Finding the Perfect TV: Your Essential Guide
Feeling overwhelmed by all-things TV? Don’t sweat it! Picking your perfect TV shouldn’t feel like rocket science. So, whether you’re a casual viewer or a home cinema expert, this TV buying guide will cut through the jargon to help you find the perfect TV for your home.
Not Sure Where To Start?
1. How Will You Be Using Your TV the Most?
2. What Screen Size Do You Need?
3. Which TV Brand Should You Go For?
4. What TV Screen Type Do You Want?
5. What About Sound Performance?
6. Will Your TV Be Wall Mounted?
How Will You Be Using Your TV the Most?
We've all been there: Stuck in a family movie night when you'd rather catch the latest game, or battling roommates glued to their consoles while you’re desperate to see the latest Attenborough documentary.
The truth is, entertainment is personal and that's why the "best" TV isn't a one-size-fits-all answer. The best TV is the one that’s tailored to you.
To help you find the TV that complements the way you watch best, we’ve broken down the key things you should be looking out for into 4 categories to help you choose the model that will make your ideal viewing experience a reality.
Film Fanatics:
We'd recommend...
✓ A BIG 4K OR 8K screen: 55-inches or bigger so you can enjoy the full picture, from sweeping landscapes to subtle facial expressions.
✓ OLED or Mini LED: We’d opt for Mini-LED for bright rooms or OLED for the best contrast and detail in a darker home cinema setup.
✓ Stellar Sound Performance: Prioritise good TV sound specs or ensure compatibility with your preferred soundbar/surround sound system.
Sports Lovers:
You'll Want...
✓ A BIG screen with wide viewing angles: We’d recommend 55-inches or bigger so everyone can enjoy every goal, try, birdie as if you were there.
✓ Impressive Contrast: See every detail - from the goalie's gloves to the green grass. Perfect for catching all the action!
✓ High Refresh Rate & Good Motion Clarity: Smooth motion helps you keep up with everything even in fast-paced sports events.
Gamers:
The essentials Are...
✓ High Refresh Rate: 120Hz or more for ultra-smooth visuals and lightning-fast response times.
✓ Plenty of HDMI 2.1 Inputs: Keep all your gear connected (Consoles, streaming devices, soundbars) for seamless switching and maximum performance.
✓ VRR and ALLM: Eliminate screen tearing and reduce input lag so there’s no lag between your actions and what’s onscreen.
Design Aficionados:
You'll Need...
✓ Unique Style: TV’s can be a work of art (just ask the Samsung Frame) We recommend picking a TV that reflects your own unique style.
✓ Customisable Bezels & Frame TVs: Go beyond the ordinary with customisable bezels and frames that seamlessly blend into your space.
✓ Anti-Glare & Weatherproofing: Take your viewing to bright spaces or even outdoors! Some TVs boast anti-glare technology and weatherproof constructions, letting you enjoy the game (or movie) rain or shine.
What TV Screen Size Do You Need?
Innovative TV technology is great, but sometimes screen size can be the ultimate deal-breaker when choosing the next telly for your home.
Don’t be fooled by "bigger is better" though. The perfect TV size for you hinges on a unique blend of factors: your budget, what you enjoy watching, and the space you have to work with.
Thankfully, our expert tech guide Lui has broken down then entire process in our How To Choose The Right TV Screen Size video below!
What Size Is Right For You:
Small TVs
These TV's are a truly versatile choice. Their compact size makes them a perfect choice for secondary spaces within the home like kitchens, conservatories, or bedrooms. They’re also great for gamers who enjoy sitting close to the screen and getting fully immersed in the action.
Medium Sized TVs
These TVs are ideal for small-to-medium-sized living rooms. They strike a perfect balance. They're easy to maneouvre/wall-mount. Plus, they're big enough to deliver an immersive experience for movies, games, sports, and all other everyday viewing.
Large Screen TVs
These are perfect for experiencing your entertainment the way it was intended, with others. Whether you’re watching a blockbuster movie or the big game, a large screen TV will put you at the heart of it all.
