What type of TV do you have right now? If you haven’t upgraded to a new TV in the past few years, this is a great year to do so. TV technology has improved by leaps and bounds. Instead of watching a 1080p Full HD TV that looks stretched on a big screen, you could be watching a crisp, clear 4K TV with sharp details, rich colour, and the most real to life picture possible. 4K resolution is still the market standard right now, so there will be unlimited streaming options for you to enjoy this holiday season. Here are a few more reasons why you need to upgrade to 4K this Christmas.
What is a 4K TV?
Although you can now find TVs with 8K resolution, 4K is still the gold standard. These TVs are also known as 4K UHD or 4K Ultra HD. With 4K resolution, the TV you choose, no matter what size, will have a display resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. In comparison, a 1080p Full HD TV has 1980 x 1080 pixels, so 4K will give you four times the pixels of a Full HD TV. More pixels means a sharper picture, and with 4K you’ll enjoy crisp, clear image quality, better colour accuracy, and significantly improved contrast.
Some 4K displays also have features like HDR (high dynamic range) to improve colour and contrast even more, and the latest TVs also have faster refresh rates. Motion in sports and fast paced movies will be much smoother and there will be little to no blur. Take a look at the 4K TV buying guide for all of the features you can find on these TVs.
The latest movies and streaming services are in 4K
A 4K display is a great upgrade, especially at Christmas. Imagine if you put you brought a new 4K display into your living room and put it side by side with your own 720p or 1080p Full HD TV. You do a quick search for your favourite Christmas movie and start streaming Elf, White Christmas, or Love Actually. While these movies were created before 4K resolution was available, they have all been remastered to as close to 4K as possible. When you watch them on a Full HD TV you can’t really tell the difference between the original and the remastered version, but when you watch it on a 4K display? The difference will be staggering. When you see them side by side you’ll be able to instantly understand why 4K is such a big upgrade over Full HD.
You don’t have to use your imagination to see the difference for yourself. Before you choose your own TV, just walk into a Best Buy store and compare 4K to Full HD TVs. You’ll be amazed.
Which 4K TV should you get?
4K TVs are available in a range of sizes, from small displays that can double as a computer monitor to very large 80 inch 4K TVs. The best way to choose the right TV for your home is to break your choice down to size and type.
Sizes of 4K TV
To choose the best size of 4K TV for your home, you’ll want to decide where you’ll place the TV and measure the room where your TV will be. You may want the largest TV possible, but if the room it will be in is very small you may feel as though it’s too large for the space. The best thing to do before you choose size is to measure for your new TV. Take a look at this article on how to determine the right space between your TV and your couch. Once you have your dimensions you can take a look at the different sizes.
- 32 inch 4K TVs are perfect for the bedroom, kitchen, or as a second monitor in a gaming room
- 33 inch to 49 inch 4K TVs are still small enough to fit well in the bedroom and basement, and it’s a great size to choose for a rental property bedroom
- 50 to 59 inch 4K TVs are the most common size you’ll find in living rooms across Canada
- 60 to 69 inch 4K TVs are a noticeable size upgrade if you’ve always had a 55 inch TV
- 70 inch 4K TVs and larger are a great choice for a living room, home theatre, or if you’re looking for the biggest TV possible
Types of 4K TV you can choose
TVs vary in type too, and you can choose different backlight technolgy for your TV that will make a real difference in image quality.
- LED backlit TVs – LED lights are commonly found in lower budget TVs. A standard LED (Light Emitting Diode) is about 2mm to 5mm in size and the TV will use hundreds of lights. This type of TV can still produce crisp, clear 4K video, but the picture quality won’t be as bright or vivid as Mini-LED or OLED TVs.
- Mini-LED TVs also use a type of LED backlight, but Mini-LEDs are much smaller. Given that they are only 0.2mm in size, the TV can use thousands of Mini-LEDs. This produces a much brighter picture.
- QLED TVs are TVs with a layer of quantum dots over the backlight. You’ll find QLED TVs with Mini-LED backlight and LED backlight, and these TVs are brighter, more colourful, and have better contrast than those without.
- OLED TVs use organic light emitting diodes to light the TV. OLED lights are self illuminating so they can turn on and fully turn off as needed. This means OLED TVs can produce vivid colour, true black, and have the best picture quality available right now.
Samsung has one of the best 4K TVs of the year
If you’re looking at different brands of 4K displays and you’d like a suggestion, I reviewed the Samsung QN90C NeoQLED 4K TV this year and it’s one of the best TVs I’ve ever seen. It’s a QLED Mini-LED TV with spectacular picture quality and is available in a variety of sizes beginning at 43 inches. Take a look at my review for a look at this amazing TV.
Why a new 4K TV is a great gift for Christmas
A new TV will be a great family gift because it can be used for watching holiday movies, gaming, or sharing your own content from your phone. Whether you choose to upgrade to a big TV this year or you are looking for a smaller 4K TV as a gift for a loved one, you can find a variety of TV options at Best Buy.
