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Most of us don't have gargantuan budgets for a new TV, but we do want to buy one that will last. It's a beautiful 4K TV that marries advanced technology like quantum dots great for bright colors and local dimming for deeper blacks with a built-in Roku interface. TCL is known for competitive pricing, and this 6-Series is no exception, providing the image quality we'd expect from LG and Samsung models that cost nearly double the price.
It even has Dolby Vision support, our favorite high-dynamic-range format, which provides exceptionally vivid colors. The included Micro-LED backlighting is the star of the show, providing exceptional contrast and nearly none of that annoying "halo" effect when you look at bright objects on dark backgrounds. Given the lack of 8K content and the fact that it's much pricier right now, we still recommend this model. Unlike the previous model, which was edge-lit, the 5-Series gets full-array local dimming, which means it has deeper contrast than many TVs.
It's usable for gaming and looks better than the HD set you might have right now. It comes with built-in Roku, so the remote is easy to use, and it streams right out of the box. We recommend the inch model because it's the best bang for your buck, but TCL makes other sizes.
Bear in mind that paying for more pixels doesn't guarantee a better picture. More pixels may actually make it harder for the TV's picture processor to deliver a good image.
Colour accuracy, smooth transitions between colours, and blacks that don't look muddy or lose detail are far more important see our Picture Quality section below. Personal preference aside, there are three important factors you need to consider for the best viewing experience:. A cm 50" high-definition HD TV x pixels will look fine at a viewing distance of two metres, for example.
If you want to sit closer, get a smaller TV to avoid seeing the pixels dots that make up the screen. A bigger TV means you'll have to sit further away. TV resolutions compared. This means you can have a large TV in a small room and sit closer to the screen before seeing the individual pixels.
Generally, sitting around two metres away from the screen will give you the best viewing experience. Want a big screen larger than inches?
You might consider a projector. See our projector reviews. Remember, most stores have the TVs at their brightest and most saturated colour settings to get your attention. When the TV is delivered it'll be in standard or normal setting and won't be as bright.
According to the TV companies, this technology expands the TVs colour palette, by displaying high levels of contrast between bright and dark colour. When you buy your TV, ask the sales person if HDR is on by default, or whether you need to activate it. Some brands require you to turn it on for each HDMI port. Manufacturers have stopped making plasma TVs and we don't recommend you invest in one even if you find it for a bargain.
They're large, heavy, bulky and can suffer from burning when an image becomes permanently imprinted on the screen. TV speakers have improved over the years, but they rarely sound as good as a soundbar or anything like a home cinema. So if you want to stick with the speakers in your next TV, listen out for these indicators when when you go shopping in store:. Keep an ear out for brick-walling when you're shopping for a TV. Retailers love to put on loud, punchy audio because it has an immediate impact that sounds impressive.
But loud doesn't always mean good and after a while, you'll find that movies and shows sound rather boring due to the flat audio. Therefore you have different areas of the panel handling specific frequencies, while the case sends out additional vibrations to improve ambience, spread and things like the feel of a subwoofer. Soundbars are a popular option for consumers that want to get better sound from their TV but don't have the interest, budget or time to build a full-blown home cinema.
They're designed to simulate the effects of surround sound setups in a much smaller package that's generally cheaper as well. But like the move from TVs to soundbars, with few exceptions an external speaker setup and a reasonable amplifier will almost always sound better.
Soundbars house a number of speakers in the body that's designed to replicate various speaker configurations.
Replicating left, right and centre speakers is easy as the bar sits under your TV in front of you. There are still a few lingering issues, including middling off-axis viewing and struggles with direct daylight — and the X90J will no doubt be beaten by the capabilities of its step-up X95J model for a small uptick in cost. Still, the Sony X90J succeeds in delivering stellar performance for a reasonable price.
The results are nothing short of gorgeous. It's not the end-all, be-all LED-LCD we were dreaming it would be due to its limited brightness and poor motion handling, but it truly is an exceptional value and one that we'd recommend to nearly everyone.
It's not exactly the flatscreen TV we'd recommend to next-gen-ready gamers looking for a perfect companion for the Xbox Series X or PS5 that can push 4K at fps, but if you're buying a TV to binge Netflix, stream Hulu or, well, basically just enjoy your viewing experience, this is the best smart TV and certainly the best TCL TV that we'd recommend for you.
That said, it's not without its faults. In the former category we have exceptional black levels and extremely thin chassis, the other benefits of OLED being the exceptional contrast and wider viewing angles that most folks can appreciate. You're not having to make do with a sub-standard set, though, as the apps are easy to find and use, Google Assistant support is well-implemented, and the technical specs rival much pricier models.
Motion is brilliantly smooth, too, with great performance across HD and 4K video despite a drop in brightness compared to competing QLED models. You won't get quite the quality experience of many others in this list, and the design of this set isn't very inspiring. What TV technology is best? Which screen size is best for your living room? The answers aren't always obvious. In fact, buying a new TV can be stressful even for the tech-savvy — as there are so many brands, so many features, so many screen sizes, colors, technologies and flavors to choose from.
So which one is right for you, your family and your living space? In this guide, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about buying a new smart TV. A smart TV is essentially any television with internet capability, meaning it can load up streaming apps and services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.
