Which smart tv should i buy

But you should also consider where the TV will be going in your home. While the above advice is intended for living rooms and home theaters, you'll want to consider what size is appropriate for other parts of the house, like the bedroom or the kitchen, where a smaller TV may be a necessity.

Bottom Line : Choose a screen size and resolution appropriate for the distance you will sit from the screen. Resolution describes the number of pixels that make up the picture on a display, described in terms of horizontal rows and vertical columns. More pixels translate into sharper picture and finer details, so higher resolution is almost always better.

No TV buying guide would be complete without a discussion of resolution. For many years, the x resolution, also called full HD, has been the standard, and is still the most common resolution in TVs across globe. The biggest benefit of 4K TVs is that small objects on the screen have more detail, including sharper text. Overall, images appear richer and more life-like than on an HDTV, but the benefits can be subtle. The sharper picture also has the added benefit of letting you comfortably view the screen from a shorter distance, making larger TVs more comfortable to view in a regular-sized home.

Ultra HD video looks great, and it's getting easier to find. Several streaming services, like Netflix, Amazon Video and even YouTube have started offering 4K content, making smart TVs and streaming sticks your best bet for easily finding 4K movies and shows.

While ultra HD Blu-ray discs are becoming more common, they're still less common than standard p. Although Ultra HD sets can upscale existing HD content, the results can be mixed and do not look as sharp as original 4K programming.

You might start getting 4K TV over the air. The new ATSC 3. There are finally somewhat affordable 8K TVs on the market now. These displays quadruple the resolution seen on 4K sets, offering a giant leap forward in picture quality, but finding content to full take advantage of that higher resolution is extremely limited. Check out our guide Should you buy an 8K TV in ? Bottom Line : Ultra HD resolution, also called 4K, is increasingly becoming the standard, and it's a better choice if you want to future-proof your investment.

You can already buy higher resolution 8K TVs, but we suggest holding off. If you thought the jump to 4K resolution was amazing, you'll be floored by 8K, which ratchets up the detail even further with x pixels.

It's amazing to see, and it's the next big thing in consumer TVs. But any worthwhile TV buying guide should be telling that it's not worth spending your money on just yet. TV manufacturers are betting big on 8K displays, and there's no doubt that it's the next big thing in TVs. But all that eye-popping detail is still missing an essential element: Content.

There are no 8K movies available for purchase, and streaming in 4K is already more taxing than many people's internet connection can handle. So far, companies are hoping that fancy AI-powered upscaling will make everything look good enough to justify prices that far outstrip the cost of premium 4K sets.

The 8K models on the market are expensive, but it's getting better. Until content is available, you'll just wind up paying a lot of money for upscaled 4K video.

HDR is a new feature of 4K Ultra HD sets and it stands for high dynamic range, a reference to its ability to deliver more colors, more contrast levels and increased brightness.

Dolby Vision is a more demanding version of HDR, created and licensed by the folks that brought us Dolby noise reduction and surround sound. In theory, a Dolby Vision set has to meet a stricter set of criteria to display HDR content, and our testing seems to bear this out.

There continues to be some HDR confusion. Every HDR-enabled set on the market is currently HDRcompatible, but Dolby Vision is only found on sets that both meet Dolby's technical standards and pay licensing fees for the standard. Yes, Samsung's naming makes things very confusing. It's still far too soon to know if either of these newer formats will have much impact on the market. There are a few dozen movies in the new 4K Blu-ray disc format, with a growing number of HDR shows available via streaming services, like Amazon Prime and Netflix.

Some new 4K Blu-ray players also promise to be upgradable to handle the new HDR discs, but check before you buy. Bottom Line : Don't choose a set just for its HDR support because the standard has not yet been settled. However, if you want the best, buy an HDR set that is compatible with Dolby Vision, as that format seems to be gaining momentum. The refresh rate, expressed in Hertz Hz describes how many times per second a picture is refreshed on the screen.

