Finding the perfect TV for your home doesn’t have to be a troublesome experience. In this LED TV Buying Guide, we’ll tell you what matters and what’s nothing more than a marketing gimmick.
LED TVs are getting better and better every day and each day several new LED TVs are launched in the market. Unlike the days of color TVs, today’s TVs come with a long list of features and technical specifications that seem a little hard to understand.
The following guide will make your search for the best LED TV for your home a lot more enjoyable. So start your search with a detailed review of all the factors you should look at while buying a new LED TV.
Quick TV Buying Tips
Are you in a hurry? Don’t have much time to read through the detailed guide? Here are the most important features to look at when you buy your next LED TV. All these features are explained in full detail below:
- Don’t buy a TV with less than Full HD resolution (i.e., the resolution should be 1080p or higher)
- Always buy a large-screen TV, if you have big rooms and the required budget. Large screens offer a much better viewing experience.
- Always prefer a Smart TV (if your budget allows), until and unless you are someone who does not enjoy the world of the internet, apps, social networks, etc.
- Look for at least two HDMI ports; so you can connect your set-top boxes and an additional HDMI-compatible device like a soundbar, laptop, gaming console, DSLR, or camcorder.
- Curved TVs provide no extra benefit in terms of image quality or viewing angle, these are more of a marketing gimmick and style statement.
- Most TV speakers are of average quality because the panels are getting thinner, always plan to invest in a good soundbar or speakers if you want quality audio.
Go through below detailed LED TV Buying Guide below to find the perfect TV for your home.
Selecting the Right TV Screen Type
This feature refers to the kind of screen or panel a TV uses. All of us have heard about LCD TVs, Plasma TVs, and LED TVs. LCD and Plasma TVs are no longer available for the consumer market and most of the brands have now discontinued manufacturing these types of TVs.
The screen types that are in use today are LED, QLED TVs, and OLED TVs.
Click here to read: QLED Vs OLED – Which is Better?
LED TVs
LED (Light Emitting Diode) TVs are the most popular type of TV available in the market. LED TVs offer amazing picture quality. These HD Ready, Full HD, and Ultra HD TVs use Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) to light up the screen and are extremely thin.
There are 2 types of LED TVs: Backlit LED TVs and Edge-Lit LED TVs. The table given below describes and differentiates between the two:
| Feature | Backlit LED TVs | Edge Lit LED TVs |
|---|---|---|
| Lighting | Lights from the back | Lights from the left and right edges |
| Picture Quality | Best | Good |
| Thickness | Not as Slim | Slimmer than Backlit LED TVs |
| Price | Expensive | Cheaper |
OLED TVs
OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TVs are now being considered the next standard of TVs. OLED TVs offer better picture quality as compared to LED TVs. OLED TVs not only offer better color accuracy, amazing contrast, and wide viewing angles but also provide a picture that is virtually blur-free. This is due to the fact that every single pixel is individually illuminated resulting in true blacks and a mesmerizing range of colors. OLED TVs are also quite thin compared to LED TVs. OLED TVs are a little expensive compared to LED TVs.
Bottom Line: Till the time OLED TVs become mainstream and the prices become reasonable, LED TVs are undoubtedly the best choice.
How to Choose the Right TV Screen Size?
Unlike most other things, bigger is almost always better in the case of TVs. The simplest advice that any tech expert can give you is ‘Choose the biggest screen size that fits your budget & space’.
Ideal Viewing Distance
It is recommended that you sit at an ideal viewing distance in order to enjoy the best viewing experience. This is because if you sit too close to the TV then you will see a pixelated image and if you sit too far then the small details will feel like overlapping, both of which make for a bad TV viewing experience.
Screen Size and Resolution are the two main factors that affect the ideal viewing distance.
In the case of Full HD content, the minimum viewing distance is around 1.5 times the size of your TV screen. So for a 60-inch TV, the ideal viewing distance would be 90 inches or 7.5 feet.