Still unsure about which TV Screen size is right? Read our blog How To Find The Perfect TV Screen Size For You and find out a unique formula to find the perfect screen size, plus some easy measuring tricks!
Shop By Screen Size:
Which TV Brand Should You Go For?
While screen technology and size plays a crucial role in your TV selection, the brand you choose to go for deserves some consideration too.
Ultimately, the best TV brand for you depends on your individual needs and budget. At SHS, we proudly carry a selection of TVs from some of the very best brands on the market, ensuring you have a wide range of options to choose from to hopefully find the perfect match for you.
Sony
If you're looking for a top-notch TV experience, Sony is definitely a brand to consider. Not only do they look sleek, Sony TVs are renowned for their impressive colour accuracy and overall picture quality especially with their OLED models.
They’re often regarded as a premium option on the market but what they offer in terms of visual performance is worth it in our opinion. Plus, with advanced processing and a seamless OS onboard, they’re a joy to use daily too.
Read: Sony A80L Review >>
Read: Sony X90L Review >>
LG
Known for stunning visuals, with models boasting OLED, QNED technology and more, LG offers quality that rivals the pricier brands like Samsung and Sony.
While some top-tier LG OLEDs might land in the same price range as these competitors, LG offers a wide range of models at more affordable price points too.
LG TVs also have features built-in to keep your games running smooth and responsive, so they're great for gamers too! If you're looking for a TV that balances cutting-edge features with value for money, LG is worth checking out!
Read: LG G3 Review >>
Samsung
Samsung TVs offer a wide range of models to suit any budget, from crystal-clear picture quality on their QLED TVs to the next level of detail with their 4K and 8K Neo QLED options.
By utilising innovative quantum dot technology Samsung TVs are known for their vibrant colours and stunning picture quality, making their QLED and Neo QLED TVs a great alternative to OLEDs in brighter living spaces.
Samsung also understands that your TV is more than just a way to watch shows. It's a part of your living space. That's why they focus on creating TVs that look as good as they perform. With innovative designs and a range of TVs that double as artwork, Samsung makes it easy to find a TV that suits your home's style.
Panasonic
If you’re after a cinematic experience that stays true to the director's vision, Panasonic stands out as a great option. Although, not quite as sleek as the more premium brands, Panasonic TVs have a strong heritage and they prioritise natural colour reproduction with their HCX processors.
Whether you're a movie buff or a casual viewer who appreciates cinematic quality, Panasonic TVs deliver a realistic picture, making them a great alternative to the sometimes oversaturated options from other brands.
While surround sound systems are something we’d recommended for the ultimate home cinema experience, Panasonic TVs hold their own in the sound department making them a great choice for those who prioritise good sound without the need for additional equipment.
What TV Screen Type Do You Want?
Overwhelmed by TV jargon like OLED, QLED, and LED? Don't worry, you're not alone! Thankfully, we’ve broken down the need-to-know display technologies, explaining what each means and which one might be the perfect fit for your viewing need so you don’t have to.
Rather something a bit more visual? Watch Emily, one of our tech experts, break it down in our TV Panel Type Buying Guide on YouTube or check it out below!
LED
LED TVs are a budget-friendly, entry-level option that use a combination of LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panels and LED (Light Emitting Diode) backlighting.
While affordable and bright, edge-lit LED TVs often struggle with contrast and viewing angles. Upgrading to a Full Array LED offers better control over backlighting zones, resulting in deeper blacks, improved contrast, and wider viewing angles. However, Full Array LEDs can sometimes crush dark details.
For us, LED TVs are a good choice for bright rooms and budget-conscious viewers, but they may not be the best choice for low-light settings or those seeking the best picture quality.
Read: Full Array vs OLED: The Differences That Actually Matter >>
Mini LED
Mini LED TVs take regular LED technology to the next level. Instead of a few large backlight zones, they use thousands of smaller ‘mini LEDs’, offering much finer control over brightness and dimming. This translates to stunning picture quality with deeper blacks, brighter highlights, and more accurate colours compared to standard LED TVs.