The standard refresh rate is 60 times per second, or 60 Hz. So, to create a more solid picture, manufacturers doubled the refresh rate to Hz and in some cases up to Hz. Since there aren't that many per-second images in original video content, TVs handle the faster refresh rates in different ways.

One method is to simply insert black images between the original pictures, tricking the viewer's eyes into seeing a less blurry, more solid picture. Another technique is to generate and insert new images — showing a state of movement in between the two adjacent pictures — to display more realistic-looking motion.

However, depending on how the video-processing is done, it can make a movie or sitcom look flat, or as if it were a poorly lit, old-time soap opera.

Some new models are boasting High-Frame Rate HFR support, which means that they have both a higher refresh rate and added support for content with higher than 60 Hz frame rates.

With HFR content set to come from both movies and live broadcats, and HFR will be especially good for live sports, so it's definitely a feature to watch out for.

Gamers will be especially keen to get higher refresh rates, but if you're using a gaming console, 60 Hz is the sweet spot. Most gaming consoles top out at 60 frames per second, and even the best 4K gaming TVs offer the best performance well below the Hz we suggest for other content. A word of caution: beware of terms like "effective refresh rate," which means the actual frame rate is half the stated rate e. Everything else is done with video processing, not a refresh of the screen.

It may seem like an afterthought, but pay attention to the number of HDMI inputs a set has. Manufacturers looking to shave costs may offer fewer HDMI plugs on the back. These ports can get used up quickly: Add a sound bar, a Roku or Chromecast and a game console, and you've used three ports already. The newer HDMI 2. By matching the TV refresh rate to the frame rates of you content source — in this case the graphics card inside your game console or PC — you'll get smoother action and zero screen tearing.

It also adds higher frame rates for 4K video and richer HDR data that will allow adjustments at the scene level for more-precise backlighting control. As of now, we've seen HDMI 2. And HDMI 2. Still confused about the different ports on your TV? Checkout the best HDM2. Many of these TVs can dynamically light up specific portions of the screen and dim other parts to better represent a mix of light and dark areas in a scene — a feature known as active dimming or local dimming.

One hidden feature separating the budget TVs from the premium models is backlighting. With several different types of LED backlighting used in modern TVs, it pays to knwo the difference between the different options. The low cost of 4K sets means there isn't any reason to choose a Full HD model anymore. Even though there isn't nearly as much 4K content as HD, our research has found that the best 4K sets are better at displaying video at all resolutions. These TVs have four times the pixels of HD models, so can display sharper detail and more vibrant images.

For a similar price you could find slightly larger 40 to inch TVs, some of which have a higher-quality 4K Ultra HD screen.

Better motion processing is a hallmark of premium TVs, which means they will often produce smoother pictures, while cheaper models can sometimes judder.

No because many of the TVs that are out of your budget at launch will drop in price significantly in the months following. So provided you're prepared to wait, you can bag yourself a bargain. Need a new TV now? See our pick of the best cheap TVs. When it comes to how much energy your TV uses, it tends to be its size that dictates how much more it will add to your electricity bill.

Whichever size you go for though, they don't tend to cost a great deal to run. All of our TV reviews include detailed information on energy use and how much a model will cost you to run per year. With the TV market continually shifting towards larger screens, there are fewer top-quality sets smaller than 49 inches each year. But bear in mind that with TV bezels the frame around the screen shrinking, larger sets might not be as big as you think, especially if you haven't bought a new TV in a few years.

Our TV size guide tool takes into account how far away you sit from your TV to give you your ideal size. We can also help you find the best TV deals. There are plenty of TV brands all vying for your attention and money. Samsung is the market leader in TVs, followed closely by LG. Both have huge ranges spanning cheap TVs to high-end, big-screen sets costing thousands of pounds.

Sony and Panasonic don't have the market share they used to, but they are far from being small brands. Panasonic aside it usually has the smallest line-up , all the leading manufacturers release a similar number of TVs each year, and they follow much the same trends when it comes to size, too. You won't find many inch sets, but there's no shortage of TVs 49 inches and above. Aside from these four TV giants, there are various fringe brands, such as Toshiba, Sharp and Philips.

