Choosing the Best Type of TV Screen
Are you planning on buying a new TV but are unsure of your OLEDs from your UHDR’s? Some of the terms can be quite confusing and with all the new technologies, it can make it more complicated when choosing your new TV. At the Aerial man Scotland we are experts in TVs and Home Cinema Installation, here is our guide to what some of the terms mean which may help you decide.
PLASMA
Not produced now by the bigger manufacturers as it is more costly to run due to their poor energy efficiency but they are still out there. Plasma screens are made up of an array of tiny gas cells sandwiched between two sheets of glass. Each cell acts like a mini fluorescent tube, emitting UV light, which then strikes red, green and blue spots on the screen. These spots glow to produce the picture.
LCD
This stands for “Liquid Crystal Display” which is a special flat panel that can block light or allow it to pass. The colour and transparency of these blocks can be changed by increasing or reducing the electrical current. LCD crystals don’t produce their own light, so an external light source like a fluorescent bulb is needed. They are energy efficient and work well in all light conditions.
LED TV
Light emitting diode televisions. They offer a bright picture with deep blacks compared to standard LCD’s.
Backlit LEDs – lit by many LEDs placed throughout the rear of the display panel.
Edge-lit LEDs – lit by LEDs placed only around the edge of the display panel. They offer a very thin profile, exceptional energy efficiency and a great quality picture. Most TV’s tend to be edge lit now as they can be made very thin.
OLED
Stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode and is favoured by LG. It uses ‘organic” materials like carbon to create light when supplied directly by an electric current. They produce deep blacks, smooth motion (no blurring, even on fast-moving pictures) and a super thin screen and are energy efficient.
Samsung does not produce any OLED TV’s, instead favouring it’s ‘quantum dot’ range.
CURVED TV’S
After a lot of fanfare, curved TV’s seem to be reducing in the market place, although Samsung has recently released dates for a new roll out of the curved TV range.
There are a few advantages – the sense of depth is enhanced, giving an almost 3D like sense of viewing the screen.
You get a wider field of view due to the bending edges of the TV. This gives the impression that you’re even watching a bigger screen.
The contrast is better due to the curve from the screen focusing the light more directly at your eyes.
There is a uniform viewing distance as it’s argued that the curve of the TV tracks the rounded shape of the eye better to give a more focused and comfortable image that flat TV screens.
They look great! According to some people anyway…
BUT… there are also disadvantages
The curve actually exaggerates reflections - Anything bright in the room can introduce a reflection and stretch it across the screen more that with a flat TV, so lighting will probably need to be looked at.
You need to be in the right place to get the real benefit – in order to get the best effect from the immersive and depth-enhancing elements, you need to be sat right opposite the centre of the curve – the “sweet spot” as well as at the correct distance too.
Curved Screens need to be BIG - The effectiveness of curved screens is really only beneficial with at least a 65+ inch screen. This will also reduce some of the issues with the “sweet spot”.
Lastly… If you want them hung on the wall, they can be quite awkward so worthwhile thinking of the décor first before splashing out!
If you need any help with choosing your next TV, please get in touch or give us a call on 0131 450 7158
