Increasingly large, thinner and thinner, more and more connected, more and more immersive: televisions have evolved at the rate of technological developments. But how do you choose your Smart TV today? We help you to decipher the criteria for choosing a television.
Screen size: The right diagonal depending on the room
The first instinct before choosing your television is to look at the size of the screen. This purchase criterion is essentially based on the space in your living room or bedroom. The distance between the television and the user must also be taken into account. If it is optimal, it will bring much more comfort.
Recommended distance from your TV type/size |
||||
| TV type | HD TV
(1366×768 px) |
Full HD TV (1920×1080 px) |
Ultra HD TV
(3840×2160 px) |
|
| Recommended distance | 3.9 times the screen diagonal |
2.6 times the
screen diagonal |
1.3 times the
screen diagonal |
|
| Between 1 and 1.5 meters | > 19 “ | 19 “ to 24″ | 40 “ to 46″ | |
| Between 1.5 and 2 meters | 19 “ | 26 “ to 32″ | 46 “ to 55″ | |
| Between 2 and 3 meters | 24 “ to 32″ | 32 “ to 46″ | 60 “ to 85″ | |
| Between 3 and 4 meters | 32 “ to 40″ | 46 “ to 55″ | 110 “ | |
The size of a TV screen is determined by the length of its diagonal and is measured in inches. There are many models for all uses. 32-inch (82cm and smaller) televisions are the smallest and are generally suitable for a bedroom. In a living room, it is often better to have a larger TV. Sizes of 40 to 49 inches (102 to 123 cm), 50 to 55 inches (127 to 140 cm), and 60 inches (152 cm and more) are ideal in spacious rooms.
Display technology: Constant Developments
You may have seen acronyms like LED, OLED, and QLED before without understanding their meaning. An LED television is equipped with a backlighting system using light-emitting diodes, in other words, “LEDs”. This is the most common type of television. All ranges of televisions are affected by this technology, including QLEDs. Full LED (or Direct LED) is a variant of LED which provides better backlighting but implies a greater screen thickness.
The OLED is a technology that provides deep blacks and bright whites on the screen. Unlike an LED television, it is the pixels that emit light, not the diodes. They can turn on or off independently of each other depending on the content displayed on the screen. Thanks to the absence of an LED panel, OLED TV manufacturers like Sony and LG can design TVs that are thinner, but also more expensive than LED TVs.
QLED
The QLED is the main competitor of the OLED by quality and price. Designed by Samsung and adopted by TCL, this technology provides vivid and precise colors almost identical to OLED. Quantum Dots, where the first letter of the acronym QLED comes from, are nanocrystals located between the LCD screen and the LEDs. They offer much more brightness than on a standard screen. Much like Samsung, LG has designed its own display technology, the NanoCell. It uses particles that absorb unnecessary light sources to create more realistic colors. QLED and NanoCell technologies are currently reserved for high-end televisions.
The new acronyms Mini-LED, Neo QLED, and QNED have appeared in television vocabulary. The Mini-LED was designed to compete with the deep black of the OLED. It is based on lighting technology that provides much more brightness, contrast, and colors than a conventional screen. Mini-LEDs are so small and so numerous that they produce ultra-thin screens. Big brands like Samsung, Philips, and LG have already adopted it. The terms Neo QLED and QNED refer respectively to the new ranges of Samsung and LG televisions in 4K and 8K which use Mini-LED technology.
The Definition: Ultra HD has taken over
The pixel is the unit of measurement for the definition of a television. A large number of pixels brings much more detail to the screen. The standard definition is Full HD with 1920 x 1080 pixels. It equips entry-level televisions, and therefore the cheapest on the market. The UHD or Ultra HD is a definition four times more detail than Full HD 3840 x 2160 pixels. In recent years, 4K UHD televisions have become more democratic and have affordable prices. The highest current definition, and the most expensive, is 8K with 7680 x 4320 pixels. It is four times higher than 4K UHD and eight times higher than high definition.
