FAQ
Q. What is a QLED
A. A QLED is a term Samsung decided to use to describe their method of displaying a wider range of colours on their high range TVs. Now adopted by other manufacturers such as Hisense. It is not a comparatively new panel technology like OLED. Do not believe the marketing gimmicks. QLEDs are just LCD TVs!
Q. I want a TV to use for gaming, what are your recommendations?
A.
My best TVs for next gen gaming 2020-21
Q. I found x model TV that is a 2019 model. How does it compare to 2020 models in this guide?
A. See:
2019-20/2020-21 range comparison. &
My best value TVs, 2019-2020 Edition
Q. What is a wide colour gamut you speak of?
A. A wide colour gamut can give you a few % more colours with SDR and even more noticeable better colour with HDR.
Q. To get the most from an UHD TV, how close should I view?
Q. How big of a TV should I buy?
Q. I have purchased an UHD TV and I am disappointed by how it handles the content I watch. Why is this?
A. How close you view depends what you want from a TV and what content you use. If you want to notice UHD and get more of an improvement with higher quality sources then you need to view closer to a larger TV.
If you still use the TV to watch content that isn't high quality yet then you are better viewing farther from a smaller TV.
Not only that but never before have we had such a wide variety of source quality differences. More upscaling needed on UHD models = worse picture quality.
More differences, included recommended charts can be viewed here:
TV Viewing Distance Guide
Should I upgrade? - UHD vs FHD
Please read the articles before deciding to spend money on a new UHD model.
Q. How will I know which model is better than my old TV?
A. Some people think that new UHD models will make everything look better than your old TV. This is not always the case. A new TV will look better if you feed it good, high quality material and you view close enough to notice a difference. It is not going to look good if you are still viewing content that isn't high quality yet. In many cases its simply better keeping the TV you have. More detail here:
Should I upgrade? - UHD vs FHD
Q. My old Plasma is on its way out, which model is comparable?
A. Most people will be happy with any TV on this list coming from a Plasma. Depending whether you need wide viewing angles or prefer better blacks you will need to choose the panel type you want from an LCD TV or go OLED. More detail here:
Thinking of replacing your plasma? and differences in motion of all technology here:
Explanation and Best Buys for the Motion sensitive
Q. I want good motion processing from a TV. Which model should I go for.
A. That is too general of a question, motion has too many topics to place under one parameter. I have written about differences in motion before here:
Explanation and Best Buys for the Motion sensitive generally Philips and Sony are good bets.
Q. I saw X TV in the shop and Y TV that wasn't in your guide looked better.
A.
Never trust what you see in the shop.
Q. How can I tell which panel type a TV comes with?
A. You may never know for sure, certainly before you buy a TV anyway.
There is nothing stopping a manufacturer for changing the panel type it ships on a TV mid production or in the case of some manufactures like Samsung, use different panels on the same TV, sometimes differing per region.
Here is the best way you can tell.
Determining the panel type of a TV Manufacturers don't make it easy, they won't freely give away panel information because they often use more than one panel type on the same model line. Sometimes it can differ based on region, sometimes by date of production. Sometimes it can just be...
www.avforums.com
Q. What about direct lit or edge lit TVs and local dimming?
A. Until you reach higher end models (Sony XH9005 or higher) direct lighting is not a consideration to really think about when purchasing a TV. The talk you read online about direct lit being better is outdated and/or based on the TV also having good local dimming. There may be direct lit versions of cheaper TVs and edge lit versions but since neither will employ any form of usable local dimming the picture quality will be no better on the direct lit model. Of course direct lit TVs are also thicker aesthetically.
Q. What about local dimming?
A. Usually, unless you are looking at LCDs such as the Sony XH9005 or Hisense U7Q or above local dimming is a specification that is best glossed over. Manufacturers will mention cheaper TVs have local dimming (Samsung, LG, Hisense) but their local dimming does not work well at all and is often best turned off.
