What are the parameters to choose a TV for the home

Today, there is a TV in every home, and sometimes more than one. However, technology is evolving 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 to understand for an ordinary buyer. In order not to be disappointed in a new acquisition, you need to choose the right TV.

Screen size

It is with the size of the device that the choice of a new TV begins. Many people think 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 right approach. A few 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 have been 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 a person will be while watching. If the screen size is small, then you will not be able to see all the details. However, a TV with a very large diagonal will also be uncomfortable to watch, as the entire scene will not be in view. In the kitchen, a TV with a screen size of up to 40 inches is most often installed. If the TV is installed in the living room, then you should focus on the size of 49 inches.

Display Resolution

This parameter reflects the number of pixels placed on the panel in the vertical and horizontal directions. Since the image is formed precisely from pixels, the more of them, the better. Today in retail chains You can find TVs with several screen resolutions:

• High Definition (HD) — 1366×768.
• Full HD (FHD) — 1920×1080.
• Ultra HD (UHD or 4K) — 3840×2160.

HD TVs will soon be part of history. However, you can still find such devices with a diagonal of no more than 24 inches on sale. Most people choose between Full HD and 4K. This topic is being vigorously discussed, and representatives of each camp have their own arguments. Supporters of FHD say that there is still little content in 4K resolution, and it makes no sense to overpay for manufacturers’ marketing ideas.

In addition, on a diagonal of up to 49 inches, the difference between the two resolutions will be noticeable only from a distance of one meter, but they don’t watch TV 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 it makes no sense to pay 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 content is planned to be watched is also important: 1980×1080 pixels are enough for terrestrial television, and UHD will be the best choice for films.

Types of matrices

To choose an inexpensive but good TV, you must definitely understand modern panel production technologies. A few years ago, plasma devices were popular. However, today they are discontinued. 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.

on liquid crystals

It was this technology that replaced the old TVs with kinescopes. Today, LCD TVs and monitors are the most popular. The basis of matrices of this type is a thin layer of liquid crystals. Under the influence of an electric field, they turn and completely or partially block the light source.

Liquid crystals can only transmit radiation of a certain color — red, green and blue. As a result, an image is formed. Today, 3 types of LCD panels are produced:

• TN. It features low contrast and small viewing angles.
• IPS. It has large viewing angles and good color reproduction. The main disadvantage of the technology is the low contrast ratio.
• 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 drastically. Due to the low contrast ratio, IPS TVs are best viewed in a bright room. If you turn off the ambient light, the black color becomes gray.

When choosing a TV by parameters, also Consider the type of LCD backlight:

• Edge LED.
• Direct LED.

TVs with the first type of backlight are cheaper. LEDs are located at the edges of the screen on one or both sides. Thanks to the system of reflectors, the backlight spreads throughout the display. The main disadvantage of the technology is the light that appears due to the non-uniform backlight of the screen. This significantly degrades the image quality, especially when viewed in a dark room.

When using Direct LED backlighting, the LEDs are located behind the LCD panel, due to which the entire display area is illuminated evenly. In addition, the backlight LEDs are controlled by the operating system of the TV and turn off if necessary, which allows you to implement high-quality local dimming (Local Dimming).

And also worth mentioning is the QLED technology developed by Samsung. Although the Korean manufacturer positions it as new, in practice this is not the case. In the production of QLED matrices, another layer of quantum dots is added to a conventional LCD panel between the backlight and liquid crystals. Similar technologies are used by LG (Nano Cell) and Sony (Triluminos).

LCD panels have the following advantages:

• high brightness;
• long period of operation;
• low power consumption;
• relatively low cost.

The disadvantages of the technology include the distortion of colors when viewed at an angle, as well as the lack of true black.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6dSmzMUbiY

Organic LEDs

The latest 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:

1. Issue.
2. Conductive.

At the edges of the organic light emitting diodes there is a cathode and an anode for supplying voltage. OLED TVs do not require additional backlighting, as OLEDs emit light on their own. Thanks to this, you can create thin displays, as well as achieve perfect blacks. In addition, OLED TVs have maximum viewing angles and full color gamut.

If earlier opponents of the technology spoke about the high cost of such devices, today their price is quite commensurate with 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 do not disconnect it from the network. The prospects of the technology are evidenced by the fact that now the production of TVs with OLED panels has been started by SONY, Panasonic and Philips. However, they have to buy matrices from the 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 Options

To choose a good TV, you need to pay attention to a few more technical characteristics. The first of these is the screen refresh rate. In inexpensive models, this figure is 60 Hz. Top TVs update the image at a frequency of 120 Hz. The effectiveness of the smoothness improvement system depends on this indicator.

The fact is that while viewing dynamic scenes, the image may twitch and tremble. Each manufacturer has its own system that eliminates this drawback. For example, LG calls it True Motion, while SONY calls it Motion Flow. On 60 Hz TVs, you can only adjust one smoothness setting, and on 120 Hz TVs, you can adjust 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 body 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. Allows you to show how much the whites of the display are brighter than the blacks. Expressed in a ratio of, for example, 1500:1. The higher this value, the better the image quality will be.
• Brightness. Reflects the parameter of luminous intensity per square meter, the unit is cd/m².
• Response time. Indicates the time it takes for a pixel to transition from one state to another. It is most important for TVs to which game consoles are planned to be connected.

Additional functionality

In many models of modern TV you can find a large number of additional features. The most popular among 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 quality of the picture. If necessary, you can always purchase an inexpensive Android set-top box that allows you to expand the capabilities of the TV.

UltraHD TVs use HDR or High Dynamic Range technology. It allows you to display more shades in overly lit or overly shaded areas. It requires a powerful CPU and a high brightness display. Currently, several types of this technology are used — HDR 10, Dolby Vision, HDR 10+ and HLG. The enhanced color gamut feature is activated automatically if the content you are viewing supports it.

When choosing a TV, a lot depends on the personal preferences of the user. It’s hard to give specific advice here. First you need to decide on the installation location of the TV and the content that will be viewed on it. But the budget allocated for the purchase of a new TV is also of great importance.