Comparison Philips 50PUS8818 50 " vs Philips 48OLED707 48 "

The optimal size of the TV depends primarily on the distance from which it is planned to watch. If the diagonal on the screen is too small, it will be difficult to see the details, you will have to strain; if too large, the image will be much larger than the field of view, which is also undesirable. The best option is the situation when the distance to the TV corresponds to 3 - 4 of its diagonals: for example, for a size of 32 "(80 cm), the recommended distance is about 2.5 - 3 m.

The size of the diagonal of the screen affects both the cost of the TV and its general equipment. So, among models smaller than 32" there are often TVs without Smart TV and other advanced features; TVs for 32 - 55" can be both quite simple and advanced; and a large screen, more than 55", in most cases is combined with extensive additional functionality.

Now the following popular diagonals are on the market: 32 ", 39 - 40", 43", 49", 49 - 50", 55", 65", 75" and more than 80".

— Smart TV (own system). The operating system of the TV is represented by the manufacturer's proprietary software shell. Usually, such operating systems have an attractive and understandable menu, similar to a traditional Smart TV. A proprietary operating system is developed by the manufacturer for the hardware resources of a particular TV model or a whole line. But, as practice shows, compared to the classic Smart TV, the functionality of its own system often has significant limitations, and the system itself, in fact, is a stripped-down version of a full-fledged Smart TV.

— Smart TV (Android AOSP). This type of operating system is a modification of the popular Android OS, mainly notable for being open source. It is a versatile operating system that gives the user much more freedom to create changes and customizations within the system itself. At the same time, the installation and stability of certain applications on this platform are not guaranteed, and the overall system management was not specially “tailored” for large screens, which may cause some inconvenience. First of all, such solutions will arouse interest among users who understand the features of the Android OS, like to customize and control everything for themselves, and have time for this.

— Android TV. TVs of this type boast full-fledged Android TV software, specially adapted to work on...large screens. In accordance with the name, it is a kind of Android OS, specially “sharpened” for TVs / projectors, etc. In addition to the common features of all “Androids” (such as the ability to install additional applications, including even games), it has a number of special features: optimized interface, integration with smartphones (including the ability to use them as a remote control), voice search, etc. Thanks to this, TVs with this feature are significantly superior in functionality to models with a “regular” Smart TV. Of course, a dedicated processor, graphics subsystem and memory are provided for the operation of a multifunctional OS, and the presence of such hardware resources is reflected in the total cost of the TV. Given the same optical design, models with Android TV will cost more than classic devices with a simple multi-line menu.

— Google TV. Rebranding of the Android TV platform for TVs and smart set-top boxes, or rather, a new shell on top of the operating system under the sign of the “green droid”, introduced since 2021. Among the innovations, it has a redesigned user interface, an improved knowledge base that more efficiently distributes content by genre and collects search information from the entire list of installed applications and subscriptions. The voice assistant now understands the needs of the audience better and provides a detailed list of what was found. A separate tab in the interface contains live broadcasts of current events, whether it be sports events or a rocket launch to Mars. Among other things, the aspects that involve the use of TV as a command post for managing a single ecosystem of a “smart” home have been improved in the system.

The type of matrix used in the TV. Among them, OLED, QLED, QD-OLED and NanoCell deserve the most attention, which are found in TVs of the relevant price category. Now more about each of them and other more classic options:

— OLED. TVs with screens that use organic light-emitting diodes — OLED. Such LEDs can be used both to illuminate a traditional LCD matrix, and as elements from which a screen is built. In the first case, the advantages of OLED over traditional LED are compactness, extremely low power consumption, backlight uniformity, as well as excellent brightness and contrast ratios. And in matrices, consisting entirely of OLED, these advantages are even more pronounced. The main disadvantages of OLED TVs are the high price (which, however, is constantly decreasing as the technology develops and improves), as well as the susceptibility of organic pixels to burn-in during long-term broadcast of static images or pictures with static elements (TV channel logo, information panel, etc.).

— QLED. TVs with screens using "quantum dot" technology — QLED. Such screens differ from conventional LED matrices in the design of the backlight: multilayer colour filters in such a backlight are replaced with a thin-film light-transmitting coating based on nanoparticles, and traditional white LEDs are replaced with blue ones. This a...llows to achieve a significant increase in brightness and colour saturation at the same time as improving the quality of colour reproduction, besides, it reduces the thickness and reduces the power consumption of the screen. The disadvantage of QLED matrices is traditional — the high price.