This tech avoids burn-in risk unlike traditional OLEDs, but blooming can still occur depending on your model. The complex manufacturing process also leads to higher prices and some variation in performance.
Mini LED’s are improving a lot though and we’d recommend them for those who prioritise a top-notch viewing experience with exceptional contrast and vibrant colours, especially for content with both bright and dark scenes.
Micro LED
Micro LED is the future of display technology that utilises millions of tiny LEDs, each a single pixel, that can be controlled individually, but hold off on emptying your wallet just yet.
Unlike traditional LED displays, Micro LED pixels emit their own light without the need for a separate backlight so they can be individually turned on/off or can display a completely different colour to the pixels next to it, creating perfect contrast and insanely deep blacks.
Think OLED, but cranked up to eleven: brighter, more durable, and perfect for giant screens. This tech is still in its early stages and not quite consumer level yet, so expect eye-watering prices for now, but this is where the future of home entertainment is headed.
Read: Mini LED vs OLED vs Micro LED: Pick Your Perfect Panel >>
QLED
Pioneered by Samsung, QLED TVs use quantum dots, to achieve superior colour compared to regular LED TVs.
These TVs still have an LED backlight, but instead of coloured filters, they shine blue light through the quantum dot layer to produce a wider and more accurate colour spectrum than traditional LEDs.
While QLED offers great HDR with improved contrast, potential downsides include blooming, blacks not as deep as OLED and not the best viewing angles. However, they are great in bright rooms and are very good at handling a variety of different content types.
Read: QLED vs OLED: The Differences That Actually Matter >>
Neo-QLED
Confusingly, Neo QLED is just Samsung's branding for their Mini LED QLED TVs. This means rather than hundreds, we now have thousands of tiny LEDs replacing the usual backlight, boosting brightness.
Since there are more dimming zones, contrast gets a major upgrade, as do the blacks and highlights for a more immersive picture. Neo QLEDs are a great choice for cinematic viewing experiences, ideal for movies, gaming, and anything else you like to watch.
QNED
LG's QNED TVs, similar to Samsung's QLED, use quantum dots and backlighting for rich colours. However, QNED adds a NanoCell layer to absorb any light bleeding through the backlight, improving contrast further.
Choosing between QLED and QNED depends on your priorities. QLED offers a wider price range and good overall features. Whereas QNED prioritises better contrast and colour accuracy, ideal for nature and artistic content, albeit at a more premium cost.
OLED
Unlike LED’s, OLED TVs ditch the backlight, instead opting for self-emissive pixels that generate their own light. This allows for near-perfect blacks, incredible contrast, and wide viewing angles, perfect for movie rooms and those who don't have a the ideal viewing position.
Most traditional OLEDs use a white light source with colour filters and these are known as WOLED/WRGB OLEDs. While early OLEDs risked burn-in from static images, modern models now have built-in safeguards like pixel refresh and shift to minimise this issue.
OLEDs often boast super-thin designs, super-fast response times, and smooth motion for gaming. However, brightness can be a concern in well-lit rooms for older models, and they come with a price premium and tend to come in limited size options too. Despite these drawbacks though, OLED is still our top pick for the ultimate cinematic experience thanks to their perfect blacks and pixel-level colour control.
MLA-OLED
MLA (Micro Lens Array) technology tackles OLED's Achilles' heel: brightness. How does it work? Well, imagine tiny magnifying glasses placed on each OLED pixel. These lenses capture light that would normally be lost inside the panel and focus it outwards. This significantly boosts brightness, enhances picture vividness, and widens viewing angles.
This technology is on display in top models like the LG G3 and Panasonic MZ2000 and is a promising advancement, maximising what’s capable from OLED TVs.
Admittedly, these are expensive and some MLA-OLED TVs might require calibration to maintain perfect colour accuracy in bright scenes, but for us its a worthwhile sacrifice for what is a major leap in OLED performance.
Watch: OLED of the Year? LG G3 vs Sony A95L >>
QD-OLED
Similarly to MLA, QD-OLED is a premium screen technology that aims to improve OLED brightness and picture quality. Showcased in one of our TVs of the year, the Sony A95L, unlike traditional OLEDs that use colour filters, QD-OLED ditches the filters and relies on quantum dots.