For finding the maximum viewing distance simply double the minimum viewing distance. So for a 60-inch TV with a minimum viewing distance of 7.5 feet, the maximum viewing distance would be 15 feet.
| TV Size | Ideal For |
|---|---|
| 65″ or Larger | Recommended for home theatre setup for a truly immersive experience while watching sports and movies. |
| 50″– 64″ | Recommended for big living rooms for amazing visual impact. |
| 33″–49″ | Can be used in all average-sized living rooms and bedrooms too. |
| 32″ and smaller | Ideal for bedrooms, kitchens, small shops, and offices. |
Bottom Line: Always go for the maximum size that fits your budget and space (entertainment unit or wall).
Click here to read: Best 32-inch LED TVs in India
Understanding TV Display Resolution
Measured in pixels, the resolution of a TV is the number of individual pixels displayed horizontally and vertically.
For example, “1920×1080”, in this resolution there would be 1080 horizontal lines of 1920 pixels each and 1920 vertical lines of 1080 pixels each.
The most common display resolutions of televisions are:
- HD Ready or HD
- Full HD
- Ultra HD or 4K
| Display Resolution | Content Supported/Features | Common Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| HD Ready or HD | > 720p > Ideal for TV shows and DVD movies > TV screen size of 40 inches or lesser > Cheap | 1366×768 |
| Full HD | > 1080p > Ideal for Full HD movies and videos, Full HD channels, and Blu-ray movies > TV screen size between 40 inches to 60 inches > Affordable | 1920×1080 |
| Ultra HD or 4K | > 2160p > Ideal for high-quality full HD or higher resolution content > TV screen size 60 inches and higher > Costly | 3840×2160 |
Bottom Line: If you are buying a television smaller than 40 inches, HD is usually sufficient. The Full HD resolution is worth it from 40 inches to 60 inches. Consider 4K UHD if you are buying a TV over 60 inches.
What are the Connectivity Features on a TV?
Nowadays, it would be difficult to imagine a TV that can only connect to the cable TV or set-top box and you can use the TV remote to move back and forth between the same set of TV channels offering more or less the same type of content.
The set-top box alone can’t fulfill your growing need for better and fresher content like movies, videos, music, and games. You may have downloaded an action-packed Hollywood movie on your laptop or PC but the small screen and poor speakers of the laptop/PC might ruin the complete fun.
This is why it becomes extremely important for a TV to provide as many ways as possible to connect to all possible sources of content.
HDMI Ports: HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) is an advanced and superior standard in device connectivity. HDMI offers superior quality audio and video as compared to standard audio-video cables (S-Video, composite, or RF). HDMI is able to achieve higher quality because of lossless transmission of data and higher bitrate.
From set-top boxes to DVD players, Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, and laptops, all modern-day devices now feature HDMI connectivity. So if you plan to connect more than one of these devices, then it is highly recommended to go for a TV with two or more HDMI ports.
USB Ports: USB connectivity has been the default standard for connecting all kinds of digital devices for years. Some of the most common devices that can be connected using USB include hard disks, USB pen drives, camcorders, digital cameras, and internet dongles.
VGA Port: VGA connectivity is a very old and somewhat obsolete technology used to connect a laptop or a PC to a TV. You won’t find a VGA port in most of the TVs that are launched nowadays.
Headphone Jack: Like USB, a 3.5 mm headphone jack has also become the default method for connecting common consumer electronics devices like headphones, speakers, portable media players, digital cameras, etc. Headphone Jack in TVs is most commonly used for connecting headphones, soundbars/speakers, and digital cameras.
Built-in Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is the popular technology to wirelessly connect to home/office networks and the internet. Most smart TVs feature built-in Wi-Fi to stream music, movies, and videos directly from the internet.
Ethernet Port: An Ethernet Port does exactly the same thing as Wi-Fi with one major difference i.e. you need a wire/cable (LAN cable) to connect to the Internet. You can also connect to a home network and access content from other devices on the same network.
Bluetooth: Bluetooth lets you pair your smartphone or wireless speaker to enjoy music. You can also share pictures and videos from your phone to a Bluetooth-enabled TV wirelessly without connecting to your Wi-Fi. Bluetooth is also very useful for connecting your Bluetooth headphones to the TV for a very personal TV viewing experience.
