Buying a New TV? Terms You should know first

Are you in the market for a new tv? Most likely a Smart TV with extensive features providing amazing picture quality that gives you a great viewing experience while relaxing on your couch in the Living Room. In today’s competitive TV market, it is crucial to examine in great detail all the specs and features offered by the TV you are looking to purchase. Getting a great 4K TV capable of showing content in UHD and HDR including Dolby Vision which is the gold standard of the high dynamic range capabilities of TVs. Other HDR standards supported by the best TVs, include HDR 10, HDR 10+ and HLG. These would also apply if you are in the market for a top tier high end 8K TV. The best TVs have these features which mean that each and every pixel shows amazing image quality, so once you have determined which screen size you need for your new TV, you can explore different types of HDTVs that meet your viewing needs. These new TVs will offer better viewing angles, better contrast and when reviewing a specific TV model, the specs will usually apply to any screen size usually to an 75-85 inch TV, in that models lineup. However, some TV manufacturers will offer larger screen sizes with upgraded specs, therefore we recommend confirming with the TV manufacturer’s user manual or online guidance before you choose.

Let’s take a look at some of the terms and important facts that will assist you in your TV buying guide and your endeavor to get the best TV.

TV Terms

There are so many new amazing modern TVs on the market including OLED TVs or organic light emitting diodes, which have the best picture quality. QLED TVs which Samsung has made popular in their technology to achieve the best 4K resolution and HDR performance. You will often see a comparison between the QLED technology featuring Quantum Dot technology which increase the color output, and the OLED technology used by companies like LG on their TVs which include the OLED evo, OLED, QNED, 4K UHD and NanoCell technology. Samsung offers NeoQLED, QLED 4K, Liquid Crystal 4k UHD and Lifestyle TVs like the acclaimed frame TV and even TVs with resolution up to 8K.

Samsung’s liquid crystal display TV which is a more budget friendly TV screen which can still get you a 4K HDR viewing experience. We have found that TVs like the TCL 6 series which features a mini LED display QLED and a full array display improving the HDR capabilities are a great budget option to still get an amazing ultra HD display. This is one of the best non OLED TVs for the price on the market.

These TVs offer better picture quality, however we lean more towards using OLED technology for a new TV. While both technologies are great for watching television, streaming devices for watching shows and movies on streaming services such as Hulu, Netflix, Disney+ to name a few. Gamers will surely appreciate the over all picture quality even when attaching a gaming console like an XBOX, but please note in a previous review we found OLED displays like the LG OLED TVs, cannot be eclipsed by QLED technology at this time. Its close though, the overall viewing picture will be a personal preference and are very much alike in many ways.

You will see on many budget friendly TVs such as Full HD LCD TVs. These cap out the screen resolution at 1080P and will not be able to process and watch ultra high definition 4K content. However, many of these TVs still offer an array of smart features like built in apps which can connect you to built in streaming services, productivity apps and even games, depending on the operating system of the TV.

With acronyms like refresh rate, contrast ratio, and latency it can prove vexing to peruse the different TV manufacturers and understand what these do for your viewing experience. Beginning with discussing refresh rate, the best TVs on the market today will offer at least one HDMI port with a 120 hertz resolution and an extensive number of pixel resolution in the display, meaning each and every pixel is displayed in a vibrant sharp and clear display. One thing to look for is to make sure that your new TV has upscaling capability. That means if your content is at lower resolution than your new 4K or 8K TV, the TV will upscale the content to meet the display capability of the TV. With a higher refresh rate and low latency modes, gamers will love the quick response time for fast action online gaming. In terms of contrast ratio, the higher offered by your TV means you get deeper blacks getting a better picture quality, especially when watching TV in dark environments. Having a TV with local dimming will also improve your TV’s contrast, as the TV will dim backlight LED lights to deliver even deeper blacks for an improved picture quality.

