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I've spent the last three weeks of my life agonizing over the purchase of what should be something so simple: a new TV.
I haven't bought a TV in more than five years, and a lot has changed since then. The various options are dizzying: HD; 4K; UHD; HDR; OLED; LED; Smart TVs; Web TVs; Google TV; WiFi; Apps; Remote controls that double as Android tablets; And model names that are impossible to decode. (Looking at you, Vizio P65-C1.)
TVs are no longer just dumb screens. They're giant computers for your living room. Today, they have so many features that it's easier to choose options for your Tesla than it is to find the perfect TV.
So after far too much research, I figured out a basic gameplan to make buying a TV as simple as possible. (And even then, it can still be pretty confusing.)
I've boiled it down to seven key things to look for.
1.) Picture quality matters the most.
The number one thing to keep in mind is to find the TV with the best picture quality within your budget. Every other feature is secondary.
If you want the best of the best picture available, get a TV with an OLED screen. They're super expensive (usually in the $3,000 range), but boy are they pretty. LG makes the best OLED TV in my opinion. Samsung has a similar technology called QLED.
If that's too expensive for you, get a TV with an LED screen. The picture quality is still great, and they're significantly cheaper than OLED TVs. Price will depend on other features like 4K and HDR (more on that in a bit), but you can still get a great LED TV for a few hundred bucks. A nicer one, like this this 65-inch LED Samsung TV I bought will be in the $1,000 - $2,000 range.
After that, start looking at LCD TVs. They're still HD and still have decent picture. You can get a good one for a few hundred bucks.
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2.) You don't need 4K, but you'll probably end up with it anyway.
4K TVs (sometimes called ultra HD TVs or UHD TVs) have about twice the resolution of "normal" HD TVs. But realistically, you don't need a screen that sharp. You typically sit several feet away from your TV screen, making it impossible to discern pixels or blurs on a regular HD TV.
Still, 4K is rapidly becoming the new normal, and it's going to be harder and harder to find an HD TV that isn't 4K. If the TV you like only comes in 4K, go for it.
3.) HDR is the best feature no one really talks about.
HDR is the second most important feature you should look for in a TV next to its overall display quality.
HDR stands for high dynamic range, which means the screen automatically adjusts its brightness to give you the most accurate colors possible. It makes a huge difference, and is even starting to become a big deal in console gaming thanks to the new PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One S.