Q. What about manufacturer hz spec? I saw one TV with 100hz and another with a 1000hz.
A. Much the same as with local dimming above, manufacturers give incorrect specs and try and mislead consumers when it comes to hz refresh rate. Do not be fooled on their websites or shop websites by higher hz figures, all it means is one TV can use its software to make motion appear smoother and unless you know you are going to use heavy motion interpolation it is best ignored. Most people do not use this feature at all, especially if they do not watch sport. If you can find a spec called
panel hz instead and it comes as 50,60,100 or 120hz this is legitimate and a useful spec to look out for. For example the 50" Hisense U7A has a 60hz panel whilst the 55" version has 120hz. With Sony TVs typically they will have dozens of model numbers all with the same picture quality but different quoted
fake hz, they all have the same panel refresh rate.
Q. But what about OLED Burn in and its risk?
A.
OLED Burn In Risk
Q. Should I buy a high end OLED eg the LG CX or a high end LCD eg the Samsung Q90T?
A. You need to decide which technology favours you the best. I would always recommend OLED to someone unless they felt they will be affected by screen burn or they in particular want much more brighter HDR compared to the more refined gains of OLED.
Q. When is the best time to buy a TV?
A.
The best time to buy a TV
Q. Why does my new UHD TV look so poor?
A.
Should I upgrade? - UHD vs FHD
Q. How do I know the viewing angles I need from a TV?
A. It's quite simple to calculate. A LCD TV with a VA panel looks fine up to 30 degrees to either side of the centre of the TV. If you need a wider viewing angle than that you need an LCD with an IPS panel.
Q. But what about OLED viewing angles?
A. OLEDs have the best viewing angles, looking even better than IPS LCDs at a much tighter angle.
More detail and an example image
here.
Q. But what about true 10bit panels? The
10 in
HDR10 means I need a high bit-depth TV for good HDR right?
A.
No it doesn't. Bit rate is about last criteria to look for when it comes to finding a good HDR TV. There are
far more important factors to look out for. More detail
here.
Q. I want to understand more about this "banding, vertical banding, dirty screen effect and clouding" I keep hearing about.
Q. I want my TV to be free of "banding, vertical banding, dirty screen effect and clouding"
A. Read
this post.
Q. Why have you left certain models out of your guide completely? Surely there must be more choice?
Q. Is x model that isn't in your guide good value?
A. If a model isn't in the guide it is because I believe it to be too expensive to be good value. That doesn't mean it won't be the best value for you, someone may have specific needs that make one TV, no matter how poor in value good for their uses. If you have specific needs that you think aren't met by the guide, please let us know.
Q. Dodge, why do you not recommend UHD gaming?
A. UHD gaming can make for a worse experience than FHD, see:
Should I upgrade? - UHD vs FHD
Q. I can't believe you are telling me my older TV is better than a new one? I want to upgrade! I am fed up of having to wind up my TV every evening before I watch it.
A. Believe it or not there have been some cracking TVs over the years, especially in the Plasma and LCD era of only a few years back. Some TVs are just hard acts to follow and will beat many on this list today for quality.
Q. I want 8k recommendations
A. Most 8k TVs are poor value, best avoided for now.
Q. What about Dolby Atmos, eARC, Sound?
A. It's a complicated topic but most TVs support Dolby Atmos audio being sent via HDMI from streaming services. Only TVs that have eARC support the passing of HD Dolby Atmos audio. HD Dolby Atmos audio is used in video games and physical disc media like UHD Blu-Rays. You only need eARC if you are using a soundbar without a HDMI input so you are forced to switch every device through the TV or the HDMI input on your soundbar doesn't support the latest HDMI features or HDMI formats. Users of AVRs do not need eARC at all since they can plug devices directly into the receiver before their TV.
Q. I am interested in the Samsung frame TV or Serif. They must be great TVs because they cost so much!
A. I'm afraid not, you are paying for the niche frame and not the TV itself. They are no better than Samsung's cheap TU range TVs.
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