TV buying guide — 7 crucial things to know before you shop

1. Placement of the TV

Before you set out to buy a TV, understand where you want to put it up. Knowing where the TV will go will significantly affect the size, whether in a living room, a bedroom, or a kitchen. For instance, you can have similar size TVs in the living room and the bedroom, but if you're considering a TV for the kitchen, that is generally much smaller.

2. Screen size

Once the placement is decided, then comes the next most important parameter – the screen size. Now, the sweet spot in terms of screen size is anything between 55 to 65 inches for a standard living room. Remember, choosing a screen that's too big or too small for your room doesn't go well.

There are two rules to consider when deciding on screen size. Firstly, consider how big your family is and how frequently they watch TV together.

Secondly, consider how far you'll sit from the TV while watching it. Generally, if you've got a 4K TV, it's advised to sit at a distance of about 1.5 times the height of your TV screen. If it's an HD TV, the distance between you and the TV should equal about three times the screen's height.

A good practice to determine the perfect TV size is to actually visit an electronics store and try the TV out yourself. Make sure you don't fall prey to exciting offers online and end up investing in the wrong TV, only to regret it later.

3. Screen resolution

Screen size and screen resolution are interdependent on each other. There's an array of screen resolutions you could opt for, with the most common being 1080p, 4K, 8K, HDR, OLED, QLED, and much more.

For the novice, resolution defines the number of pixels that make up the display of your TV. More pixels means you can enjoy sharper image quality with finer details. For years, 1080p has been the standard resolution for TVs, and it provides enough quality that won't disappoint you.

However, with the arrival of 4K TVs, also known as Ultra HD TVs, the resolution has risen to a whopping 3840 x 2160 pixels, meaning you can enjoy a lifelike picture quality with stunning detail. The sharpness of the image allows you to watch the TV from a shorter distance without putting any strain on your eyes.

With a ton of OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube steadily moving towards 4K content, buying a 4K TV is really the best bet. An 8K TV would offer even better picture quality as compared to its predecessor, and the market is quickly seeing the arrival of affordable 8K TVs.

4. Refresh Rate

In layman's terms, the refresh rate defines the number of times a picture is refreshed on the screen per second. A refresh rate of 60 Hz is the standard for most TVs out there, albeit we also have some models offering a 120 Hz refresh rate.

The main difference you should know between these two refresh rates is how well they work during fast scenes that have rapidly moving objects. In such scenes, a 60 Hz refresh rate would appear jittery and blurry, while there would be no such experience with the 120 Hz refresh rate.

Some models also come with High Frame Rate (HFR) support. These models will offer a 60 Hz refresh rate, but they also have adequate features in place to improve quality for scenes that require a higher frame rate.

The refresh rate will play a crucial role, especially if you're looking to buy a TV for gaming. If you're using PS5, Xbox Series X, or Xbox Series S, it's better to opt for a 120 Hz refresh rate since most of the games these days often require high resolution and graphics.

5. Connections

Irrespective of whichever model you go for, make sure it has an ample amount of HDMI ports to connect external devices. These ports can be used to connect a soundbar, Amazon Firestick, a game console, and much more. If you've zeroed down on buying a 4K Ultra HD TV, make sure it has HDMI 2.0 at the least to make sure you can accommodate future Ultra HD sources.

6. Consider a soundbar

Poor audio can severely affect your entertainment experience. Even the best TV models can disappoint you when it comes to sound quality. In this case, you can consider going for a soundbar if you wish to enjoy a cinematic experience. Soundbars are popular because they can significantly improve the sound of your TV. They're also available across a wide variety of ranges in terms of pricing.

7. Pricing

With a slew of brands now entering the TV market, buyers have an array of options to choose from when buying a TV with good features and at a reasonable price. Sure, some of the premium models do go north of $2,000, but there are still some great options to choose from in terms of pricing.

TVs with 4K resolution and HDR support are available for a far lower price, and trust us; they'll do anything but disappoint you when it comes to picture quality and overall entertainment experience.