Many LED TVs have what is called LED backlighting. This is when the LED lights are placed behind the LCD display. Usually these are more affordable TVs than high end OLED or QLED TVs. Although this is a more cost effective TV, like Edge-lit displays which light the LCD panel by placing a row of LED lights along the top and bottom edges of a screen or around the perimeter. Both of these options along with Mini LED technology TVs are going to leave less of a dent in your wallet, however, the picture quality will be slightly below the OLED TVs and QLED TVs.

Connectivity is also an important aspect of great LED TVs. Having blazing Wi-Fi for fast downloads of apps, smooth streaming and bluetooth so you could connect gadgets like headphones, gaming controllers or use your Apple iPhone to Air Play content from your smartphone to your TV. Having a a significant number of HDMI ports supporting HDMI 2.1 with a high speed HDMI cable, means you can connect multiple devices to your TV like an AV Receiver, Soundbar, a streaming stick like the Roku Express or the Amazon Fire Stick. Check to make sure that at least one of the HDMI supports ARC or eARC (Audio Return Channel) for better audio than a optical or coaxial connection. This allows for the the HDMI cable to carry the audio from the source to the output device so you have fewer cables and now have the ability to achieve Dolby Atmos surround spatial sound on your compatible connected devices like 4K ultra HD Blu Ray players, your soundbar or AV receiver.

Recommended TVs and Projector

We have compiled a few TVs for your to look at which may fit your needs for your new TV purchase. Remember in addition to these TVs, there are great OLED and QLED options from LG and Samsung as well.

Let’s begin with the Hisense L9H 3000-Lumen UHD 4K UST Laser DLP Smart Home Projector w/ 120in ALR Screen. This “Laser TV” projector uses the full RGB spectrum to deliver an amazing full vibrant colors significantly enhancing the picture quality. This TV also supports surround sound delivered via Dolby Atmos with 40 watt speakers. However, connecting this projector to an AV receiver or Soundbar will get you a better surround sound experience. Thanks to the HDMI 2.1 port and the eARC capabilities of one of its’ two HDMI 120 hertz ports, attaching an AV receiver will allow you to enlarge your surround sound experience. For example, if you have 7 surround speakers, with one subwoofer and two Dolby Atmos speakers, you will have a 7.1.2 surround experience. In addition, this projector supports HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision for HDR viewing. There is also Google TV built in so you have a streaming service device that you can get apps and games from the Google Play Store. With 3,000 lumens for bright environment viewing and an immense 120 inch screen size, you get a huge theater like display. Don’t let those specs fool you, this projector is great for viewing in dim lighting environments as well. Hisense also offers a great Mini-LED ULED (QLED) 4K TVs as well. If you want a top notch 4K viewing experience on a large display, you can’t go wrong with this amazing projector.

Next we would like to discuss the Sony BRAVIA XR A95L 55 inch QD-OLED 4K HDR Smart TV with Google TV (2023). This TV offered by Sony like their Mini-LED TVs is highly acclaimed. The QD-OLED screen gets amazing pure OLED blacks, and high brightness for a wide range of viewing environments. With Google TV built in you get an operating system which has a plethora of streaming apps, productivity apps and games just ready to download directly to your TV’s storage. This TV also supports Apple Air Play, so you can play music and content from your smartphone and cast it to your TV. Purchasing an Apple TV streaming device will enhance the abilities of your TV for the iOS ecosystem, however if you have an Android smartphone which is run off the Google Ecosystem, you can expect seamless connection to your TV as well. With 4K Dolby Vision and and Dolby Atmos capabilities, this is a top tier 4K TV. In addition, you can control the TV handsfree and your other connected home devices thanks to assistants like Amazon Alexa, Apple Home and Google Assistant. Change your thermostat temperature, turn lights on and off and control those network connected devices with ease.

Time to get that New TV

Now that you have a definitive TV buying guide, with a detailed explanation of some of the terms you will see when deciding on your new TV, and several highly capable recommendations for a new TV, you should feel confident in getting the right product to serve your needs. Whether you are streaming shows and movies or using one of these new TVs for intense gaming, you will see an improved picture quality, gaming modes, low latency and a blazing refresh rate. So invite some friends over to watch a sports game or have a nice movie night in with a loved one and enjoy the advanced specs and features of these new Smart TVs.