8 things to keep in mind when buying a TV

Jul 25, 2016, 11:39:41 AM IST

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Text: Karan Bajaj, ET Bureau

Choosing a new TV is not a simple process. There are a number of brands available today, boasting different features and offering varied panel sizes within the same price range.

These tips from ET will help you make a sound decision on buying your new TV.

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Brand

Most of us tend to stick to known, market-leading, brands. But these may not the best choice always.

There are various factors to consider, other than the brand name: Does the brand have a network of service centres in your area?

Is home installation, wall mount, included in the price, and what kind of warranty does it come with?

Television (TV) sets from brands such as Micromax, Vu, Intex and Noble offer great value for money, and can be good options if you don’t want to spend too much.

Placement

Before purchasing a TV, decide where you want it to be placed—on a table stand or mounted on a wall. Most manufacturers today ship TV sets with a stand in the box, and the wall mount bracket has to be purchased separately.

Keep in mind that If you decide to mount the TV on a wall, you will need to find a way to hide the dangling cables. Also, it is recommended to keep the TV in a location where the other devices—settop box, game consoles, DVD players—can easily be connected.

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Connection and ports

Most people tend to forget checking the number of devices that can be connected to their television.

Majority of the devices today use an HDMI port for connecting to the TV for best quality video and audio output. However, they can also be connected via a composite/component port, if required.

If you plan to primarily connect high definition sources, look for a TV with at least four HDMI ports—this will be helpful as you won’t have to change wires when switching devices.

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Audio output

Speaker output has been the direct casualty of slim TVs. Most slim TVs come with dual 10 watt (RMS) speakers which tend to blare on volumes above 70%.

If you want quality audio experience, we recommend you invest in a home theatre or a separate speaker system. Check if the TV has optical or SPDIF/coaxial audio out port, ideal for multichannel audio output.

If the TV with these ports is not in your budget, then you can use the more commonly available 3.5mm (headphone) audio jack that most TVs come with.

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Wireless connectivity

Internet connectivity on a TV has multiple benefits: You can access ondemand multimedia content, keep a tab on your social networks and, in some cases, even make video calls.

You will need to check if the TV has built-in WiFi or supports external WiFi USB dongles for connectivity. This will allow you to connect your home WiFi network and stream audio/video content on your TV.

Most smart TVs come with DLNA or Miracast support, which allows you to wirelessly stream content from your smartphone/tablet directly to the TV.

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Smart or non-smart TV

Smart TVs have been around for a while now and you can easily get one for less than Rs 50,000.

Smart TV comes preloaded with an operating system (OS)—Android, GoogleTV, Tizen etc.—that functions similar to a smartphone OS.

You can connect to the Internet to view content, install additional apps and even games. Smart TV delivers a much better overall user experience.

However, keep in mind that Smart TV is expensive compared to the normal TV. You can get a 42-inch normal TV at the price of a 32-inch smart TV.

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HD Ready, Full HD or 4K?

These are terms used to denote the resolution of the TV screen. HD ready offers 1,366 x 768 pixels, full HD is 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and 4K is 3,840 x 2,160 pixels resolution.

The higher the resolution, the better the image quality.

We recommend that if you have the budget, get a 4K TV. If not, then go for a full HD screen at least. HD-ready TV are the cheapest and while they are good enough for watching SD (standard definition) content, you can notice the marked difference in sharpness and clarity compared to a full HD TV.

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Which TV size?

The common TV panel sizes available today are: 32, 40, 42, 46/49 and 55 inch.

To decide which is the ideal screen size for best viewing experience, measure the distance between where the TV will be placed and your bed/couch/chair.

If the viewing distance is between 4-6 ft, buy a 32-inch unit. If the distance is more, say between 5-8 ft, opt for a 40/42-inch TV.

Go for a 46/49-inch panel if you will be viewing from 6-9 feet distance. For sets larger than 50 inches, it is best to have a viewing distance of more than 8 ft.