Comparison Skyworth 55Q3 55 " vs LG 55UK6950 55 "

— 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 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.

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.

The response time can be described as the maximum time required for each pixel of the screen to change brightness, in other words, the longest time from the receipt of a control signal to the pixel until it switches to the specified mode. The actual switching time may be less — if the brightness changes slightly, it can be calculated in microseconds. However, it is the longest time that matters — it describes the guaranteed response speed of each pixel.

First of all, the frame rate is directly related to the response time (see the relevant paragraph): the lower the response time, the higher the frame rate can be provided on this sensor. However, the actual frame rate may be less than the theoretical maximum, it all depends on the TV. Also note that the overall image quality in dynamic scenes depends primarily on the frame rate. Therefore, we can say that the response time is an auxiliary parameter: the average user rarely needs this data, and in the specifications they are given mainly for advertising purposes.

Dynamic Scene Index (DSI) provided by the TV screen.

DSI is a rather specific parameter that can be called "visible framerate". Its appearance is due to the fact that a high frame rate is highly desirable for dynamic scenes — it provides smooth images and good detail of moving objects. However, for technical reasons, it is not possible to achieve indicators above 200 Hz in most screens. In order to remedy the situation, manufacturers use special technologies that create the effect of increasing the frame rate.

Such technologies may have different names, but they have the same principle of operation — inserting additional frames between the "own" frames of the video being played. And the dynamic scene index describes the overall effectiveness of such technology used in a TV. For example, a DSI of 200 Hz means that the image quality on the screen approximates a frame rate of 200 Hz, although the actual frame rate is often as low as 50-60 Hz.

In the most advanced models, the dynamic scene index can be up to 3000 Hz, and options above 3000 Hz are considered to be TVs with a high dynamic scene index. However, it is worth noting that such specifications are more of an advertising ploy than a real advantage: in fact, the threshold for human perception is 400 – 500 Hz, a further increase in the DSI does not give a clearly visible improvement in the image.

The TV's support of one or the other colour enhancement technology.

Such technologies usually involve image processing in software to provide brighter and/or more accurate colours. Specific processing methods may be different, some manufacturers do not specify technical details at all, limiting themselves to advertising statements. The effect of using such technologies can also vary: in some cases it is clearly visible, in others it is almost absent, depending on the features of the picture. It is also worth saying that this feature, usually, needs to be turned on manually in the TV menu (accordingly, it can be turned off if desired).

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.

The presence of a soundbar — a sound projector — in the design or the set of the TV.

A soundbar is a large-width (and usually low-height) case that houses multiple speakers. They work in such a way that the user perceives not only direct sound, but also reflected from the walls, floor and ceiling; with the correct sound setting, such reflected sound creates the effect of surround sound. In other words, the soundbar can, to some extent, replace a multi-channel home theater speaker system. It does not provide such a clear surround sound as a full-fledged set of speakers, however, it is noticeably superior in sound quality to traditional stereo speakers. Mainly high-end TVs with a large size and advanced overall functionality are equipped with soundbars.