That said, most people don't call p 2K; they call it p or Full HD. By the way, i is the same resolution as p , but no modern TV is i. Roughly half the number of pixels of p. It's rare to find a TV that's p anymore. This goes back to the initial HD transition at the turn of the century. And if you're wondering why your TV doesn't say "p" on those channels, check this out. In the computer world they use an incomprehensible and shockingly un-user-friendly jumble of letters to describe resolution.
Well, not "shockingly" since these are computers. Look, I'm a computer guy, building my own PCs since the early '90s, and even I can't tell you what half these letters mean. I can understand that initially they were implemented to make things easier, but we've got so many resolutions and combinations that now they're just annoying. The rest, you can dive into and print yourself a cheat sheet from this.
Fortunately, the only time most of you will come across this letter goulash is if you're looking for a cheap data projector or a computer monitor. There are also computer monitors that have unique resolutions like 5K 5,x2, or ultra-widescreen aspect ratios with crazy resolutions like 3,x1, There are so many variations we couldn't hope to cover them all.
Someday you might have an 8K or even 10K TV , but that's a l-o-o-o-o-ng way away. Here's where I remind you that more pixels doesn't necessarily mean a better picture. There are other aspects of picture quality, such as contrast and color, that are far more important than resolution. In the future, resolution might become irrelevant. Technologies like MicroLED separate size and resolution, so your future inch bedroom TV will have a radically different resolution than the inch living room TV, as opposed to now where they'd both be 4K with different size pixels.
Thanks to advancements in video processing, though, this won't matter. They'll all look sharp and detailed. As well as covering TVs and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world , including nuclear submarines , massive aircraft carriers , medieval castles , airplane graveyards , and more. You can follow his exploits on Instagram and YouTube about his 10, mile road trip.
He also has written a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines, along with a sequel. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic.
We delete comments that violate our policy , which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. Geoffrey Morrison. Here's what you need to know. The short version: 4K almost always means the TV has 3,x2, pixels. Are most TVs 4K these days? At 50 inches and above, yes.
We use cookies to allow us and selected partners to improve your experience and our advertising. By continuing to browse you consent to our use of cookies. You can understand more and change your cookies preferences here. In this article. Need help to buy the best TV? Here's where we come in. When you're facing lists of thin-bezel flatscreen TVs from LG, Panasonic, Hisense, Samsung and Sony, which all look more or less the same, it may seem as though there's not much to pick between them.
Here, we reveal our pick of the best TVs you can buy right now, plus take a closer look at the key things you should think about before you buy. From big decisions such as which screen size is best for you, to specific features to look out for and how much to spend, our expert advice will help you find your perfect TV.
Our tough lab tests mean we can reveal in our TV reviews which TVs have superb picture quality, sound fantastic and are easy to use. Plus our reviews will also tell you the results of our annual TV owners' survey - we uncover which brands are the most and least reliable, and which ones owners would buy again.
Only logged-in Which? Sign up to reveal. It's hard to find fault with this sublime TV. It looks fantastic, and sounds amazing despite being very thin. Fantastic HDR implementation and a stunningly detailed 4K picture make this tremendous all-rounder one of the best TVs of There's very little we can fault here: the speakers are great and we love the design of the menus.
Smaller TVs don't often do well, but this one proved that you don't need a big screen for great picture, sound and smart menus. If these models aren't quite right for your home and budget, then head to ou r TV reviews to see what else we recommend.
Watch our video to see how TVs differ and find out which type is right for you. There's more to consider with TVs than just how big the screen size. Slide through our gallery, below, and click on the information buttons to discover more about screen types, such as LED, OLED, HD and 4K, features including built-in recording, plus how to connect devices.
TVs may all look pretty similar when they're lining store shelves, but different resolutions, screen types and software means it's more than just the price tag that sets them apart from each other. Ultimately, the screen is important, but it's not the be all and end all.
It doesn't make a bit of difference to the audio or how easy the TV is to use and you shouldn't discount a TV based purely on what screen it has. So be sure to check our reviews before you buy. Several bulbs, known as a backlight, shine on a layer of liquid crystals to create the images on screen.
The screen technology widely considered the best for contrast and motion. This type of premium TV is typically among the most expensive on the market, replacing plasma screens in recent years. They don't use a backlight and instead each bulb in the display is self-emitting, which is why the contrast and colour control is so excellent.
They still use a backlight, but it illuminates a layer of quantum dots rather than liquid crystals. Sound is less strong, but if you were always planning to combine your new TV with a separate sound system and the design works for you and you've got deep pockets , the G1 should be seriously considered. We tested the G1 in its inch size. It's official: 48 is the new And now Sony has one of its own, too. Sony has embraced the smaller size, making the TV as petite as possible thanks to its tiny bezels and low profile pedestal stand.
It does have a rather large enclosure bolted onto the back to house the speakers, processing hardware and connections , but you'll only notice if you look at the set side-on.
But that's about the only fault we can find with this TV. Sony's X1 Ultimate processor makes images suitably stunning, there's plenty of dark detail on show, and it serves up pretty much every streaming app you could hope for. Motion control is still industry-leading, and in terms of sharpness and detail, there's never been a better TV at this size.
If you can stump up the funds, you will not be disappointed. Read the full Sony KDA9 review. It produces stunningly crisp and detailed pictures from all sources, delivers far more accomplished audio than most rivals, adds awesome Ambilight which extends the onscreen action onto the wall around the TV in the form of coloured light to the mix, and has a lower price tag than its LG, Sony, Panasonic and Samsung equivalents.
