5 things you should know before buying your next TV

A TV is something you buy and use for a long time, so before you spend money on one, it’s best to know what to look out for to get the best bang for your buck.

1. Richer and more accurate colors affect what you can actually see

Having richer and more accurate colors might not sound that important, but it actually affects what you can and can’t see on a display.

On this example below, you can clearly see ‘1 + 8 = 9’ on the LG Super UHD TV from both straight on and from the sides. On a TV that can’t show that many colors accurately, however, the numbers turn to ‘1 + 3 = 9’.

It can be difficult to judge accurate color in the showroom, where TVs are usually blasted at maximum brightness, saturation and contrast to catch your eyes. However, LG has created a simple test that you can do, with a Pantone color printout available at most of the big local stores.

Pantone is a professional color matching system that makes sure colors are uniformly produced. Using the printout and the official Pantone.com website, you can test for yourself how accurately a TV in the showroom reproduces colors.

LG Super UHD TVs are composed of Nano Cells, uniform, 1nm particles that create high color accuracy. The Nano Cells absorb surplus light wavelengths and thus enhance the purity of the colors. 

The Nano Cells improve color gamut and accuracy, and as a result, the LG Super UHD TVs reveal a billion vibrant colors, substantially more than conventional TVs, and also display zero color distortion across wider viewing angles. And speaking of viewing angles …

2. Look at the TV from all sides, because that’s how you’ll watch it

When we visit the showroom, most of us will only look at a TV straight on. But that’s not how we watch TV at home, where we sit around the TV at various angles. 

It’s important to look at a TV’s display from the sides as well as the front; while most TVs will look good straight on, some will falter from the sides. Image quality can drop so noticeably that certain details will ‘disappear‘ as you move from the front to the sides.

As an example, look at this ‘find the ghost’ image below. On the LG Super UHD TV, you’ll be able to see the white ghosts while looking at the TV straight on and from the sides. On an inferior display, however, you won’t be able to see the ghosts at all.

It’s a good way to test a TV, and you can actually download the ‘find the ghost’ image here. At the showroom, just navigate to this page on a TV, click on the download link, and test the TV for yourself.

If you find the points about color and viewing angles hard to imagine, check out this rather ingenious test below, which pits two footballers against each other. Because they’re looking at the display at an angle, one gets a higher score while the other deducts his own score. And it’s all due to the minus sign that ‘disappears’ due to the color shift at different angles.

3. Get the most future-proof HDR spec because HDR is awesome

Getting a 4K TV these days is an obvious choice if you want a future-proof TV, but there’s one key emerging technology that most people don’t notice. And that’s HDR.

Trust us when we say that unlike previous fads that have come and gone, HDR makes a real difference when watching content. HDR video is so much richer, so much more vibrant, so much more like real life, that you’ll find it hard to go back once you’ve seen it.

At the same time, not all HDR is created equal. Right now, there are a few competing HDR formats, like HDR10 and HLG. LG Super UHD TVs support both HDR10 and HLG, as well as Dolby Vision — which is the spec you need to watch out for if you want superior image quality. 

HDR10 and HLG offer support up to one billion colors on screen, which is nothing to scoff at, but Dolby Vision offers an astonishing 64 billion colors. Dolby Vision also supports higher levels of brightness, at up to 10,000 nits, compared to HDR10, which supports up to 1,000 nits of brightness.

The most compelling difference, however, is that Dolby Vision uses dynamic, or continuous metadata, so that color and brightness levels can be adjusted per scene, or per frame, for a perfect HDR viewing experience. HDR10 uses static metadata that is only sent once. So Dolby Vision videos can optimize the image for bright or dark scenes, while HDR10 videos will have to compromise on a single setting across the entire video.

4. Listen to a wide variety of sounds

Sound is as much part of the viewing experience as the visuals; after all, it’s no use watching a great movie if you can’t make out what the characters are saying.

Here’s the bad news first: the sound from thin TVs is usually not very impressive. With the emphasis on thinness, there’s not much space inside for powerful speakers.

Here’s the good news: LG’s Super UHD TVs feature dynamic sound designed by audio experts harman/kardon. The TVs have been custom tuned to deliver sound that expands throughout the space with clarity and depth.

Most TVs in the showroom have their sound turned off, but ask to try the TVs with their sound turned up — and don’t just listen to the latest loud blockbuster with bass that overwhelms everything, but try a variety of programs, like TV dramas for dialogue and symphonic orchestras for fine details.

5. Try using it (especially the keyboard)

Gone are the days when we just need a remote control to flip channels. Today we use a TV for far more, either to access the internet, watch videos in apps, or screencast from our mobile devices.

These days, a directional-pad just doesn’t cut it anymore — if you’ve ever tried searching in YouTube, using the d-pad to type in long keywords, you know the hassle I’m talking about. 

LG’s Super UHD TVs ship with webOS 3.5, an easy to use operating system (OS). Not only is it fun and colorful, it’s designed to help you easily get to where you want to go. 

The Magic Remote especially deserves special mention, it lets you point, click and scroll the TV, like a wireless mouse for the TV. Using it to quickly glide between characters on the screen keyboard is a lot easier than tapping on the d-pad again and again.

This is key — try it for yourself in the store to feel the difference. Don‘t leave without trying to type something!

 

Check out the LG Super UHD TV today

Okay, we understand. Even with all these buying tips, it can be hard to pick out the right TV in the store. You walk into a showroom, and it’s like there are a million and one choices. 

So if touring the store just seems like too much hassle, then go check out the LG 55” Super UHD TV 55SJ85OT first. 

That’s because this LG TV passes all the tests mentioned above with flying colors. Its Nano Cell Display creates accurate colors with a wide viewing angle, it can produce more than a billion rich colors and has HDR support for Dolby Vision, plus it comes with powerful sound that’s co-designed by harman/kardon, and ships with the intuitive webOS 3.5.

Seriously, if you don’t believe us, just do the tests listed above for yourself on the LG 55” Super UHD TV 55SJ85OT. Seeing and hearing will be believing.

Click here to find out more about the LG 55” Super UHD TV 55SJ85OT.