Selecting the perfect TV for your home

Why view the world from a vague screen? Getting a new TV with clear and sharp resolution should be part of your bucket list this New Year.

It has been established that television sets are difficult to shop for compared to mobile phones, computer accessories, etc.  This is because there aren’t as many reviews covering and archiving information about televisions. Buying a television is also a long-term (usually expensive) decision when compared to buying a smartphone.

If you are not too tech-savvy, the process of picking your new TV may be daunting with terms like HDR, OLED or 4K etc. Having this knowledge is however only half the battle. When it comes to actually buying the TV, it is advisable to go through the buying guide as it has more information as to what is on a spec sheet.

The following are other steps that can help you select the perfect TV for your home:

1. Visit the showroom

While providing you with useful tips for choosing the TV that gives you the ultimate cinematic experience, it is important to state that you will need to go to a showroom at some point.

It is convenient to buy your TV online but it is advisable not to make a purchase decision without first going to a showroom. This will give you a better view and opportunity to feel and check what you are buying.

2. Choose the right size of TV

The idea behind choosing the right TV is to remember that getting the right size of TV creates an immense cinematic experience. If it is too big or too close, you may notice loss of clarity and even need to move your neck from side to side. A small screen on the other hand will make you squint on smaller details.

It is thus important to select a 40″ television for your bedroom and one between 49″ and 55″ for an average-sized living room. Bigger can be better with a   75’’  television, but an enormous TV is wasted on a small room.

3. Pay attention to Contrast

Is this really important? Well, you need to pay close attention to contrast when selecting a television. Contrast ratio in simple words is the ratio of the brightest white to the darkest black that the TV can produce.

You need to judge the contrast of the television in person which is why you really can’t skip visiting a showroom. Sadly, there is absolutely no way to be completely certain about the contrast ratio because it is dependent upon ambient lighting, picture content and the nature of the panel (reflective or non-reflective).

However, here’s the best way to find out. Grab a USB flash with a full HD video of your choice. Locate the salesperson in the showroom and insist on testing the TV with the movie with you. Request for the remote control, and revert every setting to default. Play your movie and skip to the dark scenes. It isn’t going to be entirely accurate but this is best you can do.

4. Check the Connectors

Most times, televisions come with too many connectors that all you can do is hope that they all work. Thankfully, TV manufacturers have all converged on one standard to make things easier–HDMI.

Just like with computers where “more USB ports are better”, the same logic applies in TVs: “More HDMI ports are better”. So in your final buying moment, don’t settle for anything less than two HDMI ports; three is ideal; four should make you do a cartwheel. Another thing is to consider is Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity. They can come in handy when you least need them.

Here are just basic things you need to know to pick the right TV for your home. You can thank us later 😉