These TVs are generally cheap, but the models we've tested usually lack quality. You can read more about supermarket-brand TVs in our supermarket TV guide. Chinese manufacturer Hisense may one day be on par with Samsung and LG in terms of brand recognition, but it's not quite there yet. Despite not being a household name, its TVs undercut rivals while offering similar specs and stylish designs, making them an attractive prospect for anyone looking for a high-end TV without a matching price.

TVs with curved screens started to emerge a few years ago, first on high-end premium TVs but gradually filtering down to more affordable models. But they have recently fallen out of favour and now only Samsung includes them in its line-ups. Just bear in mind that you won't be able to play 4K video through the amplifier unless it's a recent model.

However, you can run one cable into your TV and another into your receiver to split the signal and send 4K video directly to the TV. Apple TV and AV receivers or computers all need to be connected in one way or another. You'll need to decide the connection type usually HDMI, an all-digital connection for both sound and video in the one cable and count the number of connections you'll need.

If you want to connect older equipment, you'll need to buy converters that support classic connectors such as component and S-video the kind of ports you can find on your VHS player. Converters are available in most electronics stores and online. Simply search for, or ask about, the conversion you require e.

Many TVs will now record shows. However, most TVs will only do it for the program they're tuned to. Very few TVs have two tuners, allowing you to record one channel while you watch another. If you think one tuner is going to be enough for you it could help reduce the number of boxes and remote controls in your TV room.

Speaker performance is often overlooked when buying a television. While sound from the latest thin TVs is improving, you'll generally get a better sound by adding a soundbar.

We've introduced a listening panel to our testing to get a better idea of the overall sound quality a TV can deliver. Make sure the more commonly used buttons volume, channel selector, standby and mute can be located at a glance. If you have young children or an absentminded partner and your remote is likely to go missing, choose a TV with easily accessible controls on the TV itself.

The TV's model number tells you what year it was made — if you know how to decipher each brand's product code. Having this information up your sleeve means you can look for the latest model, or drive a hard bargain on an older model. Read more in our article How to bag a bargain TV. No, 3D is as dead as disco. However despite TV companies trying to make it a big deal, TV viewers weren't taking the bait and no new models support 3D. Most and some TV models are 3D-compatible.

If you're looking for a 3D TV we suggest you look for a passive system rather than active because the glasses are lighter, cheaper and they work just as well. However, we don't think you should be making a buying decision based on 3D; rather, look for the best picture for normal HD video.

Not so much a passing fad as a marketing gimmick, the refresher rate Hz is the number of times in a second that the screen is refreshed. Supposedly the higher the number often expressed in Hz the smoother the image, particularly with sports. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true and manufacturers have taken to making up new ways to measure Hz, which just gives them big numbers to put on the box.

Ignore the Hz figures and look at the image on the screen. Some manufacturers claim a curved TV screen correlates to the shape of the human eye, while others simply admit it looks impressive. Freeview is simply the brand behind free-to-air TV i. It integrates the EPG electronic program guide , or onscreen program guide, which should be easy to navigate and read. Most TVs also support Freeview Plus. This adds support for catch-up TV apps such as iView and 7plus, so you watch what you want when you want.

However, for all this to work you need your smart TV connected to the internet through your home network, as the catch-up TV is delivered to you via streaming video. If you don't touch the screen and leave fingerprints behind, there's really no need for anything but the occasional dusting.

But there are a few tips to keep your TV in good condition. Firstly, don't clean the TV while it's on. Turn it off and let it cool down, otherwise you'll have evaporation issues that will leave more streaks than you're removing. Also, check the settings to make sure your TV is set to download firmware updates automatically.

If not, turn it on as this is an important security feature. It's worth wiping down the remote with a soft damp cloth once a month as well.