Size
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".
Screen surface
The type of coating used on the TV screen.
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Matte. Historically, the first type of coating for LCD screens, which is often found today. Screens with such a coating generally have average characteristics of brightness, saturation and colour reproduction quality, in terms of these indicators they are inferior to glossy counterparts. However, the matte coating has one important advantage: it has virtually no glare from ambient light. In some situations, this can be an important advantage — for example, if the TV is installed opposite the window. And for some users it is more pleasant to look at the screen without glare, albeit relatively dim.
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Glossy. A coating designed to improve the brightness and colour quality of the visible image compared to matte screens. The creators have managed to achieve this goal: "glossy" screens really provide rich, vibrant colours and a brighter image. The key disadvantage of such screens is the appearance of glare from ambient light on them — this can ruin the whole viewing experience. Because of this, the classic glossy coating is practically not used today, anti-glare solutions have taken its place (see below).
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Glossy (anti-glare). Modification of the glossy coating, created, as the name implies, in order to eliminate the main drawback of the classic gloss — glare from external lighting. This is not to say th
...at such screens do not glare at all, but there are much less reflections on them than on ordinary glossy ones. As for the image quality, it is at least not much worse, and often even better (especially since such coatings are constantly being improved). Thanks to all this, most modern TVs of all price categories are equipped with anti-glare screens.Resolution
Screen resolution - its size in pixels horizontally and vertically. Other things being equal, a higher resolution provides better image quality, but such a screen costs more and requires relevant content.
The set of resolutions found in modern TVs is quite extensive, but they can be roughly divided into several groups:
HD,
Full HD,
Ultra HD 4K, Ultra HD 5K and
Ultra HD 8K. Here are the main features of each option:
— HD. Screens designed for HD 720p. The standard frame size in such a video is 1280x720, however, for a number of reasons, most HD TVs have somewhat larger sizes — 1366x768. In addition, this category usually includes models with resolutions from 1280x768 to 1680x1050, as well as 1024x768 screens. In general, HD 720p resolutions are mostly found on low-cost TVs with relatively small screens.
— Full HD. TVs designed for Full HD 1080p video, with a frame size of 1920x1080. Most models from this category have exactly this screen resolution — 1920x1080; other options are noticeably less common — in particular, 1920x1200 and 2560x1080. In general, Full HD screens provide good detail at a relatively low cost, making them extremely popular in mid-range models and inexpensive large-format TVs.
— Ultra HD 4K. This format provides different options in resolutions, however, for TVs, the actual stan
...dard is 3840x2160, other options are almost never found. In general, this is a fairly high resolution, which is typical mainly for premium models; a common feature of such models is the large size — from 40" and more.
— Ultra HD 5K. The Ultra HD image format is more advanced than 4K, but it is extremely rare in TVs — these are mainly ultra-wide models with a resolution of 5120x2160.
— Ultra HD 8K. A standard that assumes a size of about 8K pixels horizontally; one of the options for this resolution, found in TVs — 7680x4320. Thus, UHD 8K is twice the size of 4K on each side and four times the total number of pixels, resulting in extremely sharp and detailed images. On the other hand, such screens are very expensive, despite the fact that nowadays even 4K is already considered a very advanced standard. Plus, there are not many video devices and content that meet this standard. Therefore, 8K TVs are still extremely rare, they include mostly high-end flagship models with a size of at least 65".Brightness
The maximum brightness of the image provided by the TV screen.
The image on the screen should be bright enough so that you do not have to strain your eyes unnecessarily to view it. However, too high brightness is undesirable — it will also lead to fatigue. The optimal brightness level depends on the surrounding conditions: the more intense the ambient light, the brighter the TV screen should be. So, on a sunny day, the screen may have to be “turned up” to the maximum, and in the evening, in dimmed light, a relatively dim image will be more comfortable. In addition note that large screens require higher brightness, since they are designed for a greater distance from the viewer.
