Guide
Luca's Epic TV Reviews: A Year in Review
by Luca Fontana
TV buying advice: New televisions for every occasion
26.7.2019
Translation: machine translated
When choosing a new TV, you don't want to deal with the detailed differences between QLED and OLED or whether the TV supports HDR10+ or just HDR10? Then our buying guide is the right place to start.
We naturally take a look at the screens, but also look at the details. In addition to our own experiences, we also read reports from others to get a comprehensive picture. In the end, we came up with recommendations for the following areas.
- A television for the home cinema
- The second set in the bedroom, kitchen or holiday home
- These televisions obey your every word
- Streaming TVs for Netflix, Prime Video, Sky Ticket & Co
- For Playstation and Xbox: gaming is better on these TVs
Would you like a few more inches?
OLED, QLED, LCD and quantum dots
There are currently two relevant display technologies for televisions: OLED and LCD. LCD is the oldest, cheapest and most common technology. OLED displays consist of organic light-emitting diodes. Although they are more expensive than LCD televisions, the colours on them are usually richer and the black is really black because the OLED pixels can switch themselves on and off like a lamp.
In order to keep up with the rich colours of OLED TVs, manufacturers have developed so-called nanoparticles for LCD televisions. LCD televisions can display more colours the whiter the light from the LED backlight is. The problem: LED light tends to be bluish in colour. The nanoparticles ensure that the bluish light of the LEDs takes on a pure white colour. This makes richer colours possible.
At Sony, the whole thing is called Triluminos. Samsung calls its nanoparticles Quantum Dots and markets its televisions as QLED TVs. LG, on the other hand, calls it NanoCell TV.
4K, UHD and HDR
4K and UHD are two terms that are used synonymously for high resolution televisions. Strictly speaking, however, most devices have a UHD resolution of 3860×2160 pixels. 4K is actually 4096×2160 pixels. However, this difference is irrelevant when choosing a television.
Television manufacturers use terms such as Dolby Vision, HDR and the further developments HDR10 and HDR10+ to describe technologies that increase the dynamic range of the television picture. Because this massively increases the number of colours that can be displayed, the picture appears more natural and the lighting more balanced. While the difference between Full HD and UHD is not so noticeable for the viewer, HDR makes a massive difference.
A TV for the home cinema
If you want to set up a small home cinema in your living room, the TV can't really be too big. Of course, it should have an excellent picture and high resolution - and you're prepared to spend a little more money for that. The sound, on the other hand, is of secondary importance, as you will certainly set up at least one soundbar or a complete speaker set in your small private cinema.
The second device in the bedroom, kitchen or holiday home
The second TV can usually be smaller, regardless of where exactly it is located - after all, you still have a larger main TV. But you still don't want to do without the usual standards of operation. Our recommended devices are also suitable if you don't want to spend too much money on your TV.
The much smaller 22PFS5403 from Philips stands out from the crowd. It has neither Ambilight nor is it smart. Instead, its power connection is the reason to buy it. You can power it using a 12-volt cable and use it in places where a conventional TV would remain black.
These televisions obey your every word
It's nice to have the remote control on the sofa, but not if you have to keep looking for it. It would be much more practical to talk directly to your TV. This is possible, at least if Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa is installed on your new TV. You usually activate the voice assistants via a button on the remote control and speak into a microphone there too.
Streaming TV for Netflix, Prime Video, Sky Ticket & Co
If you are not interested in conventional TV programmes and Netflix and the like entertain you, your TV must be able to access the internet. Ideally, your streaming supplier's app should be pre-installed and you may even be able to start it directly with an extra button on the remote control. It's even worth paying the extra for 4K resolution. Because UHD content is currently mainly available from streaming services.
For Playstation and Xbox: It plays better on these TVs
In order for the console to fit on the TV, it needs at least one HDMI connection - the selected TV models each have four - and because HDR and UHD are already more widespread for games than for TV programmes, it is worth paying attention to these features. You also need a low input lag to minimise the input delay. If available, a gaming mode in the TV reduces the input lag. To avoid streaks on the screen, the response time of the screen must be as short as possible.
The LG 55SK8000 is a cheaper option. It has webOS on board and falls into energy efficiency class A+. After all, the console already consumes enough energy.
Jan Johannsen
Senior Editor
Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.deWhen I was but a young student, I'd sit in my friend's living room with all my classmates and play on his SuperNES. Since then I've had the opportunity to test out all the newest technology for you. I've done reviews at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, and have now arrived at Galaxus.de.
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