Choosing a TV isn’t as simple as it once was. Today, you have a variety of choices spanning from content options, sizes, sound and picture technology – let alone price.

While there isn’t a one fits all guide to this process, I wanted to throw at you a bunch of considerations for your next TV purchase!

Think about the room itself.

I thought I’d lead with this, because I really don’t think it is close to the first consideration for most people. The room you place the TV in has a huge impact on what you buy.

THE ROOM SIZE

Don’t choose your new TV just based on the current one, because chances are they new TVs don’t have the same look or style of screen.

Measure the space, and when you do that, think about what can move. TVs today are vastly larger than they used to be, so think about the potential size first before you settle on a number.

One tip that has worked well in my home, is to get some temporary tape, like painters tape, and mark out the size of a new TV in the existing space so you can sit back on the couch and really appreciate how it will look.

You should have around two times the diagonal size of your TV (the “screen size” quoted in retail – ie: for an 85 inch TV you would only need 2.6M between yourself and the TV for optimal viewing) as the distance between you and the screen when watching.

Just consider this. The fastest growing TV segment in terms of sizes right now in Australia is 85 inches[1]. And there’s no complaints either, approximately 95% of people who own 75 inch TVs or above are either happy with the size of their TV or wish they’d gone bigger[2].

FOR BRIGHT, SUNLIT ROOMS

The bright sun coming into your home is one of the great things about the Australian living room – we can use the power of the sun to light a room, lovely large windows and really bring the outside in.

However, some TVs will struggle in this environment. Think about your smartphone and how this reacts when you go into the bright, outdoor light – it automatically increases the brightness on screen.  We do that because you need to oppose the light coming in with a brighter light to view.

In the case of TVs, that’s where the Samsung Neo QLED really shines, this offers a superior brightness along with the outstanding colour and picture resolution, to ensure you can see the screen well in those bright environments[3].

FOR THE DARKER ROOMS

While it might be simple to think that in a room that’s darker you can jump right into an OLED option for your next TV, it’s important to also note that the area of the TV screen that you actually see most reflections is actually in the black areas of the picture.  

With an OLED screen, the blacks are blacker[4], which is great, but it can also accentuate the reflections, so in fact, the best room for an OLED is a room that you have complete light control.

Where you might have curtains you like to open, or downlight in the room, it’s important to note they may display as a reflection on an OLED screen.

Figuring out which TV is which among the many available

OLED vs QLED 

More and more we are getting blockbuster shows coming to streaming services faster than ever before, so many people are looking for an experience that’s closer to the cinematic experience with those incredibly deep blacks.

That’s where you actually want to consider making a cinema environment which could be as simple as controlling the light in your living room – this might be as simple as closing your blinds and closing your curtains.

The most discerning eyes will be able to pick the deeper blacks that are achieved from an OLED screen, while many people will get an optimal experience from a high quality QLED or Neo QLED screen.

In really simple terms though, it’s all about the blacks, and how colour on the screen which borders on a darker black area of the screen is represented. Neo QLED offers a vast array of lighting modules behind the screen, while OLED is a technology which lights up each pixel individually, thus giving the best contrast between the black and the colour.

QLED vs Neo QLED

While the Quantum dot technology we’ve seen on TVs over many years now has evolved and created a stunning picture from various angles and allowed for a bright picture with stunning colours, the technology which has seen the biggest advance in recent years is the backlighting of LED TVs.

Neo QLED adds a new level of lighting, moving from hundreds of zones of lit areas with traditional LED lights, down to thousands of zones using smaller Mini LED lights.

This means there is a greater capacity to leave dark areas unlit, thus offering a better experience in the dark and black areas of the picture, and a better contrast between the blacks and colours.

Neo QLED is by far the superior of the two, which is why you’ll find it in the premium TV range.

It’s not just what you see!

George Lucas once said “The sound and music are 50% of the entertainment…” – so when you’re looking at your next TV, or frankly how to make your current TV better for you, the first thing you should consider is a soundbar.

We’ve pushed the limits of TVs, made them thinner, better, brighter and it’s important you have a sound system that can keep up for a truly cinematic experience. I know that with the Neo QLED 8K Samsung we’re testing at the EFTM office right now, we’re lucky that it has amazing sound capabilities based around the design using the edges and the speakers together to give you a full sound experience.

Plus, if you have a TV like that, there are even ways to pair your Samsung TV with a Samsung soundbar to give an experience that doesn’t use one or the other, it synchronises to use both. Samsung calls this Q-Symphony – great sound and an easy setup that makes for audio excellence. 

Regardless of the TV though, any decision to add a soundbar to your TV system in my view is a win. So consider that as part of both your budget and your conversation with the retailer when you are shopping for a TV.

This article was written with the support of Samsung Australia

[1] Big Screen Report, Nature Research, March 2022, commissioned by Samsung Electronics Australia

[2] Big Screen Report, Nature Research, March 2022, commissioned by Samsung Electronics Australia

[3] Viewing experience may vary according to the type of content, format and source.

[4] Picture quality may vary depending on quality and resolution of source content and viewing conditions.