There are so many TV choices out there, and at Benue House we get a lot of inquiries from customers who are trying to figure out which is the right TV for them. We have decided to put together a little guide to help you.
There are 4 important factors you need to consider:
- Function,
- Size,
- Technology and (of course),
- Price.
Let’s walk through these 4 factors:
1. Function
First off; what do you want to use the TV for? Sounds like a silly question right? Well, not really…
Consider what you are buying the TV for: to play video games at home? For an office reception to keep guests entertained? Or as a menu-board for a restaurant? The TV’s use will help you decide on the right type to purchase…
You should also consider where you will place the TV, and the average use time. For instance a home TV that you watch only in the evenings for a few hours would not be suitable for a restaurant display which is continually on for 8 – 12 hours a day!
To summarize,think about where you need the TV, what you’ll use it for, and how long you will use it for
2. Size
Size always matters.
In order to pick the right size of TV you need to ask yourself – “What is the size of the room? Your TV can feel too big or too small depending on the room size. “What is the distance of the TV placement from viewers?: The further the viewers would be seated from the screen, the bigger the TV should be.
Are you mounting or placing it on the wall? For wall mounts, consider the wall size as tall and wide walls with no doorways or hanging fixtures can ‘swallow’ up even the largest of TV screens.
You can fix this by increasing the size appropriately. You can also consider erecting a wall mounted facade or fixtures like shelves and paintings to offset the space. Finally, in considering the TV placement, note that good practice is to ensure your TV is backing windows Sunlight shining directly on your screen from outside can seriously affect viewing on sunny days (unless you buy a QLED screen- more on that later).
3. Technology
FHD, UHD, OLED, ULED, QLED…even QNED!? Phew! The tech lingo can be overwhelming for the casual customer.
Let’s help you decipher some of it
Resolution:
When you see terms like HD or UHD, this refers to the resolution of the TV screen. Resolution simply means the sharpness of the image. Here is the hierarchy of resolution
- Standard Definition or SD (discontinued by most manufacturers)
- High Definition and Full High Definition (HD/ FHD): Some 32” and 42” TVs are still made with these resolutions. Note that a smaller TV with the same resolution as a larger TV will alway look sharper because the image is more compressed (think of trying to increase the size of a tiny image till it becomes blurry)
- Ultra High Definition (UHD): this term is used for 2k, 4k and 8k TVs. These TVs produce higher quality Images that are sharp and fast during viewing. They also support more options on the types of media you can play on them
SmartTV:
A smart TV is simply one that you can connect directly to the internet. These TVs also come with some built in apps and services like Netflix and Youtube which will require no additional player.
Note – If you have a DVD player, gaming console or streaming box (like PlayStation, XBOX, Apple TV or Amazon Fire Stick) you can choose to get a Non-Smart TV. Most Non-Smart TVs also allow you to play media from a flash disk.
Screen Technology:
This refers to the TV technologies and there are mainly two types of TV technologies with some variations – LCD and LED.
- LCD: Liquid Crystal Display TVs are a more mature technology and use fluorescent light sources for lighting. As a result colours are not as accurate and they don’t offer great dimming or power consumption. On the flip side they are very bright and good for rooms with a lot of windows. They are also usually less expensive.
The latest type of LCD TVs now are LG NanoCell TVs which offer great improvements in brightness and colour accuracy as opposed to traditional LCD.
- LED: Most TVs available now fall in this category. LED stands for Light Emitting Diode (the same material used in your phone screen and flashlight) which offers better backlighting with colour accuracy, dimming and energy saving . Not all LED TVs are made equal so apart from your regular LED TVs you have some more advanced ones like OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TVs made by LG and offered by other brands. These televisions have superior contrast, the best black images (most other TVs can only show dark grey) and are also super thin.
There are also QLED (Quantum Light Emitting Diode) TVs made by Samsung and offer some of the brightest screens available today- great for rooms with lots of light and windows or even outdoor!
- Connections: Modern TVs have a good number of connections on the back of their sets, however, you should be aware of the types of connections you might need. The main connections needed for the average TV are HDMI, USB, Audio connections and LAN (for smart TVs). Consider a television with multiple HDMI if you have several video sources you switch between (eg if you watch DSTV and have a PlayStation). If you decide to get audio equipment like a home theatre or soundbar you would need to know if they connect by an audio connection or HDMI.
We always advice that customers go for the TV with the best features and most connections they can afford but here are a few things you can use to help you make your decision:
4. Price
This might seem like the most important factor for some, but it is best to try to balance this factor out alongside the other factors. Remember that most people buy TVs once every 5 – 10 years, so buying the cheapest TV now might make the purchase obsolete a few years in.
Some newer brands to the market offer introductory prices for TVs with technologies that match (and even beat) those of bigger brands so this could help you save.
It is also important to consider warranties offered by the manufacturers that could protect you in case of a factory defects. Fortunately all TVs sold at Benue House come with Manufacturers’ Warranty from 12 to 24 months depending on the brand.
A good warranty will give you peace of mind while you explore and enjoy your product, but brands with longer warranty periods usually cost more.
As you can see, the process of getting a new TV might be just as enjoyable as the TV itself once you know what you are looking for.
We hope that this guide helps you and would also be a good tool for your friends and family so please share.
Have a great day.
