What You Need to Know to Buy the Best TV

You might think shopping for a new TV sounds like a simple task. Before you get to the store, you may assume you just need to decide on a screen size and price range. But after you start shopping, you’ll start hearing all sorts of unfamiliar terms.

Except for the size, most flat screen TV sets look pretty similar on the outside. Only after they start shopping, consumers get bombarded with a lot of unfamiliar terms, like 1080p, 4K TV, and HDR. Take just a minute to understand TV tech and demystify the shopping process.

According to Consumer Reports, shoppers should start by determining the preference for screen sizes. This information might help with this choice:

Most manufacturers don’t make 1080p sets with the largest screens. That’s because to maintain the entire field of view, viewers must multiply the screen size times 1.6 and sit at least that far away. For a 54-inch screen, that means people have to sit over seven feet away. This might work well in a large living room but not in a crowded den.

TV screens with 4K UHD screen resolution don’t usually cost more than 1080P sets. According to PC Mag, they have four times the pixels of a 1080p set. Even better, viewers can sit as close as the diagonal measurement of the screen and still enjoy the best view. For that 54-inch screen, the seats could be placed as close as 54 inches, or a little over four feet, away.

This high resolution does require more bandwidth. As an example, Netflix suggests at least 25Mbps to watch their 4K content. Otherwise, 4K appears to offer a good choice for larger screens.

Some people confuse HDR with 4K. That’s because HDR refers to a kind of TV content that’s usually produced in 4K. So, 4K televisions that support HDR content can show a wider range of colors, brightness, and darkness. Expect higher prices for televisions with high-quality HDR support.

For the smaller TV sets that people tend to buy for their bedrooms and kitchens, LCD still reigns as the most popular. They’re generally cheaper, and honestly, viewers only gain the benefits of the more advanced kinds of displays if they watch TV formatted for them.

Also, new advances in LED tech provide much clearer and brighter pictures than they could even a few years ago. In addition, viewers can sit fairly close to these television sets, so they’re good choices for small spaces and modest budgets.

Naturally, the cost of a television will depend upon the size and features. Consumer Reports provided some cost estimates of the amount people tend to pay for typical TV sets in various price ranges:

Note that shoppers will more commonly find better screen resolution technology in larger screen sizes. That generally accounts for some of the jump in prices.

Just as consumers should spend time comparing various television features, they should also take just a bit of time to consider TV extended warranty options. While TVs can do a lot more than they could in the past, they’re also complex, fragile, and can represent a large investment. A good TV should last for years, but on the other hand, some repairs can cost more than the purchase price of the TV set in the first place.

An extended TV warranty from Upsie can help save money not just by helping to pay for repairs but also ensuring quick access to high-quality repair services. They cover mechanical, electronic, sound, display, and even connection failures. Better yet, they cover burn in. A quick call to the 24/7 service is all customers need to start their claim process. Before buying an extended warranty from the store or failing to extend coverage at all, be certain to compare Upsie TV and home theater warranties.