Different TV manufacturers have their own proprietary smart TV platforms, though, which vary in usability, speed, quality of search, and what kind of app support is available. Some might be missing Disney Plus , for example, or have a more streamlined layout — while others might have superior voice search, for those planning on barking commands rather than clicking them.
We've taken all this into account when picking our list of the best smart TVs above, though, so you can be sure you're getting an optimum experience with your purchase. To put that in perspective, a Full HD p image is only x You find any less than 4K resolution on this best TV guide, though you might see the odd 8K TV, which packs in 33 million pixels instead for even greater detail — usually at an even greater price.
Black levels are average, its pictures sometimes border on harshness, and its colours sometimes look rather washed out. Its entirely healthy obsession with trying to give you the maximum 4K and HDR bang for your buck may well win it plenty of fans, though. Especially in shops where it can be shown running side by side with its subtler rivals. Luckily, an organisation called SMPTE which stands for the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers has published detailed guidelines on exactly how far you should sit in order to optimise the performance of your TV.
This question is pretty much moot now, as the vast majority of TVs are now 4K. It's actually rather hard to find Full HD p models, even at relatively small sizes. If you're buying a TV below 32 inches and can save a lot of money on a Full HD model, by all means go for it 4K won't be a huge benefit at that sort of size anyway , but otherwise 4K is both worthwhile and, in all likelihood, your only option.
It's important to note, though, that almost no native 8K content is available. If you buy an 8K TV and want to show of its ridiculously high resolution, you'll have to do so using nature, scenery and space footage from YouTube.
At this stage, no streaming services have even hinted at launching 8K content, and it seems unlikely that an 8K disc format will ever materialise. For those reasons, it's hard to recommend that most people pay the extra for an 8K TV at this stage. That said, if you've got deep pockets and want to be as ready as possible for the potential 8K content of the future, there's no real harm in going for an 8K TV now, particularly as models such as the Samsung QNA make current 4K content look better than ever.
High Dynamic Range is without a doubt a much bigger deal than 8K, and certainly something you should consider before buying your next TV. Essentially, the higher the dynamic range brightness and colours , the more lifelike the picture. HDR offers greater subtlety and depth of gradations of colours, plus stronger contrast. There are various types of HDR out there, and with different TV brands backing different variants, it can be a minefield trying to find the best option.
Allow us to explain. Dolby Vision, on the other hand, applies this image information called metadata on a frame-by-frame basis. This dynamic form of HDR, when implemented properly, has the potential to improve upon the standard HDR10 presentation.
Of these two 'dynamic' HDR formats, Dolby Vision is by far the most prevalent, both in terms of TVs and content, and if you have to choose between one and the other, that's the one we'd recommend. Luckily, it's now almost as common as standard HDR10 in TV spec lists, so you should have little problem finding a model that supports it.
These days, it's all about HDMI, which is used to connect everything from set-top boxes to video streamers, Blu-ray players to games consoles. These have greater bandwidth than their HDMI 2. It's sensible to check the specs thoroughly if there are particular features you're after.
You can use these to keep devices charged often particularly useful for stick- or dongle-style streamers , and some TVs allow the connection of flash drives and hard drives for the recording of live TV content. On the subject of live TV, you can expect practically every TV to have an aerial socket via which it can receive Freeview broadcasts, but many also have a satellite connection.
Be warned, though; the presence of a satellite connection doesn't guarantee that there's a Freesat tuner on board.
Without one, you'll receive only a patchy and disorganised selection of satellite TV channels. Headphone outputs are still fairly common, too, though Bluetooth is also supported by most TVs now and Samsung TVs in fact now feature the latter but not the former. Lastly, while some TVs feature composite inputs often via an adapter , most — even at the budget end — have phased out legacy connections such as SCART.
So those clinging on to old video cassette recorders, for example, should be aware of that. As with 4K, it's now hard to buy a TV that doesn't have a smart platform packed with streaming apps. Other apps that are less common but potentially worth looking out for include BT Sport, Now, Britbox, and music apps such as Spotify and Tidal.
LCD TVs, which require a backlight usually made up of white LEDs to show a picture on the LCD panel, are available in a wide variety of screen sizes and, thanks in part to the technology's low cost of production, at affordable prices.
This allows OLED TVs to be unbelievably slim, while also offering convincing pitch-dark blacks, strong contrast and superb viewing angles. However, the quantum dots tiny semiconductor particles in current QLEDs do not emit their own light.
You tend to get brilliantly vibrant colours, plus bright, sharp and crisply detailed images. Tom Parsons has been writing about TV, AV and hi-fi products not to mention plenty of other 'gadgets' and even cars for over 15 years. He began his career as What Hi-Fi? In between, he worked as Reviews Editor and then Deputy Editor at Stuff, and over the years has had his work featured in publications such as T3, The Telegraph and Louder.
In his spare time Tom is a runner and gamer. What Hi-Fi? Included in this guide: 1. Philips 48OLED Simply the best picture around at this most convenient of sizes. Specifications Screen size: 48in also available in 55in, 65in, 77in. Backlight: not applicable. Resolution: 4K. Operating system: Android TV HDMI inputs: 4. Optical output: Yes. Dimensions hwd, without stand : 62 x x 6. Reasons to avoid - Sound can be bettered - Tricky to adjust for the best picture.
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