How to Choose the Right TV: Quantum Dots, HDR, and More in 2024

These days, you wouldn't privation to bargain a TV that doesn't enactment HDR unless you're aft a small/cheap HD TV. Even if you're connected a choky budget, you'll besides privation to see an LED TV with quantum dots (aka a QLED oregon NeoQLED display) for their brighter and much vivid colors.

Gaming Performance

If you’re going to beryllium gaming connected your TV, I highly urge paying attraction to 2 factors: refresh complaint and input lag. You tin often find these specs connected the merchandise listing oregon the container itself. Most modular TVs person a refresh complaint of 60 Hz, which means the show tin natively scope 60 frames per 2nd (fps), oregon 60 images connected the surface per second. However, modern consoles and games tin enactment up to 120 frames per second, oregon 120 images per second. This offers smoother question connected the screen, making your crippled consciousness much fluid and responsive. For this reason, the best gaming TVs utilize a 120-Hz panel.

Input lag is the clip it takes for your question connected a gamepad oregon keyboard to registry connected the screen. The little the better. Most TVs hover astatine astir 15 milliseconds of input lag (less if the crippled is moving astatine 1080p and 60 frames per second). LG’s OLED models person shockingly debased input lag times, but this is chiefly beneficial for fast-paced games that necessitate speedy interactions, similar first-person shooter games.

If you're an avid gamer, you'll besides privation to guarantee your TV offers precocious gaming features similar VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) to sync with a game's changing refresh complaint without “tearing” oregon feeling sluggish, and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), which automatically optimizes the TV's input lag erstwhile turning connected a modern console oregon gaming PC. In bid to get those features successful precocious resolution, you'll request a high-bandwidth HDMI connection, and that means a TV with HDMI 2.1.

The Right Ports

Most TVs see an optical output for audio, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet connection, and 3 oregon 4 HDMI ports. As noted above, you should marque definite your caller TV supports astatine slightest 1 high-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 larboard (or much if you person aggregate modern gaming devices), which allows for 4K solution astatine up to 120-Hz for the champion gaming performance, among different benefits.

All caller TVs supply 1 HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) port, which lets you easy link modern soundbars, powered bookshelf speakers, and A/V receivers with an HDMI cable—and adjacent power measurement and powerfulness from the TV remote. Most midrange TVs oregon higher volition enactment the much precocious mentation of ARC, HDMI eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel). With higher bandwidth, eARC allows a TV to nonstop uncompressed dependable formats to a supported audio device. In essence, it supports amended dependable prime to rise the show of the best soundbars and situation dependable systems, but you'll request a large setup to archer the difference.

I urge buying all-new high-speed cables if you're getting a caller TV for the archetypal clip successful a portion similar the affordable Amazon Basics cablegram linked above. Modern cables enactment higher information speeds than those from years past, and HDMI cables tin deterioration retired implicit time.

What About TV Software?

All large TV brands person a baseline astute interface with enactment for a ample fig of streaming services, including Vizio's Home Screen, Samsung's Tizen OS, and LG's webOS. New Sony TVs, arsenic good arsenic astir caller Hisense and TCL models, travel with Google TV, portion Roku TVs travel with Roku OS, the streaming brand's simplified, tile-based interface.

Roku and Google TV are our existent favourite astute TV interfaces, but if you're not keen connected your TV's built-in operating system, interest not—you tin easy adhd your desired streaming level for precise small wealth with 1 elemental purchase. Just drawback 1 of our favourite streaming devices, plug it in, and fto your preferred astute interface bash the dense lifting.

How Much Should You Expect to Pay?

You'll spot rather a scope of prices erstwhile buying for a caller TV. A batch of it comes down to the features you want. Here's a basal terms usher connected what you tin expect for the money. Be definite to cheque retired our database of the Best TVs for circumstantial exemplary information.

Under $500

If you conscionable privation a TV with a ample surface that tin watercourse your favourite shows, this is simply a bully starting place, particularly if you're connected a budget. I highly suggest you debar TVs that aren’t made by the likes of Samsung, LG, Sony, TCL, Hisense, Vizio, oregon Roku. Also, debar spending little than $300 connected anything, unless it’s smaller than 55 inches.

Between $500 and $1,000

If you ticker TV often and privation thing betwixt 40 and 65 inches, this is simply a large terms class to store in. Stick to the large brands above—especially our favourite value-oriented brands similar TCL, Hisense, and Roku—and you tin hardly spell wrong. If you privation the champion from much premium brands similar Samsung, LG, and Sony you'll apt request to walk up.

More Than $1,000

This terms scope is for TVs 65 inches oregon larger, and/or those with precocious sheet technologies, similar OLED, and QLED/mini-LED. You’ll besides typically get higher-end processing for improved upscaling, and amended hardware similar a 120Hz sheet for video games and sports. Get into the $2,000 scope and you'll find top-rated 4K TVs from Samsung, LG, and Sony. Spend much than a fewer thousand, and you tin statesman to expect 8K resolution—not that determination is presently overmuch 8K contented to watch.

Get a Soundbar oregon Bookshelf Speakers

TV speakers suck. Companies person tried to amended them, but adjacent the champion models inactive dependable tinny. Just bargain a soundbar already. Many modern soundbars travel with built-in astute assistants similar Google Assistant oregon Alexa, link to streaming services similar Apple Music and Spotify Connect, and connection precocious dependable formats similar Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to immerse you successful sound. Our Best Soundbars guide has respective recommendations astatine aggregate terms ranges.

If you're much music-oriented and don't attraction arsenic overmuch astir situation dependable formats, we urge considering a brace of bookshelf speakers arsenic a soundbar alternative. Many options successful our Best Bookshelf Speakers guide travel with built-in amplification and advancements similar wireless streaming and HDMI ARC, truthful you don't request a abstracted amplifier—just plug and play. If you've been listening to TV speakers up to now, you won't judge what you've been missing.