Fast Five: Tips for TV Shopping

Shopping for a brand new TV this holiday season? In this week’s Fast Five, we take a look at some of the most common questions any Juan asks when purchasing, and hopefully help you snag that new deal before the year ends.

Why not a TV? Besides preparing you for the more important ISDB-T Digital TV transmission before 2020, an LED TV has more energy and space efficiency compared to old CRT TVs of the yesteryear. It’s also a worthy investment — TVs don’t depreciate as fast as handheld gizmos do. We gained insights and narrowed down the top questions consumers ask when purchasing for one, and we hope that this would serve as a guide for those purchasing their new displays.

What size should I buy?

Screen size has to be on top of the mind for anyone who wants to purchase a new TV, as a larger or smaller screen than what is needed can affect your viewing habits, straining your eyes in the process. For starters, those who want to have a TV in their bedroom can choose a 28- to 40-inch models, while average living rooms can accommodate a 50-inch TVs and up.

If you’re still not sure, there’s a proper computation for it. Considering the resolution of your TV to be at 1080p or Full HD, you can divide the distance (in inches) between the couch and the wall/table by 1.5, the quotient being the screen size. For example, a 42-inch distance can accommodate a 28-inch screen.

Curved Screen or Flat Display?

Another common question we get from most folks is the general design of the screen. Curved screens are selling like hotcakes right now, but that doesn’t mean that the flat displays don’t offer anything much of a difference versus the other. If you like to have an aesthetically pleasing unit without minding the bulky back portion, take the curved one. Otherwise, purchase the flat one for a less space-consuming TV with less bright room reflections.

To 4K or not to 4K?

Full HD displays are common nowadays, and you can purchase one at the Php15,000USD 256INR 21,669EUR 243CNY 1,862-20,000 range. While 4K content remain to be scarce, it’s a great idea to invest into something that would someday be the new standard. This would make your TV set ahead for at least 2-4 years. Features such as WiFi connectivity or becoming a Smart TV are nice additions, but don’t get persuaded by just that alone unless you have a dedicated internet connection for your TV.

LED or OLED?

Here’s a tip: OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screens offer darker blacks that give off a nice contrast to whatever’s playing on the screen. The better colors OLED provides doesn’t come cheap — they are costlier and the TV models available are much less compared to the cheaper. If you’re one who nitpicks on the screen colors, you may opt to choose that one. LED models are widely available, just in case your budget doesn’t fit.

Which brand should I choose?

The competition in television brands are as cutthroat as what we see in smartphone or laptop companies. No matter how one wishes for a good TV, it all boils down to the budget one has. Lots of global brands (Samsung, Sony, LG, Sharp) are available in the local market where 32-inch models start between the Php11USD 0.19INR 16EUR 0.18CNY 1-15K range, and some have recently marked down their prices in anticipation of the holiday rush. If your wallets are a bit light and you’re aiming to tighten the belt, there are also good television brands from other countries (Devant, TCL, Changhong) that offer almost the same features and quality without having to break the bank.

We hope that we helped you gain more insight on what television set to buy this holiday season in this week’s Fast Five. There are other factors that we might have skipped, so do hop into the comments section and we’ll try to answer your Qs (and you can share insights as well).

You can also suggest a Fast Five topic too! Tweet us @yugatech and/or @lamielcarl with the hashtag #YTFastFive.