Shopping for a big ticket item like a new TV can be an overwhelming prospect. Not only do you need to consider your budget, but also the features, size and brand of your new television.
Shopping for a big-ticket item like a new TV can be overwhelming. Not only do you need to consider your budget, but also the features, size and brand of your new television. For this reason, the team of TV technicians here at Universal Home Theatre have put together the top 10 things you should consider to help you choose a TV that’s right for you! While no feature is more important than the rest and every customer will have their own priorities, we recommend assessing these factors to help ensure your viewing experience is the best with your new TV.
This is undoubtedly a significant consideration for most people and will determine the size, brand and features they can choose from. How much you want to spend generally dictates the type and size of TV you can purchase. Always have a rough figure of how much you would like to spend, as you would not try to buy a Lamborghini with the same budget you have for a Kia. In saying this, if you shop carefully and know your stuff before buying, you can save a lot of money and still get a great TV.
If you need additional services to enhance your viewing experience, such as TV wall mount installation, adding a TV lift system or other TV wall mount service to your budget, consider contacting a professional company like Universal Home Theatre for expert advice and services to ensure your new TV is installed and set up properly and effectively for the best viewing experience.
Bigger is better when it comes to TVs, so when it comes to size, we recommend prioritising size over some of the other features. The most common TV size sold is 55”, so it is important to shop around to see if there are any differences in the price of the same models between different retailers. Even if you’re upgrading from an original analogue TV and the new sizes seem excessive, after enjoying a larger screen for only a couple of weeks, most people are amazed at the difference and wonder how they coped for so long with their smaller screen. Your budget and the size of your living room will, to some degree, dictate the size of your TV, which leads us to the next point of positioning.
The dimensions of your living room will determine which TV you choose. If you’ve only got a smaller area and still want a larger screen, a TV wall mount can provide the best cinematic experience. For a smaller 32” TV, mounting it on a 4 x 3 m wall would make little sense, since it would look lost and out of place. We recommend using a traditional entertainment cabinet to position the TV for smaller screens. The height of your positioning is another critical consideration. For most people, a comfortable viewing position looks slightly down at the screen, but eye level is the next best thing if this is impossible, especially for a smaller room with a wall-mounted screen. Expert technicians will assess the layout of your room and recommend the best location for your TV to be mounted, whether on the wall, ceiling or in a custom cabinet.
What kind of viewer you are and how you use your TV will help you choose a TV to work well for everyday needs. If you’re only a casual evening TV user, a modest-sized TV without all the extra features will be sufficient. Still, a larger screen with Smart TV capabilities will be a better option for people who like browsing the internet or gaming.
If you need a TV as a shopfront display panel or are a movie buff, a screen with the best possible picture and sound will enhance the viewing experience and have a more significant impact. How you use your TV will also dictate the inputs you need — this leads us to point number 5.
Once you have decided what you will use your TV for, you can think about what inputs you need. The more outlets, the better, so you can avoid disconnecting whenever you use a different device. Most modern TVs have HDMI, Composite and Component video inputs which allow the use of the TV with a DVD, Foxtel, Blu-ray or Amplifier.
USB Ports are more common on TVs now as they are great for viewing family photos and movies and can also be used to connect to external hard drives. Be careful with TVs that don’t have certain outputs, since it can mean you can’t purchase accessories like Apple TV or use other external devices with your TV.
When choosing a TV, there are generally three main types to consider:
Each type has its pros and cons, depending on where you will place your TV, what you use it for and how much you want to spend.
How smart would you like your TV to be? Gone are the days when TVs worked just as a TV. Smart TVs are the newest revolution in the world of televisions and essentially allow your television to double as a secondary computer with internet access. Whether for downloading apps, social networking, surfing the web or streaming music videos, a Smart TV can be the best screen in the house for a family to view content instead of crowding around the PC in the study.
Smart features in new televisions also include capabilities for 3D movie viewing and an inbuilt webcam for using Skype. New (and more expensive) models also allow you to instinctively control your TV with hand gestures and voice recognition from the couch, without a remote. New Samsung smart TV models also use facial recognition, making logging into your favourite social media fast and fun… Now that’s impressive!
How important these individual features are to you will determine which model you choose with which features, but one thing is for sure, smart features are here to stay in the new generation of TVs on the market.
While some TV Models have higher costs upfront than others, their energy efficiency rating might be higher too, making a noticeable difference to your energy bill. For people who keep the screen on all day, including in shops, gyms or other commercial settings, an LED TV with a higher energy efficiency would make good sense. If you use your TV primarily for watching movies and sports in a home theatre room, you may choose plasma which would provide better graphics but not be as energy efficient as the same-sized LED or LCD.
Most TVs usually come with a minimum 1-year warranty. While spending the money upfront on extending the manufacturer’s warranty might seem pointless, it can save you a lot if anything goes wrong with your TV, including the replacement cost. Deciding to pay extra to extend a warranty can make sense if you invest a lot of money in your new TV, but not as necessary if your TV is priced in the mid or lower range. A model with an extended warranty included in the price could be a deciding factor for someone buying a new TV.
Currently, the top 3 brands of TVs on the market are Samsung, Panasonic and Sony (in that order). Universal Home Theatre stocks a range of Samsung models to suit your needs. But if a particular model better suits your needs, we will give credit where credit is due and recommend some other great television sets.
Ready to purchase your new TV and take your viewing experience to the next level? We hope these factors have helped you consider which television to best suit your needs. As the home theatre experts in Brisbane, we’re happy to provide advice and information to assist in whatever way we can.
We offer a range of services, including:
With all our services, we aim to provide innovative audiovisual solutions that maximise your space opportunities. If you’re looking for reliable and professional TV installation and calibration services, look no further than Universal Home Theatre.
Call us today on (07) 3053 2635 to learn more about the newest TV technology and our full suite of products at Universal Home Theatre. We look forward to helping you create the ultimate home entertainment experience.
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