He may have the busiest December 24th and 25th on the planet, but during the other 363 days of the year, Santa Claus surely takes a break. During that downtime, I would imagine that he watches his fair share of television and movies (and not just Home Alone and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation either). In this holiday-themed blog, we envision the televisions that Saint Nicholas would have in his North Pole home theatre room. We give three hypothetical options from both the LED and OLED spaces.
Santa’s TV #1: The Samsung Frame
We begin with the Samsung Frame TV. This television is a very different take on the home theatre set. Instead of looking like a permutation of most television designs, the Samsung Frame LCD TV draws inspiration from pieces that may hang in an art gallery instead of televisions you may find in your local Best Buy store.
This television resembles a picture frame and features a very unique art mode. This differentiating feature will come into play when you have finished watching the latest 4K video content on the device. When the television is switched “off”, the TV will cycle through specially curated art images. With this feature, your TV will look like a picture frame instead of a television. To match the decor in your room, this set also comes with the ability to swap out the outside edge of the display’s frame with alternative bezels (the outer case of the television contains a magnetic channel).
Additionally, the device comes with a No Gap Wall Mount, which helps perpetuate the art-house feeling that the TV exudes. Your Samsung Frame television and its two-inch-thick border will sit perfectly flat against the wall with the help of this mount. The Best Buy Geek Squad can even come in and install your set for you. To further the art-like form factor, the device also comes with Samsung’s OneConnect breakout box, a small added unit that ensures that only a minimal number of cables come down from your television to your entertainment unit.
Beyond the aesthetics, this 4K UHD TV has great picture quality, contrast and good colour. The current generation of the Samsung Frame is available in three different sizes (43″, 55″ and 65″). Erin Lawrence tested the television and gave her full thoughts on the Best Buy Canada Blog. We imagine that this television would be displaying warmer climates on-screen to help warm up Santa’s North Pole home.
Santa’s TV #2: Sony X900F BRAVIA 4K Android Smart TV
The Sony X900F BRAVIA 4K Android Smart TV is an ultra-thin LED set full of the latest display technology. This TV has a 120Hz refresh rate, excellent contrast and full array local dimming. This unit also has several different display technologies at play including Sony’s TRILUMINOS color tech as well as HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision compatibility.
Physically, the TV has a really thin border with cable management built-in to the legs of the stand. The stand legs sit wide which allows you to fit a short sound bar underneath the set if you so choose. This LED television also benefits from having Android TV as well as the Google Assistant built right in. You can download your most commonly used Android apps right onto the device and use your remote or voice to control your entertainment. After delivering presents to children all over the world, Santa can choose whichever control methods he prefers the most, he earned it.
The only downside found with this set is a typical one with this type of display: viewing angle. Depending on where you sit in your room, the colour and the brightness of this set can really change. The Sony X900F BRAVIA 4K Android Smart TV is available in several different sizes (49″, 55″, 65″, 75″ and 85″).
If you’re looking for an OLED in the Sony range of TVs, the Sony A8F Bravia set may be a great alternative for you to consider.
Santa’s TV #3: LG B8 4K OLED TV
If Santa wants to upgrade to a 4K OLED TV in 2018, I bet he considered the LG B8 4K OLED TV in his search; this one may be one of the best televisions on the market right now.
Available in both 55″ and 65″, the LG B8 4K OLED TV is striking in both design and picture. Starting first with the physical design of the panel: it is incredibly thin from a total thickness and bezel perspective. Like other OLEDs, each pixel can turn off individually leading to perfect blacks and an infinite contrast ratio. The TV’s built-in A7 Intelligent Processor delivers 4K HDR content smoothly. Like the Sony X900F covered previously, this set also supports HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision technologies.
Outside of that, the television has webOS 4.0 built-in too. Rest assured, you can access all of your favourite apps with your voice (using LG’s ThinQ voice AI tech) or the included Magic Remote. With this remote, the interface on the television can easily be navigated very responsively using motion control much like a Wiimote from the older Nintendo Wii gaming console. As an final point, if you think that the Samsung Frame “art-tech” from earlier in this article was cool, this television has a similar (but less robust) version of the same feature in its Gallery Mode.
Ho, ho, ho! Home theatre gifts from Santa!
Those are three televisions that jolly ol’ Saint Nick may have in his North Pole home. Given the distance and elusiveness of the King of Christmas, it may be hard to pinpoint exactly what TV he has in his home, however. That doesn’t mean that you should lose hope on your home theatre journey. These are just three options for televisions that you could bring home this holiday season. For more details about these and other options, the home theatre section of the Best Buy Canada website may be a great place to build your list. Just make sure you’re on the nice list. If you are on the naughty list, you just get coal.
For even more gift ideas, helpful how-tos and product reviews, check out the Best Buy Canada Blog!
