Buying a TV: Panel Type, Brightness and the Numbers That Are Marketing

Television specifications include several numbers designed to be compared and a few that actually describe the picture. The gap between them is where most money is wasted.

Your room decides more than the TV does

Before comparing models, work out two things:

• How bright the room is. A bright room with windows needs a bright panel and good reflection handling. A dark room favours a panel with deep blacks.
• How far away you sit. This decides the useful size. Beyond a certain distance, resolution differences stop being visible and size is what improves the experience.

Measure the wall or unit as well. TVs are wider than their stated screen size, and stand width matters if it sits on furniture.

Panel types

• OLED — each pixel makes its own light, so blacks are genuinely black and contrast is excellent. Viewing angles are wide. Peak brightness is generally lower than the brightest alternatives, which matters in sunny rooms.
• LED/LCD — a backlight behind the panel. Cheaper, and can be very bright. Blacks depend heavily on how the backlight is divided; more dimming zones means better contrast.
• QLED and similar names — LED panels with a quantum dot layer improving colour. Still LED, so backlight quality still decides contrast.

Contrast and brightness affect perceived picture quality far more than resolution does at normal viewing distances.

The numbers that mislead

• Invented contrast ratios — unregulated and not comparable between brands.
• Motion rate figures under various brand names, which are not the panel's actual refresh rate. Look for the native refresh rate.
• 8K, for which there is very little content, and which is not visible at normal distances on normal sizes.

Features worth checking

• HDR format support, and more importantly whether the panel is bright enough for HDR to do anything.
• Number and version of HDMI ports, which matters for current games consoles and for how many devices you can connect.
• Gaming features — variable refresh rate and low input lag — if you game.
• The smart platform, which you will use daily. Check it carries the apps you use and how intrusive its advertising is.

Sound

Thin televisions have little room for speakers, and sound is where almost all of them are weak. A modest soundbar improves the experience more than a step up in panel tier does, and is worth budgeting for from the start.

Before you order

Measure the space including the stand width and the total width of the TV. Check the number of HDMI ports against your devices. Check the panel's brightness suits your room's light. And check whether wall mounting requires a bracket standard the TV supports, since that is bought separately.