If you're in the market for a bigger TV, there's also a inch version available the 65OLED and it's just as good. Chocolate and peanut butter, beer and crisps, sleep and Sundays — some things are perfect partners, whether they were designed that way or not. As the name suggests, Mini LEDs are much smaller than standard LEDs, the size of glitter in your hand, and numbering in the thousands, rather than the hundreds, on your TV panel. If you're going really big with your next TV, this is the model to get.
We tested the QNA in its inch size. It promises a good-sized, punchy 4K HDR image and all the major apps and services you could need, without so much as an additional box or stick in sight. Neither the picture nor the sound are perfect, but both are surprisingly good for the very low asking price. Add in a brilliant feature set and an unbeatable content offering, and you've got a great performance-per-pound proposition.
With this in mind, it was pretty much impossible to predict what we were going to get out of the new 50UKDB when it landed on our test benches. Black levels are average, its pictures sometimes border on harshness, and its colours sometimes look rather washed out. Its entirely healthy obsession with trying to give you the maximum 4K and HDR bang for your buck may well win it plenty of fans, though. Especially in shops where it can be shown running side by side with its subtler rivals.
Luckily, an organisation called SMPTE which stands for the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers has published detailed guidelines on exactly how far you should sit in order to optimise the performance of your TV. This question is pretty much moot now, as the vast majority of TVs are now 4K. It's actually rather hard to find Full HD p models, even at relatively small sizes. If you're buying a TV below 32 inches and can save a lot of money on a Full HD model, by all means go for it 4K won't be a huge benefit at that sort of size anyway , but otherwise 4K is both worthwhile and, in all likelihood, your only option.
It's important to note, though, that almost no native 8K content is available. If you buy an 8K TV and want to show of its ridiculously high resolution, you'll have to do so using nature, scenery and space footage from YouTube. At this stage, no streaming services have even hinted at launching 8K content, and it seems unlikely that an 8K disc format will ever materialise.
For those reasons, it's hard to recommend that most people pay the extra for an 8K TV at this stage. That said, if you've got deep pockets and want to be as ready as possible for the potential 8K content of the future, there's no real harm in going for an 8K TV now, particularly as models such as the Samsung QNA make current 4K content look better than ever.
High Dynamic Range is without a doubt a much bigger deal than 8K, and certainly something you should consider before buying your next TV. Essentially, the higher the dynamic range brightness and colours , the more lifelike the picture. HDR offers greater subtlety and depth of gradations of colours, plus stronger contrast.
There are various types of HDR out there, and with different TV brands backing different variants, it can be a minefield trying to find the best option. Allow us to explain. Dolby Vision, on the other hand, applies this image information called metadata on a frame-by-frame basis. This dynamic form of HDR, when implemented properly, has the potential to improve upon the standard HDR10 presentation.
Of these two 'dynamic' HDR formats, Dolby Vision is by far the most prevalent, both in terms of TVs and content, and if you have to choose between one and the other, that's the one we'd recommend. Luckily, it's now almost as common as standard HDR10 in TV spec lists, so you should have little problem finding a model that supports it. These days, it's all about HDMI, which is used to connect everything from set-top boxes to video streamers, Blu-ray players to games consoles.
These have greater bandwidth than their HDMI 2. It's sensible to check the specs thoroughly if there are particular features you're after. You can use these to keep devices charged often particularly useful for stick- or dongle-style streamers , and some TVs allow the connection of flash drives and hard drives for the recording of live TV content.
On the subject of live TV, you can expect practically every TV to have an aerial socket via which it can receive Freeview broadcasts, but many also have a satellite connection.
Be warned, though; the presence of a satellite connection doesn't guarantee that there's a Freesat tuner on board. Without one, you'll receive only a patchy and disorganised selection of satellite TV channels.
Headphone outputs are still fairly common, too, though Bluetooth is also supported by most TVs now and Samsung TVs in fact now feature the latter but not the former. Lastly, while some TVs feature composite inputs often via an adapter , most — even at the budget end — have phased out legacy connections such as SCART.
So those clinging on to old video cassette recorders, for example, should be aware of that. As with 4K, it's now hard to buy a TV that doesn't have a smart platform packed with streaming apps. Other apps that are less common but potentially worth looking out for include BT Sport, Now, Britbox, and music apps such as Spotify and Tidal. LCD TVs, which require a backlight usually made up of white LEDs to show a picture on the LCD panel, are available in a wide variety of screen sizes and, thanks in part to the technology's low cost of production, at affordable prices.
This allows OLED TVs to be unbelievably slim, while also offering convincing pitch-dark blacks, strong contrast and superb viewing angles. However, the quantum dots tiny semiconductor particles in current QLEDs do not emit their own light.
You tend to get brilliantly vibrant colours, plus bright, sharp and crisply detailed images. Tom Parsons has been writing about TV, AV and hi-fi products not to mention plenty of other 'gadgets' and even cars for over 15 years.
He began his career as What Hi-Fi? In between, he worked as Reviews Editor and then Deputy Editor at Stuff, and over the years has had his work featured in publications such as T3, The Telegraph and Louder. In his spare time Tom is a runner and gamer. What Hi-Fi? Included in this guide: 1. Philips 48OLED Simply the best picture around at this most convenient of sizes. Specifications Screen size: 48in also available in 55in, 65in, 77in.
Backlight: not applicable. Resolution: 4K. Operating system: Android TV HDMI inputs: 4.
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