You see that big rectangle above your top-notch home theatre sound system? That’s your TV and it could be so much better than it currently is. I don’t mean to cast shade on your home theatre arrangement, but you should think about upgrading it. Premium TVs are the hottest tech for home theatres right now.
Why are Premium TVs so hot?
We have reached a sweet spot in television development. The major television brands each have their own marquee technology to offer a high quality viewing experience. And, the improved level of tech shared by all of them make upgrading your TV the simplest way to turbo-charge your home theatre.
The 8K question
You might be hesitant to invest in an 8K TV right now. I don’t blame you. There’s not an appreciable amount of native 8K content available to the consumer, and it’s going to be a bit before it is easy to get it. But here’s the thing: The content will arrive. And until it arrives, your 8K TV will upscale your HD and 4K content into a sharper, more detailed image. It’s not pure 8K as you would see it from a native 8K source, but it is a better image than the plain 4K version. You’re future-proofing and improving your current visuals. Win-Win!
Full Array Local Dimming
Your old television was most likely direct back-lit. The LEDs that light the image were behind the screen and few in number. That means it wasn’t able to light the screen with precision. Sometimes the bright areas would bleed into the dark areas, or the dark areas muted the bright sections. But TVs with Full Array Local Dimming fix that problem. They have small groups of LEDs that can be turned on and off in zones. This leaves the bright areas bright and the dark areas dark.
OLED
You can consider this a step up from the full array local dimming, which was a giant step up from direct back-lit. Organic Light Emitting-Diodes (OLEDS) are tiny crystals floating in liquid, pressed between two sheets of transparent material. Every pixel on an OLED TV is one of these little fellows, and each can be turned off and on independently. And that means you can get absolute precision in light levels for any given scene. You will also be able to enjoy absolute black on the screen, something that our poor television-watching ancestors could only dream of.
LG Nanocell
This brand-specific technology is all about colour and contrast. Because the Nanocell pixels are better able to keep the colours displayed distinctly, the images will be more clear and defined. You want to get the most of the pixels you have, and not have them bleeding into each other and muddying the colour profiles. And as a bonus, the LG Nanocell TVs have tiny bezels. You won’t see the frame around the screen, you’ll just be watching the screen. For a more detailed breakdown of Nanocell technology and its advantages, check out this article: “What is Nanocell technology?”
Samsung QLED
I love the name of the unique component in Samsung’s QLED TVs: quantum dots. Why give something a boring name when you can pick a name that sounds like it powers a spaceship? But it gets even better! The quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystals that display pure monochromatic red, blue and green light. We’re in the future now! Okay, that’s enough of me being a science-fiction nerd. Here’s the practical function of the QLED. The quantum processor in each TV uses a database of learned colour and display patterns to continually adjust the image, providing a better picture. As a final nerd note, a machine learning AI is responsible for the creation of the database. Cool!
Sony TRILUMINOS
You’re in for a world of colour now, pal. Sony’s TRILUMINOS technology promises more shades and hues of colour, and better colour definition. It has precision colour mapping, so it can change and adjust the colours of an image in real time. And, they claim that the TRIMLUNINOS technology displays skin tones with more accuracy and vibrancy. I have no idea how it deals with sunburns like the one I have now, but I bet it looks vibrant.
Appearances count
The technological features are the primary concern, naturally. But what about the look of the thing? You’re probably not going for a bulky electronic aesthetic in your home theatre space. You want a TV that matches the visual design of the room. The bezel is your main concern. It is the outer edge of the screen, and there are two approaches to improving it. You can look for as thin a bezel as possible, Like the LG Nanocell TVs. Or, you can get a customizable bezel that can match your interior decoration, like the Samsung Frame QLED TVs. The added bonus with the Frame is art mode, where it displays your personally selected works of art when the TV is not in use.
Consider cable management too
You should also think about the unloved child of tech set-up, cable management. A beautiful TV mounted on the wall gets pretty ugly if it has a rat’s nest of wires and connectors emerging from it. You need to take connectivity and cable management into consideration as you think about modifying your home theatre space. The Samsung Frame improves cable management by consolidating everything into one single wire that then connects to their One Connect box. So you get better cable management at the expense of adding another device into your home theatre setup. Everything’s got a price, am I right?
Premium TVs are the hottest tech for home theatres
You have to be excited about the idea of a TV upgrade. There are so many options for a premium TV that you’ll be able to discover the perfect one for your home theatre. And, the tech inside will keep you future-ready for the next few years. If there’s a gamer in your household, they are going to love the TV upgrade as well. Here’s a gaming-focused article to help you decide: “Premium TVs that are great for gaming.”
