What you need to know in 2019 to buy a
television
Why do you need a new television?
When looking to buy a new TV it’s helpful to identify the main way you will use it before you get stuck into the technology and all the different options available. At Pick Your Best we spend a lot of time identifying how different technologies suit different lifestyles to help us match people to the right devices. Sometimes it’s easy to get swayed by the technological jargon – we want to help you identify the main reason you are buying a TV first, as this will help us to match you to the right type of device when you use our Product Chooser.
Here we describe the main ways we believe most people might use a TV – if you have another idea please do contact us and tell us – we’d love to hear from you.
In a busy kitchen
We have assumed a new kitchen TV is there to provide background entertainment rather than it be the focus of the room. For this scenario our Product Chooser will select smaller screens that can be wall mounted to save space on your counter or tuck neatly into a corner.
In a cosy room
Some living spaces don’t lend themselves to a gigantic new TV. If your living space is small, or you want a TV for the bedroom select this scenario in our Product Chooser and it will find a medium sized TV with a high-quality screen that won’t leave you feeling overwhelmed when you sit that bit closer than you might in a larger space.
Total cinema experience
To immerse yourself in the film you can get amazing premium TVs that have all the latest technology. Selecting this scenario will shortlist from the best TVs you can buy that give the highest possible image quality. Try our Product Chooser now to get the very best TV experience.
In large spaces
If your room is open plan and spacious then you will need a larger TV to make an impact. For this scenario our Product Chooser will select larger, but not the largest TVs and avoids curved screens as you will want to get a good picture from anywhere in the room. If you want a huge TV screen select the documentary or cinema experience options.
In a small group
If your new TV is likely to have a number of people gathered around to watch it, then you need to make sure your TV delivers a nice picture even to people sat at an angle. For this scenario our Product Chooser will select large flat TVs with a good quality screen. We avoid matching curved TVs for this scenario as someone sat to one side of the screen won’t see much.
Documentaries and drama
If you want to get all the detail of that amazing documentary footage from around the world, select this scenario in our Product Chooser and you will get very large TVs with amazing picture quality so you can really feel like you are there yourself.
Entertainment hub
If your TV is used more to connect your devices than watching scheduled TV, you should use this scenario in our Product Chooser to find a TV that has enough connections to deliver you the best in streamed TV, movie, music and gaming entertainment.
Sporting action
The world of sport never felt so real without actually being there. Today’s world class events are captured using high quality cameras, to really get the benefit let our Product Chooser select a TV that makes sure you see all the action.
What to look for when buying a television
Picture quality
Probably the biggest difference with a new TV compared to your older one is the quality of a screen. In most models you will be able to sit closer to a bigger TV than before without feeling uncomfortable. If you can afford to spend more you'll gain richer colours, deeper blacks and brighter less reflective screens. To see it at its best you will need a good source like Netflix Premium, Sky Q or a 4K Blu-ray player plugged in.
Size
Consider how many will be watching and where you will put your TV then go for the largest you are comfortable with - the quality improvements in the latest models means you can sit closer than you did with your last set. Large TVs at 49-50 inch are ideal for a typical family lounge. Go bigger if you have a large open plan space or you want a cinematic experience.
Darks and brights
The quality of the picture can be affected by how well black and white is reproduced on the screen. Higher quality TVs have better ways of displaying pure black and bright white - sounds simple but the results can be stunning.
Richer colours
One of the most recent advances in picture quality has seen a big improvement in the range and richness of colour in TV screens. If you are looking to future proof your TV purchase look for a TV with this capability. There aren't many film/ TV sources available yet that can produce the necessary signal but this will be on the increase.