What are other Features of a TV?
Apart from all the above-mentioned connectivity features what other features do you want to use in your home Television?
Smart TV
A smart TV is any TV that lets you connect to the internet to access online services like video streaming, games, social networking, web browsing, and downloading/accessing apps.
Smart TVs use built-in Wi-Fi or the Ethernet port to connect to the internet. Once connected to the internet you can access a huge range of online services on the big screen of your TV.
The features and apps available on a smart TV vary depending on the make and model. Most smart TVs let you access popular apps like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and more. Apps like YouTube, Netflix, and Hotstar let you stream live content on your TV.
Smart TV technologies like Miracast let you cast your smartphone’s screen onto the big screen of your TV so you can enjoy the content from your mobile on the big screen.
Some high-end smart TVs support instant messaging apps like Skype. These Smart TVs are usually equipped with a camera and you can do full-screen video calls also.
Can you turn an ordinary TV into a Smart TV?
Do not want to buy a smart TV? Wish there was some way to turn your existing TV into a Smart TV? Worry not as there are a few options like Amazon’s Fire TV Stick and Google Chromecast which turn any HDMI-equipped TV into a smart TV. Ranging from Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 4,000 these can be easily bought online.
Bottom Line: If your budget allows, always go for a smart TV as it gives you a complete array of entertainment options.
3D TV
A 3D TV is a TV that conveys depth perception to the viewer. Some of the high-end televisions come with a 3D feature. 3D TVs require you to wear specialized 3D glasses.
Despite so much hype around 3D TVs, These are still uncommon and unpopular and the biggest reason for the same is the lack of 3D content.
Bottom Line: 3D TVs are more hype and not a feature that you may use regularly. It is not worth investing in a 3D TV until we have enough 3D content.
Curved TV
As the name suggests, Curved TVs offer a curved screen and claim to offer an immersive TV viewing experience. Curved TVs are costly and are mostly available in large screen sizes and 4K UHD resolution.
However, user reviews and expert opinions tell a completely different story. Curved TVs have no technical advantage over flat-screen TVs, instead, curved TVs have the disadvantage of reduced side viewing angles.
Bottom Line: Curved TVs are more of a fashion statement, and do not offer any appreciable improvement in image quality or viewing experience.
What is the Audio Output on a TV?
No matter how big or expensive an LED TV you are buying, almost all LED TVs deliver poor sound output. This is mainly because TVs are getting thinner and thinner each day, which leaves no room for large powerful speakers.
The built-in speakers that come with most TVs are sufficient if you plan to watch regular TV shows. But if you are a movie or sports freak then the chances are that you will feel let down by the poor audio which spoils the complete TV viewing experience.
If you are someone looking for heart-thumping audio, then you should either use a good quality soundbar or a speaker system.
Bottom Line: Looking for an immersive TV viewing experience and quality audio? Invest in a good soundbar.
What is the Refresh Rate?
When you check the technical specifications of any TV you will find a feature called Refresh Rate which has some numeric value in hertz (Hz). What do these numbers mean?
Refresh Rate refers to the number of times per second that a video screen is updated/refreshed. The higher the refresh rate, the more frequently the screen is refreshed and the smoother the picture.
Let’s understand this with the help of an example; a TV with a 120Hz (hertz) refresh rate will completely rebuild its picture 120 times in one second. A TV with a refresh rate of 120Hz will offer much smoother and life-like pictures as compared to a TV with a refresh rate of 60Hz.
But you should always keep one more thing in mind, refresh rate (Hz value) is only one of the many things that are responsible for a quality picture output. Most manufacturers have developed proprietary technologies to create smooth, blur-free pictures. Some examples are Samsung’s Motion Rate technology and LG’s TruMotion feature.
Bottom Line: The higher the Refresh Rate smoother the picture.
Final Thoughts
After Reading this detailed TV buying guide we hope that you’ll find the right TV for your use. A TV that fulfills your viewing experience with joy and fun is always perfect. Share this TV buying guide with your friends who are planning to buy a new TV in 2023.