— QD-OLED. A kind of hybrid version of matrices that combine “quantum dots” (Quantum Dot) and organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) in one bottle. The QD-OLED modification was introduced by Samsung at the end of 2021 in response to advanced OLED panels from LG. The technology takes the best from QLED and OLED: it is based on blue LEDs, self-luminous pixels (instead of external backlighting) and “quantum dots”, which play the role of colour filters, but at the same time practically do not attenuate the light (unlike traditional filters) . Thanks to the use of a number of advanced solutions, the creators managed to achieve very impressive characteristics, significantly superior to many other OLED matrices. Among them are high peak brightness from 1000 nits (cd/m²), excellent contrast and black depth, as well as colour coverage of over 90% according to the BT.2020 standard and more than 120% according to DCI-P3. Such matrices are found mainly in flagship TV panels.

— IPS. A type of matrix originally designed for high quality colour rendering. Indeed, IPS screens produce bright and rich colours, have a good colour gamut, and demonstrate wide viewing angles. The initial disadvantage of this technology was the low response time, but in modern modifications of IPS this point has been practically eliminated. Matrices of this type are very popular in the advanced budget and mid-price segment of TV panels.

— *VA. In this case, we mean one of the varieties of VA (Vertical Alignment) type matrices - MVA, PVA, Super PVA, etc. Specific varieties may vary slightly in properties, but they all have common features. In fact, *VA matrices are a more affordable alternative to IPS panels: they are relatively inexpensive, provide fairly good colour reproduction and viewing angles of up to 178°. The main disadvantage of such screens is the long response time, but in modern models this has been practically eliminated thanks to the constant improvement of technology. *VA matrices are used in TVs that are positioned as functional and at the same time affordable models.

— PLS. In fact, it is one of the varieties of the IPS matrices described above, developed by Samsung. According to the manufacturer, in such matrices it was possible to achieve higher brightness and contrast than in traditional IPS, as well as to slightly reduce the cost.

— NanoCell. Matrix based on quantum dots. This type of matrix is used in LG TVs and was first introduced in 2017. NanoCell matrices use the structure of classic LCD displays. But unlike the latter, they use so-called quantum dots instead of the classic general backlight, which provide monochromatic light. NanoCell technology reduces power consumption while increasing colour gamut and viewing angle. It is worth noting separately that NanoCell matrices are not the only ones using quantum dot technology. Similar solutions are offered by: Samsung (QLED matrix), Sony (Triluminos matrix), Hisense (ULED).

TV compatibility with special frame synchronization technologies used in NVIDIA graphics cards, namely G-Sync.

You should pay attention to this parameter if you plan to use the TV as a gaming monitor for a PC or laptop with an NVIDIA graphics adapter. Special timing technologies are used to match the screen refresh rate to the frame rate of the incoming video signal. Such a need arises for the reason that the frame rate issued by the graphics card can “float” when the load on the video adapter changes (this is especially true for resource-demanding games); and if this frequency does not match the screen refresh rate, tearing and other unwanted artifacts appear in the image.

The NVIDIA technology used to eliminate this effect is called G-Sync. Nowadays, you can find both the original G-Sync and the extended version — G-Sync Ultimate, which implements HDR support (see above). In addition, there are screens labeled “G-Sync Compatible”: they were not originally designed to work with G-Sync, but they turned out to be compatible with this technology (at least when working with graphics cards based on the GPU GeForce GTX 10 series and GeForce RTX 20th series).

The nominal power of the sound produced by the TV's sound system.

The larger the screen and the greater the estimated distance to the viewer, the more powerful the sound system must be in order to be heard normally. Manufacturers take this moment into account, moreover, most often they also provide a solid volume margin. So if a TV is bought for home viewing in a quiet, calm environment, you can not pay much attention to the sound power: it is guaranteed to be enough for such a usage. It makes sense to specifically look for models with high-power speakers for a noisy environment — for example, a cafe or other public space. Detailed recommendations on this matter can be found in special sources, but here we note that even in such cases, connecting external speakers can be a good alternative.

The presence of a subwoofer as part of the TV sound system.

A subwoofer is a specialized speaker for bass and ultra-low frequencies. It makes the sound richer in the bass, which is especially useful when watching adventure films with appropriate sound effects (bumps, explosions), as well as concerts. It should noted that the specifications of built-in subwoofers are usually much more limited than those of external ones; so don't expect cinema-like bass from a TV audio system. However, the advantage in bass quality for such TVs (compared to models without a subwoofer) will still be noticeable.

A decoder can be broadly described as a standard in which digital audio (often multi-channel) is recorded. For normal playback of such sound, it is necessary that the corresponding decoder is supported by the device. Dolby Digital and DTS were the first in multi-channel decoding, gradually improving and introducing new features. The final stage for 2020 is Dolby Atmos and DTS X decoders.

