Glossary of Terms When Buying a TV
Diagonal is the size of the TV, traditionally measured in inches. TV sizes are usually typical, but some manufacturers may vary slightly by 1-2 inches. The optimal size for the living room is 55 to 75 inches, so the image is large and impressive.
Display Technology: There are three different display technologies. The specific display technology determines the overall characteristics of the television picture.
- LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. It uses liquid crystals in its pixels to control light from the backlight. There are some cool ways to manage light and color. Retailers often sell these types of displays as LED or QLED.
- OLED: acronym for Organic Light Emitting Diode. An OLED display comprises pixels, each of which generates its light.
- MicroLED is an abbreviation for micro Light-Emitting Diode. Like OLED, microLED is self-emitting, and each pixel generates its own light; unlike OLED, microLED uses inorganic material.
Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos, and DTS are surround sound standards. TV speakers are usually too weak to transmit realistic effects, as in a movie theater. Markings on the package or in the store mean the TV can play sound files in that format. However, it’s advisable to manage your expectations.
- Dolby Atmos means that the TV can decode audio in the Dolby Atmos format. However, this TV does not necessarily have speakers that can use the object-oriented audio format. Atmos can be output via HDMI ARC (only some TVs) or an eARC connection.
- Dolby Digital is the base level of support for Dolby audio in a TV. The audio codec is also known as AC-3.
- Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3) is a more advanced surround sound format from Dolby, with surround sound up to 7.1. It also supports the metadata required for Dolby Atmos. The audio codec is also known as Enhanced AC-3 or E-AC-3.
- Dolby AC-4 is the successor to AC-3. It offers more advanced compression technology and additional metadata than E-AC-3 for object-oriented Dolby Atmos audio.
- Dolby TrueHD is a lossless audio codec by Dolby. Blu-ray discs mainly use it for channel-based audio (up to 7.1) and object-oriented audio like Dolby Atmos.
- DTS:X Support for DTS:X means that the TV can decode audio in the DTS:X format. However, this TV does not necessarily have speakers that can use the object-oriented audio format. You can send DTS:X audio through an HDMI eARC connection.
- DTS Digital Surround is the most basic level of DTS support for surround sound in a TV.
- DTS-HD, or High Resolution, is an advanced surround sound format with up to 7.1 audio channels.
- DTS-HD Master Audio, or DTS-HD MA, is a lossless audio codec for surround sound primarily used on Blu-ray.
Filmmaker Mode is a remarkable initiative by some Hollywood filmmakers. TVs use it to display movies and shows as the creators intended. Enabling Filmmaker Mode on your TV reduces post-processing features like motion smoothing and noise reduction. It will also preserve frame rates, colors, and aspect ratios. It works with both HDR and SDR content.
HGiG. Sony and Microsoft formed the HDR Gaming Interest Group (HGiG). Their goal? To improve HDR gaming, they want to make it easier for game consoles and TVs to communicate about HDR settings.
Resolution (4K, 8K, Full HD) – the number of pixels that make up the matrix. The more there are, the more precise the image will be. Experts recommend 4K as the optimal resolution for any task, while 8K is best suited for huge TVs.
Matrix – the actual TV screen.
LED or LCD is the usual matrix type for a liquid crystal TV. Entry-level and mid-range models feature low brightness and relatively low contrast.
QLED and QNED are technologies that improve LCD matrices with a layer of unique quantum dots. The special composition improves light transmission, resulting in higher brightness and contrast than LED TVs. However, they cannot reproduce deep black color – dark frame parts have a grayish or bluish tint.
Samsung QLED vs Crystal UHD TVs have different feature sets, even though they are from the same company.
Edge LED, Direct LED (DLED) – LCD backlighting technologies are not related to the presence or absence of quantum dots. Direct LED gives you steady brightness and color across the screen, making everything look even. The budget-friendly Edge LED uses corner backlights, which can be distracting during dark scenes.
Mini-LED is an advanced version of Direct LED. It has nothing to do with the LCD screen type, but it increases its contrast. Thousands of tiny LEDs turn on and off based on the image. The light areas of the frame are brighter, while the dark areas look more profound and natural.
OLED is a fundamentally different screen technology from LED. Each pixel shines individually, providing excellent contrast and unmatched bright colors compared to regular LED or QLED screens. OLED is the best type of matrix for a dark room, but next to a window or in a lighted hall, a brighter QLED looks better. QD-OLED is OLED with a layer of quantum dots to increase the brightness and richness of the picture.
Contrast reflects the difference in brightness between the darkest and lightest parts of one frame. If the contrast is low, the details in the shadows will be lost. The standard contrast ratio is 1000:1, but the higher, the better.
Brightness is one of the most critical parameters of a modern TV set. Higher resolution displays more colors and shades, creating a more realistic image. Budget TVs usually have brightness levels of around 200 to 300 nits. Your everyday TVs can go up to about 500 nits. If you’re diving into the high-end stuff, those fancy TVs can hit 600 nits or even more!
HDR stands for “High Dynamic Range,” which refers to an enhanced range of luminosity. The screen supports increased brightness and contrast. Regular televisions are called SDR. The term HDR applies to content and TVs, and there is often confusion. Many inexpensive TVs marketed as HDR can play HDR movies, but are too dim to show any noticeable difference.
HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG are different HDR standards. To make it work, both the movie file and the TV must have the same standard. Creators produce most HDR content in basic HDR10, which all modern TVs support. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are advanced formats commonly mentioned in movie or streaming service descriptions. HLG is the most primitive and quite rare.
Frequency. Hertz measures the frame rate of a screen. The higher it is, the clearer and smoother the movement of objects on the screen looks. Frequency isn’t a big deal in terms of movies, TV shows, and YouTube videos. They usually change frames smoothly at 24 or 30 frames per second, so everything flows well. If you’re into gaming or love watching sports, you want to look for a screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz or higher. It’ll make everything smoother and way more enjoyable!
The HDMI CEC function allows you to control your AV devices with one TV remote.
VRR refers to variable refresh rate technology. It’s. It’s crucial for gaming to ensure smooth visuals in fast-paced scenes. VRR can be of several types: G-Sync, FreeSync, Adaptive Sync, or HDMI VRR.
ALLM, or Automatic Low Latency Mode, is designed to minimize latency automatically. The TV detects that a game console is connected to it and goes into game mode. Hey, just a heads up! The picture settings on your screen can make it feel like there’s a delay between when you hit a button and when things happen in the game. So, it’s good to keep that in mind!
MEMC is a feature that artificially boosts the frame rate. The TV looks at the picture and tweaks the frames so everything runs smoother. Higher refresh rates help avoid blurriness when things move fast, like when a soccer ball is flying through the air. This setting is not suitable for games because it causes a significant delay. It creates a “soap opera” effect in movies, making the action seem more precise but less realistic.
HDMI connects TV set-top boxes, Blu-ray and DVD players, game consoles, soundbars, and home theaters. There are two main types of HDMI connectors. If you want to watch 4K movies with HDR, HDMI 2.0 will do the job just fine. If you’re into playing games with VRR and HDR or looking for 8K movies, go with the newer HDMI 2.1.