These quantum dots are more efficient, boost brightness and help to deliver accurate and vibrant colours which translates to a more lifelike picture. Plus, they also help to maintain OLED's perfect blacks for incredible contrast.
While MLA technology, like in the LG G3, offers impressive brightness, from our testing QD-OLED takes the crown for superior colour accuracy and vibrancy. So, if you prioritise the most true-to-life colors and picture quality, QD-OLED might be the best choice for you, especially for movie lovers seeking the director's vision at home.
Want the very best TV? Check out our MLA vs. QD-OLED head-to-head blog to see these technologies compared side-by-side or read our LG G3 vs Sony A95L Review for a more practical comparison.
What About Sound Performance?
While stunning visuals are always a priority, a TV's sound quality shouldn't be an afterthought. Here's what to consider:
Evaluate Built-in Speakers: A lot of TVs are equipped with basic speakers. If you’re not thinking about adding an additional soundbar or surround sound system, we’d recommend looking for TVs with upgraded speakers or sound technology (check out our Acoustics & Sound Features Guide for details) positioned strategically for a wider soundstage and richer audio experience.
Adding a Soundbar or Surround Sound System:
Compatibility is Key: If you’re planning on adding a soundbar or surround sound system, some TVs might limit your options. For instance, the Sonos Arc requires an HDMI eARC or ARC connection for Dolby Atmos. Check your desired sound system's requirements beforehand to avoid any compatibility headaches later. We’ve highlighted the best TV surround sound speaker systems for every budget in a handy blog if you’re interested.
Read: Sonos Arc: How To Get Dolby Atmos and is my TV Compatible? >>
How To Choose A Soundbar Wisely:
Size Matters: Pick a soundbar that visually complements your TV. Ideally, it should be around the same width or slightly shorter.
Expandability: Consider your future needs. Do you want a one-box solution or a system that grows with you? Sonos and other brands offer modular soundbars that let you add surrounds and subwoofers later. Or you could opt for a complete home cinema bundle that covers everything straight away.
Ecosystem Compatibilty: A soundbar's compatibility with your existing setup can significantly impact your home audio experience. For example, If you have a Samsung TV and prioritise seamless control, look for soundbars compatible with Samsung's SmartThings app. This allows you to manage both your TV and soundbar with a single app for ultimate convenience. Other brands like Sonos excel in creating a wider multi-room audio setup. If you envision sound throughout your home, a Sonos soundbar can be a good foundation. It allows you to add speakers in other rooms for a fully connected audio system.
Immersive Features: Dolby Atmos creates a fantastic surround sound experience, while Night Mode lets you enjoy movies late without disturbing others. Different setups offer different benefits. It’s worth analysing the spec sheets to find out which is right for you.
Need more help? We've got you covered! Check out our curated Soundbar Playlist on YouTube. This playlist gathers all our soundbar videos in one place, making it easy to find exactly what you're looking for.
Watch: The ULTIMATE Dolby Atmos Soundbar Comparison 2024
Will Your TV Be Wall Mounted?
Thinking about mounting your TV for a cleaner look and better viewing experience? We can help! Wall mounting frees up floor space, reduces glare, and keeps your TV safe from any curious hands.
Some Helpful Tips:
• Use a stud finder to locate supports in your wall before drilling
• Match your VESA. standard (hole pattern) on your TV to the wall mount
• Double-check for level before tightening any screws
• Connect all cables before mounting your TV for easier access
We offer a wide variety of mounts to fit any size TV and wall type. Check out our selection to find the perfect fit for your needs! If you're unsure about anything, don't hesitate to get in touch with our experts. They're happy to help!
The Bottom Line
We appreciate TV technology is always changing, and we understand that sometimes it can be a nightmare to navigate different models. Hopefully this guide has helped you get a little closer to your dream TV. If we can be of any further help in your decision-making process, please don’t hesitate to reach out on 0800 677 1100, Live Chat or info@smarthomesounds.co.uk.