If DTT has made it possible to watch content in HD since 2016, most internet operator decoders now offer 4K definition. Smart TVs have apps like YouTube, Netflix, and Disney + to play content in 4K. This definition is also popular with PlayStation and Xbox gamers.
Some brands like Samsung offer an image enhancement system, called “upscaling”, to convert HD content to UHD. 8K TVs have recently hit the market, but little content in that definition is available as of yet. However, they should become more democratic in the coming years and thus reduce their prices.
Why choose a Smart TV?
A Smart TV is a television capable of connecting to the Internet via an Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi. Thanks to the application store included in the Smart TV, it is possible to install various services. It can be VoD like Netflix or Disney +. Music platforms like Deezer and Spotify are also available. Some Smart TVs are equipped with Chromecast or AirPlay-compatible. These services allow you to cast your smartphone screen to your television. More and more Smart TVs integrate a voice assistant like Google Assistant which allows you to control your TV with your voice.
Operating System
As with a smartphone, a Smart TV is linked to an operating system. The Android TV is connected to TVs the best known. They relate in particular to brands like Sony, TCL, and Philips. Their app store is the Google Play Store. Competition in the TV market has pushed manufacturers to have their own OS. For example, Samsung’s operating system is Tizen while LG’s is WebOS.
What is the best Smart TV operating system? Check our article on the best Smart TV operating system to understand more.
Design: much more than a television
The choice of the design of a TV does not have an impact on its definition, but it can relatively change the experience. We think in particular of The Frame and The Serif series at Samsung or the LG models of the G1 range, equipped with a dorsal grip.
There are televisions equipped with a light halo. It is located on the back and changes color depending on the content displayed on the screen. This subdued light brings immersion and unparalleled visual comfort. Philips is currently the specialist in this sector with its Ambilight range.
With its Ambient Mode equipping all QLED TVs since 2018, Samsung has brought a unique decorative touch. Thanks to a technology capable of reproducing the pattern of the wall behind the television, the screen can provide a trompe l’oeil effect. With this camouflage, the television blends into the background and becomes almost invisible.
What use for your television?
Before choosing your television, it is important to know the use you intend to make of it. If you are a video game enthusiast, it is best to get a television with excellent frame rate and color accuracy. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X offer a better gaming experience on a 4K UHD TV with an HDMI 2.1 jack. 8K televisions with upscaling also do the trick.
For cinema lovers, it is worth giving preference to TVs with high brightness, excellent backlighting, good contrasts, and deep blacks. These criteria provide more immersion and visual comfort than a standard television. OLED and New QLED are ideal for this type of use. In addition, it will be more enjoyable to watch movies on TVs that are 60 inches or larger.
The brand: A Tight Market
The TV market is heavily dominated by Asian brands. Among them, the three leaders Sony, Samsung, and LG squat the podium. Other brands from the same continent such as TCL, Hisense, and Panasonic also perform well in terms of value for money. In Europe, the main representative of the television industry is Philips.
To stand out from the competition, TV manufacturers offer exclusives on their models. It can be display technology, operating system, design, etc. This is the case, as we have already mentioned, with Samsung with its Ambient Mode or with Philips, which stands out with its exclusive Ambilight technology. Each brand, having its own particularity, it is up to you to choose your television set according to your tastes and your expectations.
The essential accessories for a television
Now that you have made your choice among the many smart TV models, all you have to do is complete it with various accessories. To improve the sound experience, it is advisable to invest in a soundbar. The latest models are equipped with voice assistants allowing you to control them with your voice. For movie buffs, a Home Cinema is more suitable. It provides an immersive audio experience close to what is seen on the big screen.
If your TV doesn’t have an internet connection, you can invest in a Chromecast. This media dongle plugs directly into your TV’s HDMI port and lets you stream photos and videos from your gallery or apps like YouTube. Some accessories like Apple TV offer an experience close to a Smart TV. By connecting via HDMI to the TV, they allow you to use applications like Netflix.