– Dolby Atmos. A decoder that uses not a rigid distribution of sound across channels, but the processing of audio objects, due to which it can be used with almost any number of channels on a reproducing system — the sound will be divided between channels so that each audio object is heard as close as possible to its proper place. When using Dolby Atmos, ceiling speakers (or speakers facing the ceiling) are highly desirable. However, in extreme cases, you can do without them.

— DTS X. An analogue of the Dolby Atmos described above, when the sound is distributed not through individual channels, but through audio objects. The digital signal contains information about where (according to the director's intention) the object audible to the user should be and how it should move, and the processor of the reproducing device processes this information and determines exactly how the sound should be distributed over the available channels in order to achieve the required localization. Thanks to this, DTS X is not tied to a specific number of audi...o channels — there can be as many as you like, the system will automatically divide the sound into them, achieving the desired sound. Also note that this decoder allows you to separately adjust the volume of dialogues.

— VRR. VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) adaptive frame rate synchronization technology allows you to adjust the refresh rate of the image on the TV screen in real time in accordance with the frame rate output by the game console or connected computer. The function ensures smooth rendering of dynamic scenes, eliminates frame breaks, and guarantees comfortable and stable gameplay. Realizable technology with standard HDMI v 2.1.

— ALLM. Automatic low latency mode for games (Auto Low Latency Mode). The TV switches to game mode when it detects a game console connection. Reducing the output delay on the TV panel screen is provided by suspending part of the image processing functions. The ALLM mode can also be useful for karaoke and video calls.

eARC. HDMI v 2.1 has an enhanced eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel). The technology allows you to send higher quality audio from your TV to your soundbar or AV receiver. It claims to support the latest high bit rate audio formats up to 192 kHz, uncompressed 5.1 and 7.1, and 32-channel uncompressed audio. eARC also supports Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS:X, Dolby Atmos.

— CEC. The CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) system is designed for remote control of equipment connected to the TV using a single remote control. The devices are connected to the TV panel using an HDMI cable.

The TV's connectivity options are based not only on wireless technologies (described above), but also on a wired connection. In particular, additional video transmission can be carried out through VGA, composite AV connectors . Some of them also provide sound transmission, in addition to which there may be a mini-Jack (3.5 mm) and other ports for communication with external devices. More about them:

— USB. Connector for connecting external peripheral devices. The presence of USB means at least that the TV is capable of playing content from flash drives and other external USB media. In addition, there may be other ways to use this input: recording TV programs to external media, connecting a WEB camera (see same paragraph), keyboard and mouse to use the built-in browser and other software, etc. The specific set of options depends on the functionality of the TV, it should be specified separately in each case.

— Card reader. A device for working with memory cards, most often in SD format. The main use of the card reader is to play content from such cards on a TV; such an opportunity is especially convenient for viewing materials from photo and video cameras — it is in such devices that memory cards are widely used. There may be other ways to use this function — fo...r example, recording from the broadcast or even exchanging files between the card and the TV's storage. It is worth bearing in mind that SD cards have several subtypes — original SD, SD HC and SD XC, and not all of them may be supported by the card reader.

— LAN. Standard connector for wired connection to computer networks (both local and the Internet). Mostly found in models with Smart TV support (including Android TV devices; see related paragraphs). A wired connection is less convenient than Wi-Fi, not as aesthetically pleasing, so manufacturers place more emphasis on a wireless connection, as a result of which the speed indicators of the LAN connector are not indicated, and in some cases may be unacceptable for 4K broadcasts.

— VGA. Analogue video input, also known as D-sub 15 pin. Initially, the VGA interface was developed for computers, but due to the emergence of more advanced standards like HDMI (see below) and technical limitations (the maximum resolution is only 1280x1024, the inability to transmit sound), it is considered obsolete and is used less and less. So it makes sense to specifically look for a TV with such a connector mainly in cases where it is planned to be used as a monitor for an outdated computer or laptop.

– Composite AV input. Analogue input for video and audio transmission. Previously, it consisted of 3 RCA sockets (yellow for video, white and red for audio) and was connected to the equipment accordingly. Now in many models you can find an AV output, which is a single connector in the “headphone” format, to which a tee cable is already connected (check availability in the package).

— COM port (RS-232). A connector originally designed for computer equipment. In TVs, it is used as a service interface: for troubleshooting, updating firmware, adjusting TV parameters and various calibrations, integrating the TV into centralized remote control systems, etc. Note that the COM port may differ in shape and contact group in different TV models. It is often designated as RS-232C.