Dolby Vision, HDR 10+ and HLG. Enhanced Color Gamut is activated automatically if the content you are watching supports it.
When choosing a TV, a lot depends on the personal preferences of the user. It is difficult to give specific advice here. First, you need to decide on the location of the TV and the content that will be viewed on it. But the budget set aside for the purchase of a new TV is also of great importance.