Thus, the higher the number in this paragraph, the greater the margin of brightness this model has, the better it will show itself in intense ambient light. The lowest indicator sufficient for more or less comfortable viewing in any conditions is 300 cd/m² for models with a diagonal of up to 32", 400 cd/m² for models in the range of 32 – 55" and 600 cd/m² for large screens of 60" and more. In this case, the brightness margin anyway will not be superfluous. But with lower indicators, you may have to darken the room somewhat for comfortable viewing.
Static contrast
The level of static contrast provided by the TV screen.
Contrast in a general sense is the ratio in brightness between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks that the screen can produce. Other things being equal, the higher the screen contrast, the better the quality of colour reproduction and detail, the lower the likelihood that it will be impossible to see details in too bright or too dark areas of the image. Static contrast, on the other hand, describes the maximum difference in brightness that can be achieved within one frame without changing the brightness of the image — this is its difference from dynamic contrast (see below).
The values of static contrast are much lower than those of dynamic, but this characteristic is the most "honest". It is on it that the properties of the image seen on the screen at a particular moment depend, it is describes the basic properties of the screen, without taking into account the software tricks provided by the manufacturer in the hardware of the TV.
Dynamic contrast
The level of dynamic contrast provided by the TV screen.
Contrast in a general sense is the ratio in brightness between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks that the screen can produce. Other things being equal, the higher the screen contrast, the better the quality of colour reproduction and detail, the lower the likelihood that it will be impossible to see details in too bright or too dark areas of the image. Formally, the main characteristic of screens is static contrast (see above), but even in advanced matrices it is relatively low. Therefore, manufacturers went to the trick, introducing such a characteristic as "dynamic contrast".
Dynamic contrast ratio is the difference between the brightest whites at the highest screen brightness settings and the darkest blacks at the lowest. These contrast ratios can be quite impressive—much higher than static—however, it is impossible to achieve such values within a single frame, and dynamic contrast ratio is stated more for promotional purposes than for describing the actual specifications of the screen. However, it cannot be said that this indicator is completely unrelated to reality. The fact is that many TVs use automatic brightness control, which changes the settings depending on the characteristics of the image. This control is based on the fact that when displaying bright scenes, there is no need to provide a deep black level, and in dark scenes, high brightness of light areas is not needed — th...ese are the features of the human eye. This means that in bright scenes you can increase the overall brightness, and in dark scenes you can reduce it; the maximum brightness difference achievable in this mode of operation is precisely described by dynamic contrast.
Frame rate
The highest frame rate supported by the TV.
Note that in this case we are talking specifically about the screen’s own frame rate, without additional image processing (see “Index of dynamic scenes”). This frequency must be no lower than the frame rate in the video being played - otherwise there may be jerks, interference and other unpleasant phenomena that degrade the quality of the picture. In addition, the higher the frame rate, the smoother and smoother the movement in the frame will look, and the better the detail of moving objects will be. However, it is worth noting here that playback speed is often limited by the properties of the content, and not by the characteristics of the screen. For example, films are often recorded at a frequency of only 30 fps, or even 24 - 25 fps, while most modern TVs support frequencies of
50 or
60 Hz. This is enough even for viewing high-quality content in HD resolutions (speeds above 60 fps in such video are extremely rare), but there are also “faster” screens on the market:
100 Hz,
120 Hz and
144 Hz. Such speeds, as a rule, indicate a fairly high class of the screen; they also often imply the use of various technologies designed to improve the quality of dynamic scenes.
Additional inputs
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:
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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.
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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.Wall mount
Most TVs have a VESA wall mount which may vary in size. The basis for such mount is a rectangular plate with four holes for screws in the corners. The main characteristic of such a mount is the distance between the holes — it is measured along the sides of the rectangle and is expressed in two numbers. The original VESA format is 100x100, these mounts are used for most medium-sized LCD TVs. For small screens, 75x75 mounts are provided, for large ones — 200x200 and more (up to 800x400).
However, there are also models that are equipped with a standard (proprietary) mount from the manufacturer. Mostly these are either ultra-thin TVs or designer lines. Anyway, the mount in the kit is suitable only for the selected model.