What else do I need to know before I buy a TV?
What’s the difference between LCD and OLED TVs?
Flat-screen TVs use two main types of panel technology: LCD and OLED. LCD used to be split into two further categories: those with LED backlights and those with cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) backlights. However, almost all LCD TVs now use LED backlights, which are less power-hungry and tend to produce a more vibrant, brighter picture.
With LED TVs, manufacturers improve the contrast ratio of their displays by using a dynamic backlight that dims the screen when displaying dark scenes. This produces a darker picture with more pronounced blacks, but a side effect is that highlights and details are lost. In other words, you can have bright whites and dark blacks, but not both together.
LED TVs can be further separated into two categories: those that are edge-lit and those that are backlit.
- Edge-lit models have LEDs at the edge of the screen. These can cause obvious glow around the screen edges, and inferior contrast levels.
- Backlit sets have an array of LEDs spread behind the entire panel (if these are indepentently controllable, that’s a feature known as local dimming). Local dimming is preferable as it allows the TV to control picture brightness with greater accuracy.
OLED TVs work differently. Despite sharing a similar name, OLED (or organic light-emitting diode) panels use an organic material that emits light when an electric current is passed through it. This means each pixel can generate its own light source, meaning it doesn’t need to use a bulky backlight to illuminate the screen.
This has several advantages:
- It creates truly deep blacks
- They’re even more energy-efficient than LED TVs
- They have superior viewing angles. Even when sitting at almost 90 degrees, there’s rarely any visible colour shift.
- OLED panels are thinner, lighter and more flexible than LCD displays, so they can be bent and curved more easily.
What kind of apps do smart TVs have?
Most new TVs are equipped for wireless (or wired) networking, so you can connect them to the internet and your home network. This lets you stream multimedia content from your home computer and access online smart TV portals.
Some TVs have excellent smart hubs that let you access catch-up services such as Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, Amazon Prime Video, Now, social networking tools and on-demand movies, while others only offer iPlayer, Netflix and YouTube video streaming.
Most TVs can also play videos, music and photos directly from a memory card, portable hard disk or USB flash drive. Our reviews tell you what each TV can do, and how well it works.
What’s the difference between Freeview Play, Freeview HD and Freesat HD?
Every new TV receives Freeview, but the majority now include Freeview HD tuners, too. This is the easiest way to watch HD broadcasts because you can use your existing digital aerial without having to buy any additional equipment.
Freesat HD is a non-subscription alternative to Freeview HD that’s transmitted by satellites rather than broadcasting towers. If you live in an area with poor broadcast reception and don’t want to pay for Sky TV, this is the best way to get television into your home. You can use an existing Sky satellite dish or pay to have one installed. You will also need to run a coaxial cable from the satellite to your television if no access point is available nearby.
Freesat offers the same free-to-air HD channels as Freeview, with the addition of NHK World, but some minor standard definition channels differ between each platform. Also bear in mind that certain TVs have dual tuners for both Freeview and Freesat installations. Be wary of TVs that just have a DVB-S2 satellite tuner. Technically, these can be manually tuned to receive Freesat channels, but you won’t get the EPG, so they’re practically useless in this country.
If you want to find out more about free-to-air TV, check out our article here: Freeview vs Freesat vs YouView.
Aside from clearer images, another benefit of digital TV is the electronic programme guide (EPG), which can show you what’s on now or later at a glance. All TVs display “now” and “next” information in a small pop-up window, but most models also have a more in-depth fullscreen mode that shows seven or more days of scheduling.
What ports and connections do I need?
You’re almost definitely going to have at least one other device you want to connect to your TV, so it’s important to choose a model with an appropriate number of inputs.
HDMI is the connection of choice for virtually all modern devices, including games consoles, Blu-ray players and digital set-top boxes.
We suggest a minimum of four HDMI inputs, which should cover all the basics and still leave a spare port in case you want to connect a camcorder or digital camera.
Look out for an HDMI input with an Audio Return Channel (ARC). This lets you send sound from the TV back down the HDMI cable to a connected amp, so you can get better sound for TV programmes without introducing more cabling.
For future-proofing, HDMI 2.1 is preferable if you’re after the latest gaming features. The reason for this is simple: HDMI 1.4 only supports frame rates up to 30fps. HDMI 2 adds support for frame rates up to 60fps and also greatly increases the maximum audio throughput. The advent of HDMI 2.1 means that TVs housing those ports can deliver 4K resolution at a refresh rate of 120Hz.
SCART sockets have almost been completely replaced in favour of HDMI, but older devices, such as some games consoles and VCRs, still need them. You’re unlikely to find an S-Video port on a modern TV, so you may have to connect some older devices through the composite or component interface and put up with the inferior image quality.
USB ports are fairly common on modern TVs. If you have a spare external flash drive, these can be used to record programmes, eliminating the need for a dedicated set-top box. You will need to format it for your particular TV, though. Alternatively, you can use them to play your own media files from your PC. Some TVs support a wider range of file formats than others, but our reviews tell you which formats each TV supports. If you want to browse the web, USB ports are also useful for connecting a keyboard and mouse.
Should I worry about the length of the warranty?
If you’re spending a decent chunk of your hard-earned money on a new television, you want the longest warranty possible. This will ensure that you will be covered in the event of anything going wrong with the set.
Most retailers typically offer at least a one-year warranty, which tends to fall in line with the warranty offered by manufacturers.
John Lewis is a little different, however, and provides a five-year guarantee on all of the TVs it sells.
That’s a pretty compelling reason to buy your next TV from John Lewis and as such, we’ve included links to products on the John Lewis website where possible. If the TV is available cheaper elsewhere, we’ve also linked to the retailer with the best price.
What is UHD Premium?
Essentially a certification badge, the UHD Premium specification has been agreed by TV heavyweights Samsung, LG, Panasonic and Sony, industry leaders Dolby and Technicolor, and various huge film studios such as Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. Contributors to the specification include TP Vision (Philips), Nvidia, Intel, Hisense, Amazon and Toshiba. The list is a “who’s who” of audiovisual industry players, making UHD Premium a badge you should be able to rely on.
A set of big players is all well and good, but what does UHD Premium actually mean for the TV you buy? The required specifications for consumer televisions are actually fairly simple:
- 3,840 x 2,160 resolution with ten-bit colour covering 90% of the DCI P3 colour gamut. This is an Ultra HD resolution with more than one billion possible colours. The P3 gamut is a wider colour gamut, meaning you’re presented with more realistic colours, with deeper shades now possible. This creates a more visually pleasing image and is also far closer to the way the director intended you to see their creation. Most high-end cinemas use projection systems that cover the DCI P3 colour gamut, so expect to hear about “cinema-quality” images in the near future.
- High dynamic range (HDR). You will have probably already heard of HDR, and we’ve reviewed a number of TVs that support it. Now the tech has been given an official label and is integrated into UHD Premium. To be UHD Premium-certified, a TV needs a maximum brightness of 1,000cd/m² (otherwise known as nits) and a black level of less than 0.05cd/m². Alternatively, if your set can only get to 540cd/m², your black levels must be less than 0.0005cd/m². It’s not stated in the briefing information, but it’s safe to assume that these figures must be possible simultaneously, giving you incredibly immersive and bright images where punchy blacks and bright colours can coexist.
- Content can also be UHD Premium-certified. We won’t go into it in detail, but content must also be mastered in a way that works with UHD Premium television sets. With the likes of Netflix and Amazon supporting such tech, as well as the new UHD Blu-ray standard, expect more UHD Premium-compatible content to start appearing.
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